Persuasive Essay Graphic Organizer
November 20, 2009 |
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| Students continued to work on their "Supporting Reasons Table," whereby they draft their thesis and three supporting reasons for their Persuasive Research Essay. Once Ms. Hansen checked students' "Supporting Reasons Table," they were then able to work on their "Persuasive Essay Graphic Organizer." For this assignment, students began gathering and jotting down three concrete details in the form of direct quotes. Students must find one direct quote from one of their TeenBiz3000 research articles for each of their supporting reasons. They must use at least three quotes from three different articles. |
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Persuasive Research Essay: Supporting Reasons Table
November 19, 2009 |
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| Ms. Hansen gave students credit for their TeenBiz3000 article annotations and Reading Log summaries. Students then began working on their "Supporting Reasons Table." For this assignment, students wrote a thesis, which will drive their persuasive essay, and three supporting reasons. Students were instructed to use the "Thesis Ideas" chart to help them phrase their thesis, and to go back to the TeenBiz3000 articles to help them identify supporting reasons. |
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TeenBiz3000 Research Articles Continued
November 18, 2009 |
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| Students continued reading, annotating, and summarizing the TeenBiz3000 research articles. Students completed the following articles: "Stop Selling Junk!;" "Carrots, Not Cookies;" and "Schools Are Getting Healthy." Tomorrow, Ms. Hansen will give credit to students for completing their Reading Logs and annotations. |
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TeenBiz3000 Research Articles
November 17, 2009 |
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Students continued reading the TeenBiz3000 research articles. Ms. Hansen reviewed the reading/summary assignment, and showed students how to annotate and summarize their articles. Ms. Hansen and the students read, annotated, and summarized the articles: "Staying Stronger Longer," "Food for Life," and "Are These Donuts Healthy?"
Ms. Hansen and the students also brainstormed possible thesis ideas; they jotted down one thesis example for each article.
Students were instructed to read, annotate, and summarize the following articles for homework: "Kids Give Healthy Foods an A;" "Schools Going Against the Grain;" and "Will Salads Sell?" |
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"Persuasive Research Essay and Presentation Assignment Requirements"
November 16, 2009 |
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Ms. Hansen distributed the "Persuasive Research Essay and Presentation Assignment Requirements" sheets to students. She went over the Persuasive Essay assignment details, due dates, steps, standards, and formatting requirements. Ms. Hansen included a copy of the "Persuasive Research Writing Rubric" with the Requirements sheet, so she was also able to explain how students will be graded on their essays.
Ms. Hansen then passed out the student essay "The Future to a Better Environment." The students read and annotated the essay; they underlined the student's thesis, supporting reasons, solution, opposing viewpoint, counterargument, etc. They then answered the questions on the "Elements of a Persuasive Research Paper," which pertain to "The Future to a Better Environment."
Ms. Hansen then passed out the TeenBiz research articles packet, which contains thirteen stapled articles that students will read for their research papers. For homework, students will complete a minimum of four articles, and in their Reading Logs, they will write a short 2--3 sentence summary for each article. |
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"Should Kids Have A Curfew?"
November 13, 2009 |
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Ms. Hansen began class by distributing the "Opposing Viewpoint and Counterargument" assignment, in which students constructed counterarguments for three opposing viewpoints. Students made sure to be clear by providing specific reasons that demonstrate why the opposing viewpoint is wrong.
Students then read and annotated the article "Should Kids Have A Curfew?" Students then answered the "Should Kids Have a Curfew?" Questions. |
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"Battle of the Belts"
November 12, 2009 |
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Students finished reading and annotating the article "Battle of the Belts." They then filled out a graphic organizer in which they jotted down three pieces of evidence that support the argument that "School buses should have seat belts installed," and three pieces of evidence for the argument "School buses do not need seat belts."
