"Web Site Shows First Moon Landing"
November 20, 2009 |
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| Half of the students were able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program online. They read the article "Web Site Shows First Moon Landing." After reading the article, they answered the Activity Questions and Thought Question; they also responded to the poll. The students who did not access the program online, read the printed article "Where's The Rain?" They also answered the Activity Questions, Thought Question, and Poll. At the end of the period, some students were even able to transfer their responses from the paper to the computer. |
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"Found: Oldest Flute, Oldest Carving"
November 19, 2009 |
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| Half of the students were able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program online. They read the article "Found: Oldest Flute, Oldest Carving." After reading the article, they answered the Activity Questions and Thought Question; they also responded to the poll. The students who did not access the program online, still read the same printed article, and they also answered the Activity Questions, Thought Question, and Poll. At the end of the period, some students were even able to transfer their responses from the paper to the computer. |
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"Where's The Rain?"
November 18, 2009 |
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| Half of the students were able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program online. They read the article "Where's The Rain?" After reading the article, they answered the Activity Questions and Thought Question; they also responded to the poll. The students who did not access the program online were reading their TeenBiz3000 research articles and filling out their summaries. The article summaries are due today in their period two English class. |
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"A Surprise On The Sea Floor"
November 17, 2009 |
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| Half of the students were able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program online. They read the article "A Surprise On The Sea Floor." After reading the article, they answered the Activity Questions and Thought Question; they also responded to the poll. The students who did not access the program online were reading their TeenBiz3000 research articles and filling out their summaries. The article summaries are due today in their period two English class. |
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"Schools Take Steps To Stop Bullies"
November 16, 2009 |
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| Half of the students were able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program online. They read the article "Schools Take Steps To Stop Bullies." After reading the article, they answered the Activity Questions and Thought Question; they also responded to the poll. The students who did not access the program online, still read the same printed article, and they also answered the Activity Questions, Thought Question, and Poll. At the end of the period, some students were even able to transfer their responses from the paper to the computer. |
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"Young People Learn Old Ways"
November 13, 2009 |
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| Half of the students were able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program online. They read the article "Young People Learn Old Ways." After reading the article, they answered the Activity Questions and Thought Question; they also responded to the poll. The students who did not access the program online, read the printed article "Hawaii: A Base for Space?" and they also answered the Activity Questions, Thought Question, and Poll. At the end of the period, some students were even able to transfer their responses from the paper to the computer. |
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"One Night of Outdoor Hockey"
November 12, 2009 |
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| Half of the students were able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program online. They read the article "One Night of Outdoor Hockey." After reading the article, they answered the Activity Questions and Thought Question; they also responded to the poll. The students who did not access the program online, still read the same printed article, and they also answered the Activity Questions, Thought Question, and Poll. At the end of the period, some students were even able to transfer their responses from the paper to the computer. |
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"Hawaii: A Base for Space?"
November 10, 2009 |
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| Half of the students were able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program online. They read the article "Hawaii: A Base for Space?" After reading the article, they answered the Activity Questions and Thought Question; they also responded to the poll. The students who did not access the program online, still read the same printed article, and they also answered the Activity Questions, Thought Question, and Poll. At the end of the period, some students were even able to transfer their responses from the paper to the computer. |
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"Was Lincoln Sick?"
November 9, 2009 |
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| Half of the students were able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program online. They read the article "Was Lincoln Sick?" After reading the article, they answered the Activity Questions and Thought Question; they also responded to the poll. The students who did not access the program online, read the printed article "Second Chances," and they also answered the Activity Questions, Thought Question, and Poll. At the end of the period, some students were even able to transfer their responses from the paper to the computer. |
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Complete "Editorial Rough Draft"
November 6, 2009 |
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The majority of students were still working on their "Editorial Rough Drafts," which were due at the beginning of their second period English class. Ms. Hansen worked with individual students to help them compose their articles.
The students who did complete their rough drafts were able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program. They replied to the email, read the news story "Second Chances," answered the Activity Questions, responded to the Thought Question, and voted in the poll. |
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"Sending Smoke Signals--for Science"
November 5, 2009 |
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| Half of the students were able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program online. They read the article "Sending Smoke Signals--for Science." After reading the article, they answered the Activity Questions and Thought Question; they also responded to the poll. The students who did not access the program online, still read the same printed article, and they also answered the Activity Questions, Thought Question, and Poll. At the end of the period, some students were even able to transfer their responses from the paper to the computer. |
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"Goodbye, Walter Cronkite"
November 4, 2009 |
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| Students were able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program in the library's computer lab. They replied to the email, read the news story "Goodbye, Walter Cronkite," answered the Activity Questions, responded to the Thought Question, and voted in the poll. |
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"Trapped On A Mountain"
November 3, 2009 |
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| Half of the students were able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program online. They read the article "Trapped On A Mountain." After reading the article, they answered the Activity Questions and Thought Question; they also responded to the poll. The students who did not access the program online, still read the same printed article, and they also answered the Activity Questions, Thought Question, and Poll. At the end of the period, some students were even able to transfer their responses from the paper to the computer. |
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"All The Way To The Top"
November 2, 2009 |
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| Half of the students were able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program online. They read the article "All The Way To The Top." After reading the article, they answered the Activity Questions and Thought Question; they also responded to the poll. The students who did not access the program online, still read the same printed article, and they also answered the Activity Questions, Thought Question, and Poll. At the end of the period, some students were even able to transfer their responses from the paper to the computer. |
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"Animals Can Dance!"
