March 6th, 2009
Class activities for Friday, March 6
Spelling: We reviewed suffixes and rules for adding suffixes, using the –ment suffix. For suffixes that begin with a vowel, a silent e is dropped, but not for ment (enjoyment, pavement, basement, announcement).
Cursive: Ten cursive sentences, seven or more words each, are due Fridays.
Reading: Today was a reading day in Literature Circles; some groups worked on making inferences as a reading strategy.
Writing: Students worked on editing and publishing their persuasive letter today. Students also continued to type their letter using docs.mrhowd.com. Next week, students that are ready will email their letters to whomever can make a decision on their letter, and also to the Flint Journal and Grand Blanc News.
Here’s an overview of this persuasive letter project, and here’s a checklist to help with writing the letter. This piece will be due Monday, March 9 (new date).
Novel Writing Project
Our piece due March 27 will be our final fiction project of the year. Students will write a novel. You read that right. Each student will write their own novel, with a word goal minimum of 1,500-3,000 words, based on their reading level (each student’s minimum writing goal is equal to their reading level multiplied by 500). The novels will be written in Google Docs (docs.mrhowd.com) to make use of the word count feature. Final novels will be uploaded to lulu.com and published as paperback books, which can be purchased for reasonable prices. So yes, students will actually write and publish their own novels. This project is based on the National Novel Writing Month Young Writers program. Here are more details:
- We will start this project in class on March 9 and it will be due on March 27; however, students can begin early.
- This is our final fiction project; the novel can be any type of fiction story (mystery, science fiction, fantasy, realistic, historical, etc.)
- We will be working in the computer lab most days, using docs.mrhowd.com to type the novel. Students can also work on this from any internet-connected computer outside of school.
- Students might want to start thinking now about how they will use a computer after school if they need to, and if they will go to the library, use a home computer, or use a friend or family member’s computer.
- If friends and family would like to order a paperback version of the book, we will upload the final texts to lulu.com. Most books will cost between $5 and $10.
- A big portion of this grade will be if students complete their own, personal word count goal.
Math: None today due to art.
Science: None on Fridays.
Social Studies: We started learning about the First People of Michigan by learning that the first people in America may have come from modern day Russia to Alaska across a land bridge when ocean levels were lower.
- Yellow magnets: 0
- Orange magnets: 0
- Red magnets: 0
- STAR Awards: 0
- Magnets moved this week (goal: 10): 10
- Hours with no yellow magnets (record: 58): 6
- Days with no orange magnets (record: 39; previous score: 10): 5
Check your student’s Personal and Social Growth grade at SnapGrades to see if your student moved their magnet.
Notes:
- View grades, assignments, attendance and even the report card at SnapGrades.
- Check out our class calendar to stay up-to-date.
- This week’s juice volunteers: Lauren and Donovan
- Sign up for Spring Conferences here.
