MARCH FAMILY PROBLEM

WORLD POETRY DAY IS MARCH 21ST!

With your family make up a poem about each other using a couplet rhyme (pairs of lines rhyme)or alliteration (repeated sounds). The poem can be about the entire family or each person in your family. Maybe you could do a pair of lines for each member or an alliteration line about each member. For an added bonus point/Chance Ticket, you can include a picture to represent the poem. These are due by Wednesday, March 31st.

March Newsletter

6th, 7th, and 8th Grade:
The quarterly and cumulative Weekly Reminder Quest is coming up the week of March 15th. It will most probably be that Friday, March 19th.
6th Grade
Grammar:
*Some of the students are working on mastering the nine verb tenses (regular, perfect, and progressive). There will be a retest the week of March 8th. 6.6.2
*We will then work on Chapter 27 covering capitalization. There will be quizzes and practice pages to accompany this chapter. 6.6.4
Writing:
*Some students are working on a creative piece of writing that explains how to write a paragraph. It is a visual image of the parts of a paragraph. 6.5.2, 6.5.6, 6.5.7, 6.4.8, 6.4.9, and 6.4.10
*We are working on writing various types of poems. This is in honor of World Poetry Day celebrated on March 21st. Some students will be submitting their poems to the Creative Communications Poetry Spring Contest. 6.5.7 and 6.6.4,
*The students will write a business letter to a business either praising or criticizing the service they were provided. This will hopefully be mailed when finished. 6.5.7, 6.5.6, 6.6.3, 6.4.4, 6.4.7, 6.4.8, 6.4.9, 6.4.10, and 6.6.1.
Diagramming
*We will be learning how to diagram compound sentences.

7th and 8th Grade
Pentathlon
*We are wrapping up the rigorous testing over grammar and writing.
*Poems should be memorized for the week of March 22nd. We will practice them that Monday and Tuesday, and they will be performed for Mrs. Asher on that Thursday and Friday. Each poem will need a prop to accompany it. Keep practicing! 7.7.2, 7.7.5,

*We will also be writing biographical summaries of the poets who authored the poems, as well as the reasons for choosing the poems, and their themes. 7.5.1, 7.5.2, 7.5.7, 8.3.7, 8.5.2, 8.5.1, 8.3.1, 8.7.2, and 8.5.7

7th Grade:

Grammar

*We will be working on Chapter 21 focusing on sentence structure. We will also be learning about misplaced modifiers and how to correct them. 7.6.1 and 7.6.10

Writing
*We will be beginning journals that will lead to a research report. This will spill over into April. 7.5.3

8th Grade:

Grammar

*It has been awhile, but we need to revisit participles, gerunds, and infinitives. 8.6.8

Writing

*We will be journaling on various technical topics to then be developed into a step by step process on how to operate some item. 8.5.5

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March Book Clubs

Don't forget that you have until Friday, March 4, 2010 in school and Sunday, March 6, 2010 online to order from the Tab, Arrow, and Humor&Poetry book flyers. Our user name is CougarLanguage and our password is Scholastic. Thank you for your support as your ordering helps me to order new books for my classroom for all the middle school students to read.

FEBRUARY FAMILY PROBLEM

As usual, I have found an unusual holiday - Carnival Day. On February 26th, people are to celebrate Carnival Day. Carnivals are full of games and prizes. With your family, invent a new game for a carnival. You will need a game title, a list of the materials needed for the game, the rules and ways to win (in complete sentences), and the various levels of prizes (stuffed animal, poster, candy, etc.). For an additional bonus point or chance ticket, you may include a picture. These are due no later than Monday, March 1st.

FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER

6TH GRADE
Writing - 6.6.6, 6.5.7, 6.3.4

*We are starting to work on poetry. We will be writing various types of poems.

*Some students may wish to enter a poetry contest for Creative Communications.

Grammar- 6.6.2

*We are working on subject/verb agreement.

*We are also continuing to practice with the nine verb tenses (basic, perfect, and progressive)

*We will have quests for both.

Diagramming

*We will be learning appositives.

7TH and 8TH GRADE - PENTATHLON

*We are working through the parts of the Pentathlon test. Since there are 13 tests, we have been taking them in small parts. 7.6.2, 7.6.3, 7.6.4, 7.6.5, 7.6.6, 7.6.7, 7.6.8,7.6.9 and 8.6.8, 8.6.5, 8.6.6, and 8.6.7

*Each student has picked two poems to memorize for the middle of March. They should be practicing at home. 7.7.5 and 8.7.2

*We are continuing to diagram and must learn predicate nouns, direct objects, and indirect objects. 7.6.4

January Newsletter

6th, 7th, and 8th grade - Weekly Reminder Quest

The whole middle school took the Weekly Reminder Quest #2. This quest is cummulative and covers the reminders we have learned since the beginning of the school year. We will have another one at the end of the third and fourth quarter as well. (6.6.5, 8.6.7, 7.6.9, 6.6.4, 7.6.8, 8.6.5, and 8.6.6)

6TH GRADE

Writing

*We will be writing a paragraph explaining one word that best describes each of us.

Grammar

*We will be working on Chapter 22 which examines verbs. (6.6.2)

Diagramming

*We will be learning how to diagram appositives.

7TH GRADE

Speaking

*We will be giving a sales pitch for one of the catalog ads we wrote before Christmas break. Props are encouraged for the speech.

Diagramming

*We will be learning how to diagram predicate nouns and pronouns.

8TH GRADE

Grammar

*We are continuing to review participles, appositives, gerunds, and infinitives by making a 4 square review card with definitions and examples.

*We will have worksheets to practice these skills.

*We will have a quest over these four when we finish.

Diagramming

*We will be learning how to diagram appositives.

7TH and 8TH GRADE- PENTATHLON

For the next two months, the 7th and 8th grade will be working to prepare for the Pentathlon contest. Since much of the contest incorporates state standards, there will be graded pieces along the way.

Writing

*We are working on writing the persuasive essay for the Pentathlon. These will be submitted for the contest and be a class grade as well. Although the students may do some research for their topics outside of the classroom, they will be writing them in class. (7.5.4, 7.5.6, 7.5.7, 7.4.8, 7.4.9, 7.4.1, 7.4.2, 7.4.3, and 7.4.4) (8.5.4, 8.5.6, 8.5.7, 8.4.1, 8.4.2, 8.4.3, 8.4.10, 8.4.5, 8.4.7, 8.4.11, 8.4.8, and 8.4.9)

Grammar

*We will be having quizzes over the parts of speech, their meanings and functions. (7.6.4)

*We will also be customizing a frequently misspelled word list. There will be pretests to help determine each student's list. (6.6.5, 8.6.7 and 7.6.9)

Poetry

*We are continuing to read through the poems. Each student will then look closely at the poems they marked as interesting and choose two to start memorizing for the March performance.

January Family Problem

January 13 is considered "Make Your Dreams Come True Day." We all have dreams: dream jobs, dream vacations, dream cars, dream clothes, dream home, dream day, dream celebrity encounter, etc. What are some of your dreams? If money was no object and you had the ability to make any of your dreams come true, what would they be? For this activity, as a family, describe one of your dreams. It may be nice to plan a dream meal, dream family vacation, a dream day, or a dream home. Any dream, however, is open for planning. Please write in complete sentences and include at least one picture (drawn, magazine clipping, or clip art). These are due no later than Friday, January 29, 2010.