Bah Humbug! A Journey through the Victorian Era Begins

The first week of the second nine weeks began with another round of writing about our beloved Cleveland Indians and their series with the Toronto Blue Jays.  Students continued to practice writing the four types of sentences as they related supporting details to the five-game American League Championship Series. #ENGRoom121 is designed to allow the students to become better writers because they will have multiple opportunities to practice, edit, and revise ALL of their writing. Items will not be checked off of the "To-Do List" unless there is a proven level of understanding and forward progress.

Through observations and discussions, it is evident that this process is getting easier. Writing is never an easy task, and it is often more difficult for students because they have never been asked, or expected to continually practice, edit, revise, and rewrite.  They are too used to completing an assignment, having it graded and never having to revisit it to make it better. The above approach is not the way to help the students become more confident and better writers, so we will adopt an approach that mirrors the process expressed in the above image (pay particular attention to the part about Hemingway :-) ).

Students were also introduced to the second quarter read aloud, A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens.  On Monday and Tuesday, students were introduced to the Victorian Era, Charles Dickens, and the novel itself.  They took notes as we discussed each of the above.  On Wednesday and Thursday, we read Stave 1 of the novel, and the students worked on the Stave 1 "Check Your Understanding" questions.  It was a festive time in #ENGRoom121, and we look forward to discovering more reasons why the novel, A Christmas Carol, is credited with restoring the Christmas spirit to many who read it.

Remember that one cannot become a better reader without practicing reading. Students must commit to 30 minutes of reading five days a week outside of school to improve.  Just another friendly reminder, if students are absent on a Monday, Wednesday, or Friday they should email me at aprok@berea.k12.oh.us OR aprok@bereaschools.org, send me a tweet on Twitter, or message me in Remind101 with their silent reading status update.  If they do not do this, they will lose the 5 points the "Status of the Class" update is worth.  THIS IS to be done on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (NOT the day or days after).

Here's a look at the upcoming week (10/31 - 11/4):

1. MHJH Halloween Dress Up Day - SHOW YOUR SCHOOL SPIRIT (please adhere to the guidelines and expectations shared by Mr. Kish on the morning announcement)
2. A Christmas Carol (view Stave 1 - Monday)
3. Go over Stave 1 "Check Your Understanding" Questions (Tuesday)
4. Read Stave 2 of A Christmas Carol (Wednesday & Thursday)
5. TITANS ACTIVITY Schedule - 1st Quarter Incentive Day (Thursday)
6. A Christmas Carol Stave 2 "Check Your Understanding Questions (Friday)

Vocabulary to know for the upcoming week (10/31 - 11/4):

NONE

GO TITANS!  And GOOOOOO, CLEVELAND INDIANS!

We are All the Winners... - 1st Quarter High Achievers

The first quarter of the 2016-2017 school year officially came to an end yesterday.  The students in #ENGRoom121 have accomplished a great deal.  Some highlights are below:

On Monday, October 17th students took the STAR Reader assessment for the second time this school year.  We were looking for a growth of +0.2 or +0.3 from the August score.  It is pleasing to report that of the 110 students that took the STAR Reader assessment 70 achieved the goal of a +0.2 - +0.3 or higher increase.  The average increase of this STAR Reader administration was +0.75.  This shows that there is a commitment to reading outside of the #ENGRoom121 classroom and importance being put on academic success in the homes' of the students.   Thank you all for that commitment! Remember that one cannot become a better reader without practicing reading. Students must commit to 30 minutes of reading five days a week outside of school to improve.  Also, as a reminder, if students are absent on a Monday, Wednesday, or Friday they should email me at aprok@berea.k12.oh.us OR aprok@bereaschools.org, send me a tweet on Twitter, or message me in Remind101 with their silent reading status update.  If they do not do this, they will lose the 5 points the "Status of the Class" update is worth.  

In class, we also completed our second "perfect paragraph" centered around practicing and using the various types of sentences in writing (simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex) as we wrote about the Cleveland Indians sweeping the Boston Red Sox in the American League Division Series.  It's been great fun to talk baseball with the students, and writing about another Cleveland team's journey to a championship.

