Thursday, November 29, 2007

Greetings from room 504! What a wonderful day with the BCS students we had. Thanks to all the students for their consideration for their fellow classmates. Here is the wrap-up for today's activities and the homework:

Language Arts:

• Read for 20 minutes
• Grammar packet due 12/04 (most students finished in class)
• R&E #3 due 12/18
• Bring your Jump Ship to Freedom book tomorrow. We will be reading in class and writing journal entry #6.

Social Studies:

• Colonial Economy Quiz tomorrow, 11/30. Study the chart we filled out yesterday!
• 13 Colonies/Jamestown workpacket due tomorrow 11/30. Be sure to answer the essay questions in the form of a paragraph (topic sentence, 3 supporting sentences, and conclusion sentence). We worked on this in class today.

Have a terrific Thursday evening and try to stay WARM!

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Language Arts:

• Read for 20 minutes
• R&E #3 due 12/18

Social Studies:

• Lesson 7 Quiz on Friday (study)(hint, hint)

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Many apologies for this being posted so late. We had a family emergency this afternoon that kept us tied up until just now. I didn't worry so much because there is no additional homework that was assigned today.

Language Arts:

• Students began presenting R&Es
• Read 20 minutes
• Finish presenting R&E #2 tomorrow (be ready)
• R&E #3 due 12/18/07

Social Studies:

• Lesson 7 Assessments 1&2 (assigned by Mr. Scarcello last week) checked in. Additional information given to supplement student answers on Assessment #2 (triangle of trade).
• Mystery Artifacts 2&3 checked in. Whole class discussion of Mystery Artifacts 2&3 (currency printed by colonies in response to scarcity of paper currency caused by unfair balance of trade with England).
• Finishing up Lesson 7. No further assignments for today.
• Tomorrow we will go over Lesson Assessment #1 and give additional information to supplement student answers. These are materials that will be useful to study for a test (hint, hint), so keep them in a safe place!

Have a wonderful evening with your families!

Mrs. Jacobs

Monday, November 26, 2007

Homework for Monday November 26:

Language Arts:

• Read 20 minutes
• Prepare for R &E on November 27

Social Studies:

• Check Mr. Joseph's Saudi Blog for extra credit
  The blog address is: http://rjksa07.blogspot.com/
• Lesson 7 Assessments 1 & 2 (assigned 11/20) due 11/27
• Mystery Artifacts 2 & 3 due 11/27 (complete sentences on handout)

Monday and Tuesday Nov. 19-20

Blog Maintenance while I'm in KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia):

There will be no blog updates until Monday November 26.

Jeanne Jacobs will update the blog each day from the 26th until I return to BCS on the 4th of December.

Homework from Monday November 19-26:

Language Arts:

Read 20 minutes

Prepare for R &E on November 27.

Social Studies:

Check Mr. Joseph's Saudi Blog for extra credit:

The blog address is:

http://rjksa07.blogspot.com/

Fab Friday

What we’re doing in class…Language Arts

Reading - We read JSTF in class today and wrote a response essay.

Writing - We wrote response essays based on JSTF

Word Study (Grammar, Vocabulary, Spelling) - We are taking a break from vocabulary until we read our next new story in mid November.

Social Studies

Today we watched a fascinating film about the settling of the 13 colonies. Ask your child who settled North America before the English.

Homework…

Language Arts:

1. Read a book of your choosing for at least 20 minutes.

2. Response and Exploration 2 due Tuesday November 27. Students must try a new response and exploration. They are only allowed to do each type of response and exploration once.

Social Studies

None

Not Half Bad!

What we’re doing in class…Language Arts

Reading - We will continue reading JSTF in class tomorrow. See the reading schedule posted below in the Documents section.

Writing - We collected and highlighted the descriptive elements of our courage pieces today.

Word Study (Grammar, Vocabulary, Spelling) - We are taking a break from vocabulary until we read our next new story in mid November.

Social Studies

No class

We reviewed guidelines for posting on Mr. Joe's Saudi Arabia blog. Students will receive extra credit each day they post. See details below:

Mr. Joseph’s Saudi Arabia Blog

November 14, 2007

Mr. Joseph will be in Saudi Arabia on a trip with other teachers from Monday November 19 until Saturday December 1, 2007

Keep track of his trip by following his blog. You can read his posts, look at photos, and watch videos.

