English 1 Daily Updates: What Did We Do Today?
Week 1
Wednesday, August 21: Students got to know Mr. Searfoss and shared some information about themselves.
Thursday, August 22: Students completed a "This or That?" activity to learn more about our learning community. Then they had a classroom library scavenger hunt to learn about the classroom library. Finally, we began reviewing the syllabus and discussing the rules and procedures for the year.
Friday, August 23: We reviewed the syllabus, class rules, and procedures. Students enrolled in Google Classroom. Then students began working on introduction letters.
Week 2
Monday, August 26: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we had some extra time to work on their intro letters.
Tuesday, August 27: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we began working on setting up our writer's notebooks by creating an authority list, heart map, and ideas for writing.
Wednesday, August 28: Since class was only 25 minutes today, we just read our independent reading books.
Week 3
Tuesday, September 3: Students read for 15 minutes. Then they finished their notebook covers and presented them to the class for the first presentation of the year.
Wednesday, September 4: We began the NWEA test today. Students are taking this to showcase where they are at at the beginning of the year in regard to reading and using the English language.
Thursday, September 5: We continued the NWEA today.
Friday, September 6: We continued the NWEA today.
Week 4
Monday, September 9: We read for 15 minutes. Then we had weekly vocabulary. This week's words are EMPHASIZE (verb) and COMPARE (verb). Next, today was the last in-class day to work on the NWEA. If students were finished, they read or worked on current or missing work.
Tuesday, September 10: We read for 15 minutes. Then we discussed the objectives for unit 1. The first unit of the year will be focused on personal narratives. We watched a clip and discussed the concept of extreme emotions. Then we went over an example of Mr. Searfoss' writing and students began writing about a time they felt an extreme emotion.
Wednesday, September 11: We read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. We reviewed nouns (common and proper today) and completed a grammar assignment. Then we got back into the Extreme Emotion Writing assignment. Students continued to write their stories.
Thursday, September 12: We read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. Today, students identified proper nouns that needed to be capitalized in sentences. Next, they had some time to finish the Extreme Emotion Writing assignment. Then they got with partners and gave each other feedback on their writing. They used the feedback to make some edits before turning their writing in on Google Classroom.
Friday, September 13: We read for 15 minutes. Then we had Scrabble Friday. Students played Scrabble to learn new and interesting words. Then they wrote a Scrabble story using at least 10 words from their board.
Week 5
Monday, September 16: We read for 15 minutes. Then we learned the two new vocabulary words of the week. This week's words are ESTIMATE (verb) and GENERATE (verb). Next, we discussed what it means to recall memories versus making sense of memories. Then we read "Eleven" by Sandra Cisernos and highlighted times where she was recalling memories in red and times where she was making sense of memories in yellow. Towards the end, we discussed how it is important to include both of these in our personal narrative writing.
Tuesday, September 17: We read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. Today we learned about adjectives. Then students worked at identifying adjectives in example sentences. Next, we reviewed an example Memoir Start Writing assignment. Then students used a sentence stem to begin writing about a memory.
Wednesday, September 18: We read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. We continued learning about adjectives today. Students added adjectives to sentences. Then we continued the Memoir Start Writing assignment from yesterday. After students were done writing, they got with a partner and peer reviewed the stories.
Thursday, September 19: We read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. Today students wrote a paragraph story and highlighted five adjectives. Then we discussed physical and behavioral characteristics. We read "The Bike" by Gary Soto and identified the main character's physical and behavioral characteristics. Then students decided if they wanted to focus on either the Extreme Emotion Writing or the Memoir Start Writing. They completed the Characteristics T-Chart assignment using one of those stories.
Friday, September 20: We read for 25 minutes. Then we had a Kahoot! team tournament over English related topics and other assorted things.
Week 6
Monday, September 23: We read for 15 minutes. Then we learned the two new words of the week. This week's words are ELABORATE (verb) and ASSESS (verb). Next, we finished the Characteristics T-Chart assignment from last week. Then we discussed and practiced the concept of internal story. Finally, we began reading "The Moustache" by Robert Cormier and highlighting areas of internal story.
