Agenda+2013-2014

Below, you will find the agenda and materials from each day. Please email me at gthompson@hershey.k12.pa.us if yo have any questions, concerns, or need more clarification. Thanks!

08/26/2013 Students were introduced to the material for Communication Arts, expectations, Team Jupiter guidelines, and introduced themselves. They need to have homeroom documents signed and their expectations and writing guidelines signed specifically for Communication Arts. These forms can be found below. Please also read the newsletter!

08/27/2013 Today we reviewed the expectations, learned the consequences and rewards, and began our first Type 1 in the Collins Writing program. Their first Type 1 is a letter to me all about them. The guidelines for this letter are on the homework page. It is due Thursday.

08/28/2013 Today we continued working on our Type 1, a letter to Mrs.Thompson. It is due tomorrow. We also began talking about computers and how to appropriately use them. Students should have, or be in the progress of getting, access to Google docs and edmodo.

08/29/2013 We completed our Pre-test in Grammar and Mechanics. We also completed a student survey all about you! In addition, we all surveyed the class library for books we may want to read as a class.

09/03/2013 Students will review reading strategies. A copy of the handout and strategies reviewed can be found here: To illustrate these strategies Mrs. Thompson will use them in the reading of "Boy Do We Ever Need a Hero" and students will practice. Students will take notes on their reading using the strategies in T-chart form.

09/04/2013 Students will finish reading "Boy Do We Ever Need a Hero" with their reading strategies. Mrs. Thompson will continue to illustrate. A final copy of the notes will be posted here on Wednesday/Thursday. Following that, students will complete an anticipation guide based on their perception of heroes.

How to set up your dividers: Notes from today: Page 1:

Page 2:

In T-Chart form: 09/05/2013 Students will play the line game using their anticipation guide. They must say whether or not they agree or disagree with a statement and defend their answer evidence and background knowledge. Following the line game, students will complete a reflection on Google Docs. This is our first Google Doc! Reflection: Which statement do you agree with the most? Why? Which do you disagree with the most? Why? Key Question: What is your definition of a hero? If students do not finish, or want to add, they may finish/add to it for homework.

09/06/2013 Students will complete a practice test of their Collins words, and review their words from last year. After this, we will have an inventory of our library and choose the book we will read every Friday for 10-15 minutes at the end of class.

09/09/2013 Students will learn about complete simple sentences. The notes are taken by students and posted on edmodo. In addition, students will complete activities to help them try out simple sentences. Sentence questions/formula:



Simple vs. Complete Subject and Predicate

09/10/2013 Students will be working on the same stations as yesterday. Since edmodo is down, here are the links for station 3 and 4. Station 3: http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=simple-subject-simple-predicate Station 4: http://www.quia.com/rr/36764.html

09/11/2013 Students will continue to review complete sentences. In addition, students will discuss heroes and what traits they have to remember those who gave their lives 12 years ago.

09/12/2013-09/13/2013 Students will continue their discussion on heroes by discussing and reading "Man in the Water." Students will be expected to take notes using their reading strategies. Students will analyze the text for the main idea and the author's audience.

09/16/2013 Students will finish reading the "Man in the Water" on their own. They will take notes on new words and the big idea of each paragraph to reinforce what we are learning with main idea. We will then discuss as a class.

09/17/2013 Students will finish their class discussion, and then will write a Type 2 identifying the main idea of "Man in the Water" and citing supporting details.

09/18/2013 Practice Quiz Book Fair!

09/19/2013 Students will review their quiz, and they will write their type 2 on "Man in the Water."

09/20/2013 Students will read "Air Disaster" that covers the same topic as "Man in the Water" with a different audience and angle. They will take notes and compare in small groups. 09/23/2013 Students will read one more article: "We Are Going Down Larry" and compare it to the other articles. This time it will be on their own.

09/24/2013-09/25/2013 Students will write a Type 2 analyzing the author's purpose and audience's influence on the writing. Students will participate in a discussion comparing the three articles based on the author's purpose and how their audience shaped their writing. Students will also take their SUMMATIVE for incomplete vs. complete sentences on WEDNESDAY, September 25th.