The blog address is:

http://rjksa07.blogspot.com/

Here are some suggested ways you can post:

Make comments and ask questions:

For example: “Mr. Joseph, I noticed that you haven’t had much fast food on your trip. What kind of food are you eating? Is it different from what we eat here in the U.S.A.?

Describe connections and tell stories about your experiences in similar situations:

For example: “Mr. Joe, I noticed that you met a lot of people who speak English, even though they live in Saudi Arabia. My Dad is from Lithuania and learned English when he came to the U.S.A. for college. It seems like the people you’ve met are a lot like my Dad.”

Homework…

Language Arts:

1. Read a book of your choosing for at least 20 minutes.

2. Response and Exploration 2 due Tuesday November 27. Students must try a new response and exploration. They are only allowed to do each type of response and exploration once.

Social Studies

None

Business

Guest teachers. Our guest teacher for Monday and Tuesday November 19 and 20 will be Mr. Paul Scarcello. Paul is an experienced and very successful teacher who is highly regarded by students and faculty members alike.

Jeanne Jacobs will be our guest teacher for the other six days I'll be away. She will maintain this blog, and is extraordinarily capable in every way. Her son, Matthew, is an 8th grader here at BCS.

Documents

* The following is the break down of reading for our novel Jump Ship to Freedom. The students have this sheet as well.

Reading Schedule:

Make a note of the reading deadlines below; you will be expected to stay on schedule with the reading assignments. Be prepared to do reading outside of class as well as during class time.

Week #1… read to page 72 by the start of class on Monday, November 19^th

Week #2…. read to page 132 by the start of class on Monday, December 3rd

Week #3….read to page 198 (the end of the novel) by the start of class on Monday, December 10^th

Final projects/assessment to be started the week of December 10th

What a Wonderful Wednesday!

What we’re doing in class…Language Arts

Reading - We read Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier today in silence. We wrote response essays in which the students chose their topic. Ask your kiddo which topic they picked

Writing - Our courage narratives are due tomorrow

Word Study (Grammar, Vocabulary, Spelling) - We are taking a break from vocabulary until we read our next new story in mid November.

Social Studies

We explored the merits of town-hall meetings as a decision-making structure. We also thought about who makes decisions in certain circumstances. Ask your young historian.

Homework…

Language Arts:

1. Read a book of your choosing for at least 20 minutes.

2. Revise and edit Courage Narrative. Final draft due with all previous drafts stapled underneath. Editing Checklist (printed below) should be stapled on top.

3. Response and Exploration 2 due Tuesday November 27. Students must try a new response and exploration. They are only allowed to do each type of response and exploration once.

4. Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans. All poems must be submitted to Mr. Joe by Thursday the 15th of November. See the website below:

http://www.anthologyofpoetry.com/pages/index.cfm

Social Studies

None

Business

None

Documents

Editing Checklist

Here it is:

First Name______________________ Last Name _________________________

Date___________________

Editing Checklist for Courage Narratives

Reread your writing carefully. Put a check mark in each box under “Author” as you complete each editing item. Give it to a friend to edit, then to a parent. Once all the boxes are checked, staple this editing checklist to your final draft on Thursday November 15, 2007.

Editing Checklist	Author		Friend	Parent
1. Clarity - Read, asking, “Will this make sense to a stranger?” Find confusing spots and rewrite to make them clearer. Note places where you stumble as you reread and revise to make them easier to read.
2. Punctuation - Read, paying attention to the actual road signs you’ve given readers. If you followed the punctuation as you’ve written it, will the piece sound the way you want it to sound? Have you guarded against sentences that run on and on? Have you punctuated dialogue?
3. Spelling - Do your words look correctly spelled to you? Circle ones that feel as if they could be wrong, try them again, get help with them.
4. Paragraphs - Narrative writers use a new paragraph or a new page for each new episode in the sequence of events. Do you paragraph to show the passage of time? Do you also paragraph to show changes in who is speaking?
5. Grammar Have I written with periods and capital letters? Do I avoid using and or so to combine lots of short sentences together into one run-on sentence?
6. Three snapshots are highlighted in yellow
7. Three thoughtshots are highlighted in pink
8. Each new paragraph is indented.
9. This draft is stapled to the previous draft(s)
10 . This checklist is stapled to the top of your final draft

Quite a Terrific Tuesday!