Tuesday, September 24: We read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. Today, students identified verbs in sentences. Next, we continued our lesson on internal story. We worked on reading "The Moustache" together and finding examples of internal story.
Wednesday, September 25: We read for 15 minutes. Then students finished reading and looking for internal story in "The Moustache." We looked at an example of the Creating Internal Story assignment. Then students worked on adding internal story into their writing by compiling a list of thoughts and feelings and turning that list into a paragraph.
Thursday, September 26: We read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. Students added verbs to sentences today. Then they had some time to finish the Creating Internal Story assignment from yesterday. Next, we learned some rules for formatting dialogue. Then students worked together on a practice activity where they added quotation marks, punctuation, and capital letters.
Friday, September 27: We read for 15 minutes and completed the grammar assignment. Then students had a choice today. They could continue reading, work on missing work, play Scrabble, or complete a free write. They also turned in either a paragraph summary of their reading, a Scrabble story, a free write, or a list of missing work they completed.
Week 7
Monday, September 30: We read for 15 minutes. Then we learned the two vocabulary words of the week. This week's words are EMPLOY (verb) and EXECUTE (verb). Then we went over the correct answers for the dialogue examples from last, and students wrote two examples of dialogue they could put in their stories. *First hour had an assembly today, so they will complete these activities tomorrow.
Tuesday, October 1: First hour completed what second hour did yesterday. See above for details. Second hour had an assembly today for Homecoming.
Wednesday, October 2: We read for 15 minutes. Then we went over the criteria for writing the personal narrative and set up the formatting for our papers. We will start our rough drafts tomorrow.
Thursday, October 3: We read for 15 minutes. Then students had a work day to write their rough drafts of personal narratives.
Friday, October 4: We read for 15 minutes. Then students worked on rough drafts of personal narratives.
Week 8
Monday, October 7: We read for 15 minutes. Then we learned the vocabulary words for the week. This week's words are POSE (verb) and INFER (verb). Next, students continued working on their rough drafts of their personal narratives. If they were finished, they had the option of having their draft proofread by Mr. Searfoss.
Tuesday, October 8: We read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. Today, we reviewed how to write compound sentences, and students wrote a couple examples. Next, we peer reviewed an example personal narrative paper together. Then students got with partners and began peer reviewing each other's papers.
Wednesday, October 9: We read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. Today, students added sentences together using the correct conjunctions. Then they finished peer reviewed and reflected on what they would change for their final drafts of their personal narratives.
Thursday, October 10: We read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. Today, students made corrections to compound sentences that had errors. Then they worked on the final drafts of their personal narratives.
Friday, October 11: We read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. Today, students wrote a paragraph that included a couple examples of compound sentences. Next, students finished their final drafts of their personal narratives. Final drafts were due at the end of class today.
Week 9
Monday, October 14: We read for 15 minutes. Then we learned the two vocabulary words of the week. This week's words are RESOLVE (verb) and CLAIM (noun). Next, we discussed how to use reading strategies to monitor comprehension. Then we began reading "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber. As we read, we summarized, asked questions, and made predictions. We will continue this tomorrow.
Tuesday, October 15: We read for 15 minutes. Then we completed a reflection for the parent-teacher conference. Next, we finished reading "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." We discussed the story and marked it up together. Students also listed main events, questions, and predictions to showcase they could use reading strategies.
Wednesday, October 16: We read for 15 minutes. Then we worked on English goals for the year. Students set a reading goal and a writing goal. Next, we reviewed the concepts of comparing and contrasting, and we started watching the film version of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. As we watched the film, we worked on filming in a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the film with the short story.
Thursday, October 17: Today was an 11:00 release day. We continued watching the film and looking for similarities and differences.
Friday, October 18: There was no school today due to parent-teacher conferences.
Week 10
Monday, October 21: We read for 15 minutes or worked on reading forms. Then we learned the two vocabulary words for the week. This week's words are ANALYZE (verb) and ACQUIRE (verb). Next, the rubrics for the personal narrative were passed back and discussed. If students want to make corrections to get some points back, they have until Friday. Then we continued watching "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" and comparing and contrasting it with the short story.
