View & Respond – The Weight of the Nation (HBO)

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Today, the class worked on (7.SL.1) & (7.SL.5) common core speaking/listening standards during a view & respond activity about the HBO Documentary – The Weight of the Nation. The activity began with a handout that can be viewed [here]. I instructed students to read the news article to give the background to the to the story. Students were prompted to use their active listening skills (who, what, why, where, when) during the viewing of Media clip. Once the clip was complete, I gave students about 3-5 minutes to jot down any information they couldn’t during the viewing to help guide the discussion. I then opened the floor up for discussion by asking initial reactions. I chose to watch Part 3, Children in Crisis, because it appeared to be the most age appropriate as well as relevant to this age group of students.

This is a very serious topic that affects a lot of individuals. That being said, I think it was important to see what my classes thought about the weight problem, perception or reality, that we have in this country. I think it’s important for students to understand that you can eat tasty food without overdoing it as well as the importance of exercising. One of my main objectives with this type of view and respond is to engage, effectively, in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) on topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own point(s) of views clearly. I hope to reach that outcome through the multimedia source presented as well as notes using 5W’s format, discussion, and the view/respond handout.

Class update #21 [Week of 5/13/13 - 5/17/13]

Week #8: Vocabulary HW, In-class reading of The Old Man and The Sea, Back To The Future Essay Due, Viewing of The Old Man and The Sea, and Viewing of Back To The Future…

Greetings, this will be the last regularly scheduled update for the year as summer is almost upon us. I have a hyperlink to my lesson plans for the week of 05/13/2013 to 05/17/2013. If you would like to view the lesson plans, please do so here >>>Lesson Plans for Week 8 – Quarter 4 [click to open].

In Language Arts/Literature, students will be completing the reading The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway. This will be our 4th completed book this year. The Literature class has previously completed Monster by Walter Dean Myers, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, and The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. We will also be viewing The Old Man and The Sea starring Anthony Quinn on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. This week students will be given Week #8′s vocabulary words on Monday, and they will have one assessment in the form of homework due on 5/14/2013. I will be pulling all of this year’s regularly scheduled vocabulary words from the Scripps National Spelling Bee & SAT lists for 7th Graders >>> [vocabulary guidelines & instructions]… Please make sure your student is completing their vocabulary homework every Monday because we will have a quiz assessment on those words every Friday.

View & Respond – Charles Ramsey

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Today, the class worked on (7.SL.1) & (7.SL.5) common core speaking/listening standards during a view & respond activity about Charles Ramsey tells Anderson Cooper how he found Amanda Berry, a woman who vanished years ago, in his neighbor’s house. The activity began with a handout that can be viewed [here]. I instructed students to read the news article to give the background to the to the story. Students were prompted to use their active listening skills (who, what, why, where, when) during the viewing of YouTube Media clip. Once the clip was complete, I gave students about 3-5 minutes to jot down any information they couldn’t during the viewing to help guide the discussion. I then opened the floor up for discussion by asking initial reactions.

This is a mature topic. That being said, I think it’s important for the students to understand the value of doing what’s right when they least expect it. One of my main objectives with this type of view and respond is to engage, effectively, in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) on topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own point(s) of views clearly. I hope to reach that outcome through the multimedia source presented as well as notes using 5W’s format, discussion, and the view/respond handout.

Class update #20 [Week of 5/06/13 - 5/10/13]

Week #7: Vocabulary HW, Vocabulary Quiz, In-class reading of The Old Man and The Sea, Direct Instruction on Informative/Persuasive Essay Writing, and 5 Paragraph Essay Assignment (Back To The Future – Unit 4)

Here is an update for 7th Grade Language Arts (Literature & Writing). I have a hyperlink to my lesson plans for the week of 05/06/2013 to 05/10/2013. If you would like to view the lesson plans, please do so here >>>Lesson Plans for Week 7 – Quarter 4 [click to open].

In Language Arts/Literature, students will continue reading The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway. During in class reading, students are encouraged to take notes for comprehension in the following format – Question, Quotation (MLA Format), Characters, Setting, Connect, & Summarize. Those notes will help students with their ticket out of class via journal entries that they will be completing after daily reading. Students will also work on Week #7′s vocabulary words. This week students will be given Week #7′s vocabulary words on Monday, and they will have two assessments in the form of homework due on 5/07/2013 as well as a Vocabulary Quiz on 5/10/2013. I will be pulling all of this year’s regularly scheduled vocabulary words from the Scripps National Spelling Bee & SAT lists for 7th Graders >>> [vocabulary guidelines & instructions]… Please make sure your student is completing their vocabulary homework every Monday because we will have a quiz assessment on those words every Friday.

Eager Readers Need Help #BucksForBooks

The Giver & The Pearl

  I am attempting to expand students minds via higher level literature. Do you remember what it was like the first time you read a book that you couldn’t put down? My students have only begun to discover books that capture their imaginations. Please help me help them with their fantastic journey through literature. My students need a class set of “The Giver” (30 Books) and a class set of “The Pearl” (30 Books). Reading is like a passport for a child to travel as far as their imagination will take them. Please help my students collect a few stamps in their booklet. The Pearl & The Giver are excellent books with a myriad of themes, characters, and life lessons for my students to learn from.

Thank you for your time and consideration. Even if you cannot donate, please pass this email on to those that you think would be interested. Remember, every drop in the bucket helps, so if it’s $5 or $10, that would be awesome!

