Greetings!
We had a very full and productive time in class today. We started with the Quick Write, and I gave them two options:
-- Since it was the birthday of Johnny Chapman (a.k.a. Johnny Appleseed) I had the students write either about their favorite apple recipe/food or about their favorite fall food. I'm glad to say that we all like apples, and, of course, this is the best time of year to get your fill. (For those interested in more about Johnny Appleseed here are a couple of good sites: Biography.com, Wikiped
-- Friday (September 29) is International Coffee Day, so I asked them to write either about coffee or about their favorite beverage. Here's some information National Coffee Day.
Below are the Words of the Day, taken from my foreign words and phrases book:
Cappuccino -- fr. Italian, Capuchin, an order of monks who wore light brown habits -- a coffee drink made from espresso, steamed milk, and foam
Carabiner -- fr. German, Karabinerhaken, carbine hook -- a metal ring with a spring catch used by mountain climbers
Carafe -- fr. Arabic, gharrafah, a drinking vessel -- a wide-mouthed glass or metal bottle for serving beverages
Carousel -- fr. French, carrousel, a knight's tournament -- a rotating platform carnival ride with horses as seats.
Note: Some may be interested in this bit of trivia -- a carousel can only have horses, while a merry-go-round can use other animals for the seats of the ride.
When I hand back Rough Drafts to the students, I cover grammar topics that represent the types of errors most common in that current round of papers. In addition to taking notes, I directed students to add to their page in their notebooks titled "Watch our for . . ." This list over the course of the year will both chronicle a student's growth and be a source for goal setting. I also asked them to look at their final drafts of their previous papers and to start a document titled "What I did well . . " The areas we covered today were commas and compound sentences, comma splice and run-on sentences, paragraph formation, and punctuation with dialogue.
We discussed Jim, Antonia, the Harlings, and Wick Cutter -- all characters from our book, My Antonia. Next week we will use our literature circles again to discuss the assigned reading portion. I will e-mail the individual circles so that they can communicate with each other. Come ready to discuss.
Circle Members:
Circle 1: David, Carter, Katelyn, Akaya, Caitlin, Julia
Circle 2: Daniel, Sofia, Audrie, Noah, Taylor, Kayla
Circle 3: Christianna, Kai Rose, Madi, Emily, Bryce, Isabella
Roles for next week:
Discussion Director -- David, Daniel, Christianna
Illustrator -- Carter, Sofia, Kai Rose
Luminary -- Katelyn, Audrie, Madi
Word Nerd -- Akaya, Noah, Emily
Connector -- Caitlin, Taylor, Bryce
Summarizer -- Julia, Kayla, Isabella
In two weeks, students are to hand in a Project Proposal sheet for their final project for the book. I would like parents to initial this before they hand it in, so I've attached a copy of the document and provided a link. If you have any questions, please contact me.
A note about homework: The past few weeks I've had the students hold all of their homework until the end of the class rather than hand it in bit by bit throughout the class time. Unfortunately, I think there may be some confusion about what should be handed in. Firstly, if I assigned it, assume that you should hand it in. However, if you're not sure, you can hand it in to be on the safe side or check with me after class.
Assignments for Next Week:
-- Read pages 119 - 140
-- 3 Reader Responses
-- 5 Vocabulary Words
-- Final draft (Remember to also bring your rough draft)
-- Literature Circle Preparations
-- Be thinking about your final project
Links for This Week
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Prichard
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