Tuesday, October 22: We skipped reading time today because we had a lot to finish up. We started with Daily Grammar Time. Today, we reviewed how to find subjects in sentences. Then we finished watching The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Students compared and contrasted the film with the short story. Then they answered a couple reflection questions about the experience.
Wednesday, October 23: We read or worked on reading forms for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. Student identified subjects in sentences today. Next, we discussed the three parts of a story. We looked at some examples. Then students came up with the three parts of a story for a book, TV show, or movie and wrote 5-6 word stories that had the three parts.
Thursday, October 24: We read or worked on reading forms for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. Today students determined if sentences had subjects or not. They highlighted completed subjects in some sentences and added subjects to others. Next, we finished looking at "The Wallet" from yesterday. Students read the story and identified the three parts of the story. They also summarized the story. Next, we looked at "Fear" together. We read the story and highlighted some important events and details. We will finish this activity tomorrow.
Friday, October 25: Students read or worked on reading forms for 15 minutes. Reading forms were due today. Then we finished the "Fear" assignment together as a class. Finally, today was a brain break day. Students voted for playing Kahoot!. Therefore, we played a Kahoot! tournament over English concepts and other random topics.
Week 11
Monday, October 28: We read for 15 minutes. Then we learned the two new vocabulary words for the week. This week's words are COMPILE (verb) and SYMBOLIZE (verb). Next, we began learning about some different literary devices. Students created a practice sheet where they defined literary devices, listed examples, and illustrated clues to help them remember how to use them. We will finish this tomorrow.
Tuesday, October 29: We read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. Today, we learned about predicates. Students wrote a simple sentence and highlighted the predicate. Next, we continued reviewing literary devices and making a practice sheet. Students took five minutes to study with a partner. Then we had an open-note quiz over literary devices.
Wednesday, October 30: We read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. Today, students added predicates to sentences. Next, we reviewed plot structure and took some notes to use for this unit. Then, students began working on some pre-reading activities for "The Sniper," the next short story that we will be reading.
Thursday, October 31: We read fro 15 minutes. Then students had the rest of the time to work on the pre-reading activities for "The Sniper."
Friday, November 1: We had a sub today. Students read for 15 minutes. Then they had time to play Scrabble, work on missing work, read their book, or complete a free-write. They turned in a Scrabble story, write write, or paragraph summary of their reading.
Week 12
Monday, November 4: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we learned the vocabulary words for the week. This week's words are ALTER (verb) and PARAPHRASE (verb). Next, we reviewed some literary devices. Then we began reading "The Sniper" and looking for some examples of different literary devices and terms in the story.
Tuesday, November 5: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. Today we learned about fragments. Students identified fragments on the assignment today. Next, we reviewed the story from yesterday. Then they finished reading "The Sniper." They filled in some literary device examples and answered some comprehension questions.
Wednesday, November 6: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. Students turned fragments into complete sentences today. Next, we reviewed the steps of plot for "The Sniper." Then students illustrated their understanding by creating a comic for the story.
Thursday, November 7: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. Students identified fragments in a paragraph today and added to them to make them complete sentences. Next, they had time to finish their comics from "The Sniper." When they finished, they worked on current or missing work for any class.
Friday, November 8: Students read for 15 minutes. We predicted what the next story "The Most Dangerous Game" might be about. Then we reviewed literary devices and retook the literary device practice quiz to get better scores before working with literary devices with this story.
Week 13
Monday, November 11: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we learned the vocabulary words for this week. This week's words are SIMPLIFY (verb) and INTERPRET (verb). Next, we completed the literary device quiz retake from last week, and we went over the answers together as a class.
Tuesday, November 12: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. Today, we reviewed how to use SEEN and SAW. Next, we began reading "The Most Dangerous Game." As we read, we looked for literary devices in the story.
Wednesday, November 13: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. Today, they choose SEEN or SAW to add to sentences. Next, we continued reading "The Most Dangerous Game" and looking for literary devices.
Thursday, November 14: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. They looked for errors in sentences using SEEN or SAW today. Then we continued reading "The Most Dangerous Game" and looking for literary devices.
Friday, November 15: There was no school today. It was a scheduled day off.