After completing the chart, students composed a paragraph in which they detailed their argument regarding seat belts in school buses in their first sentence; an introduced and cited quote in their second sentence; followed by two sentences of commentary, in which they explain how their argument is supported by the quote that they include; and a concluding sentence. |
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Aristotle's Three Ways to Persuade
November 10, 2009 |
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Students titled a new page in their journals: "Aristotle's Three Ways to Persuade: Logos, Ethos, Pathos." They defined and wrote down examples for the following terms: rhetoric, persuasion, logos, ethos, and pathos. Students also discussed the persuasive appeals (logos, ethos, and pathos), and shared examples of such appeals in various advertisements and commercials.
Ms. Hansen then distributed the article "Battle of the Belts." The students read and annotated the article. They also identified various pieces of evidence throughout the article and detailed whether the evidence was expert testimony (ethos), factual information (logos), or personal anecdotes (pathos). |
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Writing Portfolios
November 9, 2009 |
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Ms. Hansen began class by distributing students' graded editorials. Students evaluated their editorials, by checking their individual rubric scores, as well as Ms. Hansen's comments.
Students then organized their Seventh Grade English Writing Portfolio. Ms. Hansen posted the Table of Contents for the portfolio. Students received graded work, hole-punched their work, and then organized it by placing it in the portfolio. Students will be able to see their writing progress throughout the school year, and by the end of the year, they will be able to assess their writing growth. |
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Submit Final Drafts of Editorials
November 6, 2009 |
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| Ms. Hansen read over and edited each student's "Editorial Rough Draft." Students had to ensure that Ms. Hansen stamped their rough drafts before they began writing their final drafts. The final editorial is written in pencil on a lined sheet of paper. It contains a title, three indented paragraphs, and it is stapled to the "Editorial Rough Draft." The final editorials are due today. |
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Editorial Rough Draft
November 5, 2009 |
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Students began to draft an editorial in response to the article "Burning Out At Nine?" Ms. Hansen distributed "Editorial Rough Draft" sheets to students. The students discussed the topic and issue of the article (regarding kids' schedules, and whether kids are too busy or whether they have too much free time). Students then identified their point of view about the topic. They first completed the "Supporting Reasons Table," detailing their thesis and supporting reasons.
Ms. Hansen then went over the function and purpose of each of the "Editorial Rough Draft" sentences. Students must complete the rough draft for homework. |
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"Burning Out At Nine?"
November 4, 2009 |
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Students received their Reader's Companion: Bronze Level text today. This text contains the majority of articles, short stories, and poems that students read in class. Students receive credit for annotating and answering the questions in the Reader's Companion.
Students read and annotated the magazine article "Burning Out At Nine?" Tomorrow, students will begin writing an editorial that is based on the ideas that they gathered from this article. |
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Grade 7: Literacy Benchmark 1
November 3, 2009 |
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Students took the Grade 7: Literacy Benchmark 1. The test consists of 32 multiple-choice questions. Students were encouraged to do their best on the test, and to at least make educated guesses when they came to questions whose answers they did not know.
Once students completed the test, they were instructed to complete a letter to the editor in response to the article "A Uniformly Good Idea." Students must use the "Letter to the Editor Outline" to write the letter; they must submit it tomorrow. |
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Dependent Clauses
November 2, 2009 |
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| Students continued taking Cornell Notes on Sentence Patterns; today they focused on writing down the definitions for a dependent clause and a subordinate conjunction. Students then completed the activity "Independent and Dependent Clauses," in which they identified a series of clauses as either independent or dependent. If the clause was dependent, students made sure to jot down the subordinate conjunction that is contained in the clause. |
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Simple Sentences
October 30, 2009 |
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Students began class by taking Cornell Notes in their journals. Students defined and wrote down examples for the terms "Independent Clause" and "Simple Sentence." Students then worked on the exercise "Simple Sentences," in which they identified the subjects and predicates in a series of simple sentences.
Students then continued reading, annotating, and discussing the article "A Uniformly Good Idea." |
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Phrases and Clauses
October 29, 2009 |
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Students began class by taking Cornell Notes in their journals. They titled this journal entry "Sentence Patterns." Students defined and jotted down examples of phrases and clauses. They then worked on a practice titled "Phrases and Clauses," in which students identified a group of words as either a phrase or a clause.
