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!