Week 14
Monday, November 18: Students read for 15 minutes. Then they completed the study guide for the first 20 vocabulary words of the year. The quiz over these words will be Tuesday, November 26. Next, students got with partners and continued reading "The Most Dangerous Game." As they read, they looked for literary devices to add to their chart.
Tuesday, November 19: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. Today, we learned about how to properly format titles in sentences by adding quotation marks or italicizing and/or underlining the words. Then students continued reading "The Most Dangerous Game" and looking for literary devices.
Wednesday, November 20: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. Today, they formatted titles found in sentences correctly. Next, they continued reading "The Most Dangerous Game" and looking for literary devices. This will be due at the end of class tomorrow.
Thursday, November 21: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. They added correctly formatted titles to their writing today. Next, if they were still working on the assignment for "The Most Dangerous Game" they completed that. Those that were done worked on current or missing work, read books, or worked on reading forms.
Friday, November 22: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we had a catch-up day where students worked on late/missing English. If they had no missing work, they read a book, worked on reading forms, or completed a free write for extra credit.
Week 15
Monday, November 25: Students read for 15 minutes. Then they had some time to study their vocabulary with a partner to prepare for the quiz tomorrow. Next, we discussed the literary device of ambiguity. Students took notes and came up with some example statements that would be considered ambiguous. Next, they answered a few before reading questions for our next story "The Lady or the Tiger?" We shared our different opinions on these questions.
Tuesday, November 26: Students read for 15 minutes. Then they took the vocabulary quiz over the first 20 words of the year. After the quiz, they read, worked on reading forms, or completed missing work.
Wednesday, November 27: There was no class today due to it being a high school activities day.
Thursday, November 28: There was no school today. Happy Thanksgiving!
Friday, November 29: There was no school today. Happy Black Friday!
Week 16
Monday, December 2: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we discussed the before reading questions for "The Lady or the Tiger?" Next, we read "The Lady or the Tiger?" as a class. We stopped periodically and discussed what was happening. As we read, students answered during reading questions on Google Classroom. We will finish this tomorrow.
Tuesday, December 3: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we reviewed the story from yesterday and previewed some of the questions. Next, students answered the during reading questions. Finally, they answered the after reading question by writing a new ending for "The Lady or the Tiger?"
Wednesday, December 4: Students read for 15 minutes and/or finished "The Lady or the Tiger?" questions. Next, we had Daily Grammar Time. Today, we learned how to use apostrophe S. Students wrote a couple examples for the assignment today. Then we began reading and discussing "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry. As we read, students worked on answering questions about the story.
Thursday, December 5: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. They added apostrophes where they needed to go in sentences to show possession. Next, they finished reading "The Gift of the Magi" with partners and answering comprehension and opinion based questions.
Friday, December 6: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. They added apostrophes where they needed to go in sentences. Next, we had a catch-up day. Students worked on missing English work, read a book, worked on reading forms, or played Scrabble.
Week 17
Monday, December 9: Students read for 15 minutes or worked on reading forms. Then we learned the new vocabulary words of the week. This week's words are ABDICATE (verb) and ALTERNATE (verb). Next, we had a mini-lesson on theme. Students took cloze notes and we worked together to come up with some examples from stories. Finally, we discussed the end-of-the-unit theme poster project. We will begin this project tomorrow.
Tuesday, December 10: Students read for 15 minutes or worked on reading forms. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. We learned about semicolons today, and students wrote an example sentence. Next, we reviewed the theme poster project and looked at some examples. Then, students got into groups and started working on their posters.
Wednesday, December 11: Students read for 15 minutes or worked on reading forms. Then they had the rest of the class time to work on their theme poster projects.
Thursday, December 12: Students read for 15 minutes or worked on reading forms. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. Today, they added semicolons where they need to go in sentences. Then they had the rest of the class time to finish their theme poster projects. Presentations will be tomorrow.
Friday, December 13: Students read for 15 minutes or worked on reading forms. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. Today, they fixed errors in sentences that had semicolons. Next, groups presented their theme posters. Then the exam study guide was passed out, and students began working on it.