Ms. Hansen then distributed copies of the opinion article "A Uniformly Good Idea." Students began annotating and paraphrasing the article in the designated "Response Notes" section. |
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Quiz: Body Paragraph Strategies
October 28, 2009 |
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Students took a twelve question, multiple-choice quiz that is based on the structure and pattern of a typical body paragraph, and one paragraph response. They will use this pattern in their current and future writings.
Ms. Hansen redistributed the quizzes after the students were finished; the students then graded each others' quizzes.
At the end of the period, students organized their graded work into both their manilla class folder and their blue writing portfolio. |
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"Golden Girls:" Author's Attitude
October 27, 2009 |
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Students worked in groups to analyze writer Johnette Howard's attitude toward the U.S. women's hockey team in the magazine article "Golden Girls."
Ms. Hansen distributed students' "Golden Girls" annotations back; students received credit for completing their annotations. Ms. Hansen then passed out the "Golden Girls: Author's Attitude" assignment sheet. Each group of students came up with an attitude word in number one. For number two, students located at least four concrete details that convey their tone word. Finally, in part three, students worked together to compose a five sentence paragraph. They used the backside as a rough draft; once Ms.Hansen read over their rough draft, they were then permitted to write the paragraph out on the lined copy. |
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Pronouns
October 26, 2009 |
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| Students began class by completing the sheet titled "Pronouns." They defined the definition of "pronouns," and they identified various pronouns in a series of ten sentences. Students then completed the "Personal Pronouns" sheet; for this exercise, they identified personal and possessive pronouns, as well as their antecedents. |
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"Golden Girls"
October 23, 2009 |
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Ms. Hansen gave students approximately ten minutes to finish writing their Red Ribbon Paragraphs. Ms. Hansen checked each student's paragraph graphic organizer to ensure that each of their sentences was drafted in the correct format. After getting checked off, students rewrote the paragraph on a lined sheet of paper and stapled it to the graphic organizer.
Ms. Hansen then distributed copies of the magazine article "Golden Girls." The students read, annotated, and answered the questions in the article. The main purpose of the reading was to identify the words and phrases that the author uses to convey her tone. |
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Academic Paragraph: Red Ribbon Week
October 22, 2009 |
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Students were instructed to write an academic paragraph about a drug that they have learned about this week. Ms. Hansen distributed copies of articles that students were instructed to use as concrete details. She then passed out paragraph graphic organizers, which details the order in which students place their topic sentences, concrete details, commentary, and concluding sentences. Ms. Hansen shared her own example, as well as student samples that demonstrate how students are to draft their paragraph.
Ms. Hansen circulated the room to check for comprehension. Once Ms. Hansen checked off students graphic organizer, she instructed students to rewrite their paragraph on a lined sheet of paper, and to staple it to their graphic organizer. |
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"Personal Commentary Practice"
October 21, 2009 |
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| Students completed the "Personal Commentary Practice. Students practiced constructing both concrete detail and commentary sentences, based on a number of topic sentences that have already been provided for them. Students also read and commented on a series of other students' academic paragraphs. |
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Understanding the Topic Sentence
October 20, 2009 |
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Students began class by completing their notes on "The Structure of an Academic Paragraph," which they started on Monday. Overall, students defined and wrote examples for: Topic Sentences, Concrete Details, Commentary, and Concluding Sentences.
After completing their notes, students were given a sheet, which on one side is titled "Understanding the Topic Sentence," and on another side is titled "Identifying Topics, Topic Sentences, and Support." Students identified topics, opinions, and concrete details within a series of sentences.
Students then began working on a "Personal Commentary Practice," in which they construct concrete detail and commentary sentences based on provided topic sentences. |
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"The Structure of an Academic Paragraph"
October 19, 2009 |
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Ms. Hansen began class by distributing the warm-up "Subjects and Predicates (Lesson 2)." The students identified complete and simple subjects and predicates within sentences.