You can donate directly, here:

http://www.donorschoose.org/project/eager-readers-need-help-bucksforbooks/994759/

View & Respond – I Hate School But Love Education

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On Friday, the class worked on (7.SL.1) & (7.SL.5) common core speaking/listening standards during a view & respond activity about I Hate School But Love Education. This view & respond came rather timely considering today was the day that 4th Quarter Progress Reports went home. The activity began with a handout that can be viewed [here]. I instructed students to read the news article to give the background to the poem. Students were prompted to use their active listening skills (who, what, why, where, when) during the viewing of YouTube Media clip. Once the clip was complete, I gave students about 3-5 minutes to jot down any information they couldn’t during the viewing as well as answer the questions (6 of them) to help guide the discussion. I then opened the floor up for discussion by asking initial reactions. Initial reactions were mixed. One thing students struggled with was the concept of school being slightly different than education. However, students all understood that learning does take place outside of school. All in all, some students understood the overall theme of the poem, and some students were working towards comprehension…

This is a controversial topic. That being said, I think it was important to see what my classes thought about school as well as their goals in education.I think it’s important for the students to understand the value of learning in general in whatever format it is delivered to them. Overall, the students and I had a good conversation, and that was my hope all along. One of my main objectives with this type of view and respond is to engage, effectively, in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) on topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own point(s) of views clearly. I hope to reach that outcome through the multimedia source presented as well as notes using 5W’s format, discussion, and the view/respond handout.

Class update #19 [Week of 4/29/13 - 5/3/13]

Week #6: Vocabulary HW, Vocabulary Quiz, In-class reading of The Old Man and The Sea, Direct Instruction on 9/11 Terrorist Attacks (Back To The Future – Unit 4)

Here is an update for 7th Grade Language Arts (Literature & Writing). I have a hyperlink to my lesson plans for the week of 04/29/2013 to 05/03/2013. If you would like to view the lesson plans, please do so here >>>Lesson Plans for Week 6 – Quarter 4  [click to open].

In Language Arts/Literature,  students will continue reading The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway. During in class reading, students are encouraged to take notes for comprehension in the following format – Question, Quotation (MLA Format), Characters, Setting, Connect, & Summarize. Those notes will help students with their ticket out of class via journal entries that they will be completing after daily reading.  Students will also work on Week #6′s vocabulary words. This week students will be given Week #6′s vocabulary words on Monday, and they will have two assessments in the form of homework due on 4/30/2013 as well as a Vocabulary Quiz on 5/3/2013. I will be pulling all of this year’s regularly scheduled vocabulary words from the Scripps National Spelling Bee & SAT lists for 7th Graders >>> [vocabulary guidelines & instructions]… Please make sure your student is completing their vocabulary homework every Monday because we will have a quiz assessment on those words every Friday.

How To Keep Kids Engaged & Involved [#SummerTime]

#ExtrinsicReward #SugarFreeCandy

Did I mention, we have about 25 days until Summer Vacation? How do you keep kids active & engaged in class with about 25 days left until Summer Break? All of these questions ran through my head yesterday morning because I noticed a few students checking out. I wanted to do something fun as well as on task with the classroom discussion. I’m lucky that this group of kids is a great bunch as well as easy to please.

The activity is simple, and it occurs during as well as after direct instruction when it’s time to check for comprehension. Whoever has the most amount of money by the end of class will be the winner (see picture). You might be asking, how do the students earn this “money?” It’s pretty simple, the more correct questions answered during comprehension checks equals play money as well as a small prize at the end of class… Extrinsic reward, you bet’cha;)

Permission Slips

Permission Slips

When handing out permission slips,  kids/students will insist they’re grown – they’re not grown… It’s always a good rule of thumb to keep parents, grandparents, and guardians in the loop. I do this for two reasons. The first being, I am NOT any student’s parent. It says PG for a reason. Second, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Again, keep in mind, kids will insist they’re grown. I repeat, they’re not. Most kids these days watch inappropriate movies with or without their parent’s permission. I know I did when I was a kid. I certainly watched my fair share when I was ages 12 to 18. However, it was always on my own time. Some kids tell me that other teachers and/or adults have let them watch certain movies in the past in other schools. My reply is simple, hope you enjoyed that while you could because that’s not how I run my classroom.

The process is simple, send the permission slip home. Here are a few examples [here] [here] and [here].

Class update #18 [Week of 4/22/13 - 4/26/13]

Week #5: In-class reading of The Old Man and The Sea, SSR Journals, Direct Instruction on slavery, and viewing of Amistad (Back To The Future – Unit 4)

Here is an update for 7th Grade Language Arts (Literature & Writing). I have a hyperlink to my lesson plans for the week of 04/22/2013 to 04/26/2013. If you would like to view the lesson plans, please do so here >>>Lesson Plans for Week 5 – Quarter 4  [click to open].

In Language Arts/Literature,  students will continue reading The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway on Monday (4/22). During in class reading, students are encouraged to take notes for comprehension in the following format – Question, Quotation (MLA Format), Characters, Setting, Connect, & Summarize… Those notes will help students with their ticket out of class via journal entries that they will be completing after daily reading.  Students will also work on Week #5′s vocabulary words. This week students will be given Week #5′s vocabulary words on Monday, and they will have two assessments in the form of homework due on 4/23/2013 as well as a Vocabulary Quiz on 4/26/2013. I will be pulling all of this year’s regularly scheduled vocabulary words from the Scripps National Spelling Bee & SAT lists for 7th Graders >>> [vocabulary guidelines & instructions]… Please make sure your student is completing their vocabulary homework every Monday because we will have a quiz assessment on those words every Friday.