9/30

We completed a Noodletools citation for our paper and shared it today.  We also saved the final paper to Mrs. Carlisto's dropbox.  HW for tonight is to read and log your time.

9/29

Today I collected reading logs and passed back papers and then we edited and revised our papers and saved them on the server.  Tomorrow we will use Noodletools to create citations.  HW: Finish revisions and read and log your time reading.

9/27

We worked on finishing the first draft of the research paper in class today.  Some students have a bit of work left and should do this on their own.  Students saved their work on the server and we will continue working with the draft on Thursday.  Tomorrow I will be at a conference and students will be reading in their IR books for 30 minutes and writing for 10 minutes.  Be sure to bring your books to class.  Don't forget your reading logs are due on Thursday!

9/26

Today in class we finished up a concluding sentence for our intro.  We then reiterated the steps in writing a solid paragraph which include looking over notes, deciding which information is most important to prove our point, working to transition into new ideas and finally putting pencil to paper (or fingers on keyboard) and writing a draft of the paper.  Students then paired up and worked on writing solid paragraphs for the Mandan and Shoshone Indians.  HW is to complete the paragraphs if not completed in class and to read and log 20 minutes in IR books.

9/23

We modeled how to write an introduction today and we wrote the first body paragraph as a class as well. We will continue the rest of the paper in class on Monday. Your homework for over the weekend is to read and log at least 20 minutes in your IR books.

9/22

Great job annotating last night!  I think you are really understanding it.  We took notes in class today and then you received the last of the resources and had the assignment of reading, annotating and taking notes on "Crossing the Rockies."  I also collected reading logs today and gave you new ones.  Your homework is to read and log your time.

9/21

We spent time today working collaboratively with partners to read , annotate and note-take a source provided on the Shoshoni Indian tribe.  HW for tonight is to read and annotate the Missouri resource (9 paragraphs) and to be sure to have your completed log in class tomorrow (150 min. IR reading).  I will collect the logs and distribute new ones.

9/20

Today we transferred the relevant annotations to our note sheet keeping in mind at all times our goal for the paper.  We further discussed the advantages of annotation and note taking.  We then read together a reference source on the Mandan Indians and annotated/ and took notes.  This model will be followed in tomorrow's class where students will work on groups.  HW is to read and log time. THursday I will collect reading logs and assess for completeness and volume.

Monday 9/19

We kicked off our first Clarklisto project today.  We will be writing a research paper about Lewis and Clark.  One of the most important pieces of writing a research paper is READING.  Reading is, of course, more than just reading words; it is making sense of the words and being able to pull out key ideas and make them our own.  In order to force your hands at this, I am insisting you annotate as modeled in class and finish the packet from the text book.  This will help you take notes.

Tuesday 9/13/11

We reflected on our reading experiences and generated a list of ideas for making our reading experience the best it can be. We then set up our readers notebooks with five tabs.  If you did not have your notebook with you, be sure to see me to set it up and be sure to bring it to class tomorrow.

Just right books

Just like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, students will soon be reading books that are "just right." Reading researchers like Richard Allington believe that the key to improving literacy is getting students to read lots of just right books.

We'll talk this week about what makes a book "just right." I shared a tool called BOOKMATCH in class today.

Reading Life

Today we met in the library with our independent reading books and discussed "Just Right books".  It is important for us to reflect on our reading and identify what makes a book just right for us.  Please be sure to read for the full 20 minutes tonight and be prepared to tell us why your book is just right.  Also be sure to bring your assignment that was due today to class as we will be using it to generate a list of procedures that make reading the best it can be for ourselves.

Welcome

Welcome parents and students! It's the beginning of my second year keeping this blog. I hope you'll find it useful.

This year, the curriculum in our class will be informed by the Common Core State State Standards. What that means is that we'll be focusing on (among other things) close reading of texts, writing about texts, research projects, and narrative writing.

Also, independent reading will be a major focus for us. Often times, the homework for ELA class will require the student to read his/her independent book and to log that time.

Be sure to check back often, as I try to keep the blog updated.