NOVEMBER FAMILY PROBLEM

November is a month to remember all those who have died. As a family problem, pick a person close to you and your family that has past. Each member of the family should then write a sentence describing what they miss most about this person, or one of their best memories of this person. Please include a picture. We can make a copy at school if necessary. This family problem is worth 4 bonus points/Chance Tickets or 5 points/tickets if it is decoratively presented. These are due no later than November 30th.

NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER

6th GRADE

Writing

-We did a quick compare and contrast essay so that I (Miss Perry) could get a feel for some of the 6th grade strengths and weaknesses. (6.5.2, 6.5.6, 6.5.7, 6.4.9, 6.4.2)

-We are working on writing prayers for the class prayer book. (6.4.2, 6.5.7)

Grammar

-We are working through Chapter 20 on clauses. (6.6.6)

-There will be quizzes and a quest along the way.

Speaking

-We read a short play of the movie Chronicles of Narnia the Voyage of the Dawn Treader. We then discussed how different situations can change tone and meaning. (6.7.2, 6.7.7 6.7.10)
Diagramming
-We just finished diagramming compound subjects and verbs. Next, we will be working on compound sentences. (7.6.4)

7TH GRADE

Writing

-We are working on learning and writing various narrative summaries of different genres. We will then turn this into a book cover, both front and back. (7.3.1, 7.4.1, 7.5.5, 7.5.7)

-There will be a test on genres as well as various activities to practice identifying them.

Grammar

-Chapter 26 is our focus right now. This chapter teaches all aspects of punctuation. This chapter is quite lengthy, therefore it will be broken down into sections and will take some time to complete. (7.6.8)

Diagramming

-We just finished learning how to diagram compound adjectives and adverbs. We will be working on diagramming prepositional phrases next. (7.6.4)

8TH GRADE

Writing

-We are finishing up on a project where small groups have created a personality and life for an IStep judge. We will save these and post them during ISteps to remind the students that real people are grading their writing not a machine. Hopefully, this will help to improve our scores. (8.4.6, 8.4.8, 8.5.1, 8.5.6, 8.5.7)

-We will be working on writing a persuasive essay. This will require journaling, research, and proper essay formation. (8.5.4)

-We also have an ongoing 6+1 Trait song analysis project we will be working on throughout the quarter. These presentations will be staggered from now until January.

Grammar

-We are working through Chapter 20 on phrases. Since many of the concepts are new, this chapter will take quite a bit of time. I will break it down with practice exercises, quizzes, and quests along the way. (8.6.8)

Diagramming

-Our last diagramming test worked with direct objects and indirect objects.

-We will be diagramming predicate nouns and adjectives. (7.6.4)

OCTOBER FAMILY PROBLEM

MULE DAY!

Did you know that October 26th is Mule Day? I never realized that animals get their own day.

What animal would you want to honor by giving it its own recognized day in the year?

With your family create that day and include the following in COMPLETE SENTENCES:

-The animal and a picture of it

-What date it will be honored each year

-How it will be honored on that day

-Where it originates and lives

-What it eats

-What you call the baby, the adult, the male and female, as well as a group of that animal

-Your reason for honoring it

-Any additional information you would like to include

This activity is due by November 1st and is worth 4 bonus points or chance tickets. 5 bonus points or chance tickets can be earned for decorative pieces.

October News!

Middle School Language Arts News

*The whole middle school will be taking a quest on the Weekly Reminders. This test will cover the first 9 reminders. Each quarter is cumulative, therefore the list grows bigger with each test.

*I have subscribed to a Scholastic News magazine called Storyworks. We will be using these throughout the year to practice reading aloud, grammar, and writing skills. Mr. Feece may also use them in his class for vocabulary and literature.

6th Grade
Writing

*We have finished our Coat of Arms. (6.5.7, 6.5.3, 6.5.6, 6.4.9, 6.4.8, 6.4.7)

*We will be writing prayers next.
Grammar

*We have finished prepositional phrases. Although it was a difficult unit, we have learned to identify the preposition and phrase. Labeling them, however, is still a bit of a challenge. Since this is the first year for this skill, it will not be the last time we work with prepositions. (6.6.6)

*We are moving on to clauses and sentence types. This will finish Chapter 20. (6.6.1)
Diagramming

*We just finished diagramming prepositional phrases.

*We will learn how to diagram compound subjects and verbs next.

7th Grade

Writing

*We have finished the picture books. They turned out beautifully. We will be sharing them with the lower grades. (7.7.8, 7.7.5, 7.5.6, 7.5.7)

*We will be working on genres next. We will be writing a back cover for our own original books. (7.5.4, 7.3.1, 7.3)

Grammar

*We finished adjectives and adverbs. (7.6.4)

*We will be working on hyphens, dashes, semicolons, and other punctuation next. (7.6.6)

Diagramming

*We just finished diagramming adjectives and adverbs.

*We will learn prepositional phrases next.

8th Grade

Writing

*We finished our letter to ourselves.

*We worked together to describe a collage in words and pictures.

*We will be writing an essay in response to the script, The Other Side of Life. (8.5.2)

Grammar

*We finished with direct and indirect objects.

*We will be learning phrases next. (8.6.8)

Diagramming

*We recently had a quest on diagramming direct and indirect objects.

*We will add prepositions next.

Speaking and Writing

*We finished the script The Other Side of Life. We will be taking a test on it. (8.7.5 and 8.7.10)

*We will also be either adding a scene or making a coming attraction for the movie. The groups will have to write and present a script. (8.5.7, 8.5.4, 8.7.10)

September Family Problem

Since the month of September is slipping away from me, I still wanted to post a family problem. This activity is due by Friday, October 1st for 5 bonus points or 5 chance tickets. If you have more than one middle schooler, you only have to do one activity for the whole family.


