"The great war begins!"

Rikki Tikki Tavi's war, that is, fought against the great cobras Nag and Nagaina, in his efforts to protect his new family and become their "house mongoose."  This week we are reading the classic tale "Rikki Tikki Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling.  We will explore the behaviors that humans and animals have in common; the idea of heroes and anti-heroes in the story; and consider whether this is more than just a simple children's tale.  In light of Kipling's background and the time period of the story, students will ponder whether Kipling was trying to paint a picture of colonial England.  Could it be that Rikki Tikki represents the British and the cobras represent the Indian people?  Or that Rikki Tikki symbolizes the Indian that acculturated and sided with the British?  Is it possible that "the great war" was not just between predator and prey in the wild, but between two very different countries and their people?

As we'll be reading and working with this story in class, the only homework this week is to finish reading choice books and completing any overdue responses.  It might be a good time, if you haven't done so already, to check Aspen with your child to determine if there is missing work to be completed.  As well, I am offering an extension activity for the choice book for any student interested in going the extra mile!  I've asked them to see me for instructions, and they are linked below.

Independent Reading Extension Activity

Nice Long Weekend...Back to Work!

This weekend I went to New York City to visit my daughter, and my mother, who hasn't been in the city since I was in college (!!), joined us.  She got the full experience of a packed subway, endless walking, as well as a bumpy taxi ride!  We visited South Street Seaport, where my daughter's office building is located, and the World Trade Center memorial.  The following day, we meandered around the NY Botanical Gardens to see the special exhibit of glass artist Dale Chihuly, whose work was installed around the grounds.  Throughout were posters of poetry written by NYC school children who were inspired by the gardens and Chihuly's creations; it reminded me of past visits we have made to the Smith College pond and art museum to find inspiration for poetry.  I hope we can do something similar again this year!

This week students are reading Mark Twain's "The Californian's Tale", a story inspired by the time he spent in mining camps out west during the Gold Rush.  They will identify various elements of fiction in the story, and examine Twain's use of "local color" to describe the setting.

Students should be wrapping up their choice book reading this week.  A final response is due on Friday.  They will take a vocabulary quiz on Friday to also wrap up list #2.

Homework:

Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday:  Read w/sticky notes; final response due Friday.  Vocabulary quiz on Friday.

Californian's Tale questions

Students are Engaged in Active Reading!

We are kicking off the week with a new list of vocabulary words.  Students have recorded them in their binders, and there is a link below to a deck set on quizlet.  In addition to the activities we do with the words in class, students can use quizlet to study and play games with the words.

Tomorrow we will read a short story by O. Henry titled "After Twenty Years".  It has a little twist at the end that spurs the reader to think about the characters and issues of loyalty and friendship.  Students will work in small groups to examine setting and tone, characterization, foreshadowing and the twist ending, and themes, and they will present their findings to the class.

Students will take a benchmark test three times this year to help me monitor their growth and progress with ELA concepts.  The test was created by ELA Department faculty, and it mirrors MCAS/Parcc style.  This is not only good test-taking practice for students, but teachers use the benchmark data to inform their instruction.  These scores will not be inputted into Aspen nor counted towards students' report card grades; they are merely informational for teachers.  That being said, I plan to administer the first session of the test on Thursday.

As I read students' reading responses this weekend, I was pleased to see that, for the most part, they seem to be enjoying their choice novels.  They also demonstrated in their responses that they understand the difference between summary and response, as well as the elements of fiction.  The icing on the cake for me was that many students wrote about the author's use of language--and words from vocabulary list #1 were popping up, too!

Homework: 

Monday:  read w/sticky notes; response #2 due Wed.
Tuesday:  response #2 due tomorrow (preferably typed)
Wednesday:  read w/sticky notes; bring choice book in tomorrow
Thursday:  read w/sticky notes
Friday:  read w/sticky notes; next response due Tuesday 10/10

Quizlet: Vocab list #2

A Bit of This and That

We'll be bouncing around a bit in ELA this week.  For starters, students are reading a suspenseful story called "The Fallen Angel" by Evan Hunter.  This is a good one to explore the concept of foreshadowing.  The author drops many hints about the supposed protagonist, who will in fact become the antagonist, that lead the reader to grasp his true identity in the end.  Students will also demonstrate their understanding so far of the elements of narrator, tone, conflict, characterization and theme through written answers to questions. I will model how to write an answer to a question, and how to properly prepare work for submission to the teacher.

We are wrapping up practice with the vocabulary list, and students will demonstrate their knowledge of the words on a quiz Thursday.  

Last Friday we enjoyed a day in the library, choosing novels and beginning to read.  I was so surprised to hear a few students say that they actually finished their books already! Today we discussed the activities they will do as they read (they have this handout in their binder and it is attached herewith).  They are practicing reading strategies (predict, clarify, visualize, question/wonder, make connections, summarize) and using sticky notes to record their thoughts as they read.  They will also be writing a response four times throughout their reading, and will compose an essay (topic choices on handout) as the culminating activity with their books.  I will be modeling these strategies and ways of writing in class.