Students then took notes in their journals. Today's journal entry was titled "The Structure of an Academic Paragraph." Students discussed and defined the following terms: Topic Sentences, Concrete Details, and Commentary. They also jotted down examples of these sentence types. |
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"Create Dialogue Using Tone Word"
October 16, 2009 |
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| Students gathered into groups of three. Each group received a card, which detailed a tone word. The group's objective was to create a short skit (approximately two lines per student) that conveys the tone word. Each group wrote a skit about the "Roomba Robotic Vacuum Cleaner." After each group wrote and performed their skit, they then called on various students who were guessing which tone each group was trying to convey. At the end of the activity, the group that guessed the most tone words correctly won a prize. |
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Writing Practice: Tone/Topic
October 15, 2009 |
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Students reviewed the term "tone." They then titled a new entry in their journals, "Writing Practice: Tone/Topic." Students were instructed to choose a tone word from the “Tone” list, and to write a short paragraph about Horace Mann Middle School that conveys their chosen tone. Students were also instructed to keep their tone word to themselves.
After about five minutes of writing, Ms. Hansen instructed students to choose another tone word, and to construct another paragraph that conveys a different tone. When students were finished, they switched their journals with a partner. Each student read his partner's paragraph, and circled words and phrases that gave him a sense of his partner's tone. He then wrote two sentences per paragraph; the first indicating the student's tone, and the second providing details from the paragraph that reveal the tone.
Each student then received his journal back and checked to evaluate whether his partner jotted down the same tone word that he kept to himself or an entirely different term.
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Tone Notes
October 14, 2009 |
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| Students first submitted their "On-Demand Persuasive Letter." Ms. Hansen then distributed the students' journals and instructed them to title their entry "Tone." The students discussed what they know about tone, and how it affects daily conversation/communication. Students then defined the terms "tone" and "attitude." Ms. Hansen then distributed copies of the "Language to describe Tone" sheets;" these sheets contain a series of tone terms and definitions. Ms. Hansen set up the "Name that Tone!" game, in which she presented a series of passages, and asked students to use their lists in order to determine the tone word(s) that are conveyed in the passage. |
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On-Demand Writing Assessment: Persuasive Letter
October 13, 2009 |
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Ms. Hansen distributed copies of the "Grade 7 Persuasive Unit On-Demand Writing Assessment" prompt sheet; on the back side of this sheet, she attached a "Supporting Reasons Table." Students were instructed to compose a persuasive letter to the principal, Ms. Omogbehin, in which they detail a guest speaker who they would like to come to Horace Mann Middle School. Ms. Hansen indicated that students should construct at least five short paragraphs. First, they should address Ms. Omogbehin. Their first paragraph should be an introduction, and it should include their thesis. Each of their body paragraphs should be focused on one of their three supporting reasons. Finally, they should compose a conclusion, which should include the opposing viewpoint.
Students were given the entire class period to write the letter. If they did not finish it, they must take it home and submit it by tomorrow (Wednesday, October 14). |
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Unit 2 Diagnostic
October 12, 2009 |
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Ms. Hansen began class by distributing students' class portfolios, as well as various graded assignments. Students were instructed to evaluate their graded work, and to then place the work in their portfolios. Ms. Hansen also passed out cards, which contain students' ID numbers. Ms. Hansen told students to write their ID numbers in their binders, so that they may access the numbers at any time. Students will use their ID numbers as both their login name and password for Grade-book Wizard.
Ms. Hansen then gave students their graded Fictional Narratives. She went over the rubric and the grades with the students.