We ended the week, as a commUNITY, celebrating the #ENGRoom121 successes of our classmates. As a class we talked about what it means to be a community, and how communities come together to celebrate their residents times of joy, and times of heartache and tragedy.  The expectations established were:

1. We are celebrating each other, and we will be happy for each other
2. We will clap for each member of our commUNITY that is being acknowledged
3. We will work hard to be celebrated next quarter.

We honored students in our classes that achieved at a high level in Accelerated Reader for the first quarter scoring 100/100.  We also acknowledged students that scored a perfect score on one of our assessments (Summer Reading Vocabulary Quiz, or the "Perfect Paragraph" #1).  The celebrations ended with the red bandana being given to the writer of the best paragraph for the "...Last Hour..." prompt in honor of the September 11th hero, Welles Crowther.  Please take a look to see all the #ENGRoom121 students honored for their high level of achievement.  Our red bandana ceremony (adapted from that of Welles Crowther's mother) consisted of acknowledging the student that wrote the best paragraph about our "Last Hour..." prompt, and a short speech highlighting the ideals (commUNITY, respect, kindness, and courage) of #ENGRoom121.  As the student received his/her red bandana the following was said:

"As a recipient of this red bandana and to honor the September 11th hero, Welles Crowther, you are charged with the responsibility to "Honor your commUNITY whatever it looks like and wherever you are, respect and be kind to others, and be courageous.  Whenever you see, your red bandana remember Welles Crowther ... a hero lives in you, too." - This is only to be displayed and/or used in a positive and honorable way.  Misuse of this award could result in the ending of our red bandana ceremony.

Red Bandana Recipients - Maddie K., Bethany R., Hailey S., Kristen S., and Jadyn Z

Like the real world, sometimes :-), when hard work, dedication, and perseverance are regular attributes of an employee they are rewarded with a promotion, or a bonus check; the students recognized received a "bonus check" for their hard work and use it towards something in the second quarter.  for up to 15 points on a homework/classwork assignment or extra credit at the end of the quarter, OR for up to 7 points on an assessment.  

1st Quarter HIGH ACHIEVERS:

100/100 on Accelerated Reader - Hope A., Matt A., Paul A., Christian G., Collin G., Grace C., Andrew D., Brooke K., Brennan M., Kyla M., Mia M., Nick M., Justin P., Jimmy P., Emma R., Gavin S., Paige S., Summer V., David W., Dylan W., Grady W., Luke W., and Roman W..

Perfect Score on Summer Vocabulary Quiz (52/52) - Julia L.

Perfect Score on Perfect Paragraph (20/20) - Sadie H., and Kyla M.

"Last Hour" Prompt Finalists - Billy C., Grace C., Mia G., Maddie K., Lexi L., Kyla M., Jacob P., Jimmy P., Meliea P., Bethany R., Hailey S., Kristen S., Allison V., Kylie V., and Jadyn Z.

RED BANDANAS ready to go

MOD 1 High Achievers

MOD 2 High Achievers

MOD 4-5 High Achievers 

MOD 8-9 High Achievers

MOD 10 High Achievers

Here's a look at the upcoming week (10/24 - 10/28):

1.  Introduction to A Christmas Carol (setting and author - Monday)
2.  "Confessions of a Part-Time Sinner" activity (Tuesday)
3.  Continue writing and complete Perfect Paragraph sample #3 about the Cleveland Indians           American League Championship Series
4.  Begin reading A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
5.  Mod 4-5 - WordMasters Round 1 Official Quiz

Vocabulary to know for the upcoming week (10/24 - 10/28):

1. Victorian Era - the period of British history when Queen Victoria reigned
2. Debtors Prison - a place people, who couldn't pay their debts went

Congratulations to all 1st quarter honorees.  You all have the ability to achieve at high levels.  It takes work, commitment, and perseverance.  I look forward to honoring more of you after the second quarter.

GO TITANS!  And CONGRATULATIONS, CLEVELAND INDIANS!

