Happy Spring Break!

After all the teasing winter handed us, spring has finally sprung!  I look forward to this break to enjoy the outdoors, clean up our gardens, and refresh my spirit for the sprint to the end of the school year.  I wished students a wonderful vacation week with the hope that they, too, will get outdoors--to play, to chill, maybe even to read or write a poem or two!

This past week, students were inspired by a music video and poem, "A Listening Air", to write their own poems.  They could choose one of two inspirations, either the mood of "A Listening Air" or a memory of summer.  After doing some brainstorming (organizer attached), they began drafting in class today.  

Their goal as poets is to turn inward to listen to the music of words in their hearts and minds, and to make the reader/listener see their subject matter in a whole new way.  They're being encouraged to take the expected and make it unexpected; to turn an ordinary line on its head to recast its shape and meaning; to distill language to its most essential words that offer the reader/listener sensory images that plunge him/her into experiencing the poem. While it's fun to dispose of the rules of standard written English, they are making deliberate choices about vocabulary, punctuation, and format that help convey the meaning and subject of the poem.

Attached is a copy of "A Listening Air", the brainstorming organizer, and the criteria for every poem written (students have these in their binders).

Happy spring, happy vacation to all!

Homework due Monday 4/24:

Draft (hard copy) of poem for peer/teacher conferencing.

"A Listening Air"

Brainstorming Organizer

Poetry Criteria

"Poetry is as precise a thing as geometry." --Gustave Flaubert

Wow!  Ah-ha!  Hmm...interesting…  I can relate!   I wonder… These were just some of the “nonfiction moments” students experienced while reading and interacting with a nonfiction book of their choice.  They wrapped up their reading and analysis with splashy slideshow presentations--what fun to hear about a slew of subjects! Topics included biographies of Hank Aaron and Maya Angelou; compilations by chefs, soldiers, and survivors of wars; pet care and babysitting; the solar system and larger universe; chemistry and writing; and one student even read about her ancestor who was accused of being a witch during the Salem Witch Trials!  

Apropos to the month of April, national poetry month, students are diving into poetry writing and reading.  They will be inspired by music, video, art, the natural world and their own inner landscape of thoughts and emotions to create poems in different forms.  We hope to celebrate in early May with a Poetry Cafe--keep an eye out for an invitation!  

Homework:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: Nonfiction book cover due by Thursday

Wednesday: Finish Mr. Vercellin's exit ticket for Friday

Wrapping Up...

We will be wrapping up the nonfiction unit by preparing slide show presentations.  This will be a fun way for students to hear about each other's books--and it might inspire them to read another!  On a more creative note, they will design and illustrate book covers for their texts.

Students are prepared for the MCAS ELA test which they will take on Tuesday and Wednesday morning.  Please remind them to go to bed early and eat a good breakfast so that they are fully charged to do their best work!

Homework:

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday:  work on slide show

Create a Book Cover

Nonfiction Book Talk

Practice Makes (Almost) Perfect!

This week we will continue practicing for the MCAS/PARCC ELA test, which students will take on the mornings of April 4 & 5.  The goal with our practice is to understand how to take the test, and to be prepared so as to feel confident and comfortable taking it.  The last practice includes an essay which I will collect for a grade.

We're also continuing to work with sentence structure, particularly fragments and run-ons.  On Thursday, students will take a quiz to demonstrate their learning and understanding of these writing elements.

Students should be in the final pages of their nonfiction text, and the final reading log is due on Friday.  Students have shared many "nonfiction moments":  wow!, hmm...interesting, ah-ha! I wonder, and I can relate.  On Friday, they will begin preparing a slide show presentation of their book.

Homework:

Monday:  Finish MCAS practice; rdg. log due Friday
Tuesday:  Run-On activity; rdg. log due Friday
Wednesday:  Frag/Run-on quiz tomorrow; rdg. log due Friday
Thursday:  Reading log #3 due tomorrow
Friday:  Finish MCAS essay if needed and turn in on Monday.