Our Finished Product of Flight 90: Our thoughts, reactions, new words, and main ideas:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Part 5:



09/26/2013-09/27/2013 Students will discuss what is plot? How does it contribute to the story? Where do setting and conflict play in? Why are they so important? All these questions will be addressed and answered as we read "The Hero's Test" or more classically known as Theseus and the minotaur. PLEASE SEE THIS PPT FOR ALL NOTES ON PLOT. If you missed class, it also has practice activities for you to do, and it has a helpful video to try plot.

09/30/2013-10/03/2013 ATTENTION: FIRST GRADE WAS HANDED BACK TODAY. If you have any questions, or need to review/retest, please see me.

Retesting is only available until Friday 10/11/2013 for this quiz.

Students will now read "Hero's Test" and complete discussion questions. Discussion Questions for Hero's Test (p. 27):

Discussion Questions:

What is the major conflict? What type of conflict is it?

Who is the protagonist? Use two pieces of evidence to support your answer.

Who is the antagonist? Use two pieces of evidence to support your answer.

Which character, the protagonist or antagonist, influences the conflict the most? Explain your perspective.

What is the stated setting? What are two details that help to suggest the setting? How does the setting impact the conflict?

How would this story look if it were set in Hershey, Pa in 2012? Consider the characters, the setting, and the conflict. What are the major events in the plot? List them in chronological order.

10/04/2013 Students will complete a quiz on subjects and predicates.

10/07/2013 Students will wrap up all the work we did on "Hero's Test" by completing a Type 2.

10/08/2013 Students will complete their type 2. If you finish early, please bring a book to read while you wait for your classmates, or you may study for your quiz. After the type 2, we will review for our subject and predicate quiz.

10/09/2013 Students will complete their subject and predicate quiz. 20pts. After the quiz, students will review the procedures for the lit circles and choose their groups!

10/10/2013 Lit Circle Day! Students will choose their book and complete the permission/group agreement form.

10/11/2013 Students will receive their graded subject and predicate quiz back. We will review! Retesting is available until next Wednesday, October 23, 2013. Students need to contact Mrs. Thompson if they want a retest. Remediation is necessary! Please see me as soon as possible. Students will learn how to appropriately use the apostrophe. Due to the flood we will make up our grammar lesson on Thursday. We will also have our weekly Friday reading time.

10/14/2013 No School

10/15/2013-10/16/2013 2hr Delay Students read for their lit circle and learned about the character page. Students will review their questions tomorrow. Today was about introducing the character page, and it is okay if you still have questions. To access character pages go to google drive, click on sites, search for character page, click on test character page, and click use template in the right hand corner. Congrats! You have just begun making your character page! Please follow the Fcas!

Educreations Tutorial: []

10/17/2013-10/18/2013 Today we will review commas. Students will receive their type 2 formative back from "Hero's Test"

10/21/2013 Students will begin reading "The Teacher Who Changed My Life"

10/22/2013-10/25/2013 Students read "The Teacher Who Changed My Life" and completed a t-chart on it. They needed to identify character traits for each character, evidence, and examples of coordinate adjectives.

10/28/2013-10/29/2013 Students will complete a summative on "The Teacher Who Changed My Life" based on these FCAs • Directions: Using your ability to analyze indirect characterization, what are 3 traits describe one character (Ms. Hurd or Nicolas Gage)? Give the three character trait in your Topic/Opinion sentence (Your T). Then support each trait with specific evidence from the text (D) to show how the character demonstrates that trait. Lastly, explain, in your own words, how the evidence shows the trait (E). • FCA #1:Use a __ clear topic sentence that answers the question __ and previews your answer, and __ use a clear conclusion sentence __ that restates the topic sentence in a different way: 10 pts. • FCA #2: __ Use three different details that support __ your topic sentence. Each detail should include your trait and the specific example from the text that illustrates the trait: 15 pts. • FCA #3: __ Use three explanations that explain how your example you stated in your detail shows the trait __. Be clear and thorough: 15 pts.

