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!

Goodbye!

Today's Goal: Celebrate each other. Sign yearbooks. Be kind. Maybe some playdough. Try not to cry. (That last one's mostly for Ms. Black. It's fine. She'll be fine probably)

The Plan:

1. Let Ms. Black tell you how much she loves you because it's true and she hopes you keep in touch with her as you get older and go do great things. (Seriously. Hearing from past students is basically my favorite thing)
2. Playdough? Movie? Yearbook signing? All of the above?

A List of Books Recommended for you, by you:

CLICK HERE to see a list of books you and your peers have read this year and enjoyed. There is information for you to see what it is about and if your peers liked it!

Reminders/Homework:

• Find a good book to read and then email Ms. Black to tell her about it after you read it.
• Do good.
• Give more than you receive. Care about others.
• Always strive to be better than you were yesterday.

One Last Thing:

I don't know what school I will be at next year, which means my usual email may not work if you try to email me. If you would like to be able to contact me, ask me about it, or talk to Mrs. Hauck-Wood next year. She'll help you get in touch with me. The office is pretty good at helping you with that, too.

Important: I do work at the children's desk at the Dove Library a few times a week, which is literally around the corner from here. I'm usually there in the afternoons (1-5 or 5-9). Come visit. And come join the Summer Reading Adventure if you're into that kind of stuff and like getting rewards for your reading.

Socratic Seminar - Reflection on the Year

Today's Goal: Reflect

The Plan:

1. Good Mornings
2. Socratic Seminar Prep
   (Socratic Seminar will take place early next week)

Reminders/Homework:

• bring me my books so that future students can enjoy them like you did
• bring chromebooks and chargers on MONDAY

Textbook Check-in

After textbook check-in, you may:

• Work on your compare/contrast paragraph and TURN IT IN
• Revise and resubmit work for English
• Read
• Study for/complete work for another class (AFTER your English work is done)
• Quietly watch A Series of Unfortunate Events
• expect to have your chromebook taken if you are playing games or making other poor digital choices.

Villains and Vile Settings - Continue to compare/contrast

Today's Goal: Can you write a paragraph?

The Plan:

1. Read
2. Compare/Contrast paragraph.
   Please note: these prompts and the writing requirements are fairly open-ended, meaning I'm not going to specify what goes in your paragraph. AT MINIMUM, you need specific details from both the movie and the show that you describe, in-text citations, and to practice using some of the academic language found on the photo below (no personal pronouns)

Reminders/Homework:

• If you finish an independent reading book, fill out the form.
• Bring Textbooks WEDNESDAY, June 6
• Bring Ms. Black's books by FRIDAY, June 8
• Bring Chromebooks AND chargers to turn in on Monday, June 11.
• Homeless Bird Essay Revisions: Turn in rubric to Ms. Black for a rescore.

Compare and Contrast: Writing

Today's Goal: Using evidence of setting, character, and tone from The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket, write a paragraph comparing and contrasting one element from your comparison chart.

The Plan:

1. Read
2. Compare and Contrast Writing

Choose one of the following prompts - you'll be writing a paragraph:

• After reading the scene from The Bad Beginning and watching the two director interpretations of the Baudelaires meeting Count Olaf for the first time, compare and contrast the director interpretations of setting (visually and with sound). Which is more effective at creating the setting that Lemony Snicket intended? Use specific examples from the movies to explain.
• After reading the scene from The Bad Beginning and watching the two director interpretations of the Baudelaires meeting Count Olaf for the first time, compare and contrast the director interpretations of TONE. Which is more effective at creating the tone that Lemony Snicket intended? Use specific examples from the movies to explain.
• After reading the scene from The Bad Beginning and watching the two director interpretations of the Baudelaires meeting Count Olaf for the first time, compare and contrast the character of Count Olaf. Which actor is a more effective Count Olaf? Use specific examples from the movies to explain.

Reminders/Homework:

• If you finish an independent reading book, fill out the form.
• If you have any books from my personal library, I need them all back by next Friday, June 8. PLEASE go home and look for any books you accidentally forgot to turn in. 
• You must bring your textbooks to school on WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6
• If you need to make revisions to your Homeless Bird Essay:
• I have a copy of Homeless Bird you can use at brunch and lunch and before school.
• The Dove Library might have some copies
• You might be able to use Google to find the quotes you're looking for. Sometimes Googling "Homeless Bird PDF" works, or you can search for a particular chapter. I haven't tried it for this book, yet. Don't sign up for things.
• READ A BOOK

Thanks for the advice, Lemony Snicket. Very helpful.

Lit(erature) Thursdays

Reminders/Homework:

• Please note: your Homeless Bird essays show a lot of growth. I am proud of each and every one of you for the work you have done so far. Even if you have not reached your "perfect" score, that does not mean you have done a bad job. That simply means you have a bit more to do, and I know you are capable. I believe in you.
• If you need to make revisions to your Homeless Bird Essay:
• I have a copy of Homeless Bird you can use at brunch and lunch and before school.
• The Dove Library might have some copies
• You might be able to use Google to find the quotes you're looking for. Sometimes Googling "Homeless Bird PDF" works, or you can search for a particular chapter. I haven't tried it for this book, yet. Don't sign up for things.
• Try to fill in as much as you can of your comparison chart using the PDF on Google Classroom. (If you're absent to watch the video, I can pull you in during advisory sometime this week.)
• READ A BOOK