Can you believe that we are 1/3 through the year already? It is incredible! We are just about finished with our green Introduction to Writing packet and we will soon be moving on to Chapter 2. To complete the current packet, students will need to write a formal summary essay on the article "Empress Theodora" which is in our textbook. If you can remember the Handy Dandy Summary Notes (as seen below), you will be just fine. Please ignore my ginormous pinkie finger! :)
Also, just a reminder, the first trimester is ending soon which means your yellow trimester reading log sheet is due. Remember, it should have all the titles of the books you've read so far this year and how you did on the quiz. You can look this up on your AR account under quizzes taken. Let me know if you have any questions. Keep up the good work!
Send Mrs. Banta an email with a 4-6 sentence review of a book that you've read and would recommend to classmates. Include the title, author, and why you loved the book. Reviews will be posted to our blog and you'll earn 5 points extra credit!
After conferences I thought that life at Harvest would settle down, but we are constantly moving at a quick pace. We have instituted Weekly Workshops at HMS which is going to be fantastic for students to get support in their classes, as well as extensions in curriculum that interests them. Remember that Language Arts is a closed priority day on Mondays--students must be stamped to enter. Tuesdays and Thursdays, I will be teaching Novel Mania for students interested in becoming published writers. Fridays are G-2 open days for students to get assistance on homework, SSR or AR quizzes.
Currently, students should be busily studying and reading our latest packet for 7th grade Language Arts. The green packet previews the four types of essays that 7th graders will be learning to write this year. We will go indepth on each type of essay between now and February. The first Cornell notes quiz is this week...hope you studied the two types of writing tests and the four types of essays. See pages 1-3 in your packet for details.
We've also been discussing MLA format in class this past week. I've attached the powerpoint that I used in our class lecture. You should review it prior to the test on MLA formatting facts next Wednesday. We'll be singing a song about MLA next class...bring your choir voices!
AR COUNTDOWN!!! Have you met your goal for the trimester? Remember, read a book, take a quiz. Simple. Right? It's important to read books within your reading level. You also must force/push yourself to read 30 minutes each day. Practice, practice, practice. Also, make sure you take a quiz within 3 days of reading the book to guarantee yourself a higher score. Bantaland has secured our first Million Word Reader of the Year...Rory O'Toole!!! Keep up the great work, readers!
Finally, I showed this video to my Strategic Language Arts class...it is very inspirational for students who might be the first in their families to go to college. It made me really proud of our AVID classes here at HMS and the students who are pushing the limits on their educational goals! Keep at it Harvest Hawks!
This week is a big one at HMS. All students deliver student led conference presentations to their parents and guardians. It is a wonderful way to take ownership of personal education--and show off how hard you have been working this year! Good luck!
In Language Arts, we are just about finishing up Chapter 1. We read "Rikki-tikki-tavi" and discussed the plot of the story in detail. Plot will be discussed with every story we read this year--it doesn't go away! You'll need to know about plot from now until you take college English. Plot exists in every novel you read...so get to know it well.
Also, be sure you are keeping up with your AR point goal. Points are due at the end of the trimester which ends November 2nd! If you are struggling with your goal or you have passed it up--please come talk with me!
Coming soon...our first writing packet. We will preview the four types of essays that 7th graders need to know how to write: summary, persuasive, response to literature, and narrative. Get ready to write!
Check out the two video links below. One is to the National Geographic's video of a mongoose fighting a cobra. Rudyard Kipling, the author of "Rikki-tikki-tavi" would be proud. The other is the first link to the film version of the story. We'll watch them in class this week. Enjoy!