10/30/2013-10/31/2013 Students will be introduced to fact and opinion. Example: Jesse Owens was a great runner. (Opinion) vs. Jesse Owens won an Olympic Gold Medal! (Fact) Students will begin reading Jesse Owens and analyze the story in groups. They will be focusing on these questions: 1. How does the time period make Jesse Owens into a hero? Look at the text. 2. How does the place, Germany, impact the protagonist? How might this article be different if it took place in the USA? Give at least one piece of evidence from the text. 3. Do you think the author is inspired by Jesse Owens? What information in the text lets you know he is or is not inspired? 4. Identify where these three conflicts in the story are and how Jesse Owens overcomes them: a. Character vs. Character b. Character vs. Society c. Character vs. Self
 * Discussion Questions: **

In addition, students will discuss with the class what the author's purpose since that is our overarching goal.

11/01/2013 Comma Summative Time to work on your character page Weekly Reading Time

11/04/2013 Students recapped Jesse Owens which we began discussing yesterday. Students analyzed a video about Jesse Owens, and discussed the difference between informative and persuasive.

11/05/2013 Students will continue/finish the discussion questions from last week (They are listed above). We also discuss the above questions as a class. Students WILL receive their LAST summative back today. This was the LAST grade of the first marking period. In addition, this is the FIRST day lit circles will be graded.

11/06/2013 Students will complete a summative answering this question about "Flying in the Face of the Fuhrer": Summative Question: What do you think the author’s purpose is in this article? Please give two facts from the text to defend your answer and explain how they defend your answer. Please use the TDEDEC structure to organize your information. FCAs: FCA 1: Accurately identifies the author’s purpose in the topic and closing (2 pts for topic, 2 pts for closing) FCA 2: Uses two pieces of evidence from the text to support the claim in the topic sentence. (4 pts: 2 per piece of evidence). Please quote and cite properly. You need to cite like this: (Taylor 39). FCA 3: Uses two explanations that thoroughly explain how the evidence supports the claim in the topic sentence. (4 pts: 2 per piece of evidence). Make sure your explanation fits the evidence and claim.

11/07/2013 Students will have the opportunity to finish their summative. If time allows, they will receive their comma summative back and review.

11/08/2013 Students will have a substitute for periods 6 and 7. Students will begin reading "Hero's Return" and answer the question: Is the main character a admirable or not admirable? This will be done independently using the TDEDEC structure.

11/11/2013-11/12/2013 Students will read as a class Hero's Return and chart their evidence for Junior, the main character, being admirable or not admirable. We also will generate a list of admirable vs. not admirable character traits. Students should also be using their reading strategies to ask questions, predict, infer, react, and share what they visualize or any connections. All make-ups for comma quizzes have been completed, so the comma quiz will be handed back on Tuesday, November 12, 2013.

11/13/2013 Today we will be reviewing persuasive strategies, and we will also review how to form a position statement/thesis. We will use this video to start of our discussion on persuasion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWEekO4ufwM

11/14/2013 Team Election: No Classes!

11/15/2013 Today we will finish our discussion persuasion, finalize our t-charts, and review character traits for junior.

11/18/2013 Students will be working on our character pages. Mrs. Thompson will not be here, so please be prepared. Please make sure you have shared your character page with Mrs. Thompson. You need to use this time wisely. Check that you have used and satisfied the FCAs.

11/19/2013 Students were given another day to work on their character page. It is due tomorrow. Students need to make sure they review their FCAs. They had 10-15 minutes each class to work on their character page. This project was assigned 10/16/2013, so students should be done or near done. It was also homework for many days, so this should not be a surprise to students.

11/20/2013 Students will discuss persuasion and how to refute the opposition. We will do a class practice and look at an example to prove the opposition wrong.

11/21/2013 Preview new Collins Words and take Collins Word pretest. Students will also review persuasion and preview the FCAs for Friday's formative persuasive paragraph.

