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.