Week 18
Monday, December 16: Students read for 15 minutes or worked on reading forms. Then students got with partners and worked on study guides. They also had the options of working on missing English work independently.
Tuesday, December 17: Students read for 15 minutes or worked on reading forms. Then they continued working on exam study guides with partners. They also had the option to work on missing English work. Towards the end of class, they were able to ask questions about the study guide.
Wednesday, December 18: The exams for 1st, 3rd, and 5th hour were today. After the exams, students went to 2nd, 6th, and 7th hour. Those classes had some extra time to study with partners.
Thursday, December 19: The exams for 2nd, 6th, and 7th hour were today. Students were dismissed at 1:00.
Friday, December 20: Today was a chill day. We watched a movie to celebrate the end of the semester.
Monday, December 23 to Friday, January 3: Winter Break / No School! Happy Holidays!
Week 19
Monday, January 6: NO SCHOOL TODAY / Snow Day #1
Tuesday, January 7: Students picked out new books, and we read for 15 minutes. Then we reviewed some rules and procedures for this semester and talked about the next unit. Next, we learned two new words for the week. This week's words are APPARENT (adjective) and ARBITRARY (adjective). Next, we made some observations about different ads. Then we took some notes on real and perceived value in ads and how to analyze ads. We will continue this lesson tomorrow.
Wednesday, January 8: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time on Schoology. We learned about appositives today, and students wrote a sentence that had an appositive. Next, we analyzed some more ads together and finished taking the notes from yesterday. Then we began an assignment where we analyzed print ads for their real and perceived value based on words and images. We looked at one ad (Air Jordan II shoes) and filled out a box together. Then students got with partners and started looking at more ads. They will choose four ads from Schoology for this assignment. We will continue this tomorrow.
Thursday, January 9: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time on Schoology. Today, they identified appositives in sentences. Next, we reviewed the assignment from yesterday. Then students got back with their partners and analyzed four ads in regard to their words and images and real and perceived value.
Friday, January 10: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time on Schoology. Students fixed errors in sentences with appositives today. Then we practiced analyzing some more print ads together. Finally, students got with partners and did some computer research today. They looked for different types of ads, made observations about them in regard to real and perceived value, and determined what each ad was trying to say about each product. We will finish this assignment on Monday.
Week 20
Monday, January 13: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we learned the words of the week. This week's words are ATTRIBUTE (verb) and CAPABILITY (noun). Next, students continued working on the print advertisement computer research from Friday. This was due at the end of class.
Tuesday, January 14: Students read for 15 minutes or finished the print advertisement computer research assignment from yesterday. Then we discussed the NWEA expectations and students looked at their scores from the beginning of the year. We began taking the NWEA reading assessment today. This will show where students are at in regard to reading at the middle of the year.
Wednesday, January 15: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we continued NWEA testing. These tests are measuring where students are at in regard to reading and using the English language at the middle of the year.
Thursday, January 16: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we finished up the NWEA assessments today. Afterwards they read or worked on missing English work.
Friday, January 17: Students read for 30 minutes or continued working on the NWEA assessments. Then we watched a montage of commercials and talked about what the companies did to try to get our attention and make us want to buy their products. Then we began analyzing some commercials together. We will continue this on Monday.
Week 21
Monday, January 20: Students read for 15 minutes and/or finished the NWEA. Then we learned the new vocabulary words for the week. This week's words are COHESION (noun) and COLLEAGUE (NOUN). Next, we continued the assignment from yesterday. We analyzed a couple more commercials together as a class, then students worked on some more independently. We will finish this assignment tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 21: Mr. Searfoss was out sick today. Students read or worked on reading forms for 30 minutes. Then they had a grammar assignment on Schoology today over using IT'S versus ITS. Finally, they had time to work on missing work or continue reading.
Wednesday, January 22: Students read for 10 minutes today. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. They chose the correct IT'S or ITS to place into sentences. It was a paper worksheet today; it wasn't on Schoology. Next, they finished up the Non-Print Ad Analysis assignment as we watched a few more commercials in class.
