R.A.C.E Response

Source

Today's Goal: Learn a writing strategy called "R.A.C.E." that you will use and build on all year. 

The Plan:

1. Turn in your homework, open Google Classroom and then READ!
2. RACES! (On Google Classroom)
3. Write your first RACES paragraph for Language Arts class. (Also on Google Classroom, on the same document as #2)
4. Reading Expectations

Reading Expectations
The first quarter progress reports just went out, and the first quarter ends on October 25.

Your expectation is to read TWO WHOLE BOOKS by October 22. Many of you are already in the middle of a book. Many of you have finished a book recently. GREAT! Keep reading.

What counts as a book? Books and nonfiction books you read from cover to cover that are novel length. If you're reading comics or graphic novels, you and I can decide together what counts as an appropriate amount. The short answer? More.


Reminders/Homework:

• finish writing your RACES paragraph at the bottom of your RACES notes. (Due by next class)
• READ
• Have you finished reading a book from start to finish this year? Please fill out the "I FINISHED A BOOK!!" form! 
• Your All About Me Presentation scores are up. Some notes:
• If you received a score less than 21/30, that means you haven't passed yet. That's okay because you WILL! You will be expected to present again in front of the class. Talk to Ms. Black at RAM or after school about a day for this.
• If you received a score of 21/30 or more, you may choose to present again in front of the class or you may present after school. It is possible the changes you need to make do not require presentation at all, so please use the rubric to decide when it is returned to you. Please speak with Ms. Black during RAM or after school for notes.
• DO NOT LOSE this rubric. Put it in your Language Arts folder and keep it. We will both be mad if you end up needing it again.

Heroes and Courage

Today's Goal: We're going to try to define the word "courage." 

The Plan:

1. Open Google Classroom and then READ
2. Hero/Courage Notes (on Google Classroom)
3. Courage Acrostic Poem (I have this on paper, but if you're absent, you have access to it at this link.)

Hero/Courage Notes:
You will find this in Google Classroom and it consists of three things:

1. A quickwrite: What makes a true hero?
2. An example brainstorm
3. A t-chart to begin defining what courage is and what courage is not

Reminders/Homework:

• Finish your Courage Acrostic Poem if you do not finish in class.
• Have you finished reading a book from start to finish this year? Please fill out the "I FINISHED A BOOK!!" form! 
• Your All About Me Presentation scores are going up, probably this afternoon. Some notes:
• If you received a score less than 21/30, that means you haven't passed yet. That's okay because you WILL! You will be expected to present again in front of the class.
• If you received a score of 21/30 or more, you may choose to present again in front of the class or you may present after school. It is possible the changes you need to make do not require presentation at all, so please use the rubric to decide when it is returned to you. If you aren't sure, please speak with Ms. Black during RAM or after school. 
• DO NOT LOSE this rubric. Put it in your Language Arts folder and keep it. We will both be mad if you end up needing it again.

Academic Presentations Part TWO!

Please note: most of this looks just like the last post, but there are some additions. 

Check the reminders/homework.

Today's Goal: Learn about our peers and their interests as we listen to each other present "All About Me." Practice being a respectful audience and confident, academic presenters.

The Plan: This should look familiar.

1. Read!
2. All About Me Presentations
3. All About Me Reflection (fill this out AFTER you present)
4. Have you finished a book since the school year started? Have you finished THREE books? Please fill out THIS FORM each time you finish reading a book from start to finish. 

Don't forget the advice your peers have for you during your presentation:

• Speak to the audience, not to the screen
• Make your voice louder than you think it needs to be, so the people in the back can clearly hear you.
• Say MORE than what is on the slides. Your slides don't have very much information on them. They are not supposed to. That's because you're going to talk about it, not read it.

Reminders/Homework:

• Have you finished reading a book from start to finish this year? Please fill out the "I FINISHED A BOOK!!" form! 
• This let's me know what you're reading, how long it's taking you to read your books, and what books I should be recommending! I require you to read regularly. This is one of the ways for you to show me.
• Check out Overdrive! It's a great way to check out books digitally. The directions are on this blog post.
• Turn in the work that you are missing or the work that needs revision.

Academic Presentations: All About Me

Today's Goal: Learn about our peers and their interests as we listen to each other present "All About Me." Practice being a respectful audience and confident, academic presenters.

The Plan:

1. Read!
2. All About Me Presentations
3. All About Me Reflection (fill this out AFTER you present)

Reminders/Homework:

• All About Me:
• Period 1,3,5: Presenting on Monday, September 17
• Period 4,6: Presenting on Tuesday, September 18
• Your presentation should be done by the time you walk into class!
• Turn in syllabus documents and One Word Projects into the inbox. I would really like to remove the zeros.
• Check out Overdrive! It's a great way to check out books digitally. The directions are on the previous blog post.