11/22/2013 Students will complete their formative persuasive paragraph, and in it answer the question: Should a reader see Junior as admirable or not admirable? Use character traits, evidence, and explanations to support your answer. FCAs:

FCAs for Position Statements: FCA #1: Your position statement should be clear and specific. Be sure to answer the original question by including your topic and position. (2) FCA #2: Guides the direction of the paragraph by revealing your claims or reasons for your position. (3)

Paragraph is clearly organized (thesis (5), 1st set of arguments (2 details/facts and 2 explanations) (8), acknowledge and refute opposition (Give the opposition fact and say why it is wrong.)(6--2 pts for both transitions), strongest argument (1 detail/fact and 1 explanation) (4), conclusion(5) and follows format: 28 (Formatively Assess) Three properly cited facts are used: 9

11/25/2013 Students will have time to finish their persuasive paragraph. Students will receive their author's purpose summative back today.

11/26/2013 Students will learn about dialogue and the format of plays. We will analyze the structure of plays and act out a play about Elizabeth Blackwell. Performing a play will be an option for their unit summative. The unit summative will be introduced when student's return on December 3rd, 2013.

11/27/2013 Turkey Trot-No classes

11/28/2013-12/02/2013 Happy Thanksgiving!

12/03/2013 Students will begin to create their vocab cartoons to show the different meanings in our Collins Homophone Words.

12/04/2013 Students will review the feedback on their "Hero's Return" formative in order to prepare for their summative next Monday! --Formatives were returned today, and students need to review them for homework.

12/05/2013 Students will learn about their end of the Hero Unit project. Students will have a chance to brainstorm, and begin their work in class. Here is a link to all of the guidelines:

Timetable for work: • Today-Pick your one trait, and pick your two ‘admirable people’. • Next Thursday (Dec. 12)-In class research and your graphic organizer is due. Make sure you research BEFORE next Thursday. Research is your HOMEWORK. • Monday, December 16 th -Organizers are returned with feedback. Edit and create your project. • In class time-December 16 th -December 19 th • Due Date: December 19 th —No exceptions. 12/06/2013 Practice Formative Collins Words Quiz!

12/09/2013-12/11/2013 Students will read the story "Time for a Hero" and complete their summative persuasive paragraph on whether or not we should admire Meteor Man or the doctors. If students finish early, they will work on their graphic organizer, step 4 for their end on the Hero Unit project.

12/12/2013 Students will complete their graphic organizer and turn in today!

12/13/2013 Students will begin to review/create compound sentences!

12/16/2013-12/19/2013 Class time to create final project.

12/20/2013 Class game working with compound sentences

01/06/2014 Station activities with compound sentences. Students will create, analyze, and tutor each other on how to make and what is a compound sentence.

01/07/2014 Too Cold Day

01/08/2014 Students will receive feedback on their assignments from before break-Final project and Time for a Hero. It is graded, and this grade applies for the second marking period. Students will also be introduced to our new unit about character development.

01/09/2014 Collins word quiz

01/10/2014 Compound sentence quiz

01/13/2014 Due to delays and the governor visiting the compound sentence quiz was today.

01/14/2014-01/15/2014 Students reviewed summary and main idea. We explored the difference through the classic story Cinderella. Then, students began reading "Dirk the Protector" and summarizing it.

01/16/2014 Summative Collins Quiz

01/17/2014 Summative Compound Sentence Quiz

01/21/2014-01/22/2014 No School

01/23/2014 Students continued to read "Dirk the Protector" and worked on summarizing using their knowledge of plot- characters, setting, conflict, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

01/24/2014 Students will finish their reading and participate in a class discussion.

01/27/2014 Students will finish their discussion. Finally, to help students see where they have grown, they will receive back their letter from the beginning of the year, read over it, and reflect on how they have changed. We will also have our weekly reading time.

Compound Sentence Quizzes will be returned today!

01/28/2014 Students read "Farewell, My Friend" and discussed structure. Then, students completed a compare and contrast of poems, persuasion, informative essays, and eulogy.