What we’re doing in class…Language Arts

Reading - We will read chapter two of Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier today. We will read the novel in Reading Workshop fashion on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until the first week in December. The students will be writing responses in their Reading Response Logs and discussing the book in class.

We also visited the Book Fair today.

Writing - We worked on revising and editing our courage narrative stories. The checklist is posted below. I am asking parents to edit their children's work following the checklist and attach the checklist to the top of the final draft. All previous drafts must be stapled below the final draft.

Word Study (Grammar, Vocabulary, Spelling) - We are taking a break from vocabulary until we read our next new story in mid November.

Social Studies

We reviewed decision-making structures and enjoyed a simulated colonial town hall meeting. Ask your young historian.

Homework…

Language Arts:

1. Read a book of your choosing for at least 20 minutes.

2. Revise and edit Courage Narrative. Final draft due with all previous drafts stapled underneath. Editing Checklist (printed below) should be stapled on top.

3. Response and Exploration 2 due Tuesday November 27. Students must try a new response and exploration. They are only allowed to do each type of response and exploration once.

4. Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans. All poems must be submitted to Mr. Joe by Thursday the 15th of November. See the website below:

http://www.anthologyofpoetry.com/pages/index.cfm

Social Studies

None

Business

None

Documents

None

Another Marvelous Monday!

What we’re doing in class…Language Arts

Reading - We read chapter one of Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier today. Read a review here:

http://www.ga.k12.pa.us/Academics/LS/superreader/title/J/jumpshiptofreedom.htm

Writing - Tomorrow we will do final revisions and edits on our courage pieces

Word Study (Grammar, Vocabulary, Spelling) - We are taking a break from vocabulary until we read our next new story in mid November.

Social Studies

We presented the rest of our Colony to State slide shows today. They were very impressive! Ask your social scientist.

Homework…

Language Arts:

1. Read a book of your choosing for at least 20 minutes.

2. Response and Exploration 2 due Tuesday November 27. Students must try a new response and exploration. They are only allowed to do each type of response and exploration once.

3. Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans. All poems must be submitted to Mr. Joe by Thursday the 15th of November. See the website below:

http://www.anthologyofpoetry.com/pages/index.cfm

Social Studies

None

Business

None

Documents

None

Welcome to Open House!

The 5/6 Team would like to welcome all of our guests to the 2007 BCS Open House. We are thrilled that you're here!

Please feel free to browse around our real and digital world.

What we’re doing in class…Language Arts

Reading - We'll be starting Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier on Monday. Read a review here:

http://www.ga.k12.pa.us/Academics/LS/superreader/title/J/jumpshiptofreedom.htm

Writing - We revised our courage narratives for effective characterization. We also described our characters using snapshots..

Word Study (Grammar, Vocabulary, Spelling) - We are taking a break from vocabulary until we read our next new story in mid November.

Social Studies

We presented six Colony to State slide shows today. They were fabulous! Ask your social scientist. We'll finish the rest on Monday afternoon.

Homework…

Language Arts:

1. Read a book of your choosing for at least 20 minutes.

2. Response and Exploration 2 due Tuesday November 27. Students must try a new response and exploration. They are only allowed to do each type of response and exploration once.

3. Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans. All poems must be submitted to Mr. Joe by Thursday the 15th of November. See the website below:

http://www.anthologyofpoetry.com/pages/index.cfm

Social Studies

Share p. 4-5, 6, or 7 of Time for Kids with parents and be prepared to share.

Business

None

Documents

None

Thursday November 8, 2007

What we’re doing in class…Language Arts

Reading - We'll be starting a new novel in book club format on Monday. Stay tuned for details!

Writing - We revised our courage narratives for effective leads ("grabbers"). We also considered our snapshots and thoughtshots.

Word Study (Grammar, Vocabulary, Spelling) - We are taking a break from vocabulary until we read our next new story in mid November.

Social Studies

We needed an extra day to collaborate, so we continued working on a project comparing the similarities and differences between the history, geography, economy, and culture of Colonial America using Power Point. The students work in partnerships. We will present our slideshows tomorrow. Some students may be working on these at home tonight if they emailed the presentation to themselves.

