Friday, August 31, 2007

I can hardly believe that we have already been in school for two weeks. It was a pretty good week, though I can’t wait until we get a new schedule. So many students were absent today, it was like having different classes! I hope they make up their work ….

7th Grade Literacy
DOL 9
CHECK READING LOGS!
Poetry 180
Independent Writing
Independent Reading

HW: Read for 30 minutes; parents sign in planner

8th Grade Literacy 4/5
DOL 9
CHECK READING LOGS!
Poetry 180
Independent Writing
Independent Reading

HW: Read for 30 minutes; parents sign in planner

8th Grade Literacy 8/9
DOL 9
CHECK READING LOGS!
Poetry 180
Independent Writing
Whirligig

HW: Read for 30 minutes; parents sign in planner

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Whew. I had to run out right after school Thursday, so am posting this late. I have renewed my CPR certification, though, so all is well with my soul.

7th Grade Literacy
DOL 8
Poetry 180
Planning: Pets
Independent Reading

HW: Read for 30 minutes; parents sign in planner

8th Grade Literacy 4/5
DOL 8
Poetry 180
Planning: Pets
Book Sort
Independent Reading

HW: Read for 30 minutes; parents sign in planner

8th Grade Literacy 8/9
DOL 8
Poetry 180
Planning: Pets
Whirligig

HW: Read for 30 minutes; parents sign in planner

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Oh! Tonight was Back To School Night, and it was so nice to meet parents and grandparents and siblings. School really is a collaboration between all involved, and when I know that parents are concerned, I know that both I and the student have some real support. If you weren’t able to make it, please feel free to call me!

7th Grade Literacy
DOL 7
Poetry 180
Mini-lesson: Planning
Independent Writing
Reading Log Explanation
Book check-out

HW: Read for 30 minutes; parents sign in planner

8th Grade Literacy 4/5
DOL 7
Poetry 180
Mini-lesson: Planning
Independent Writing
Reading Log Explanation
Book check-out

HW: Read for 30 minutes; parents sign in planner

8th Grade Literacy 8/9
DOL 7
Poetry 180
Mini-lesson: Planning
Independent Writing
Reading Log Explanation
Shared Reading: Whirligig

HW: Read for 30 minutes; parents sign in planner

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Tomorrow is Back to School night, which is great. In the meantime, today was hot, humid, sticky, and the classes are so full, it’s painful. Ouch.

7th Grade Literacy
DOL 6
Writing Sample 1: Heroes, Pt 2

HW: Read for 30 minutes; parents sign in planner

8th Grade Literacy 4/5
DOL 6
Writing Sample 1: Heroes, Pt 2
Genres
HW: Read for 30 minutes; parents sign in planner

8th Grade Literacy 8/9
DOL 6
Writing Sample 1: Heroes, Pt 2
Book Pass

HW: Read for 30 minutes; parents sign in planner

Monday, August 27, 2007

Whew. I am so glad that the weather is supposed to get cooler, because I don’t know how much longer we can fit 45 people in my little classroom! Coming into the room from the hall is a little like entering a sauna. Ew.

That said, we are beginning Reading Logs now. Students should all bring home their planners and should read half an hour a night. We had a raucous book pass in the hopes that everyone would find a book to read. I can’t wait until testing is done and until our classes are finalized.

7th Grade Literacy
DOL 5
Writing Sample 1: Heroes
Book Pass

HW: Read for 30 minutes; parents sign in planner

8th Grade Literacy 4/5
DOL 5
Writing Sample 1: Heroes
Book Pass

HW: Read for 30 minutes; parents sign in planner

8th Grade Literacy 8/9
DOL 5
Writing Sample 1: Heroes
Book Pass

HW: Read for 30 minutes; parents sign in planner

August 24, 2007

Good news for those who want smaller classes: we are hoping to have a new schedule within a week or so. As a teacher I just find that any class over 30 is difficult to teach – I like to give more attention to each student if possible.

All in all, though, it was a very good week. Lovely, just lovely.