During the second half of the period, Ms. Hansen posted a series of diagnostic questions regarding expository and persuasive texts. The students responded to the questions in their journals. |
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Student Reading: Fictional Narratives
October 9, 2009 |
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| Approximately seven students in each class were able to read aloud their final Fictional Narratives. As each of the seven students read their stories, the rest of the class listened, and filled out a "Fictional Narrative Response Sheet." Students filled out one section on the sheet for each student that read aloud. They indicated the student's name; the title of his/her story; notes regarding the plot of the story; and their opinion of the story. At the end of the reading, the students voted on the three best stories. Those students who received first, second, and third place received candy. |
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Submit Final Fictional Narratives
October 8, 2009 |
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| Students met at the library's computer lab, where they finished typing their final Fictional Narratives. Before printing their stories, students had Ms. Hansen make sure that their stories were formatted correctly (double-spaced, using Times, 12 pt. font, with name, period, and assignment title in the top right corner). Students also made sure to turn in their rough drafts, story maps, and peer editing sheets. Students should receive their graded Fictional Narratives by Monday, October, 12. |
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Type Fictional Narratives
October 7, 2009 |
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| Students met at the library's computer lab in order to type their Fictional Narratives. Students will submit their final stories, and their revised rough drafts, stapled to their "Fictional Narrative Peer Editing Sheets," on Thursday. Students must make sure that their stories are typed using Times, 12pt. font, and that they are double-spaced. The stories must also be at least 600 words; they must be titled; and they must have each student's name, period, and assignment title in the top right corner. |
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Peer Editing: Continued
October 6, 2009 |
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Ms. Hansen was in a Seventh Grade Collaborative meeting; her substitute teacher was Mrs. Lepore.
Mrs. Lepore ensured that students continued the peer editing process. Students were instructed to read at least three student stories, and to complete three "Fictional Narrative Peer Editing Sheets." Students must revise their Fictional Narrative Rough Drafts using their peers' corrections and recommendations. |
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Fictional Narrative Peer Editing
October 5, 2009 |
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Ms. Hansen distributed red, blue, and black pens to students. She then passed out copies of a student's story titled "The Noise," and a "Fictional Narrative Peer Editing Sheet." Ms. Hansen pointed to the "Proofreading Symbols" sheets that are on each desk, and explained that students will use these symbols to edit their classmates' stories.
The class edited the story "The Noise." They marked up the story with pen and used the proofreading symbols. When they were finished editing the story for grammatical/spelling/punctuation errors, they then answered the other questions on the "Fictional Narrative Peer Editing Sheet," which mainly have to do with the content of the story.
Ms. Hansen then had students exchange each other's stories. They used the "Fictional Narrative Peer Editing Sheet" and followed the same format that they used when editing "The Noise." Students will also have tomorrow to edit each other's stories. They must edit a total of three stories. Each story should be marked up with at least three different colored pens. |
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Complete Fictional Narrative Rough Draft
October 2, 2009 |
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Students had the entire period to finish their Fictional Narrative Rough Drafts. Ms. Hansen reminded students that she will only give them credit for their rough drafts if they consist of 600 or more words.
Ms. Hansen first circulated the room and gave students credit for their "Story Maps." She then checked off students who completed a rough draft version of the Fictional Narrative. The rough draft was stapled on top of the "Story Map." The "Story Map" is worth 10 points, and the rough draft is worth 15 points.
Students were instructed to rewrite or type their rough drafts and to bring them on Monday, when they will begin peer editing. |
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Compose Fictional Narrative
October 1, 2009 |
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Students wrote their Fictional Narratives, which they based off of the prompt that they chose. They also used their "Story Maps" to help them draft their stories.
As the students wrote, Ms. Hansen circulated the room, so that she could assist and edit the students' writing.
Ms. Hansen reminded students to maintain first or third person point of view; to write in past tense; to break up dialogue by starting a new paragraph each time a different character is speaking; to describe setting, characters, thoughts, and feelings; and to not start sentences with "And then" or "So."
Students must write at least 500 words by this evening. |
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Gates MacGinite Reading Test: Comprehension
September 30, 2009 |
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| Students completed the second section of the Gates MacGinite Reading Test, which is the "Comprehension" section. Once students finished taking the test, they submitted their "Fictional Narrative Prompt" sheet, which details the prompt that they will base their Fictional Narrative on. They then filled out the "Story Map," detailing the setting, characters, conflict, and plot of their story. Students who completed the "Story Map" then began writing their Fictional Narrative rough draft. |
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Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test
September 29, 2009 |
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Students began the first part of the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test, which is the "Vocabulary" section. This section of the test consists of 45 multiple choice questions. Students were to read the underlined word for each question, and to locate the synonym for that word, based on the context of the word in the sentence.
