Monday January 4, 2015

Happy New Year everyone!!

I hope you all had a nice break with your families.

I wanted to explain to students and their parents some of the expectations we will be covering over the course of the next little while.  As you check the blog, as well as our Twitter feed, this should give you a glimpse of exactly what we have been, and will be, working on.

Literacy
We will continue to work on completing our articles.  My goal is that these will be handed in a little over two weeks.  The rubric below serves as a guide for what we have learned, and what we will continue to learn as we revise our articles to make them sound professional.  This week we will go through lessons on how to more effectively use quotes in our articles, as well as learn how to identify whether we have stated an opinion on a topic, or simply explained facts about that topic (Essay vs. Opinion).

	Level 4	Level 3	Level 2	Level 1
Research (Exp. 1.3)	I gathered information to support my ideas for writing.  The quotes that I have used show that I have used a lot of good resources to support my opinion.
Organizing Ideas (Exp. 1.5)	- I wrote in an order that flows nicely and is very easy to follow - I used quotes which support my writing in a very meaningful way. - I started a new paragraph for new topics, and new quotes.
Review (Exp. 1.6)	- I explained details very well, but made sure that I was to the point. - My writing shows that I realize that articles should not be too wordy.  The information is thorough, but to the point.
Sentence Fluency (Exp. 2.4)	- My sentences flow very nicely.  I used simple and compound sentences appropriately so that my article does not sound choppy when read.   - I also used commas and periods appropriately. - I proofread my article to make sure that everything I wrote “sounds” correct.
Point of View (Exp. 2.5)	- My point of view on the topic is very clear and very well explained. - I presented opposing points of view and very effectively (but respectfully) explained why I disagree.

Math
This week we will complete our work on area of geometric shapes (Chapter 5) and will then be having our unit test.  Details for the unit review will be coming shortly.

History
Students are encouraged to ensure that all their notes are up to date.  There will be an open book test, in the near future, but students are encouraged to  make sure that all assigned homework questions have been completed, and corrected.  This will not be a difficult task if you have been completing your homework.  If you have not kept up, then you have a lot of work to do.





Please find tonight's homework below....

Math - p. 52, 53, 54 in workbook (due tomorrow)

History - Question on Twitter (due Thursday)

History - Make sure your notes are up to date.


Have a great evening.

Mr. Carr