Thursday, January 23: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. They decided if IT'S/ITS was used correctly in different sentences. Then we reviewed the end of the unit assessment question, and student developed a research plan. Finally, they did some computer research, looking at different ads. They charted their findings based on methods used to hook the viewer and the most persuasive / effective part of each ad. We will continue this in the next lesson.
Friday, January 24: No School Today / Snow Day #2
Week 22
Monday, January 27: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we learned the new vocabulary words for the week. This week's words were COMPENSATE (verb) and COMPREHENSIVE (adjective). Then students finished the group advertisement research from last week.
Tuesday, January 28: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. Today we reviewed parallel structure, and students wrote imitated examples by writing a sentence that had parallel structure. Then we learned more about analyzing advertisements. We reviewed more details about perceived value today, specifically badge value, messaging value, and branding value. Students took some notes and analyzed some pairs of ads. Then we reviewed the mid-unit assessment where students will be making a poster that compares to ads using some of the terminology that we've learned in this unit.
Wednesday, January 29: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time on Schoology. Today, students worked on identifying sentences that had parallel structure. Then we reviewed the directions for the mid-unit assessment, and students began working on how-to advertisement posters. They're comparing ads using the terminology that we've used so far in this unit.
Thursday, January 30: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time on Schoology. Today, they fixed sentences with errors to make them have parallel structure. Then they continued working on their advertisement posters.
Friday, January 31: Students read for 15 minutes. Then they had the rest of the class to finish their ad posters.
Week 23
Monday, February 3: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we learned the two vocabulary words for the week. This week's words are CONFORM (verb) and CONVENE (verb). Next, we talked about the end-of-the-unit assessment, an argument essay. We reviewed the directions page and went over an example that a past student wrote. Next, students had time to find two ads that they would like to use for this essay. They wrote the name of these ads on their pre-writing notes. We will continue working on those pre-writing notes tomorrow.
Tuesday, February 4: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time on Schoology. Today, we reviewed the difference between AFFECT and EFFECT and students used each word in a sentence. Next, we continued the pre-writing notes for teh argument essay. We reviewed Mr. Searfoss' example. Then students developed claims and started comparing and contrasting their ads.
Wednesday, February 5: Students read or finished their similarities/differences chart for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time on Schoology. They picked the correct AFFECT/EFFECT to put into sentences today. Then we continued working on the pre-writing notes today. First, we wrote claims for our papers. Then we worked on a point-by-point evidence plan. Students analyzed the similarities and differences in their ads.
Thursday, February 6: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. They decided if sentences that used AFFECT/EFFECT were correct or incorrect. Then we reviewed the essay rubric and set up our papers. We previewed some paragraphs, and then students began writing the ad argument essay.
Friday, February 7: There was no class today for 1st hour because of the Winterfest games assembly. Therefore, 2nd hour had a brain break movie day.
Week 24
Monday, February 10: No School / Snow Day #3
Tuesday, February 11: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we learned the two vocabulary words of the week. This week's words are DERIVE (verb) and DEVIATE (verb). Next, we reviewed where to find the documents for the essay. We analyzed an example first paragraph together and broke up its parts. Then students began writing the first paragraphs of their essays.
Wednesday, February 12: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time on Schoology. Today, we learned about how to use colons to introduce lists in sentences. Students wrote an example sentence with a colon. Next, we continued working on the essay. We analyzed an example of paragraph #2, and students began writing their paragraphs.
Thursday, February 13: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. Today, students combined sentences to make one sentence that included a colon and a list. Next, they continued working on their essays. We looked at an example of paragraph #3 and labeled its parts, as well.
Friday, February 14: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time on Schoology. Today, students made edits to errors in sentences that had colons and lists. Next, we reviewed the parts of Paragraph #4 and Paragraph #5, and students continued writing their ad argument essays.
Week 25
Monday, February 17: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we learned the two vocabulary words of the week. This week's words are DISCRETE (adjective) and DURATION (noun). Next, we reviewed the parts of Paragraph #5, and students continued writing their essays.
Tuesday, February 18: No School / Snow Day #4
Wednesday, February 19: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we continued working on the ad argument essay. The essay was originally due today, but we had a lock down drill. Therefore, the due date was shifted to the end of class tomorrow.
