Once again, it was a jam-packed class. We are accomplishing a lot in our short time together! Students are really getting into a good groove.
Words of the Day
We have been starting with this portion of our class, and I did warn students that there will be a quiz on these words by the end of the semester. It would be a good idea to review these words periodically. These two words are Fall-related. Can you see how these words are related to the season?
quietus (noun)--death that is a relief/eterna rest; death of an argument.From Latin “quietus est”=he is quiet; his debt is paid.
Students were asked to write about their own personal quietus–the welcome end of something in their lives.
deciduous (adj)–falling off or shed seasonally or at a certain stage of development in the life cycle. Latin→de=down; off +caedere→to fall. Related to the words decay and decadence→to fall from a condition of health or perfection.
Quick Write
Students viewed and responded to the painting Wanderer Above the Sea of Clouds by romantic German painter Caspar David Friedrich.
Homework Check
I touched on the fact that I had sent out detailed grade reports during the past week. Students should note that each assignment is very important. If something is not turned in, it says “Missing” on Google classroom. Those marked “Missing” will automatically be transposed into a“0” when when imported to the grade book. After three weeks, I will no longer grade work.
Another noteworthy item is that the gradebook is broken up into weighted categories. You can now easily see your progress in each category and how that impacts your overall grade. Since grades are weighted, figuring out your own grade wouldl be a very complicated math problem! If you calculate your total points and it doesn’t reflect the grade you are receiving, it might be due to the weighting.
Grammar
The adjectives group presented this week. They put together a teaching video on adjectives (link below). Fill out the evaluation form for that group’s presentation on Google Classroom.
The class was assigned homework on adjectives as well. The worksheet and the worksheets must be self-corrected. Make sure you note those corrections!.
Due to illness, the Interjections Group wasn’t able to present. They (Lydia, Grace, Celia) will present next week along with the Nouns Group (Vivi, Annie, Phoebe). Be prepared! I reminded the students they are responsible for: a short teaching to explain the part of speech and a worksheet. They must coordinate with their group members to make it happen.
Literature
We have finished Animal Farm and today we had a discussion about the characters and some themes and conflicts–specifically leadership, manipulation and propaganda (link to Google Slideshow below). After that, students broke into groups to discuss their Character Sketches that were due today. We will use this as a basis for our class activity next week.
Writing
Today was our first Writing Circles discussion. We did not have time to discuss our writing goals, but students were to have filled out a short 4 question worksheet which was due today. I wanted to devote time to peer reviewing the Personal Essay Rough Drafts.
There is great value in reading others’ writing–and value for both the writer (feedback!), and the reader who gets the chance to experience the essay from other angles.
We briefly discussed proofreading/editing marks and transition words/phrases. I asked students to read the essay through a few times to evaluate mechanics and organization. The essays were made anonymous which helped ease any stress, and students were able to take their classmates’ feedback home with them to use during the revision process. Personal Essay finals are due next week (Oct. 13).
Have a blessed week!
Mrs. G
Homework
Revise Personal Essays
Links for this Week
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