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Weekly Objectives 01/17/17

Weekly objectives: 1/17

6th grade English: Students will start a unit on Capitalization this week.  They will begin with a pretest, to check their prior knowledge.  The students will create a book of capitalization rules, each day we will discuss the rules, complete an assignment and write the rules in the book.  The vocabulary test will be on Thursday. The new cards will be due on Monday. L6.1, L6.2, L6.3

7th grade English: Students will conduct a short research project to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation. The students will use their Science book to pre -write and choose their own topic.   Students will gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms, effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.  The vocabulary test will be on Thursday, and their new vocabulary cards will be due on Monday.

Standards: CCSS W7.1, W7.6, W7.7, W7.8, W7.10

 

8th grade:   Students will start working on Research methods and Digital Citizenship.  This unit will be ongoing for several weeks.  Students will learn to search for information from multiple print and digital sources and assess the credibility of each source. Students will identify guidelines for evaluating the credibility of content online.  Students will be able to answer the essential question: Why is it important to be alert and check sources while exploring online?  Students will have a Vocab Test on Thursday and create new vocab cards.  The cards will be due on the following Monday.

 Standards:  CCSS W8.4, W8.5, W8.6, W7.8, W8.9, W8.10

 

Web Quest, " A Dicken's of a Party"  Students demonstrated their knowledge of the time period, history, etiquette, entertainment and fashion with a party celebrating Scrooge's rebirth.  The students planned the party, came in costume, held historically accurate conversation while following the correct etiquette of the Victorian Era.  Check out the photo album, "A Dicken's of a Party."

Happy New Year! Weekly objectives 1/1/2017

Welcome back to school! It sometimes is a hard transition for middle school students to get start up school after a two week break.  We will spend some time getting back in the swing of school this week. 
 
6th grade:  Students will start the week, reviewing material from before break.  We will revisit Coding, and some technology reminders.  Students who did not finish their narrative before break, will need to complete that assignment. The students will review the stages of the writing process, complete a prewrite assignment for a personal narrative.  The students will choose something that happened over break to write this personal narrative. Working specifically on descriptive words, dialogue and point of view, the students will complete a rough draft, revise, proofread and present the paper on Friday.
 
7th grade: Students will start the week, reviewing material from before break.  We will revisit Coding, and some technology reminders.  Students who did not finish their narrative before break, will need to complete that assignment. The students will review the stages of the writing process, complete a prewrite assignment for a personal narrative.  The students will choose something that happened over break to write this personal narrative. Working specifically on descriptive words, dialogue, setting and point of view, the students will complete a rough draft, revise, proofread and present the paper on Friday. 
 
8th grade: Students will start the week reviewing material from before break.  We will revisit the Web Quest " A Dicken's of a Party"  complete a short reflection, move on to a discussion on Charles Dickens and the power of the written word.  The students will watch "Oliver Twist" the movie, they will use the material from the web quest and the movie to write a Comparison paper for their final project of the semester.  

Weekly Objectives 11/14/16

 

Weekly Objectives 11/14/16

Mrs. Duffy, English

 Vocabulary words this week are common educational words.  The following words are important for all Middle School students to know, understand and use Determine, Distinguish, Metaphor, Interpret, Locate, Summarize, Trace, Point of View, Theme.

Standards: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use: L6.4, L6.5, L6.6, L7.4, and 7.5, L7.6 and L8.4, L8.5 L8.6

6th grade:  Students will review their vocabulary words and definitions. We will discuss the differences in definitions of their words.   Students will review the stages of the writing process, and learn the writing traits for the Prewrite stage in the writing process.  Students will write a rough draft for a narrative, combining elements of literature, including setting, plot, theme, characters, and pov.  The students will revise their narratives, especially for the traits of organization, word choice and revision.  Students will edit and present the final copy of the narrative on Friday.  Students will share with the class using schoology.com.

Standards: CCSS W6.3, W6.4, W6.5, W6.6, W6.7, W6.8, W6.10, L6.1

7th grade:    Students will review their vocabulary words and definitions. We will discuss the differences in definitions of their words.  Students will continue a unit on Research methods and Digital Citizenship.  Students will understand the importance of using a variety of search strategies, master new strategies for effective and efficient online searches, learn to create and execute a five-step plan for conducting an online search; to search for information from multiple print and digital sources and assess the credibility of each source. Students will have a Vocab Test on Thursday and create new vocab cards.  The cards will be due on the following Monday.