Finally, we are engaging in a school-wide collection of items to help those in Puerto Rico.  Attached is a flyer with information to donate goods.  These can be dropped off in the office, sent in with students, or brought to Open House on Thursday.  Many thanks for your support in this important endeavor!

Homework:

Monday:  finish reading "The Fallen Angel"; proj. due Wednesday; voc. quiz Thursday

Tuesday:  proj. due tomorrow; voc. quiz Thursday; read choice book w/sticky notes; first response due Friday.

Wednesday:  voc. quiz tomorrow; read choice book w/sticky notes; first response due Friday

Thursday:  read choice book w/sticky notes; first response due tomorrow

Friday:  read choice book w/sticky notes; finish "Fallen Angel" questions for Monday

Independent reading activity

Reading response schedule (due dates for responses)

Donation Drive for Puerto Rico

From Roots to Mountains...of a Sort...

This week brings a variety of ELA concepts and activities.  We've begun vocabulary study with the first list of 12 words.  Students will play with these words in varying ways over the next week, including "drawing" them, using them in stories or skits, examining root words some contain, and entering them into Quizlet.  Through all of this repeated use, the words will become embedded just in time for a quiz late next week, but more importantly to use forever in their oral and written communication.

This week we will also finish taking notes on the elements of fiction, a reference sheet that students are asked to keep in their "save" section of ELA in their binders.  We will examine Freytag's Pyramid, aka plot line mountain, to understand the movement of a fictional story, and students will apply this concept to various stories we read in class.  The first will be "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant, which we will read on Wednesday, noting character traits, conflicts, setting, and theme in the story.

On Friday we are off to the library!  Students will be given a quick intro to the library's layout and then will find a novel of their choice to read.  They will keep a dialectical journal type of log of their thoughts as they read and, at a later point, they will be given a choice of assignments to complete based on their novel to show what they've learned thus far about the elements of fiction.

I do hope students have been busy working on their "I Am From" poetry projects.  We are revisiting the instructions today as a reminder, and noting that projects are due by Wed. 9/27.

Homework:

Monday:  work on project

Tuesday:  project; finish vocab puzzles

Wednesday:  project; enter vocab words on quizlet and play!

Thursday:  project; vocab quizlet games; BRING IN novel if you just started one (library visit tomorrow!)

Friday:  PROJECT; vocab quizlet games; read choice book

From Poems to Stories

While students are busy at home revising and finalizing their poems and creating projects that represent themselves and their writing, we are embarking on an exploration of the elements of fiction in numerous short stories.  Mid-week we will read Ray Bradbury's All Summer in a Day and examine the language he uses to create setting; as well we will determine the character traits of the protagonists to understand how the conflict between them arises.  Students will work in groups to analyze these elements and answer plot/theme related in questions, and then we will do a carousel rotation for all to read and add to each other's work.

I look forward to meeting family members at our team breakfast social--hope you will attend!

Homework:

Monday--Wednesday:  final draft of poem due Thursday; work on projects

Thursday, Friday:  work on project

Projects (with poem incorporated into them) due by 9/27.

I Am From project instructions

Happy New Year!

The new school year has brought significant change for me.  On the personal side, my daughter has launched herself from college to the working world, which involved a move to New York City.  On the professional side, I have been launched from one academic team and end of the seventh grade hall to another, which means a new perspective both from the classroom windows as well as from different colleagues.  These changes have thus launched the new year with great excitement and anticipation of the adventures that lie ahead!

Another newcomer to our Green Revolution team is science teacher Jacob Masenior who, on the second day of school, exuberantly visited me first thing in the morning to ask if I would introduce the word palpable, from the Latin palpare (to touch).  I said that I would be happy to oblige as that word would be quite easy to incorporate.  I told classes throughout the day that the intelligence and thoughtfulness was palpable in the room as they brainstormed guidelines for a productive and dynamic year.

I'm anticipating that in the upcoming weeks I will note that their creativity will also be palpable in our room.  Hints of creativity will begin this week with our reading of George Ella Lyon's poem, "Where I'm From".  After deconstructing the language and form of this poem, students will embark on composing their own biographical poems.  While writing, conferencing, and revising in class, they will begin at home a self-reflective 3D project that incorporates their poem in the project.  I love to do this activity each year as it gives me a snapshot of so many things about each student:  who they are as individuals, their understanding and use of language, their writing skills, and how they work within groups as well as individually.  Projects will be due on or before 9/27 so that you will be able to enjoy viewing them at Open House.

I will publish a blog post at the start of each week to give you an overview of our work.  I will also list the homework for the week and attach relevant handouts,  (Please know that occasionally homework for a given class may shift due to extenuating circumstances, like an assembly that ate up class time, or we got sidetracked on a rich discussion that I didn't want to cut off).  In any event, students are writing their homework daily in their planners, and I've encouraged them to check this blog when they are absent in order to stay current with their work as much as possible.

So, cheers to a happy new school year launched with changes, thoughtfulness and creativity that can spark endless possibilities for growth and learning!

Homework:

Tuesday:  no homework (unless you didn't bring in a writer's notebook yet, then need to do so)

Wednesday:  finish poem brainstorming chart

Thursday:  work on poem

Friday:  draft of poem due Monday for conferencing

Handouts:

I Am From project instructions