01/29/2014-01/31/2014 Students will read "Jones and the Stray" to complete a formative on summary. We will also complete reading comprehension quizzes with each of our stories. As students read, they will record the highlights, and use reading strategies to internalize and interact with the text.

02/03/2014 Snow Day

02/04/2014 Students worked on their Summary Formative Quiz on "Jones and the Stray" from last week.

02/05/2014 Snow Day

02/06/2014 Students completed their quiz, reviewed and discussed the story, and took a 5pt comprehension quiz using socrative. Scores will be returned next week.

02/07/2014 Students will complete a short response question about "Jones and the stray" to wrap up the unit. We will also wrap up our discussion on the story.

02/10/2014 Students will review foreshadowing. The ppt is attached.

02/11/2014 Students continued to read "Dawn" and looked at foreshadowing. They also discussed and focused on the vocabulary in the story.

02/12/2014 Students learned different types of figurative language and the PURPOSE of figurative language. They need to review the information taught in class in order to do their homework. Figurative Language Lesson

02/13/2014 Snow Day

02/14/2014 Students will finish reviewing figurative language, and they will identify figurative language in "Dawn" while they read. We will spend class reading p. 36-37, and listing figurative language students find, as well as vocabulary. (2hr delay) Happy Valentine's Day!

02/17/2014 Students will continue reading "Dawn" and review figurative language. See 02/12/2014 for link.

02/18/2014 Students in 3rd and 4th period read up until pages 39/40. They will finish reading tomorrow and complete the below comprehension questions. • Can you relate to the character? Why or why not? • What pieces of foreshadowing helped you figure out what was “wrong” with Barnsey’s mom? How? • How does Dawn help Barnsey deal with the problem revealed at the end of the story? • What do you believe is the MAJOR conflict that runs throughout the story? Why? How does it impact the character? • What started this problem? • How does the character approach/face the problem? • As you answer these questions, attempt to record your conversation, and share it through youtube or email. Students in 6th and 7th period will also complete the above questions and reading into tomorrow. They also received their summary formative back and reviewed their answers.

02/19/2014 Finish the above discussion, and students will complete their socrative quiz. (5pts)

02/20/2014 Students will review previous open-ended responses. Students will complete their open-ended response for "Dawn" today. All open-ended responses were returned. All socrative scores are being put in on HAC. There is no paper copy for these scores. Please check HAC for quiz scores.

02/21/2014 We will use today to wrap up any questions about Dawn. Then, we will revisit our discussion about "Why write?" from the beginning of the unit. Students have been brainstorming ideas about what they would like to write about for their own narrative. Mrs. Thompson will model a "heart map" in which students will label topics/events that are important to them positively and negatively. Then they will choose their top three. We will use these for next week, so students can plan their story line. Reading Time!

02/24/2014 Students received their heart maps back and startedgenerate an outline using the Google form posted on edmodo and here: Narrative Outline

02/25/2014 Students will be in the library today choosing their books for their literature circle. They will need their parent permission slip signed by next Tuesday, March 4th.

02/26/2014 MINI-THON DAY! BRING YOUR PERMISSION SLIP FOR MINI-THON! Students will be introduced to leads. This will help them understand how a writer creates an interesting beginning of the story to grab the reader. They will eventually have to do this for their own story.

02/27/2014 Students will read "Take Your Best Shot" and take notes. They will eventually take a mock PSSA exam on this story.

02/28/2014 Mock PSSA exam-5 multiple choice and 1 open-ended

03/03/2014 Finish "Take Your Best Shot" story. Students will learn what they learned about leads last week to write a new lead to this story. Reading Time!

03/04/2014 Students will have the opportunity to partake in literature circles at the beginning of class. They will need to discuss characters, setting, and plot. Next week the focus will be figurative language and sensory language. In addition, we will review "Take Your Best Shot" today, and students will also review theme to prepare for their own story writing. FCAS for WEEK 1:

FCA 1: (Setting) Analyze how the setting shapes or changes the character and the plot. Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis. (4pts each--2pts for analysis, 2pts for evidence) FCA 2: (Character) Analyze how particular elements of a story shape the character. Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis. (4pts each--2pts for analysis, 2pts for evidence) FCA 3: (Conflict) Analyze how particular elements of a story shape the plot. Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis. (4pts each--2pts for analysis, 2pts for evidence) TOTAL: 12pts

Week 2 Work:

03/05/2014 Review leads written on Monday, and students will begin writing their own lead for their narrative.

