Welcome Eagles!

     As Thanksgiving quickly approaches, just like you're going to load up your plate with food on Thursday, I've loaded up your plate with school work in my class.  You've gotten a couple of new long-term assignments: the "Proof of Learning" Checklist you shouldn't worry too much about until after Thanksgiving, but the "Generational Comparison" is one that you should probably complete part of while you have your family close by.  

     On the "Generational Comparison" assignment, students are essentially required to interview an adult (parent/guardian, grandparent, etc.) and write about the similarities and differences of what life was like growing up for that person compared to themselves.  This is a new assignment that I have created, and I'm really excited about it as it makes a bridge to what's happening in school and at home.  Also, there isn't a lot of opportunities to bring recent history into the school classroom, and this provides an opportunity for students to learn about what has happened in the world over the past few generations.  Parents and students, have fun!

     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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Homework:

#1: Transitions worksheet due Friday, 11/13

#2: Organization Trait Packet due Thursday, 11/19

#3: D.O.L. Quiz Review #2 due Monday, 11/23

#4: Interview questions due Tuesday, 12/1

#5: 1st draft, "A Generational Comparison" due Thursday, 12/3

#6: Final copy, "A Generational Comparison" due Tuesday, 12/8

#7: "Proof of Learning" Checklist due Thursday, 12/10

**D.O.L. Quiz on Tuesday, 11/24

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Daily Lesson Plans

Monday, 11/23

 - "I write in my sleep.  I don't know how, but I'll work on a song, go to sleep, and it's finished when I wake up."  - Miley Cyrus

1) No D.L.R.

2) D.O.L. Quiz Review today!

     - Study Guide provided

3) Teacher Model of Interview Questions posted today:

     - What was your typical school day like?

     - What classes did you do well in?

     - What was a meal that you can remember eating with your family when growing up?

     - What were some popular name brands that you can recall?

     - What were some things that you'd want to spend your money on?  Toys?

     - What were the prices of...?

     - What was TV like, and what were some examples of new technology when you were growing up?

     - What did you used to do with your friends for fun?  Games?

     - What were some of the popular music bands or songs that you can remember from your childhood?

     - What were some books that you can recall reading when you were young?

     - What was your first job, and how old were you when you got your first job?

Friday, 11/20

1) Current Events Handout (w/summary and reading comprehension questions)

2) Writer's Workshop: Independent class time provided

     - students can use this time to work on creating interview questions and/or get caught up with their journal writing

Thursday, 11/19

1) D.L.R. Check Today!  

2) Organization Trait Mini-Lesson: Compare/Contrast

3) Introduction of new assignment: "A Generational Comparison"

Wednesday, 11/18

1) D.L.R. Week #8, Day 4

     - skip today's journal prompt

2) Introduction to "Proof of Learning" Long-term assignment

Tuesday, 11/17

 - It's not so much how busy you are, but why you are busy.  The bee is praised.  The mosquito is swatted."  - Mary O'Conner

1) D.L.R. Week #8, Day 3

2) Reminder: Organization Trait Packet due Thursday

3) Mini-Lesson: Step-by-Step Organization

     - w/teacher model shared and Journal Prompt #15: How To..., 11/17

Monday, 11/16

 - "Winner have to absorb losses." Ice-T, rapper and actor

1) D.L.R. Week #8, Day 2

2) Organization Trait Packet

     - distributed and previewed; due Thursday

3) Organization Trait Mini-Lesson: Spatial Organizational Pattern

     - w/teacher model shared

4) Journal Prompt #14: Spatial Order, 11/16

Friday, 11/13

 - "Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal." - Henry Ford

1) D.L.R. Week #8, Day 2

2) Transitions worksheet due today; paper reviewed in class

Wednesday, 11/11 & Thursday, 11/12

 - No school today.

Tuesday, 11/10

1) D.L.R. Week #7, Day 4 (Skip today's prompt)

2) Book Share: Black & White

Monday, 11/9

 - Obstacles are those things you see when you take your eyes off the goal."  - Henry Ford

1) D.L.R. Week #7, Day 3

2) Journal Prompt #13: Transitions, 11/9

3) "Adding Transitions" worksheet & "A Handy List of Transitional Phrases" distributed and previewed; homework due Friday

Friday, 11/6

 - "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." - President John F. Kennedy

1) D.L.R. Week #7, Day 2

2) Journal Prompt #12: Acronyms, 11/6

3) Organization Trait Activity: Sequencing & Comic Strips

Thursday, 11/5

 - "All knowledge is not taught in the same school." - Hawaiian Proverb

1) D.L.R. Week #7, Day 1

2) Interest Journals

3) Introduction of Organization Trait (con't from yesterday)

4) Student/Teacher Conferences

     - "Spooky Story" and 1st quarter grades shared

Wednesday, 11/4 (Start of 2nd Quarter!)

 - "Beauty is fall foliage in New England on a warm and sunny blue-skied day while driving through the countryside with the windows cracked open and your favorite song playing to sing along to."  - Mr. Millas

1) D.L.R. Week #6, Day 4

2) Journal Prompt #11: Beauty Is...11/4

3) Portfolio Clean Out & Introduction to the Organization Trait

     - All yellow ideas trait papers, salmon colored D.L.R. and D.O.L. quiz papers (except D.L.R. Weeks 5 & 6), and the golden colored portfolio checklist can be recycled

     - All white resources, blue organization trait papers, and written assignments are to be kept in your portfolio

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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.

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Portfolio Content: To be updated at a later date...