MAPS Testing (and Overdrive information)

Today's Goal: Begin the reading portion of the MAPS test, and if you finish, move on to the language portion.


The Plan:

1. Get your book and chromebook out on your desk. You should have nothing else.
2. MAPS test
3. Read if you finish both tests

Reminders/Homework:

• All About Me:
• Period 1, 3, 5: Presenting on Monday, September 17
• Period 4, 6: Presenting on Tuesday, September 18
• Your presentation should be done by the time you walk into class!
• Turn in syllabus documents and One Word Projects into the inbox. I would really like to remove the zeros.

Bonus information: OVERDRIVE!

You have access to a digital library to read books and listen to audiobooks. It's called Overdrive.

If you do not know how to access it, use the following slides to help you. I have also linked these slides on the sidebar for future reference.

All About Me Slides and Google Classroom

Today's Goal: All About Me!

The Plan:

1. Read!
2. Google Classroom Sign-Up (if you're absent, please find your code on the MyConnect calendar)
3. All About Me brainstorm (must be completed before moving on to the digital slides)
4. All About Me creation (found on Classroom and Google Slides)

All About Me Requirements

ALL ABOUT ME PRESENTATION GUIDELINES:

You will be creating a Google Slides presentation to present to the class that will help your classmates get to know you better. Your presentation must include the following:

1. Title slide with MLA Format Heading and a picture of yourself.
2. FIVE additional slides with information about yourself.
1. hobbies
2. family information
3. Interests
4. Anything else you think would be interesting to share!

You will be graded based on the rubric below. Please ensure that your final presentation follows the guidelines outlined in the rubric.

Speaking: Professionalism - Google Slides presentation is professional and looks responsibly done. All text is easy to read and the pictures that are included are relevant to the content. PVLEGS!	10 points
Speaking: Content - Presentation is 6 slides long (1 title page and 5 information pages) and includes an appropriate amount of information about you. Each slide has at least 1 picture and 2-3 points of text.	10 points
Speaking: Presentation - Presenter speaks loudly and clearly when presenting in front of the class. Presenter makes eye contact with classmates and the presentation is between 3 and 5 minutes long See PVLEGS	10 points

Listening - You will also receive a "listening" score. This is where you practice giving your full attention and avoiding side conversations. Don't forget the social contract we made!

5 points

Due Dates:
Period 1,3,5: Presenting on Monday, September 17
Period 4,6: Presenting on Tuesday, September 18
Your presentation should be done by the time you walk into class!

Frequently Asked Questions:

• What if I don't know how to put a picture of me on a slide?
• Lots of people in the room know how to do it. We will support you!
• Your chromebook can take photos
• If you have a physical picture, I can help you take a photo of it and send it to you on Google Drive.
• Can I put a video in my slides?
• I wouldn't.
• Can I pick a different theme/fonts?
• YES! Please make it personal to you. When you open your slides, you can press the button that says "theme" to change it.
• If you are Google Slides: EXPERT level, check out Slidescarnival.com. You can copy slides from there and put it into your presentation. BUT this is high level stuff so if you're not confident, don't add more stress.

Reminders/Homework:

• All About Me:
• Period 1,3,5: Presenting on Monday, September 17
• Period 4,6: Presenting on Tuesday, September 18
• Your presentation should be done by the time you walk into class!
• Turn in syllabus documents and One Word Projects into the inbox. I would really like to remove the zeros.

Social Contract & All About Me Introduction

Today's Goal: Finish Building Our Social Contract and Learn about your first assignment!

The Plan:

1. Read
2. Finish Social Contract
3. "What's Wrong with this Slide?"
4. All About Me Introduction/Planning

Social Contract

Please see yesterday's post for information about social contracts. This is an in-class discussion.

All About Me
I will give you important information about due dates and whatnot in the next couple classes. Please do not worry too much about it, because it won't be due until after MAP testing.


Reminders/Homework:

• Plan out your All About Me Presentation using your storyboard. I will be giving you time next week in class to make your presentation, so you do NOT need to get on Google Slides this weekend.
• Get your work turned in (syllabus form, one word project)

Social Contracts

Today's Goal: Create a class Social Contract that outlines how we will act and behave together this year.

The Plan:

1. Do NOT get Chromebooks
2. READ
3. Teambuilding Activity
4. Social Contract

What's a Social Contract?

It's a contract we all sign that shows the ways that our class agrees to behave all year. We will make it together in class, and the results will be posted on the wall for the whole year. It will be our guide to how we treat ourselves and others in class.