Some students were able to move on to part two of the test--the "Comprehension" section. For this section, students were to read various passages, and answer multiple choice questions based on the readings. This section of the test consists of 48 questions, so many students will need tomorrow to finish the test. |
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Fictional Narrative Assignment
September 28, 2009 |
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Ms. Hansen distributed copies of the "Fictional Narrative Assignment Sheet." The sheet details the definition of a "fictional narrative;" the due dates for the narrative; the requirements; standards; and a list of 20 possible prompt choices.
Ms. Hansen then passed out copies of the fictional narrative "Started out with a Simple Fire," which a student from last year composed. The students read the story and identified the writer's point of view, verb tense, dialogue strategies, etc.
Students then worked in groups to create a fictional narrative prompt. After discussing possible prompts, each group filled out the "Fictional Narrative Group Prompt Sheet," and shared their prompts with the class. The purpose of the assignment was to encourage students to write about a myriad of possible situations. |
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Group Fictional Narrative Continued
September 25, 2009 |
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Yesterday, students brainstormed and started writing their "Group Fictional Narrative." They spent the majority of the period writing and editing their stories. They then submitted the stories and the brainstorming sheets to Ms. Hansen.
Students also received their first progress report grade print-out. For homework, they must have a parent or guardian review the print-out, and then sign it. Ms. Hansen will check students signed print-outs on Monday. |
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Group Fictional Narrative
September 24, 2009 |
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Ms. Hansen organized students into groups of three. She then chose one student from each group to act as the secretary. The secretary titled a blank sheet of paper "Group Fictional Narrative," and wrote down the following information:
Five two-digit numbers
Character
Place
Situation
Object
When
Point of View
Verb Tense
Exposition
Rising Action
Climax
Falling Action
Resolution
Each group of students chose five two-digit numbers without any zeroes. Ms. Hansen then distributed charts, and the secretaries jotted down the features that correlated with their groups' numbers. Students then collaborated to decide from what point of view they want to compose their narrative, and the actions/details that they want to occur. Many students began writing the story, and they will have until tomorrow to complete the assignment.
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"After Twenty Years"
September 23, 2009 |
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Ms. Hansen distributed copies of O. Henry's short story "After Twenty Years." The students annotated and answered the questions on the margins of the story, while Ms. Hansen read the story aloud. After reading the story, Ms. Hansen passed out a "Plot Analysis Graphic Organizer." Students were instructed to find five direct quotes in the story--one for each of the plot features. For example, underneath "Exposition," most students jotted down the following sentence: "The time was barely 10 o'clock at night, but chilly gusts of wind with a taste of rain in them had well nigh depeopled the streets" (127).
Students placed quotation marks around the sentences, and placed the page number in parenthesis after each quote. |
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Plot Structure
September 22, 2009 |
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Students began class by completing the warm-up "Lesson 19: Identifying Nouns." The students reviewed the definition, spelling, and context clues regarding how to identify nouns. In Exercise A, students composed sentences using the given noun phrases; in Exercise B, students identified nouns within a series of sentences; and in Exercise C, students changed adjectives and verbs into nouns by adding suffixes.
Students then took Cornell Notes in their Journals. They titled the notes "Plot Structure." Students defined "Plot," "Exposition," "Rising Action," "Climax," "Falling Action," "Resolution," and "Conflict." |
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Point of View in Literature
September 21, 2009 |
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Students received their class journals, in which they will take cornell notes and respond to quick-writes. Students titled their first cornell note journal entry "Point of View in Literature." They then defined key terms by placing the terms in the left column and the definitions and examples in the right column. Students defined "first person point of view," "second person point of view," "third person omniscient point of view," and "third person limited point of view."
