Hello again!

     Over the course of the school year, I have updated this site to include each day's daily agenda, the current homework, a journal prompt log, and a portfolio update.  In this time, there have been unfortunately too few visitors as Mr. Kimball's website keeps students up-to-date with their current language arts homework.  Because of this and the time consumed posting a daily update of my class agenda each day, I have decided to discontinue posting to this schoolnotes page daily, if favor of reserving this page for class-specific needs.

     Please note that no longer will the daily agenda or homework be posted to this webpage.  The journal prompt log and portfolio update will be updated somewhat regularly over the remainder of the school year.  Also, the links should still be good, as well. 

     If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to drop me a line through e-mail, see me in class, or leave me a voicemail message at 893-7055 ext. 3110. 

Sincerely,

Mr. Millas

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Journal Prompts Log:

#1: My 1st Week of School, 9/8 - Write a brief (1-2 pages) reflection about your first week of school.  Be sure to have a clear beginning and ending, too!  *As always, you may finish writing in your journal on your own time if more time is needed.

#2: Freewrite, 9/10 - Choose a topic of your choice to write freely about, then have fun and write!

#3: My Education, 9/14 - In your journal, address the following: 1) What are you personally responsible for in your education?  2) List (3) goals for yourself in school, short term or long term goals.

#4: The Writing Process, 9/15 - Describe the writing process and its (5) steps.

#5: Acid Rain, 9/28 - What are some of the causes and effects of acid rain?

#6: Life Writing Process, 9/30 - Describe the process (writing AND thinking) that you went through to complete this assignment, from the very first time you were asked "Is Life Fair/Unfair" to handing in a final copy. 

#7: Global Warming, 10/9 - Explain some of the causes and effects of global warming, and provide examples of ways in which people can help to slow down global warming.  Note: This is a 3-part question that should be organized in two paragraphs.

#8: Sensory Language, 10/16 - Brainstorm sensory details of autumn; list several details appealing to see, taste, touch/feel, hear, and smell.

#9: Creative Writing Pieces, 10/21 - Based upon numbers chose, students are provided with a character, time, place, and situation to creatively write about.

#10: Prefixes, 10/22 - Create a story in which the following prefixes are used: photo-, uni-, micro-, multi-, and inter-.

#11: Beauty Is..., 11/4 - List several examples of things that you find beautiful in the world, other than specific people; use specific and descriptive details, and be creative!

#12: Acronyms, 11/6 - List as many acronyms (w/definitions) as you can that you've seen or used in a text message.  Ex. LOL = Laugh Out Loud.  **If you can't think of any, make some up!

#13: Transitions, 11/9 - Pretend the following events happened on Saturday.  Retell the story, only this time add transitions and details to make the story more interesting.  1) I woke up.  2) My friend and I went to the ______________.  3) Something crazy happened!  4) We left.  5) I went to sleep.

#14: Spatial Order, 11/14 - Describe the Vincent Van Gogh painting, Bedroom In Arles.  Click the following link to see this painting!  http://www.abcgallery.com/V/vangogh/vangogh51.html

#15: How To..., 11/17 - Describe the process of how to do something, with a clear introduction paragraph, body, and conclusion paragraph.  **1) 1-2 sentence intro. paragraph, 2) 5-7 steps in paragraph form or with bullets or numbers, and 3) 1-2 sentence conclusion paragraph.

#16: My Favorite Food, 12/15 - What is your favorite food and why?  Focus: Keep It Simple, Silly!

#17: Preventative Measures, 12/16 - Describe something that you can do to avoid contracting the swine flu.  Explain why that action will help prevent you from getting the disease.

#18: New Year's Resolution, 12/21 - Write a well-organized paragraph about a New Year's resolution.

#19: Vacation Reflection, 1/4 - Feel free to write extensively about anything and/or everything about your holiday vacation.

#20: Book Recommendation, 1/11 - 1) Write the title of the book and the author's name at the top.  2) Tell a little summary without giving the whole story away.  3) Tell what genre the book is.  4) Explain why you liked it and why someone else would.  5) Be as specific as you can.  6) Write at least five sentences.

#21: Rambling Autobiography, 1/12 - Write as many details about your life as you can.  Feel no need to write the details in order, and doin't worry too much about sentence structuring and adding lots of details about one particular thing, either!  Also, write lots of details! 

#22: Personal Experience, 1/13 - Select one exprience from your rambling autobiography to expand upon in a short reflection.

#23: Music, 1/22 - How does music impact your life?

#24: Haiti, 1/25 - Freewrite for 15 min. about the topic, Haiti.  If you don't know much about the country, jot down some questions of things you'd like to learn.

#25: If I Were President, 2/5 - In this essay, finish the thought and share what you would do if you were president.  What would you do first?  Which issues would you focus on (education, health care, national security, the economy, immigration, etc.)?  Who would you appoint to your cabinet (any thoughts?)?

#26: Hopes & Dreams, 2/9 - What do you hope for in life?  What are your dreams for the future?

#27: Values, 2/10 - What are some things that you value most in the world?

#28: Freewrite, 2/11 - Write freely about a topic of your choice.  Focus on creating descriptive details to enhance your voice in your writing!

#29: My Talent, 2/12 - After reading aloud the book, Jack's Talent, consider all things that you are good at, and then pick one specific thing that you are good and, then write about it.

#30: Vacation Reflection, 3/1 - Feel free to write extensively about your vacation week.

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Portfolio Content: To be updated later...