THE PROBLEM
The first day of autumn is on the 23rd of this month. I encourage you as a family to write a senses poem. Each line will be either some things you see, smell, taste, feel, or hear during the autumn season. The challenge is that each member must have their own line in the poem for each sense.


PARTIAL EXAMPLE
Mom sees the geese getting ready for their winter flight.
Dad sees the football games on Saturday nights.
I see the trees as they lose their leaves.
Mom hears the rustling of the leaves as they blow down the street.
Dad hears the grill sizzling the burgers for dinner.
I hear the rain pour down outside.
...This is the beginning. I would need to complete the poem with the senses of taste, smell, and feel as well.


NOTE: Decorative poems will earn an extra bonus point or chance ticket.

SEPTEMBER NEWS

I realize it is already more than halfway through the month, but I still thought it was important to share with yo what we are doing in language in the middle school this month.

All Grades
-Correcting sentences for spelling, punctuation, capitalization, etc.

-Diagramming basic sentence parts (subjects, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs)

-Examining the use of 6+1 Traits in example pieces of writing and working in small groups focusing on one trait of writing.

6th Grade
Grammar

-We are studying prepositions, prepositional phrases, and the words they modify.

Writing

-We are working on a personal piece of writing examining our futures and goals.

-This piece of writing will also create a personal Coat of Arms.

7th Grade

Grammar

-We are finishing up on adjectives and ready to begin work on adverbs.

-As a review activity, we created descriptive ads with a small group.

Writing

-We are working in groups to write a children's story with one of 4 types of organizational patterns.

8th Grade

Grammar

-We finished finding subjects and verbs. This quest proved to be very difficult for some students. I am a bit concerned, however, we are always practicing the skill of finding subjects and verbs with other aspects of grammar throughout the year. I hope with practice comes better understanding.

-We are working on direct and indirect objects.

Writing

-We finished writing personal letters to our future selves.

Speaking

-We are reading a movie script entitled The Other Side of Life.

-We will be working on this script for several weeks and will incorporate some literature concepts into the regular language work as well.

FAMILY PROBLEM

Since I did not post an April problem, I will post two family problems each worth 5 bonus points/Chance Tickets. Both Family Problems will be due no later than Friday, May 28th.


FAMILY PROBLEM #1
Prayer can be a powerful way of bringing us closer to God. With your family, write a prayer for the family.


FAMILY PROBLEM#2
All this year, I have been using the various unique holidays from my calendar to come up with your family problems. Now it is your turn to create a holiday. What is its name? What day would it take place? Would there be a special celebration? Foods? Mascot? Symbols associated with it? etc. Be creative! Pictures and decorations on the family problem will earn an extra bonus point/Chance Ticket.

April/May Newsletter

I realize the month is almost finished, so I decided to give you an update for the rest of the year. If something changes, I will update the blog.

All classes will have the final Weekly Reminder Test the week of May 17th or 24th. This is a cumulative exam and covers all the Weekly Reminders from the beginning of the year until the test date.

6th GRADE

Grammar

*We are wrapping up the unit on capitalization. There will be a test on it, Tuesday, May 4th. 6.6.4.

*To get a jump on next year's grammar standards, we will be working on direct objects, indirect objects, predicate nouns, and predicate adjectives.

*We will also be memorizing the definitions of all the parts of speech.

Writing

*We are continuing to work on our business letters. We will be mailing them out, and using home return addresses since responses may come during the summer.
*With AR, the students have read many different books. Their final piece of writing is to research a writer and tell why his/her book(s) are one of the best. 6.5.4, 6.5.5, 6.5.8, 6.4.6, 6.4.7, 6.4.8, 6.4.9, 6.4.10, 6.4.4, 6.5.3, and many aspect of standard 3

Speaking

*We will be having a bug poetry recitation. This is done with a partner and must be timed well.

*To piggyback the AR essay, the students will present it to the class in order to share ideas for future books to read. 6.7.11, 6.7.12, and 6.7.13

*If we have time, we will have debates, both impromptu and planned. 6.7.13. and 6.7.14

7th GRADE

Grammar

*We are working on prepositions, participles, and infinitives. 7.6.2

*We will then work on sentence structure and work on placing modifiers correctly, as well as using active voice. 7.6.1 and 7.6.10

Writing

*We are working on topics that we want to know more about. We will then be writing an essay about it. 7.4.1, 7.4.2, 7.4.4, 7.4.5, 7.4.6, 7.4.7, 7.4.8, 7.4.9, 7.4.10, 7.5.3, 7.5.6, and 7.5.7

*We will then be reading magazine articles, summarizing, and reflecting on our readings. 7.5.5, 7.5.7, 7.5.6, and 7.5.2

Speaking

*We will be reading "Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" in class. If we have time, we may add a scene to the script. We will be watching the Twilight Zone episode and discussing the way it was presented by Hollywood. 7.7.7, 7.7.2, and 7.7.1

*We will present information gained from the research essay. 7.7.10

*We will share the information learned in the magazine articles. 7.7.9

8th GRADE

Grammar

*We have wrapped up a rough unit on verbals. Although the skill was not mastered by many, it is a difficult concept that will be developed further in their education. 8.6.8

*We will work on sentence types and parallelism. 8.6.1, 8.6.2, and 8.6.3

Writing

*We took a break from the technical documents but we will be finishing them up in May. 8.5.5, 8.5.6, 8.5.7, 8.4.1, 8.4.2, 8.4.10, 8.4.6, 8.4.7, 8.4.8, and 8.4.9

*In a group or alone, students will be reviewing a picture book series. 8.5.2

Speaking

*The group will present their review of the book series. 8.7.11, 8.7.7, 8.7.9, 8.7.12, and 8.7.13

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

*

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.