03/06/2014 Students will complete a formative Collins Quiz.

03/07/2014 Students will have time to finish writing their own lead, and they will have an optional gallery walk to receive feedback on their lead before they turn it in.

3/10/2014 Mrs. Thompson was out today, so please see the link for all activities. Directions for Monday

3/11/2014 Students will complete their work from yesterday. Please see direction in link above. Students will also complete their week 2 literature circles.

Week 3: Due next Wednesday

3/12/2014 Students will review reflective ending feedback. Students will use feedback to work on adding a reflective ending to their own story. Students will complete their March Madness Book Bracket. FCAs for Narrative:

3/13/2014 Students will complete their Collins word quiz. Students will also have a gallery walk to review their 1st draft. It is due tomorrow.

3/14/2014 No school-1st draft for narrative is due!

03/17/2014 Students will review imagery/sensory language by using their five senses to describe different items. Then they will take what they learn to write a paragraph describing their favorite place or person.

03/18/2014 Students will review the structure of dialogue using Harry Potter and "The Kayak" from our friendship unit.

03/19/2014 Students will have their last literature circle, and they will discuss theme and their favorite sections of their book. Then, students will wrap up dialogue by writing a lunch table discussion. This will be formatively graded based on their ability to use and punctuate dialogue and personal thought.

03/20/2014 Students will complete their Collin Words summative. In addition, they will have the rest of class to work on their narrative.

03/21/2014 Students will have a mock PSSA to prepare for next week.

03/24/2014 Students will have all class to work on their narrative.

03/25/2014 Students used the shortened class to explore complex sentences. Students learned about AWUBIS words and how to combine independent and dependent clauses. If you need more information, see the attached PDF.

03/26/2014 Students will use this time to review "Hey, Jealousy" and create a summary for the story. We will use these to compare main idea and summary. This is a SUMMATIVE.

FCAs: Review “Hey, Jealousy” and create a summary that follows the progression of a plot chart, identifying the parts. 1. Includes the exposition: main character, setting, and basic problem-- __ underlined __ (6pts--2 for each element) 2. Includes the important events of the plot: inciting incident (2 pts), the event that started the problem--italicized; development: includes important events that impact the conflict--numbered (2 events: 2pts each--4 total points); climax: the turning point of the problem- -highlighted yellow (2 pts) 3. Includes the resolution: the way the problem is solved--highlighted green ( 2 pts) __ 16 points total __

03/27/2014-03/28/2014 Students will finish their writing their summary from yesterday. Students will begin reading "War Game" and discuss how different points of view/perspectives impact a story and characters.

03/31/2014-04/03/2014 Students will finish their discussion about character perspective and impact.

04/04/2014 We will then discuss structure comparing poetry, persuasion, narratives, and a eulogy. Wrap up discussion on structure.

04/07/2014-04/08/2014 Students will read a real-life account of a Civil War soldier and compare and contrast it to the fictional story, "Take Your Best Shot".

04/09/2014 Students will continue practicing complex sentences. Please see the links on edmodo for additional practice and class activities.

04/10/2014-04/11/2014 Students will read "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street" to discuss stage directions, camera angles, and how to read a script vs. watching a video. Monsters are Due on Maple Street

Students will discuss the characters' perspectives and compare and contrast the stage directions to what they visualize. Question to answer: How do stage directions help us visualize?

04/14/2014-04/15/2014 Students will watch the video of "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street" in class. Then, they will discuss how what they visualized and their interpretation of the characters was similar or different to the actual video.

04/16/2014 Complex Sentence Quiz

04/17/2014-04/21/2014 Spring Break

04/22/2014 Students were introduced to the new unit and discussed what they believe their relationship to nature exists. They also discussed connections to nature and how that could be communicated through poetry. See attachment for brainstorming ideas.