October 30, 2009 |
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| Half of the students were able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program online. They read the article "Animals Can Dance!" After reading the article, they answered the Activity Questions and Thought Question; they also responded to the poll. The students who did not access the program online, read the printed article "Walking on Thin Ice." They also answered the Activity Questions, Thought Question, and Poll. |
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"Golden Girls:" Author's Attitude
October 29, 2009 |
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| Students worked in groups to complete their "Golden Girls" academic paragraphs. Students discussed Johnette Howard's attitude toward the U.S. women's hockey team. They then gathered four concrete details, in the form of quotes from the article, that revealed this attitude. Finally, students constructed a paragraph in which they provided evidence and support for their opinion regarding Howard's attitude toward the players. |
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"Where Will The Walkman Take Sony?"
October 28, 2009 |
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| Students were able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program in the library's computer lab. They replied to the email, read the news story "Where Will The Walkman Take Sony?" answered the Activity Questions, responded to the Thought Question, and voted in the poll. |
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"Show Marks 400 Years Since Hudson Set Sail"
October 27, 2009 |
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| Half of the students were able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program online. They read the article "Show Marks 400 Years Since Hudson Set Sail." After reading the article, they answered the Activity Questions and Thought Question; they also responded to the poll. The students who did not access the program online, still read the same printed article, and they also answered the Activity Questions, Thought Question, and Poll. At the end of the period, some students were even able to transfer their responses from the paper to the computer. |
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"Making Robots Come to Life"
October 26, 2009 |
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| Half of the students were able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program online. They read the article "Making Robots Come to Life." After reading the article, they answered the Activity Questions and Thought Question; they also responded to the poll. The students who did not access the program online, still read the same printed article, and they also answered the Activity Questions, Thought Question, and Poll. At the end of the period, some students were even able to transfer their responses from the paper to the computer. |
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"The Clothing Trade"
October 23, 2009 |
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| At the beginning of the period, half of the students accessed the TeenBiz 3000 program online. They replied to the email, read the news story "The Clothing Trade," answered the Activity Questions, responded to the Thought Question, and voted in the poll. The other half of the students finished writing their Red Ribbon Week paragraphs, so that they could submit them at the beginning of second period. After thirty minutes, the students rotated, so that the students on the computers were able to complete their Red Ribbon Paragraph, while the other group of students was able to access TeenBiz. |
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Inhalants/Alcohol/Red Ribbon Week Quiz
October 22, 2009 |
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| At the beginning of the period, half of the students accessed the TeenBiz 3000 program online. They replied to the email, read the news story "The Secret of Lincoln's Watch," answered the Activity Questions, responded to the Thought Question, and voted in the poll. The other half of the students read and discussed the Red Ribbon Week articles "Inhalants" and "Alcohol." They then took the "Red Ribbon Week Quiz." After thirty minutes, the students rotated, so that the students on the computer were able to read the Red Ribbon Week articles and answer the quiz, while the other group of students was able to access TeenBiz. |
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"Reaching High...Again"
October 21, 2009 |
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| Students were able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program in the library's computer lab. They replied to the email, read the news story "Reaching High...Again," answered the Activity Questions, responded to the Thought Question, and voted in the poll. |
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"Young Golfer, Bright Future"
October 20, 2009 |
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The students then read and discussed the article "Myths and Facts About Marijuana."
Students were then able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program in the library's computer lab. They replied to the email, read the news story "Young Golfer, Bright Future," answered the Activity Questions, responded to the Thought Question, and voted in the poll. |
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"Listen Up, Families!"
October 19, 2009 |
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Ms. Hansen began class by distributing "Drug Free" red ribbons. The students then read and discussed the article "Why Do We Have Red Ribbon Week?: The Story Behind the Symbol."
Students were then able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program in the library's computer lab. They replied to the email, read the news story "Listen Up, Families!" answered the Activity Questions, responded to the Thought Question, and voted in the poll. |
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"A Trip Along the Kameng River"
October 16, 2009 |
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| The majority of students were able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program online. They replied to the email, read the news story "A Trip Along the Kameng River," answered the Activity Questions, responded to the Thought Question, and voted in the poll. Students who were unable to go on the computers, were completing their "On-Demand Persuasive Letter." |
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"Are Students Getting Enough Art and Music?"