Homework…

Language Arts:

1. Read a book of your choosing for at least 20 minutes.

2. Grammar Packet 3 due Friday 11.9

3. Response and Exploration 2 due Tuesday November 27. Students must try a new response and exploration. They are only allowed to do each type of response and exploration once.

4. Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans. All poems must be submitted to Mr. Joe by Thursday the 15th of November. See the website below:

http://www.anthologyofpoetry.com/pages/index.cfm

5. Courage Narrative Draft #2 typed double-spaced. It should be revised in the following areas: leads, snapshots (3), and thoughtshots(3). Due Friday 11.9

6. Cross-text in-class piece signed by parent and returned by 11.9. Revisions are accepted until Monday 11.12, if student wishes to improve their grade.

Social Studies

Finish the Colony to State ppt. presentation (if necessary)

Business

None

Documents

Courage Narrative Rubric - Students are to create a work of fiction or a true-life story.

Type in 12 point font, double-spaced, Times New Roman font.

Category	4	3	2	1
Grabber	First paragraph has a “grabber” or catchy beginning	First paragraph has a weak “grabber”	A catchy beginning was attempted but was confusing rather than catchy.	No attempt was made to catch the reader’s attention in the first paragraph
Organization	The story is very well organized. One idea or scene follows another in a logical sequence with clear transitions. It has a clear beginning, middle, and end.	The story is pretty well organized One idea or scene may seem out of place. Clear transitions are used.	The story is a little hard to follow. The transitions are sometimes not clear.	Ideas and scenes seem to be randomly arranged.
Characterization	The main characters are named and clearly described in text as well as pictures. Most readers could describe the characters accurately throughout the story.	The main characters are named and described. Most readers would have some idea of the characters actions and appearance throughout the story.	The main characters are named. The reader knows very little about the characters.	It is hard to tell who the main characters are and what they’re doing in the story.
Snapshots	There are at least three snapshots spread evenly throughout the story. The reader can easily make a “movie in their mind” from the snapshot.	There are at least two snapshots spread evenly throughout the story. The reader can easily make a “movie in their mind” from the snapshot.	There is at least one snapshot spread evenly throughout the story. The reader can easily make a “movie in their mind” from the snapshot.	There are no snapshots in the story, or the snapshots do not allow the reader to make a “movie in their mind” from the snapshot.
Thoughtshots	There are at least three thoughtshots spread evenly throughout the story. The reader can easily understand the character’s thinking from the thoughtshot.	There are at least two thoughtshots spread evenly throughout the story. The reader can easily understand the character’s thinking from the thoughtshot.	There is at least one thoughtshot spread evenly throughout the story. The reader can easily understand the character’s thinking from the thoughtshot.	There are no thoughtshots in the story or the reader cannot easily understand the character’s thinking from the thoughtshot.
Spelling and Punctuation (as is)	There are no spelling or punctuation errors in the final draft. Character and place names that the author invented are spelled consistently throughout.	There is one spelling or punctuation error in the final draft.	There are 2-3 spelling and punctuation errors in the final draft.	The final draft has more than 3 spelling and/or punctuation errors.

R & E 1 signed by parent/guardian

Please sign and return your child's R&E rubrics. The top rubric was filled out by me, the second one by your student. Both count toward the final score. Thanks! Mr. Joe

Wednesday November 7, 2007

What we’re doing in class…Language Arts

Reading -

Writing - We took the make-up MEAP test, Writing from Knowledge and Experience.

Word Study (Grammar, Vocabulary, Spelling) - We are taking a break from vocabulary until we read our next new story in mid November.

Social Studies

We continued working on a project comparing the similarities and differences between the history, geography, economy, and culture of Colonial America using Power Point. The students work in partnerships. We will present our slideshows on tomorrow. Some students may be working on these at home tonight if they emailed the presentation to themselves.

Homework…

Language Arts:

1. Read a book of your choosing for at least 20 minutes.

2. Grammar Packet 3 due Friday 11.9

3. Response and Exploration 2 due Tuesday November 27. Students must try a new response and exploration. They are only allowed to do each type of response and exploration once.

4. Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans. All poems must be submitted to Mr. Joe by Thursday the 15th of November. See the website below:

http://www.anthologyofpoetry.com/pages/index.cfm

Social Studies

Finish the Colony to State ppt. presentation (if necessary)

Business

None

Documents

None