A Quarter of the Way There

The first quarter of the 2016-2017 school year officially came to an end yesterday.  The students in #ENGRoom121 have accomplished a great deal.  Some highlights are below:

1.  Quarter 1 STAR Reader Assessment
2.  Get to Know with Play-Doh
3.  Google Drawings "All About Me" Presentations
4.  Building a CommUNITY of Respect, Kindness, and Courage
5.  Types of Sentences (Simple, Compound, Complex, and Compound-Complex)
6.  Traits of a Perfect Paragraph
7.  Read The Outsiders

On Monday, October 17th students will take the STAR Reader Assessment for the second time this school year.  We are looking for growth .2 or .3 increase from the students score in August.  This shows that there is a progression in the positive direction.  One cannot become a better reader without practicing reading.  Students must commit to 30 minutes of reading five days a week outside of school to improve.  It is a journey I am making with my students this school year.  My philosophy has always been I won't ask students to do something I'm not willing to do myself, so my first quarter reading portfolio and AR quiz scores are as follows:

1.  The Illustrated Man - Ray Bradbury - AR Score - 10/10 - 10 points
2.  Ender's Game -  Orson Scott Card - AR Score - 8/10 - 8 points
3.  All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr - AR Score - 18/20 - 18.9 points

The second quarter is an exciting one for the 8th grade because we will be reading Charles Dickens', A Christmas Carol, and going downtown to Playhouse Square to watch it live on stage.  December 8th will be a memorable day for our 8th-grade students as learning continues outside the walls of MHJH.  Next week the students will be introduced to Charles Dickens, the Victorian Era, and the classic novel A Christmas Carol.

Here's a look at the upcoming week (10/17 - 10/24):

1.  STAR Reader Assessment (Monday)
2.  Celebration of first quarter successes (Monday) ... Shout Outs of Success and Red Bandana ceremony
3.  Complete Perfect Paragraph sample #2
4.  Introduction to Charles Dickens, "A Christmas Carol"
5.  The Outsiders movie night (Thursday, October 20 - 5:30-8 PM)

Vocabulary to know for the upcoming week (10/17 - 10/24):

1. Victorian Era - the period of British history when Queen Victoria reigned
2. Debtors Prison - a place people, who couldn't pay their debts went

Beginning on Monday everyone has a chance to start over and begin again.  Let's build on what we've learned during the first nine weeks and make every effort to continue down the path of success we've created, or make improvements so that we can join our classmates on this path.

GO TITANS & INDIANS!

SCREEEEEEECH! HIT THE BRAKES!

Eight weeks into the new school year we are continuing our journey to become writing and literary scholars.  We discovered this week that maybe the students weren't ready to put their skills on display in the form of an assessment.  It's going to take more time and more practice before that assessment becomes a part of the grade book.  And you know what, it's OK.  We'll keep practicing together until we all get it.  There's no doubt it's a rough road to travel, and it will be a continual work in progress, but we will move forward and learn the tools needed to write successfully and competently, and students won't be held captive to grades.  As parents/guardians, please understand there may not be many grades for assessments.  However, it does not mean learning is not taking place and students are not being held accountable for their work.  It just means we're taking a different approach in #ENGRoom121.  This will be a shift in thinking for all of us, but one worth attempting.  

A simple picture illustrating the writing process

Summarizes #ENGRoom121 perfectly

Here's a look at the upcoming week (10/10 - 10/13):

1.  Parent/Teacher Conferences (Tuesday, October 11th & Thursday, October 13th both days 3:45-7:00PM)
2.  1st Quarter ends on Thursday, October 13th - Accelerated Reader goals due by 3:15
3.  NO SCHOOL for students on Friday, October 14th
4.  More work with sentence types focusing on adding details and writing vividly

Vocabulary to know for the upcoming week:

1. Adjective - words that describe or modify other words, making your writing and speaking much more specific, and a whole lot more interesting
2. Adverb - a word that describes or modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb.
3. Verb - a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence, and forming the main part of the predicate of a sentence

Remember the quarter ends next week you will want to spend some time making sure all your work is completed before Thursday, October 13th.  Get on Infinite Campus and check to make sure you're in good shape for the end of the first nine weeks.  

GO TITANS & INDIANS!