October 15, 2009 |
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| Ms. Hansen began class by showing students how they were being assessed on their Activity Questions and their Thought Questions for TeenBiz 3000. She reminded students that when they are drafting their Thought Question, they must ensure that their paragraphs consist of at least five sentences. She also instructed students to refer back to the article while they are completing their Activity Questions. Students were able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program in the library's computer lab. They replied to the email, read the news story "Are Students Getting Enough Art and Music?" answered the Activity Questions, responded to the Thought Question, and voted in the poll. |
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"When a Sinking Ship is Good News"
October 14, 2009 |
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| Students were able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program online. Half of the students worked in the library's computer lab, while the other half worked in Ms. Hansen's room. They replied to the email, read the news story "When a Sinking Ship is Good News," answered the Activity Questions, responded to the Thought Question, and voted in the poll. |
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"Doctors to Teens: Get up and Go!"
October 13, 2009 |
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| The majority of students were able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program online. Most of them replied to the email, read the news story "Doctors to Teens: Get up and Go!" answered the Activity Questions, responded to the Thought Question, and voted in the poll. The rest of the students completed the warm-up, "Fact and Opinion (Lesson 27)," in which they read a series of statements and identified them as "fact" or "opinion." They then began reading the research report "Pandas." During the shared reading, students constructed a "Detail, Question, Answer" chart. Students drew three columns on their paper, and they jotted down questions that they had about the report in one column; the textual evidence that led them to construct the question; as well as the answer that they gleaned from the reading. |
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"Found: Ben Franklin's Letters"
October 12, 2009 |
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| The majority of students were able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program online. Most of them replied to the email, read the news story "Found: Ben Franklin's Letters," answered the Activity Questions, responded to the Thought Question, and voted in the poll. The rest of the students read and responded to the questions for the article "The Return of the Blue Whale?" |
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"Quiet Please!"
October 9, 2009 |
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| The majority of students were able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program online. Most of them replied to the email, read the news story "Quiet Please!," answered the Activity Questions, responded to the Thought Question, and voted in the poll. The rest of the students either finished typing their final Fictional Narratives or read and responded to the questions for the article "The Return of the Blue Whale?" |
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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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"Fewer Kids Getting Fit At School"
October 7, 2009 |
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| For the first half of the class, a group of eight students accessed the TeenBiz 3000 program on the computers. They read the article "Fewer Kids Getting Fit At School." They then answered the multiple-choice Activity Questions, responded to the Thought Question, and voted in the poll. The other half of the class continued to peer edit and revise their Fictional Narratives. Students then traded spots, so that the students who were on the computers at the beginning of class were working on their stories at the end of class, and vice versa. |
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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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Preparation for Peer Editing
October 5, 2009 |
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Many students revised their Fictional Narrative rough drafts, so that they could be ready for peer editing during period two. Some students started typing their Fictional Narrative rough drafts.
Students also received their first portfolios: one for Intervention (per. 1) and one for English (per. 2). Students passed out graded work. Ms Hansen advised students to look at their scores and the teacher's comments, and to then place their work in their portfolios. The portfolios will remain in the classroom. |
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Writing Period: Fictional Narrative
October 2, 2009 |
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| Ms. Hansen gave students the class period to complete the rough draft versions of their Fictional Narratives. She worked with individual students to help them edit their stories. This included helping students to maintain the consistency of their verb tense, point of view, etc. in their stories. |
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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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Complete Gates-MacGinite Test
September 30, 2009 |
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| Two groups of students resumed taking their Gates MacGinite Reading test. The rest of the class filled out a "Story Map," which is used as a brainstorming sheet for their Fictional Narratives. The Fictional Narrative rough draft is due Friday, October 2nd. |
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Gates-MacGinite Reading Test: Vocabulary
September 29, 2009 |
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| Students began the first part of the Gates-MacGinite 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. |
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"The Return of the Blue Whale"
September 28, 2009 |
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| The majority of students were able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program online. Most of them replied to the email, read the news story "Is your Skin Crawling?," answered the Activity Questions, responded to the Thought Question, and voted in the poll. Students who were working at their desks either finished work for the article "Artist Takes Her Work to GuitarTown," or began reading and responding to the questions for the article "The Return of the Blue Whale?" |
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"A Game of Catch" Continued
September 25, 2009 |
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The students finished reading and annotating the short story "A Game of Catch." After reading the story, they filled out the "Plot Mountain" by paraphrasing the incidents in the story that point to the "Exposition," "Climax," "Falling Action," and "Resolution."
For "A Story's Theme," students jotted down one of the major themes of the story. They then composed a short paragraph about the theme, in which they included a topic sentence and two examples from the story. |
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"A Game of Catch"
September 24, 2009 |
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Students began the period by completing their "After Twenty Years" questions and annotations. They also finished filling out their "Plot Analysis Graphic Organizer."