Standards:  CCSS W7.4, W7.7, W7.10, SL7.1, SL7.4, SL7.6, L7.3

8th grade:   Students will review their vocabulary words and definitions. We will discuss the differences in definitions of their words.  Students will continue learning The 6+1 writing traits, this week. The students will review the stages of the writing process and continue writing the short research project to answer a question they have about the election.  Students will finish writing their rough draft, revise their paper using the traits, of organization, word choice, and voice.  Students will present their research findings on their blog. They will have a Vocab test on Thursday and create their new Vocab cards which will be due on Monday.

Standards: CCSS W8.2, W8.4, W8.5, W8.6, W8.9, W8.10. 

 

Weekly Objectives 11/7/16

Weekly Objectives

English

Vocabulary words this week are common educational words.  The following words are important for all Middle School students to know, understand and use.  Delineate, Demonstrate, Develop, Connections, Explain, Identify, Integrate, Organize, Retell, Text Structures, Evidence

6th grade:Students will develop their own ideas, and write a narrative.  For this narrative, the students created several elements of literature several weeks ago.  The students will each receive random elements during the prewrite stage. They will organize and develop the elements to write the narrative during rough draft.  The students will revise their narrative, focusing on word choice, and ideas.  The students will complete a peer review, using a standard based rubric. The narrative will be due on Tuesday, 11/15, and shared with the class on Schoology. The students will have a Vocab Test this week.  Students will have new vocab words and create their cards on Thursday, the vocab cards will be due on the following Monday. Journal writing will continue this week.

Standards: CCSS W. 6.3, W6.4, W6.5, W6.6, W8.10, L.6.1, L6.2, SL6.4, SL6.6

7th grade: Students will review their vocabulary words and definitions. We will discuss the differences in definitions of their words. Students will begin a unit on Research methods and Digital Citizenship.  Students will learn to search for information from multiple print and digital sources and assess the credibility of each source. Students will identify guidelines for evaluating the credibility of content online.  Students will be able to answer the essential question: Why is it important to be alert and check sources while exploring online?  Students will have new vocab words and create their cards on Thursday, the vocab cards will be due on the following Monday. Standards:  CCSS W7.4, W7.5, W7.6, W7.8, W7.9, W7.10

8th grade:   Students will review their vocabulary words and definitions. We will discuss the differences in definitions of their words.  Students will continue learning The 6+1 writing traits, this week. The students will review the stages of the writing process.  Students will take notes in their learning journals and discuss why the traits are important for improving their writing.  Students will focus on the prewrite traits of ideas and organization with a short research project to answer a question they have about the election.  Students will gather their ideas, choose a topic, and develop a graphic organizer for collecting their research. Students will write a short expository writing to inform their readers.  Students will revise their writing for Ideas, Word Choice and Organization.  Students will present their research findings on their blog. They will have a Vocab test on Thursday and create their new Vocab cards which will be due on Monday.

Standards: CCSS W8.2, W8.4, W8.5, W8.6, W8.9, W8.10. 

2nd Quarter

Wow! The first quarter flew by.  We have been really busy building good relationships between the students in my classes. English is basically a class in communication methods. I strongly believe the students need to feel safe and comfortable with each other and their teacher, before they willingly share their writing, ask for help, or speak out in a discussion. As we move forward in this quarter, we will to work hard on communication and relationship building.  We will have several writing projects, with mini lessons on grammar throughout this quarter.  The students will continue to have a weekly vocabulary test on Thursdays.  It is very helpful if they study their vocab cards when they have free time.  Thank you for supporting your children in their education!
 