04/23/2014 Students will complete their poem from their brainstorm.

04/24/2014 Students will turn in their poems and share as time provides. Then, we will discuss persuasive techniques and what our real opinions are about the treatment of nature through an anticipation guide.

04/25/2014-04/29/2014 Students will begin to analyze persuasive techniques used in articles. We will begin analyzing "When Nature Comes Too Close" and create a summary based on the big ideas of the passage.

4/30/2014-05/01/2014, 05/05/2014 Students will analyze the facts used in the articles "Battle for the Rainforest" and "Remediation" and determine whether their arguments are valid or invalid. They will also discuss what makes an argument biased and unbiased, persuasive strategies author's use, and then form their own opinion after reading both sides of the argument.

05/02/2014 Students will complete their Collins Word Pre-Test. They will then use these words in a story to demonstrate their understanding of the required seventh grade words.

05/05/2014 See above.

05/06/2014 Students will debate who should win the oil lawsuit between Chevron/Texaco and the Cofan tribe by using hard facts.

05/07/2014 Students will summarize what they have read over the last three days through a reflection. Then, they will write an objective summary of "Battle for a Rainforest" including the who, what, why, and where.

05/08/2014-05/09/2014 Students will analyze "Face of a Spider" for the author's opinion and persuasive strategies used, so they can use these persuasive strategies in their own presentation at the end of the unit. In addition, students will have their first practice Collins quiz on Friday.

05/12/2014-05/13/2014 Students analyzed "Animals, Vegetables, and Minerals" for the author's opinion and persuasive strategies. They will use these strategies in their own presentation at the end of the unit. They will also use this time to compare the persuasive strategies of "Animals, Vegetables, and Minerals" to "Face of a Spider" to see how author's use different techniques and word choice to persuade.

05/14/2014 Students will begin their mini-research on their topics to support being a steward of nature or leave it alone to take care of itself. Students will use our wiki and database to do their research. At the end of class, students will have an opportunity to share out and do a "practice" presentation of their opinion with their new found facts, expert opinions, and quotes from research. FCAs and Procedure: This assignment is due June 2nd, 2014.

05/15/2014-05/19/2014 Many students have chosen to argue we should take care of nature, so we will read "Is Humanity a Special Threat?" to understand the opposing viewpoint. Over the next few days, we will analyze the author's point of view, how he supports his opinion, and whether or not it is a sound argument. In addition, we will use this text to see the cause and effect relationships in nature. Students will also take their second Collins Word Practice Quiz. Students will also have the opportunity to see a presentation and ask questions before completing their own Google Presentation on Monday.

05/20/2014 FIELD DAY-No Classes

05/21/2014 Students will begin more in depth research on their opinion for their presentation. They will first find a strong quote or fact to support their presentation. Then, they must complete the two graphic organizers to help them organize their presentation.

05/22/2014 Collins Word Final

05/23/2014 Students will continue their work on the graphic organizers/Google Presentations. They will also read and see another student's presentation who was able to present to the UN. Students will analyze her delivery based on our speech FCAs.

05/26/2014 No School

05/27/2014 Students will complete their graphic organizer and turn it in. If they are done, they will use this class time to look for pictures to put into their presentation and continue putting together their presentation on Google Docs. Finally, the last fifteen minutes of class will be spent preparing for our field trip

05/28/2014 Philly Zoo

05/29/2014 Students will have time to finish and complete their letter assignment from the Philly Zoo. If you are absent today, or you are finishing your letter at home, please use the slideshow for FCAs and tips!

05/30/2014 Last Sentence Quiz MOVED to MONDAY! Today students will use their time to finish working on their Google Presentation, notecards, and practice.

06/02/2014 LAST SENTENCE QUIZ! Student will have time to finish creating their Google Presentation and practice presenting with a peer.

06/03/2014-06/06/2013 Presentations

06/09/2014 Team Party

06/10/2014 Letter to future seventh graders/Awards Assembly

06/11/2014 Last day! Yearbook Day!