Ms. Hansen then distributed copies of Richard Wilbur's short story "A Game of Catch."
Ms. Hansen first reviewed the five parts of a story's plot with the students. She then instructed them to take notes in the "Response Notes" section, which is located in the margins of the story. Students read and discussed half of "A Game of Catch." |
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"Artist Takes Her Work to Guitar Town"
September 23, 2009 |
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| The majority of students were able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program online. They read the article "Hardly Haydn?" After reading the article, they answered the Activity Questions and Thought Question; they also responded to the poll. The students who did not access the program online read the article "Artist Takes Her Work to Guitar Town." These students also answered the Activity Questions, Thought Question, and Poll. |
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"This Phone Can Read"
September 22, 2009 |
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| Students began class by completing the warm-up titled "Nouns," in which they identified nouns within fifteen sentences. Students who completed their warm-up and yesterday's assignment from Seventh Grade English, "Writing Instructions Using Different Points-of-View," were then able to access the TeenBiz 3000 program online. They read the article "This Phone Can Read," and answered the Activity Questions, Thought Question, and filled out the Poll. |
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Official TeenBiz 3000 Launch Day
September 21, 2009 |
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| Students started the "TeenBiz 3000" program today. Eight students who submitted last week's assignments were able to login to their accounts and begin the TeenBiz 3000 online reading intervention program. These students read the article "Got a Problem? Send a Tweet." They then answered the Activity questions, and responded to the Thought Question and the poll. Students who were not working online were completing their Activity Questions and Thought Question for the article "Saving the Hubble." |
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"Saving the Hubble"
September 18, 2009 |
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| A few students took the Achieve 3000 Level Set reading comprehension test. The rest of the class completed the article "The Kid Who Helps Kids." After they answered the multiple choice questions and responded to the thought question, they then read the article "Saving the Hubble." Again, students answered the multiple choice Activity Questions and responded to the Thought Question in at least one paragraph. |
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"The Kid Who Helps Kids"
September 17, 2009 |
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| Many students continued to take the Level Set test for the Achieve 3000 program. Those students who were not taking the test on the computer read the article "The Kid Who Helps Kids," which was taken from the Achieve website. Students read and annotated the article; answered the Activity Questions; and responded to the Thought Question. |
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Achieve3000
September 16, 2009 |
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| Students were given cards that contain their login names and passwords for the "Achieve3000: TeenBiz3000" program. The majority of students were able to login and begin the "Level Set" reading test. |
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On-Demand Writing Screening Assessment
September 15, 2009 |
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Students completed the warm-up sheet "Common Nouns and Proper Nouns." They identified common and proper nouns in sentences. They also constructed sentences by replacing common nouns with proper nouns and vice versa.
Students were given the second half of the period to prep for the "On-Demand Writing Screening Assessment." They read over the task sheet; discussed the directions and scoring for the task; and read a student sample of the task. |
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Introductory Letter
September 14, 2009 |
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| Students completed their "Introductory Letter," in which they write a letter to Ms. Hansen introducing themselves, detailing their interests/hobbies, and explaining their expectations for the class. Students made sure to begin the letter with a greeting, to write 4 body paragraphs, and to close the letter with their printed name and signature. |
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Partner Presentations
September 11, 2009 |
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Students introduced each other by standing in front of the class and reading their partner paragraphs.
Once the presentations were over, Ms. Hansen passed out "Introductory Letter" sheets, as well as an example of an introductory letter. Students were instructed to compose an introductory letter about themselves consisting of a greeting, four body paragraphs, and a closing. |
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Partner Paragraph
September 10, 2009 |
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| Students finished interviewing each other and filled out the "Interview Questionnaire." They were instructed to choose at least five details about their partners so that they may write a feature paragraph. Students will introduce their partners tomorrow, and each student will bring something important with them to class to share with their classmates (for example, a picture, photograph, object, etc.). |
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Interview Questionnaire
September 9, 2009 |
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| Students received their lanyards today. They were instructed to write their names on the inside of the lanyards and to sign off that they received them. Students were then placed in groups of two. Each pair of students interviewed each other by asking nineteen questions. At the end of the interview, each interviewee circled at least five details that he/she found interesting. Tomorrow students will draft a paragraph about their partners based on the details that they collected. |
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The First Day of School
September 8, 2009 |
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| Students were provided with a brief overview in regards to the purpose and expectations of the Intervention course. Students then titled a sheet of lined paper, "What do I Want to Be?" First, students jotted down five details about themselves, followed by a paragraph in which they explained how these details define them as individuals. Secondly, students jotted down five accomplishments that they aspire to achieve in their lifetime. They then wrote a paragraph indicating how these achievements will positively impact their lives. |
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