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.

Exams are here!

The exam schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, students will take their 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th period exams. Since 6th graders have related arts 7th period, that exam has already been given.

Wednesday (Half Day), students will take their 2nd, 4th, and 6th period exams. 4th period is a related arts class, so no exam Wednesday.

For my english exam, here are some facts:

• It is cummulative. Study guides list all the information.
• 100 questions
• Grade will appear immediately, so your child will know what he/she made, as well as, what he/she missed.
• Most questions are multiple choice, but some are multiple answer questions where the student will check all answers that apply.

Students can practice review games on the quia website by following these links:
Jeopardy
Hangman
Flashcards, Matching, Word Search
Get brave and challenge your child to a game of english jeopardy. Are YOU smarter than a 6th grader?

Orchard Benchmarking #2 Results

Students were expected to score at least 60% on the 2nd Orchard benchmark test. I am very pleased with my students' gains as a whole. Here is the breakdown.

Average difference in each class:
1st Period: 1% gain (Luis Q. had the highest gain with 18%)
          Class scores ranged from 53% - 80% (Sydney C.)
2nd Period: 4% gain (Bainbridge M. had the highest gain with 23%)
          Class scores ranged from 47% - 88% (Sabastian H.)
3rd Period: 4% gain (Maria B. had the highest gain with 23%)
          Class scores ranged from 39% - 86% (Jerry C.)
5th Period:  4% gain (Dylan S. had the highest gain with 23%)
          Class scores ranged from 45% - 76% (Dylan S.)
6th Period:  6% gain (Kelsey K. and Jessica N. tied for highest gain with 16%)
          Class scores ranged from 22% - 69% (Jackson S.)

***I gave out lots of candy because so many of these kids raised their scores!***

I love your children. They're amazing!

Writing Contest Opportunity!

The Hendersonville Optimist Club is offering an opportunity to win a $2500 college scholarship through a writing contest. For more information about the the Optimist International Essay Contest, please visit the website.

NOTE: I may do this as a class project, but snow days can get us behind, so no promises.