Run-Ons and Comma Splices #2

Nonfiction Moments pic

Thoughts That Are Fragmented...Or Run On

As students read deeper into their nonfiction books, they are recording their thoughts to bits of information that jump out at them.  Good readers are always actively engaging the text: asking questions, making connections, predicting, summarizing, and enjoying ah-ha! moments.  The  goal in keeping logs and using sticky notes while reading is to raise awareness of the active thought process that occurs. This enables greater focus and attention, as well as internalization of the reading.  Readers may find that at times their thoughts are quick, short and fragmented, while other times they may run on in a web of connections and associations.

In class we've been looking at types of sentences with a focus on identifying fragments and run-ons.  Students have been practicing rewriting sentences to correct for these errors by combining fragments and adding correct punctuation as needed.  

Additionally, we looked at an exemplar of a well-written response to a prompt related to an article read in class last week.  Students highlighted the parts of the paragraph (topic sentence, transition words, supporting details, quotes, and clincher) in different colors to visually see the pattern of logical order and cohesion.

Finally, mid-week we will watch a TED talk titled "The Danger of a Single Story" by Chimamanda Adichie and think about the impact of an author's perspective on his/her writing and audience.

Homework:

Monday:  Finish fragment practice #2; BRING IN nonfiction book tomorrow!  Log #2 due Thursday.

Tuesday:  Reading Log due Thursday.

Wednesday:  Finish response to "The Danger of a Single Story" TED talk; Reading log due tomorrow; BRING BOOK tomorrow! (need to renew at library)

Thursday:  Finish "Nonfiction Moments" handout

Friday:  Reading log due next Thursday

Reading Log

Nonfiction Moments Activity

Danger of a Single Story pre & post writing

TED talk: The Danger of a Single Story

Making Sense of Nonfiction...and the Latest Version of the State's ELA Test

It's always interesting to see the books that students choose to read.  Their nonfiction topics range from a volume of chefs discussing cooking to slavery, from a book about Ireland to the atrocities of WWII, from Steven Hawking's theories to circus history and culture.  The first reading log (double-sided) which represents a third of the book is due on Thursday.

To complement their independent reading, in class we are reviewing the features of nonfiction, and looking at how an author chooses language to suit the purpose of their informational text, be it to inform, inform and entertain, or to persuade.  We are accomplishing this using a selection of articles accompanied by MCAS/PARCC style questions.  This practice will help familiarize students with the test format and facilitate critical thinking about the articles they read.  

This week we are taking a closer look at sentence structure by identifying subjects, predicates (verbs), and prepositional phrases, as well as determining subject/verb agreement.

HOMEWORK:

Monday:  
1. Finish "Shark Tales" questions
2. Reading/log #1 (both sides [2 chunks] due Thursday)

Tuesday:
1. Subject/Verb activity sheets
2. Reading/log #1

Wednesday:
1. Finish Subject/Verb Agreement if needed
2. Reading/Log #1 -- DUE TOMORROW!

Thursday:
1. Finish "Quest for Speed" questions 1-5
2. Reading/log #2

Friday:  Reading/log #2 (due next Thursday)

Subjects and Verbs Activities

Transitions

As the season transitions to spring and daylight savings, students will shift this week from their study of ancient Greece to a variety of nonfiction topics.  On Thursday we will visit the library so that students can choose a nonfiction book, biography, or autobiography to read and work with this month.  We will determine the differences between fiction and nonfiction, examine the features of a nonfiction text, and explore the notion of authorship and perspective as it relates to the text.  Relating to this idea, students will view and respond to a TED talk by Chimimanda Adichie called "The Danger of a Single Story".  In addition, they will read and analyze Rudyard Kipling's poem "We and They", and explore its connection to "The Danger of a Single Story".  To culminate this unit, students will prepare book talks and present to one another in class.

The "Celebration of Ancient Greece" showcase was a success!  I am always amazed by students' creativity and ideas.  Thank you to all of the parents who were able to attend!

Homework:

Thursday:  Start reading nonfiction book--make sure you like it!  BRING IT TO CLASS on Friday.

Friday:  Read and complete Reading Log #1 (both sides) for next WEDNESDAY.

Nonfiction Reading Log