7th Grade Literacy
DOL 4
Poetry 180
Independent Writing
Hoot

8th Grade Literacy 4/5
DOL 4
Poetry 180
Independent Writing
Whirligig

8th Grade Literacy 8/9
DOL 4
Poetry 180
Independent Writing
Reading Survey

HW: Reading Survey (if not completed)

August 23, 2007

Well, routines are definitely coming around. I have to say that the more I get to know my students, the more I like them. Today, in all three classes, we compiled our Writing Territories. This is a list of people, places, objects, things, or ideas that we know or that interest us. In the future we will be able to look back at this list and pick something we know well, or something we love, to write about. This is one of my favorite lessons ever, though it’s a little more difficult with so many students in one room!

7th Grade Literacy
DOL 3
Poetry 180
Writing Territories
Hoot

HW: Materials List, Due 8/24
Expectations and Parent Letter, Due 8/24

8th Grade Literacy 4/5
DOL 3
Poetry 180
Writing Territories
Whirligig

HW: Materials List, Due 8/24
Expectations and Parent Letter, Due 8/24

8th Grade Literacy 8/9
DOL 3
Poetry 180
Writing Territories

HW: Materials List, Due 8/24
Expectations and Parent Letter, Due 8/24

August 22, 2007

Whew! I have never seen so many students in such a little room! Last year we were so worried about our lack of students, but now we’re practically overflowing. It’s exciting but a little challenging for all of us here at Horace Mann.

7th Grade Literacy
DOL 2
Poetry 180
Notebooks
Hoot Prediction
Hoot

HW: Materials List, Due 8/24
Expectations and Parent Letter, Due 8/24

8th Grade Literacy 4/5
DOL 2
Notebooks
Expectations and Parent Letter
Whirligig

HW: Materials List, Due 8/24
Expectations and Parent Letter, Due 8/24

8th Grade Literacy 8/9
DOL 2
Notebook
Expectations and Parent Letter
Reading Survey

HW: Materials List, Due 8/24
Expectations and Parent Letter, Due 8/24

August 21, 2007

Second day, and I feel much better about everything that’s going on. I hope that everyone else agrees with me. School will soon be routine and we will know what is expected and what we can do.

Without further ado,

7th Grade Literacy 1/2
DOL 1
Tour of the Room
Rules, Expectations, and Parent Letter
Materials List
Reading Survey

HW: Materials List, Due 8/24
Expectations and Parent Letter, Due 8/24

8th Grade Literacy 4/5
DOL 1
Tour of the Room
Reading Survey
Two Truths and A Lie

HW: Materials List, Due 8/24
Expectations and Parent Letter, Due 8/24

8th Grade Literacy 8/9
DOL 1
Sentence Completions
Tour of the Room

HW: Materials List, Due 8/24
Expectations and Parent Letter, Due 8/24

August 20, 2007 - The First Day of School

The first day of school! It was a massive rush of changes and scheduling, with classes so full and so hot that I thought we all might melt. But we made it. We listened to Principal Ludwig as he navigated everything. It was a good start.

So, every day I’ll write some thoughts and then just remind us all of what we did today, so parents can know – or at least ask me about things – and so anyone who was absent had an idea about what we did.

7th Grade Literacy
Emergency Cards
Respect: Crumpled Souls – George
Shared Reading: First Day Jitters
Sentence Completions

8th Grade Literacy
100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know: Definitions
Emergency Cards
Respect: Crumpled Souls – Nivea (4/5 period) and Lulu (8/9 period)
Sentence Completions (4/5, not 8/9)
Two Truths and A Lie
Materials List – pick up by Friday, August 24

Preparing for Day One

School starts on Monday, August 20! I am sitting at my desk in my new classroom. It’s decorated and clean, waiting for students to come and inhabit it. I checked my roster a few minutes ago and am so excited to see students again on Monday – I just hope that I have enough desks for everyone!

I look forward to a good year. This will be my second year of teaching here at Horace Mann Middle School; I love this school, its students, and its staff. Whoo-hoo!

Alpha

We all need a beginning, and all beginnnings come from an ending. Summer is almost over, and in that ending I've deiced that I need a place where I can talk to my students if they want to listen. Here we are, then -- a blog! It is the first, and so I will, as the Greeks did, refer to it as my alpha, the first letter of the Greek alphabet.