News Article Assignment

(Click on images to enlarge.)

We have finished reading our novel and we will be doing a news article of a main event. This article is due on Monday 12/6 (A day) or Tuesday 12/7 (B day).

Novel Unit and Timed Writing

In class today and tomorrow we will test the skills we refined on planning a quality essay. We will see how our students do with the second timed writing prompt.

On Friday we continue learning about reading and discussing reading strategies and literature with our novel, The Skin I'm In. For the third section of the book we will be focusing on using active reading strategies, and the discussion sheet we will use for this section asks students to be reflective readers. For a copy of this sheet you will find a link here.

Next week will will have workdays to complete the reading and discussions of section three.

Vocabulary Quiz for Research Class

It's that time again! We've learned so many more words! The vocabulary quiz will be next Tuesday, November 2.

Definitions should be in the composition books. Also, we made a study guide in class.  If any are missing, try Dictionary.com!

Tragedy

Lugubrious
Exultant
Encountered
Meager
Plethora
Misers
Dispersed
Noisome
Exuberant

Trekked
Perky
Blaring
Amphitheater
Dapper
Besotted
Visage
Oscillate
AbodeComely
Beauteous
Rapscallion
Tractable
Adverse
Materialize

Skin I'm In - Section 1 CHARACTER

In class on October 15 and October 18 we will complete section one of the novel. Students will then complete their character discussion sheets in anticipation of the discussion groups that will meet on the 19th and 20th.* I look forward to some animate discussions of character traits, as Sharon E. Flake has created some very credible characters in her story. Section two will begin on October 21 and 22 where we will focus on the conflicts presented in the story.





*Failure to complete the discussion sheet means sitting out of discussions.

Novel Study

In class we are beginning the novel study of The Skin I'm In by Sharon Flake. We will be dividing this novel into four sections, using each part for a different literature study or reading strategy. We will use these lessons and the novel for discussion on character, conflict, active reading, and plot.  The novel and most accompanying work will be done in class as we have only a class set of novels, so your attendance and participation are extremely important. The class discussions will also be assessed as a part of the learning.

This novel study will take approximately 4 weeks to complete.

Main Idea - Mapping the Process

Inferring, paraphrasing, summarizing, and identifying relevant details are all part of the process that helps us arrive at main idea. In class we've practiced all of these strategies, separately and in tandem. Now we're putting it together in this homework assignment.


For a blank copy of the organizer, click this link.

Vocabulary Study

We have begun our first root/prefix/suffix study, looking up and determining the meanings of -anti - audi - bio - enni/anni - and -capit/capt. We determined these meanings by doing an investigation.

1. brainstorming words with those roots
2. looking up definitions
3. finding similarities
4. inferring the meaning.

The meaning was reinforced using a Frayer model:

A completed example may look like this:

From time to time throughout the year, students will be asked to complete these investigations. I hope that we will learn some 50+ roots in this way.

Four Square Planning

In class last week we reviewed our first timed writing results and practiced scoring using the FCAT writing rubric. Students learned an effective strategy for planning writing, and then began to revise their essay by rewriting their plan. The Four Square Writing method is an effective way to plan because it helps students to remember the organization, detail, and elaboration needed in strong writing.

The revised plan will be due in class on Wednesday 9/29  (A day students) or Thursday 9/30 (B day students).

Research Class Vocabulary Test - Thursday September 30

We have been practicing our proofreading using the "Caught Ya'" daily exercises. Next Thursday we will have a quiz on the following words that we have discussed, defined, and "acted out," in class (ask your child to show you the actions).

1. Tragedy
2. Lugubrious
3. Exultant 
4. Encountered 
5. Meager 
6. Plethora 
7. Misers 
8. Dispersed 
9. Noisome 
10. Exuberant
11. Trekked 
12. Perky

For definitions visit Dictionary.Comhttp://dictionary.reference.com/.

Failure to plan means you are planning to fail

This week we will begin a writers' workshop where we will study the FCAT Writing Rubric. We will look at anchor papers that were used to score the prompt we did a few weeks ago. Students will then try to determine their own score based on the rubric.

