Genesis: Reading Workshop–Students practiced multiple active reading strategies simultaneously with reader response logs during independent reading. Three of these logs are due on the Friday of each week. Writing Workshop–Students practiced revising text for connotation through an activity focusing on how authors depict character through action. They additionally explored characterization through an activity that helped them analyze character and action through adjective character traits. We concluded the week with grammar practice and a story starter from an edited excerpt of David Sedaris’s “SantaLand Diaries.”

Legacy: Reading Workshop–Students practiced purposeful connecting and visualizing strategies during reading workshop. Writing Workshop–We focused on transitions in editorials and individual conferencing regarding students’ editorial wikis. We continued our work on characterization using contemporary art images to explore narrative writing. Students interpreted and evaluated works with a special focus on Edward Hopper. Study of these paintings resulted in individual narrative drafts and group narrative monologues. We began SAT vocabulary. Our first exam is Tuesday, January 6.

Explorers: Reading/Writing Workshop: Students continued their independent reading and writing. We focused on transitions in editorials and individual conferencing regarding students’ editorial wikis. We continued our work on characterization using contemporary art images to explore narrative writing. Students interpreted and evaluated works with a special focus on Edward Hopper. Study of these paintings resulted in individual narrative drafts and group narrative monologues. We began SAT vocabulary and assessed Lesson 1.

Homework over Winter Break for All Classes: Independent reading and writing. Use your writer’s journals to reflect on snippets of stories, images, and conversations from break. I found this excerpt from the journals of poet William Stafford for you to smile about in recognition as you get into the reading zone!

The Trouble with Reading

When goats like a book, the whole book is gone,
and the meaning has to go find an author again.
But when we read, it’s just print–deciphering,
like frost on a window; we learn the meaning
but lose what the frost is, and all that world
pressed so desperately behind.

So some time let’s discover how the ink
feels, to be clutching all that eternity onto
page after page. But maybe it is better not
to know; ignorance, that wide country,
rewards you just to accept it. You plunge;
it holds you. And you become a rich darkness.

All classes: Continue independent reading and writing over break.  I will be checking in your writer’s journals (where you complete your own brainstorming, freewriting, and idea germinating) on January 16, so use break as an opportunity to fill those pages!

Explorers: SAT #1 Test today!

Genesis Writing Block 4: Your children’s book project is due today!

Genesis: Block 3–Complete character traits sheet.  Block 4–Continue work on children’s book project; due Thursday 12/18.  All blocks: Your 3 reading response logs are due Friday.

Legacy: Wiki due!  Print a copy and bring to class.  Continue independent reading.

Explorers: Wiki due!  Print a copy and bring to class.  SAT Lesson 1 quiz today.  Continue independent reading.

Genesis: Continue independent reading; Block 4: continue children’s book project (due Thu 12/18).

Legacy: Continue independent reading, independent writing (editorial draft is due Wed 12/17), and SAT word study.

Genesis: We continued our reading and writing workshop.  Students presented book talks in the regular classroom, and they worked on independent reading through targeted conferences with me.  In pull-out, we learned definitions and applications for our remaining parts of speech: adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.  We also used the WriteBoard web application to engage in collaborative fiction writing.  Our group story germinated our individual spin-off stories which focused on the element of characterization, “What does the main character want most badly?”  Students then provided analytical feedback on the strengths of this characterization in individual pieces.

Legacy: Students continued the reading and writing workshop.  With Ms. Heller in reading class, students’ focus minilessons included pause and reflect as well as connecting strategies.  Ms. Heller and I shared our “connections” passages as models for this activity.  Students worked on independent reading through targeted conferences with me, and they began to sign up for book chats.  In pull-out, we worked on drafting and revising our nonfiction writing projects on the wiki.  Students individually conferred with me on their writing progress.  This project is due Wednesday, December 17.  Our writing minilesson focus was on editorial structure and ”the facts behind the facts.”  We additionally worked on SAT vocabulary, which will be quizzed next week.

Explorers: Students continued the reading and writing workshop. Students’ focus minilessons included characterization and how to draft letter-essays, which will be our reading contract requirement biweekly in the new year.  Students worked on independent reading through targeted conferences with me, and they began to sign up for book chats.  In pull-out, we worked on drafting and revising our nonfiction writing projects on the wiki.  Students individually conferred with me on their writing progress.  This project is due Wednesday, December 17.  Our writing minilesson focus was on editorial structure and “the facts behind the facts.”  We additionally worked on SAT vocabulary, which will be quizzed next week.

Genesis X Block: Students read, discussed, and analyzed reactions to poems on friendship, family, and future.  Ask them to share their favorite poems with you!  Our activities included reconstructing two poems from strips and imagining the backstory of poems using individual writing responses.

Genesis: Continue independent reading.  Children’s book projects due (Block 5 Writing).  

Legacy: Continue independent reading.  SAT #1 questions (or alternate lesson) due.  Editorial due Wed 12/17.

Explorers: Continue independent reading.  Editorial due Wed 12/17

Genesis: Continue working on independent reading; book talk preparation; children’s book project (book project due Monday, December 15).

Explorers: Complete letter-essay analysis for Friday, December 12.  Complete SAT 1 questions for Friday, December 12.  SAT 1 Quiz is on Tuesday, December 16.

Legacy: SAT 1 questions are due Monday, December 15.

Genesis: Continue working on independent reading, book talk preparation, children’s book project. 

Explorers: SAT #1 questions (use complete sentences/write out for A, B; T/F for C) due Friday 12/12.  SAT #1 quiz on Tuesday 12/16.  Editorial/nonfiction project due Wednesday 12/17.