These are our guiding questions:

1. How do you want to be treated by Ms. Black? How can she do that?
2. How do you think Ms. Black wants to be treated by you? What can you do to show that?
3. How do you want to treat each other in this classroom? What do you do?
4. When there is conflict in our classroom, how do you want to treat each other? What does that look like?
5. How can we all help each other stay focused and successful in the classroom?

Reminders/Homework:

• Get your One Word Projects turned in as soon as possible
• Bring back your syllabus signed by your parent/guardian (ask them to fill out the parent form on the blog!)
• Go outside and hug a tree or something. Fresh air is good for you.

One Word (and Syllabus)

Today's Goal: One Word Project and Syllabus

The Plan:

1. Find your Name Tent and get a computer
2. READ!
3. Class Syllabus (I'll make this as short as possible. Promise.)
4. One Word Project
5. Turn in Name Tent and chromebooks

Class Syllabus

Please CLICK HERE to visit the class syllabus. You can also find it on the sidebar on the right under "important links."

You must get a parent/guardian signature for the class syllabus. They may complete this digitally by clicking on "parent survey" in the sidebar.

One Word Project



Reminders/Homework:

• Find a book and read it. 
• Complete the student survey if you did not complete it. 
• Complete your "One Word Project"
• Get your syllabus signed by your parent or guardian. Have them complete the "parent survey."

Student Survey and One Word Project

Today's Goal: Learn some procedures in our classroom and begin to brainstorm one word that you can focus on this school year.

The Plan:

1. Name Tent/Attendance
2. Talk about chromebooks and this blog and reading
3. Student Survey (Click on the link to access)
4. Read (for real)
5. One Word Project
6. Turn in Name Tent and chromebooks

Chromebook Procedures
Beginning of Class:

1. Walk into the classroom and put your things down at your desk.
2. ONLY AFTER that, you will walk in a single file line in front of the projector to pick up your chromebook.
3. Unplug the chromebook BEFORE you take it out, and only take YOUR NUMBER.
4. Carefully carry your chromebook back to your desk with two hands.

End of Class:

1. LOG OUT (It's a good habit to have, even if it automatically does it. One day you're going to find that one computer didn't do it automatically, and then all your stuff is gone.)
2. Follow the same route to drop your chromebook off. 
3. Put it away in the correct number and carefully plug it in using the cord on the left of the slot. LEFT.
4. DO NOT PULL ON THE CORD. 

One Word Project



Reminders/Homework:

• Find a book and read it. 
• Complete the student survey if you did not complete it. 

Welcome to Middle School!

I'm so glad we get to meet today!

Please do not touch the Play-Doh on your desk until instructed to.

Today's Goal: Get to know each other a little bit and create something!

My name is Ms. Black. As long as your schedule doesn't get switched around, I'll be your English teacher this year!

Agenda: 

1. Play-Doh Activity
2. Questions/Concerns

Play-Doh

After instruction, you'll grab a tub of play-doh and use for one of the following prompts:

Your creation should (CHOOSE ONE):

• represent something about you or something that is important to you.
• represent something about your summer that you enjoyed
• represents what you are looking most forward to this school year

Reminders:

• If you can, see if you can visit this website at home. I have published MyConnect so you always have access to this on the home page, but you'll have to be patient: I'm still learning how to use MyConnect!
• If you did not come to "School Year's Eve" last night or the paper ran out, here is the WELCOME LETTER that was posted on my door. Feel free to review.

2018-2019 Hello!

Welcome to 6th grade Language Arts!!

You're going to be receiving a lot of information in the next few days, and so am I! You are new to middle school, and I am new to Twin Peaks, so we're going to be discovering a lot of things together. In fact, YOU might be the expert on some things, like MyConnect! 

On this site, you will find daily plans, resources, important links, and procedures for our classroom. This will be your home-base for almost everything we do in English this year (don't worry, you'll have access to it on MyConnect as well). Share it with your parents or guardians. If you're absent, come here first. If you forget something, see if you can find the post that will help you.

I suggest that the first thing you do right this second is "bookmark" this page. Do you know how to do that? Does your friend? Does YouTube? I bet you can figure it out!

In addition, we will be utilizing Google Classroom, No Red Ink, Google Drive, MyPlan and MyConnect, and a number of other online resources. Some we will discover together. Some I will teach you. Some you might find and say, "MS. BLACK I WANT TO TRY A NEW THING." I can't wait for you to discover new tools to share with me and your classmates.

Note: if you scroll down, you're going to find posts from last school year. Each day the new post will be at the top of this page, and trust me: there's no way to cheat by looking at my old posts. Everything changes!