Objectives for the week of 10/31

Weekly Objectives: English

Week of 10/31/16

Vocabulary words this week are common educational words.  The following words are important for all Middle School students to know, understand and use. Delineate, Demonstrate, Develop, Connections, Explain, Identify, Integrate, Organize, Retell, Text Structures, Evidence

Standards: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use: L6.4, L6.5, L6.6, L7.4, and 7.5, L7.6 and L8.4, L8.5 L8.6

6th grade:  Students will present their scary story narratives, to the class, with a campfire story reading.  The students will read, practicing expression and fluency.  The students will reflect on the scary story project, decide what went well, what they struggled with and set a goal to work on in their next writing assignment.  Students will review the stages of the writing process, and learn the writing traits for the Prewrite stage in the writing process.  Students will create random characters, settings, themes, plots and select a point of view. The elements will be used in narratives next week. The Vocabulary Test will be on Thursday over list 5.  The new vocab cards will be due on Monday.

Standards: CCSS W6.3, W6.4, W6.5, W6.6, W6.7, W6.8, W6.10

7th grade:  Students will share their narrative project with the class, using a discussion board. They will discuss elements of suspense. They will complete a reflection activity, decide what went well, what they struggled with and set a goal to work on in their next writing assignment.   They will review the writing traits, student checklists and rubrics. Students will practice prompt writing, with a Quick Write. The Vocabulary Test will be on Thursday over list 5.  The new vocab cards will be due on Monday.

Standards:  CCSS W7.2, W7.4, W7.5, W7.6, W7.8, W7.9, W7.10

8th grade: Students will present their narrative project around a simulated campfire.  Students will reflect on their Campfire celebration and writing project, decide what went well, what they struggled with and set a goal to work on in their next writing assignment.   Students will have a blog day this week.  Writing their own blogs, and commenting on other blogs, the students will become more confident with the blogging process.  The students are responsible for writing two blogs a week.  They will be graded monthly.  The students will practice writing from different points of view this week, as they read short stories from Edgar Allen Poe, and rewrite them from a different perspective.  The Vocabulary Test will be on Thursday over list 5.  The new vocab cards will be due on Monday.

Standards: CCSS W8.3, W8.4, W8.5, W8.6, W8.9, W8.10. 

Weekly Objectives 10/24/16

Vocabulary words this week are common educational words.  The following words are important for all Middle School students to know, understand and use. Articulate, Contrast, Alliteration, Analogy, Details, conclusion, Describe, Rhetoric, Interaction, Argument.

 Standards: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use: L6.4, L6.5, L6.6, L7.4, and 7.5, L7.6 and L8.4, L8.5 L8.6

 

6th grade English:   Students will be introduced to Narrative writing and review material in their learning log.   Students will write a short fictional narrative.  The students will develop imagined events using relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.  During the prewrite stage of the writing process, students will create their own plot diagram, complete a story map and character pictures.  The students will use prewrite materials to complete a rough draft of their story.  They will revise their work and collaborate with their peers during peer review.  The students will focus on descriptive details, plot and word choice.  During the proof read stage students will check their work for conventions, and practice telling their story.  The students will present their stories to the class on Friday. The students will have a choice of posting on Schoology to share with their audience or having a story-telling event. The students have a Vocab test over list 4, on Thursday, this week, new vocab cards, t will be due on Monday.

 Standards: CCSS W. 6.3, W6.4, W6.5, W6.6, W8.10, L.6.1, L6.2, SL6.4, SL6.6

7th grade English: Students will continue to write in their journals this week.  They will complete a short writing project on Narratives.  The students will develop real or imagined events using relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.  Students will use the elements of Literature and create their own characters, plot, setting, and theme. Students will decide what point of view to use in their writing.  As they work on the narratives, students will use the stages of the writing process.  They will also have mini lessons on subject and verb agreement, and the correct usage of pronouns. The students will practice “telling” their story, working on phrasing and timing.   The culminating activity for this project will be on Monday.  The students will share their narratives to the class with a story-telling event. The students have a Vocab test over list 4, on Thursday, vocab cards will be due on Monday.

 Standards: CCSS W. 7.3, W7.4, W7.5, W7.6, W7.10, L.7.1, L7.2, SL7.4, SL 7.6

8th grade English:  Students will write narratives this week.  The students will develop real or imagined events using relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.  Through mini lessons and the revision process, students will learn to use dialogue in their writing to develop their events and characters, use a variety of transitions, precise words and phrases, descriptive details and sensory language to capture action and convey experiences or events. Students will use the stages in the writing process to develop and strengthen their writing.  Students will collaborate with others as they write their narratives.  Students will practice “telling” their story with expression, phrasing, pauses to create suspense. Students will present their narratives at a story-telling event on Monday. Students will use technology to produce and publish another blog post this week. The students have a Vocab test over list 4, on Thursday, this week.   New vocab cards will be due on Monday.