Students then received the handout "Writing Instructions Using Different Points-of-View." Students were instructed to construct an eight step list regarding how to sharpen a pencil. In Part B, they had to write a third-person paragraph detailing how to sharpen a pencil. In Part C, they had to rewrite the same paragraph in second person. Finally, in Part D, they shifted the paragraph to first person point of view. |
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Compare/Contrast Sixth and Seventh Grade
September 18, 2009 |
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A few students began the class by completing their Achieve 3000 Level Set reading comprehension test. The rest of the class composed a compare/contrast essay. Students were instructed to write a four paragraph essay (each paragraph consists of five sentences) using the following format:
Introductory Paragraph:
write three sentences about your experience as a seventh grader so far
write one sentence--a thesis--indicating whether it is better to be in sixth or seventh grade
write one sentence listing at least three reasons that support your thesis
Three Body Paragraphs:
write one sentence listing one of the reasons that supports your thesis
write two sentences in which you provide examples of the reason
write one sentence in which you compare the grade level that you think is less appealing
write one sentence that proves your overall thesis
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Achieve 3000 Level Set Test
September 17, 2009 |
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| Students were mandated to take the Achieve 3000 Level Set test in order to determine their current reading levels. While eight students completed the assessment (there are only eight computers in the classroom), the rest of the students finished reading Gary Soto's short story "Seventh Grade," and answered the "Review and Assess" Questions. |
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"Seventh Grade"
September 16, 2009 |
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| Ms. Hansen distributed copies of the packet titled "Seventh Grade." Students composed a quick-write, in which they reflected on being seventh graders. They then analyzed the text features and previewed Gary Soto's short story "Seventh Grade." After reading "Seventh Grade," students answered the "Review and Assess" questions. |
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On-Demand Writing Screening Assessment
September 15, 2009 |
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Students took the "On-Demand Writing Screening Assessment" in which they wrote a fictional narrative based on the following prompt:
"Pretend that one morning you wake up and have become someone or something different from yourself for a day. Write a story about your day's experience. Be sure and explain who you are and describe what happens to you on this day."
Incidentally, this is the same prompt that students were given on Friday. In this sense, students spent the majority of the period writing and editing rather than brainstorming. |
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Class Syllabus
September 14, 2009 |
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Students read over Ms. Hansen's Seventh Grade English syllabus and code of conduct/contract. Ms. Hansen went over her grading policy, absent policy, rules, expectations, etc. For homework, students must read over the syllabus/contract and have their parent/guardian sign the contract.
A town hall meeting was held during the entire 3rd period.
Periods 4 and 5 were sent to the library to check out and drop off their science textbooks. |
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On Demand Fictional Narrative
September 11, 2009 |
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Ms. Hansen distributed "Story Map" graphic organizers and instructed students to title a lined, blank sheet of paper "On Demand Fictional Narrative." The students jotted down the definition of "fictional" and "narrative."
Ms. Hansen then posted the following prompt:
Pretend that one morning you wake up and you have become someone or something different from yourself for a day. Write a story about your day’s experience. Be sure and explain who you are and describe what happens to you on this day.
She then read a few student examples. Students had the entire period to draft the stories. |
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On Demand Nonfiction Narrative
September 10, 2009 |
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Ms. Hansen distributed "Event Maps" and a sample of an "On Demand Nonfiction Narrative." Ms. Hansen discussed the significance of "On Demand" writing prompts, and informed students that they serve as a diagnostic sample of their current writing level. Students noted what the terms "nonfiction" and "narrative" mean.
They then jotted down the following prompt: "Write a true story about something that happened to you and say why it is memorable to you."
Students were instructed to first map out the memorable experience by filling in the "Event Map" boxes. Ms. Hansen then read a sample of an "On Demand Nonfiction Narrative."
Students began composing their own nonfiction narratives and stapled the "Event Maps" to their stories. |
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Textbooks
September 9, 2009 |
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| Students went to the library and checked out their textbooks for the year. Students checked out the following seventh grade textbooks: 2 Pre-Algebra books (textbook and workbook); 2 Science books (textbook and workbook); 1 Medieval History textbook; and 1 Prentice Hall Literature textbook. Students were informed to keep their books in their classes until they are permitted to take them home. |
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The First Day of School
September 8, 2009 |
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| Today was the first day of school for Mann Middle School students. Ms. Hansen went over the classroom rules and expectations for her class. She then gave a brief introduction about her credentials, teaching experience, etc. She had students fill out cards in which they documented their favorite school subject, sport, music band, and movie. Students also detailed what career they would like to have in the future. |
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