VCR?

I need a VCR for my classroom. Hopefully, someone out there still has one they don't mind unloading. I can't play videos from my DVD player through my projector unless I run a cable through a VCR. Please let me know if you can help.

80's Theme Dance

Parents,
The next school dance is February 10 from 2:45-5:00. We will be celebrating the 80's! Start educating your middle schooler on how we dressed in the "good old days" of big hair with wings and neon clothing with leg warmers. The cost is $5.

 

Week of January 23-27

1st/2nd Period
This week we will be concentrating on:

• irregular verbs
• homonyms
• synonyms
• antonyms
• subject-verb agreement rules

They have now mastered the 8 parts of speech and should be able to tell you the job(s) of each one.

3rd/5th/6th
We are finishing our "How To" speeches Monday and we'll begin discussing

• conjunctions
• compound parts
• interjections

We're moving right along.

"How To" Speeches Due Dates

We thoroughly enjoyed the 1st and 2nd period speeches in December, and now I'm looking forward to hearing speeches from my 3rd, 5th, and 6th periods. The presentation dates are Wednesday, January 18 through Friday, January 20. (If one of those days is a snow day, we'll proceed immediately upon returning.) I will assign dates to students by taking volunteers who WANT to go first, and then use my stick picks to fill in the other spaces randomly. Here are some other checkpoints that have passed, and future ones you may need to monitor:
1. Internet research dates in library    December 6-8
     -Collect 5 facts from at least 4 different websites using sweetsearch.com and TNelectroniclibrary.com
     -Only one of those must be used in the speech.
2. Rough Draft                                     December-January
     -Although they started in class, students could use Christmas break to write their rough drafts.
3. Internet Research and Rough Draft due     January 10
4. Improve vocabulary using a thesaurus      January 10-11
     -Improve at least 5 words using a thesaurus individually or with a partner.
5. Begin Note cards                             January 10-11
     -Students are taught to add words or phrases to the note cards they can use while giving their speeches.
6. Color-coded peer editing        January 12-13
     -In collaborative groups, students will peer edit the speeches using a color-coded system.
7. Practice Speeches and timing      January 16-17
8. Speech presentations/Final Drafts due    January 18-20
     -Students will present speeches in the library and turn in final drafts after the presentation.

Students have the rubric already, and it's the same as the rubric they used in 4-H the last two years. SPRING Speeches will be longer, more in depth, and open to the public.

Please let me know if you have any questions.