Thursday, February 20: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we continued working on the ad argument essay. This essay is due by 11:59 tonight.
Friday, February 21: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we started the next unit. The next unit is focusing on reading fiction strategically with the class novel Of Mice and Men. We did some cloze notes to learn a little about the novel and the author, John Steinbeck.
Week 26
Monday, February 24: Students read for 15 minutes (1st hour finished the Of Mice and Men cloze notes from Friday). Then we learned the new vocabulary words for the week. This week's words are ENCOUNTER (verb) and ENHANCE (verb). Next, we began working on some pre-reading activities by deciding if we agree or disagreed on certain statements and reflecting on the American Dream. We will finish these up tomorrow, so hang on to them.
Tuesday, February 25: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time on Schoology. We learned about em dashes today and students wrote two sentences that included em dashes. Next, we finished the pre-reading activities from yesterday, and we spent the rest of the class time discussing our opinions on some of the questions.
Wednesday, February 26: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time. Today, we added em dashes into sentences. Next, we reviewed some literary terms and we began reading Of Mice and Men. We stopped periodically to discuss what was happening in the story.
Thursday, February 27: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we had Daily Grammar Time on Schoology. Today we made corrections to sentences with em dashes that had errors. Next, we answered some questions on the Reading a Novel Strategically-Part 1 assignment on Schoology. Then we finished reading Chapter 1 of Of Mice and Men. As we read, we stopped to discuss the story and we also answered some more questions on the assignment.
Friday, February 28: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we reviewed what happened in Chapter 1 of the novel and finished the Reading a Novel Strategically-Part 1 assignment. Next, the chapter questions packet and the sketchbook-journal were passed out. Students answered five quick comprehension questions about Chapter 1. Then we looked at the sketchbook-journal assignment. We reviewed how to do it and looked at an example. Then students began working on their sketchbook-journal for Chapter 1.
Week 27
Monday, March 2: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we learned the new vocabulary words for the week. This week's words are ENTITY (noun) and EXEMPLIFY (verb). Next, the sketchbook-journal for Of Mice and Men was passed out and discussed. We looked at an example, and students began working on their sketchbook-journals for Chapter 1. They sketched a memorable scene. Then they completed a journal entry where they summarized, made predictions, asked questions, made connections, and reflected on the story so far.
Tuesday, March 3: Students read for 15 minutes. Then the sketchbook-journal for Chapter 1 was checked for points. Next, we started reading Chapter 2 of the book together as a class. As we read, we stopped periodically to answer chapter questions and discuss the story together.
Wednesday, March 4: Students read for 15 minutes. Then we finished reading Chapter 2 of Of Mice and Men. As we read, we stopped periodically to discuss the story and answer questions. Next, students took a quiz over Chapter 1 and Chapter 2.
Thursday, March 5: Mr. Searfoss was out at a conference today. Students read for 25 minutes. Then they worked on the sketchbook-journal for Chapter 2 of Of Mice and Men. These will be checked on Tuesday.
Friday, March 6: NO SCHOOL!
Week 28
Monday, March 9: NO SCHOOL!
Tuesday, March 10: Students read for 15 minutes. Then they worked on a vocabulary study guide for words 21-40. Next, we reviewed the Analyzing Character Relationships assignment on Schoology. In the assignment, during Chapter 3 and Chapter 4, students will be analyzing how characters interact with each other by developing theories and finding evidence from the book. We started reading Chapter 3 together today, and we filled in a little bit of the first chart. First hour left off on page 45 and second hour is on page 46. We will continue this tomorrow.
Wednesday, March 11: Mr. Searfoss was out at a competition with the forensics team today. Students read for 20 minutes. Then they continued yesterday's work--reading Chapters 3 and 4 and working on Analyzing Character Relationships.
Thursday, March 12: Students read or worked on reading forms for 15 minutes. Then we reviewed how to do the Analyzing Character Relationships. Students took a vote and we ended up reading almost the rest of Chapter 3 of Of Mice and Men today. As we read, students added to their charts on Analyzing Character Relationships. We will finish Chapter 3 tomorrow before the vocabulary quiz. Remember to finish read forms and study for the vocabulary quiz!
Friday, March 13: