Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Have a wonderful vacation and a happy, healthy, peaceful Christmas , Hanuukah, and New Year. I will be very busy finishing up the Penny Books so you will have them before you receive your second report card.
If you get a chance, I have included a link under "Book Summary" to The Giver by Lois Lowry so you can become familiar with the book. Because of the weather and the schedule last Friday,there was no time to hand out the book.
Don't forget to write to your pen pal. Let me know if you get a response by emailing me at the TMS address.
Hope Santa Claus is good to all of you!

The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come

Final and Movie on Friday

We are finishing up A Christmas Carol this week. Tonight the team will read Stave Four and complete only one page of quarter notes. The students reading the Great Illustrated Classics version should read up to page 202. We will finish the book this week and take the final before viewing the movie on Friday. This particular novel has proven to be a difficult piece of literature to read and understand. However, the Team 7-2 students have worked very hard to complete the novel in a timely manner.

Please mail pen pal letters soon. I am sure you will receive an answer sooner than you might expect!

Those who missed the MCAS practice will take the test during an AE block to be announced. Those who need to complete the MCAS will do likewise.

The Ghost of Christmas Present

Tonight we are writing quarter notes for the first half of Stave Three of A Christmas Carol. Students reading The Great Illustrated Classics version of the novel should write quarter notes for pages 80-101. Tomorrow we wil review vocabulary and check our understanding of this section of the book by answering questions.

Don't forget penpal letters and essays for the JDCU Credit Union Essay Contest.

Field Trip money and permission forms are due Friday, December 12th

Pen Pals Are Here

The requests for pen pals has arrived and members of Team 7-2 received the names of their new friends today! It will be very interesting to learn about the cultures of so many new countries and customs! Check out the link " Friendly Letter Format"
to help you set up your letter!!!

Stave One

Tonight students will answer the questions for Stave One of A Christmas Carol. We listened to one version of this classic by clicking on" A Christmas Carol" listed under Educational Links. You can also read along on the screen by clicking " You can also read the story here."
Vocabulary words are defined for students but they are responsible for learning the meanings and the part of speech for Friday, December 5th when they will have a test on the words and the first stave. If you would like a copy of The Great Illustrated Classics version of A Christmas Carol, please let Mrs. Jaggers know.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Let us all be mindful of the many good fortunes and gifts with which we have been blessed this Thanksgiving. Over the holiday, click on a few grammar games on the blogs so you don't get rusty. Listen to A Christmas Carol under Educational Links so you get a jumpstart before we start reading together. Finally, thank your parents, guardians, grandparents, family and friends for their presence in your life and your many blessings. If you need a few reminders, check out the turkey bulletin board outside Mrs. Jaggers' room. I am very thankful for my wonderful family and for ALL of you and our ambitious, caring team of teachers. Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Quotes Sound Great

Today we corrected our puzzles from Part 2 of Brian's Song and listened to the quotes presented to the class from each teammate. They sound wonderful! Remember to thoughtfully complete the graphic organizer (web) Mrs. Jaggers passed out today or print one from the Terrific Writing Webs under the Educational Links. Make sure you complete the web and type your persuasive essay. Can't wait to see your quotes.

Pen pal requests have been mailed to the Student Letter Exchange.

Let's work hard this term!!!

Got A Famous Quote?

Tonight's homework is to work on a "transitional word" sheet for the story Brian's Song. This skill sheet should help you to improve your writing especially when making transitions from one idea or topic to another. Good Luck!

On Monday, November 24th, all students are expected to pass in a persuasive essay explaining why their "quote of the week" should be the quote responded to by the whole team next week. Students should refer to the quotes already submitted over the past 7 weeks when selecting a similar quote relative to each member of the team. A positive idea, an inspirational message and a lesson to be learned by ALL students must be considered when choosing a quote of the week. Refer to famous quotations online for suggestions. Mrs. Jaggers will select the quote based on the persuasiveness of the essay (5 paragraph) and the appropriateness of the message. The winning, most persuasive essay supporting a particular quote will be awarded bonus points toward the lucky student's ELA grade on the next report card.

Pen pal requests will be mailed this week. A very special thank you to Catherine Cook for collecting all the money and keeping track of the requests for pen pals from other states and countries! We can't wait!!!

Brian's Song

We have begun reading the teleplay, Brian's Song. Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers were both running backs for the Chicago Bears in 1965. The story deals with the rivalry and the subsequent strong friendship that developed between these two very different young men. The students will continue to read Part 1 of the play and complete the Graphic Organizer For Active Reading /Words To Own sheet for homework (p129-130). The students do NOT have to do the bottom of Words To Own. We will complete that in class.

Today during Academic Enrichment, we went to the computer lab to finish our 5 paragraph essays about our Hero/Heroine.

The Team 7-2 students are very excited about obtaining a pen pal from a foreign country. The response has been overwhelming and we will be collecting $2.00 next week to give everyone a chance to participate in this wonderful opportunity.

DCU Credit Union is sponsoring an essay contest. See the Team 7-2 NEWS bulletin board in the 7-2 hallway.

Belated congratulations to the Team 7-2 Students of the Month voted by the students in Mr. Bellerose's class this month. Lavier Narcisse and Stephanie Murray won this award based on their sense of teamwork, positive attitude, sense of responsibility, and academic achievement! Well done Kids!!!

Grammar Review ,Writing, and "Brian's Song"

We are fixing our five paragraph essays about our hero/heroine and making them as perfect as possible. We are focusing on the six traits of good writing and trying to utilize them in each piece of writing.
Our homework tonight is a Parts of Speech Review.It's very important not to forget what we have learned about grammar and to refer to our grammar and mechanics notebooks often.
We will begin reading Brian's Song together this week. Don't forget to define the vocabulary words listed in part one of the play.

Writing, Writing, Writing

In ELA, we are learning how to perfect our writing. Our hero/heroine paragraphs are coming along but we are trying to make them even better through the use of more than one graphic organizer. We are taking our paragraphs apart and embellishing them in an attempt to improve our voice, word choice, organization, content word choice, sentence fluency and conventions. Sound familiar? We are using the "Six Traits of Good Writing" in our long compositions and open responses. Writing can sometimes be tiring and hard, but the ultimate reward is to edit a piece of writing and make it of publishable quality. That is what we are trying to do. Advanced graphic organizers, explaining our hero/heroine are to be filled in for homework tonight. We will retype the final copy on Monday, November 10, 2008.
We are also learning about Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost in addition to reading some of their poetry.

Order In The Court

Monday marks the trial scheduled for the four members of the pact. Julie James, Helen Rivers, Barry Cox, and Ray Bronson will stand trial for the second degree murder of ten year old David Gregg.

Your five paragraph essays about your hero are to be typed to be passed in on Tuesday, November 4th. Please have all five paragraphs written and your TORSO completed.This was worked on during class on Friday, October 31st.

Penny Books look wonderful!

Last week's "Quote of the Week" has provided some very insightful responses. "No Learning Ever Goes To Waste" has definitely sparked some thoughtful comments. It is very encouraging to read these thoughtful impressions of the importance of "learning" regardless of subject area. Many have commented that what you learn now may actually help you when you least expect it. Well Done Team!

Trial, Monday, November 3,2008

The parts have been assigned for The Trial where the four members of the pact will be questioned by prosecuting and defense attorneys. The stage has almost been set. Look for pictures next week on the TMS web page.

We will have a long composition question, which we will be working on this week using a TORSO ( Topic, Opinion,Reasons,Summary and Opinion) which is an acronym for a graphic organizer used when writing a 5 paragraph essay.

Don't forget Penny Book!

Penny Book Due Halloween

The book has been read and the Final has been taken. From the results of the tests, you obviously understood and liked the book! I am very glad. Next week we will begin working on The Trial of The Pact. Students will be needed to impersonate the four members of the pact, the parents of the four teenagers on trial, Elsa, Megan and of course the all important jury. Prosecuting and defense attorneys will also be important. Character choice will be based on interest, responsibility with homework, and of course a clear knowledge or understanding of the book.

The journal writing each week continues to inspire me. The past two "Quotes of the Week" have included: " How Can You Turn Failure Into Success? Learn From It" and "Look For The Best Part In Each Person That You Meet." You have some worderful insights! WE now need to incorporate good spelling and punctuation into our journal writing.

Penny Books due Friday, October 31st! Please check spelling and punctuation of your captions. Your final grade will include 30 points for a picture representing each year, 30 points for a penny, 40 points for a caption explaining each picture and its importance using correct spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure. (Conventions)

Final Tomorrow

Tomorrow will be the final for the novel I Know What You Did Last Summer. The students have worked on their Final Preparation Sheets which they received last Friday. We have gone over all the Parts of a Story, Literary Terms, Figurative Language, Character
Identification, and some important vocabulary.

Webs have been provided for open response questions and both answers are due tomorrow. Students will pass in both but only one will be graded. We will be working on improving open responses next week in addition to preparing for The Trial of The Pact.

Don't forget The Penny Book!

It's The Weekend

We have just about completed each chapter in the book. On Monday, October 20th, we'll finish the rest of chapter 17 and all of chapter 18. When we have completely discussed the book and gone over the final preparation sheet WHICH IS HOMEWORK OVER THE WEEKEND, we will take the final.

Make sure you complete the front part of the sheet, over the weekend. Complete sentences are a "must" because they are also what will be expected on the final. Refer to your literary term sheet in your binder if you have any questions. A copy of the literary terms sheet can be found on the front of this blog. Study as you do your sheet.

Penny Books are due on Halloween!

Team Meeting Pep Talk

Team 7-2 had a brief team meeting today to remind students about the importance of doing homework, getting organized, bringing materials to class, and showing corrected tests and quizzes to parents. Some students have become "lax" in one or more of these areas. PLEASE TRY YOUR BEST!

Homework tonight includes doing quarter notes for Friday, October 17th. Complete Figurative Language sheet from class today. Copy 5 examples of similes, metaphors, personification, and alliteration from the book I Know What You Did Last Summer.

Progress reports were sent home a couple of weeks ago, some grades have gone up and some grades have gone down.

Parents, it is never too late to check your children's homework.

Hey Kids.....nice job on your journals

I am very impressed by your responses to the" Quote of the Week" for last week, October 6. "List 5 things for which you are thankful ." Many of your responses are very well-articulated and well-thought. Some of the most common responses include; family, food, home, clothes, education, and pets. Still others include health, ability to play sports, electricity, the envoronment, and a free country. Your explanations are also pretty good. I am very thankful for all of you! No Kidding!!

Don't forget to study for the Grammar Retest scheduled for after school on Wednesday, October 15. Make sure your test has been signed by a parent or guardian. Your rides should pick you up by 3:30pm. If you would rather come early in the morning, please let me know.
Finish the Book! It's awesome!!!!!

Have A Great Columbus Day Weekend

Finish the book I Know What You Did Last Summer by Wednesday, October 15th. Quarter notes for Chapter 15 due Tuesday, October 14th. All quarter notes due on Friday, October 17th.

Keep working on The Penny Books!

Sorry For The Miscommunication

Sorry for getting my date wrong. Homework assigned tonight is due Friday, October10th!

Yom Kippur

Because of the Jewish religious holiday, homework for today is due on Friday, October 12 , 2008.

The homework includes studying the figures of speech discussed in school today and completion of the two-sided sheet on similes, metaphors, personification, alliteration and hyperboles. Also, Chapter 14 quarter notes for I Know What You Did Last Summer are due on Friday, October 12th.

Concrete and Abstract Nouns

If you can see, feel, hear or touch a noun then it is a concrete noun. Examples are snow, Mr. O'Brien, laptop, baby, lab report. If you cannot see, feel, hear, or touch a noun then it is an abstract noun. Examples are love, jealousy, foolishness, and anger. This concept is really very easy to understand. Don't forget to underline the concrete nouns and circle the abstract nouns.

Penny Books are coming in and they are looking very "beautiful"....I am so proud of your creativity. Keep up the great work!

Helen's hair was as golden as the sun.

Barry's car knew the way to many chicks' pads.

Julie's eyes were rays of sunshine.

Ray could lift a ton!

The sliver of the silvery moon shone silently.

The above statements are all examples of figurative language. Alliteration, metaphor, personification, simile, and hyperbole. Do you know which is which??

Glad To Meet You, Parents

It was wonderful to meet so many parents last evening. Thank you for being so supportive of your children and their education.  The homework over the weekend is to complete Chapter 12 quarter notes and work on The Penny Book. Hopefully, you're getting close to the end. The final copy is due Halloween. I would like to check your progress next week. Don't forget to study literature terms.  Have a super weekend!

Chapter 12 Quarter Notes Due Monday

We took our Grammar Test on subjects, predicates, prepositional phrases and four kinds of sentences today then took parts as we read and discussed Chapter 11 in I Know What You Did Last Summer. Chapter 12 quarter notes are due on Monday, October 6th.

 Continue to work on your Penny Book and begin learning literary terms. They are very important!!!

Grammar Test

Don't forget to "actively study" for the grammar test. Study notes in grammar and mechanics notebook and use the games on the blog.

 Chapter 11 quarter notes due tomorrow, also.

Penny Books due by October 31st. We have been  proofreading and typing them in class  using the  laptops. Simultaneously, we have been revisiting grammar terms and word usage in preparation for the test tomorrow. We have been very busy!

Games Make Studying at Home Fun,Fun,Fun!

Hey kids, check out the new games attached to my blog. They will be a BIG Help for the upcoming test on Thursday, October 2nd.

Got to get back to my reading. Some of your journals are well done. You have some great insights.

Quote of the Week

"Each morning, take the time to imagine the person you want to be." Please respond to this quote in your journal.

Congratulations to the Team 7-2 Students of the Month! Brooke Bogacz, Melissa Barisano, and Kyle Butler were voted by their peers as the September Students of the Month. Students nominate boys and girls in one specific homeroom whom they feel demonstrate teamwork, responsibility, good work ethic and a positive attitude toward learning and each other.  Brooke and Melissa received an identical number of votes. This month Mrs. Jaggers' homeroom began the rotation. Next month the winners will be from Mr. Bellerose's homeroom.  Great work Team 7-2!

Hey Kids Are You Ready For The Test?

Remember to study your vocabulary words and know what part of speech each word is AND be able to use each word correctly in a sentence.

Check out The Grammar Gorillas. It is a fun way to check your understanding of the parts of speech. Give it a try!!!!

Now Do You Get It?

We worked on parts of speech today and reviewed subjects and predicates. Break the sentences into "pieces" like we did in class today. The subject of the sentence tells who or what did the action in the sentence or who or what the sentence is about. The predicate of the sentence is a verb. It tells what the subject did or tells more about the subject. Compound Subjects contain 2 subjects joined by a conjunction. Compound predicates contain 2 predicates joined by a conjunction. 

Prepositions must have a noun or pronoun as the object of the preposition. Prepositional phrases begin with a preposition and end with a noun or pronoun as the object of the preposition.

Remember!!!!! Every word in a sentence has a job to do!

An example of all of the above: Mr. Bellerose and Mr. O'Brien washed and waxed Mrs. Downey's car in Mrs. Jaggers' driveway.   Can you identify the compoound subject, the compound predicate,  and the the prepositional phrase???????

Don't forget       1. Vocabulary test on Monday, September 29th.

                            2. All captions due on Tuesday, September 30th.

Parts of Speech are Exhilarating

Every word has a job to do. Since you have learned the parts of speech, please label the following sentences the same way we did in class today. It is not too hard.

1. In a chorus of squeaks and whistles,one dolphin will sing to another dolphin.HINT What is the action? Who or what is doing the action? The answers to these questions help you to identify the subject and predicate. Which words show position? These words are prepositions. Remember a preposition must have an object. Can you do it? Do #'s 5, 7 and 9.

Two more captions for The Penny Book. We will work on them tomorrow.  

Actively study for the vocabulary test on Monday, September 29.

So Much Information, So Little Time!

Yesterday, we learned the terms metamorphosis, epiphany,foreshadowing and flashback.

We discussed how Julie  James went through a metamorphosis or change after the night of the accident. She changed from a perky, bubbly cheerleader to a serious, studious bookworm.

Ray Bronson also experienced a metamorphosis. He changed from an irresponsible,  spineless teenage boy to a mature, confident, responsible young man.

Helen Rivers had a wake-up call or epiphany at the age of 12. She realized her looks were really the only thing she had going for her. She examined herself in the mirror and focused on improving her appearance. She had very little academic ability, and acknowledged that her physical attributes would help her to succeed in the future.

The novel is told through flashbacks or events that happened in the past which help to tell the story. Foreshadowing or a hint about the future, is evident in Chapter 8 when Collie tells Helen that his own Mom would "lose it" if anything happened to her son. He assures her that after Barry was shot, Mrs. Cox is  acting the way any mother would act in the same situation.

Vocabulary words, definitions and parts of speech due tomorrow, September 24th, in Vocabulary/Notetaking Notebook.

Chapter 10 quarter notes due on Thursday, September 25th.

Keep working on the captions for The Penny Book. You should have 8 captions by this Friday, September 26th.

Remember alliteration, personification, simile and metaphor. We will continue to work on all of the above. Great Work TEAM 7-2!!

Quote of the Week

"Instead of blaming others when things don't go well, rely on yourself to make things better."

In an attempt to do more "purposeful" writing, a quote of the week will be displayed on the front black board. Students are to write their impression of the quote's meaning  and give an example of how the quote applies to his/her life. The responses should be 5-8 sentences in length, well-organized and well-written.

PRONOUN SONG

If you were in Academic Enrichment, you probably learned the PRONOUN SONG! If you were in Band, don't worry we will teach you. Next week, we will be creating songs to help us learn the "eight parts of speech" in a fun yet effective way. We have already talked about verbs this week and pronouns. We still have a great deal more to learn but we can make it worthwhile and commit all this information to memory.

The captions for The Penny Book look pretty good. We will edit our 6 captions and make them perfect.

Chapter 8 in I Know What You Did Last Summer makes one a little suspicious about a certain charcter. Doesn't it? New terms we will learn next week: metamorphosis, epiphany, allegory, and of course flashback!!

TEST TOMORROW

Don't forget to actively study for the vocabulary test tomorrow. Bring your Penny Book pictures to class to continue writing your captions.

Chapter 8 quarter notes are due on Friday.

QUESTION ?????  Who had a flashback in chapter 8? Where was she and what was the flashback about? Who showed up and WHY???????

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

Congratulations to Stephanie Gulezian, Michaelin Jaggers, and Brooke Bogacz for winning the poster contest for their portraits of the four members of the pact from the novel, I Know What

You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan. Great Job!

Verbs Can Be Action Or Linking

September 15, 2008

If you listened in class today, you understand the importance of verbs in both reading , writing, and speaking. Verbs can be either action or linking. Make sure you remember that a linking verb expresses a state of being. ex: Mrs. Jaggers is old. An action verb ,on the other hand, expresses a physical or mental action which can be carried out by the body. ex: Mr. Bellerose teaches some interesting concepts in science.

PLEASE be sure to have your pictures and pennies for The Penny Project by Wednesday, September 17th. We will be working on writing our captions on Thursday, September 18th during ELA, after the Vocabulary Test on the word list for chapters 4-9.

Mrs. Jaggers is available for after school help every Tuesday! Bring in some pennies to share!!!!Thanks to all who have provided additional pennies for their classmates.

September 13, 2008

Whew!!!! It is finally the weekend! Remember to check your penny jars at home and bring in as many pennies as you can find from 1995-6 to 2008. We will share next week so everyone has his/her pennies by Thursday, September 18th (the release day). See if Mom or Dad or Nana or Pepere or and aunt or uncle has a special picture which might help you to capture a special event from a particular year. Remember, you can draw half of the pictures if you do not have a photo or image for a specific year.

September 11, 2008

Today we worked on our collages depicting one "member of the pact."  Please make sure that your collage contains 5-10 words describing the character, and 5-10 pictures illustrating "traits" of the character. No white should be showing on the collage paper.

Vocabulary definitions due tomorrow. Test on words and how to use them next Wednesday, September 17, 2008. 

Start collecting pennies for the penny book and pictures over the weekend. We'll get started next week!

ELA September 7-12

September 9, 2008

Test today on chapters 1-4.

This week we will continue to read the suspense thriller I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan. Today, students received a list of vocabulary words which are due on Friday, September 12th. The words are to be copied into the vocabulary notebook and the definitions should be written beside the word in the notebook. Also, the students are responsible for identifying the part of speech. Quarter notes for chapter 5 are due tomorrow, September 10th.

Also, bring magazines, glue stick, scissors, and ideas to class on Thursday, September 11th as we construct a collage of " personality attributes" of a specific member of the pact.

Does anyone have a portrait of  one of the four teenagers??? Contest ends soon!!!

Welcome to 7th grade English!  For the remainder of this week we will continue to read I Know What You Did Last Summer. Over the weekend (September 5-7) read Chapter 4 of this exciting novel. The quarter notes for this chapter will be due on Monday, September 8th. Keep reading!!!