Later this week we will learn a powerful pre-writing planning tool to help our students to succeed in the timed writing situation: The Four Square Writing Method. Students will learn the importance of planning before writing and will then develop a plan based on the same prompt. The plan will be scored using this rubric.

7th Grade Language Arts - Homework

In class we read and discussed Names and Nombres,  an essay in the literature book. We wrote about and discussed our own names. Now we are using those discussions and the text to write a response connecting the two.
These are the instructions for the connection:
1. Start with sentence “I am making a connection between _____ and _______.”

2. Tell about “Names and Nombres” – the character or event you are connecting to. (2-3 sentences)
3. Tell about the connection (what the story reminded you of). (2-3 sentences)
4. Describe the similarities and differences between the essay and your own life. (1-2 sentences)

This handout was taped into the students' sourcebook in class.

The Scoring Rubric for this Assignment

The assignment will be due on 9/22 for A days and 9/23 for B days.

Access Your Textbook from Home!!!

Our book weighs 16 pounds, so it's great for an upper-body workout. If you're not in the mood to lift weights, you can access the book from home! For directions follow this link:  ONLINE BOOK

Enjoy your virtual textbook!

Names, Nombres and Making Connections

How many different names do you have? At home? At school?

We are off and running! After this week's benchmark testing is completed we will resume the regular class schedule. We will be reading Names and Nombres in our literature book and using this to build comprehension by making text-to-self connections as we read.

To enhance our conversation, help your student find out all they can about their name, as we will look at how our name can shape our identy.


Literature books ARE NEEDED in class for all of next week (9/13- 9/17).

Ready, Set, Go!

Begining with Thursday's class we will begin with our 25 book initiative (937 pages per quarter) . To help our students meet this goal, 7th grade teachers are granting 20 minutes of Sustained Silent Reading in class. Students MUST have their self-selected novels in class.


Thursday and Friday we will be reviewing genres of reading material, followed by a review of acting reading strategies. A great year is underway!

School Supplies

Yes, it's that time of the year! If you haven't noticed, the aisles and circulars are chock-full of back-to-school items. 


Here's what you'll need for Language Arts.

• 2 Composition books - ONE needed at beginning of year, ONE needed at beginning of 3rd quarter
• Colored pencils - shared among all teachers
• #2 pencils - shared among all teachers
• small pencil sharpener - shared among all teachers
• highlighters - shared among all teachers
• 3-prong folder with pockets - for homework/graded work conducive to Language Arts ONLY
• 5x8 index cards - 1 pkg. of lined 5x8 cards donated to classroom use - required for each student
• Index Tabs - one package can be used for multiple classes - 2-3 tabs used for language arts
• notebook paper - college or wide ruled - for use in multiple classes

And one STRONGLY SUGGESTED item: A thumb or “jump” drive. It holds the equivalent of over 100 floppy disks and is more reliable for saving papers and Powerpoints in progress. These can be purchased for as little as ten dollars and will be useful in all your academic classes at LaVilla.

Updates from Mrs. Gould Right to your Phone

Do you have a Twitter Account? They are easy to set up. Students, check with your parental units before doing it. Then you can pop over to Twitter to do it.  If you have this account AND you have a hefty SMS (text messaging) limit, you may wish to receive mobile phone tweets from Mrs. G. 

How to Turn Mobile Updates On Via Phone

Turning updates on using your phone is as simple as sending a text message.

1. Send a text message with the words 'ON username' or 'FOLLOW username' from your mobile to your 40404 and we will send the tweets from that user to your phone. (Make sure that your device is added first! These commands will work only then.) Example: ON lavillagould / FOLLOW lavillagould

2. If you are not already following a user, but want to start getting their updates on your phone, you can still send 'On username' or 'FOLLOW username'. You will immediately start following that person as well as get their updates on your mobile.

3. You can turn OFF the updates if you no longer want them on your device. Send 'OFF username' or 'LEAVE username'. You will still continue to receive updates from the user on your web account, as you will still be following them. There is no way to unfollow via SMS.