Standards: CCSS W. 8.3, W8.4, W8.5, W8.6, W8.10, L.8.1, L8.2, SL8.4, SL8.6

 

 

Objectives for the week of 10/17

Weekly Objectives 10/16/16

Mrs. Duffy

 

 Vocabulary words this week are common educational words.  The following words are important for all Middle School students to know, understand and use. Multimedia, Narrative, Opinion, Plagiarism, Purpose (author’s or Writer’s) Quotation, Reflection, Resolution, Revise, Root (word) All students 6-8 are on list 3.

 Standards: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use: L6.4, L6.5, L6.6, L7.4, and 7.5, L7.6 and L8.4, L8.5 L8.6

 

6th grade:

6th grade:

 Students will review their vocabulary words and definitions. We will discuss the differences in definitions of their words.  We will continue learning the stages in the Writing Process this week.  The stages of Revision and Peer Review will be discussed and added to their learning journals.  Students will practice revision on a writing sample. Students will have a quiz over the 8 parts of speech and the stages in the writing process on Friday. The Vocab Test will be on Thursday and the new vocab cards for list 4 will be due on Monday.

Standards: Writing 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 6.10, Language 7.1, 7.2 and 7.3

 

7th grade:  Students will review their vocabulary words and definitions. We will discuss the differences in definitions of their words. Students will have a quiz on the Stages of the Writing Process on Friday.  Students will discover the writing traits as a common vocabulary to use as they are writing.  The Vocab test will be on Thursday.  The new vocab cards will be due on Monday.

 Standards: Writing 7.4, 7.5, 7.6, 7.10 and Language 7.1, 7.2, 7.3

8th grade:  Students will review their vocabulary words and definitions. We will discuss the differences in definitions of their words. 8th grade:  Students will review their vocabulary words and definitions. We will discuss the differences in definitions of their words. Students will complete a peer review of the informational paper on a career. Students will revise their paper and proofread the final paper.  When finished students will present their paper on their Blogs.  Students will reflect on their research, developing goals toward their career choice.  The students will set long and short term goals for their future, including specific goals for this school year.  Students will refer back to their goals, several times throughout the year.  The Vocab test will be on Thursday.  The new vocab cards will be due on Monday.

Standards: Writing 8.2, 8.4, 8.5, 8.6, 8.7, 8.8, 8.9 and 8.10 and Language 8.1, 8.3

Objectives for the week of 10/11

Objectives for the week of October 11

Vocabulary words this week are common educational words.  The following words are important for all Middle School students to know, understand and use. List 2:; 7/8th grade. No test for 6th grade.

 Standards: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use: L6.4, L6.5, L6.6, L7.4, and 7.5, L7.6 and L8.4, L8.5 L8.6

6th grade: Students will continue with the stages of the Writing Process this week. They will complete a short writing project, to practice using the stages of the writing process. Students will write a descriptive paper.  Students will complete several prewrite activities to gather ideas to write about.  The students will write a rough draft, revise the draft, proofread and present it on Friday. Students will NOT have a vocabulary test this week.

Standards: Writing 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6 and 6.10

 

7th grade:  Students will review their vocabulary words and definitions. We will discuss the differences in definitions of their words.  Students will continue with the stages of the Writing Process this week. They will complete a short writing project, to practice using the stages of the writing process. Students will write a personal narrative, choosing from a list of prompts.  Students will complete several prewrite activities, including developing characters, plot, theme, setting and deciding on Point of View.  The students will write a rough draft, revise the draft, proofread and present it on Friday. The Vocab test over list 2 will be on Thursday.  The new vocab cards will be due on Monday.

 Standards: Writing W7.3, 7.4, 7.5, 7.6, 7.10 and Language 7.1, 7.2, 7.3

8th grade: Students will continue with the stages of the Writing Process this week. They will complete a short writing project, to practice using the stages of the writing process. Students will write a narrative. Students will complete several prewrite activities, including developing characters, plot, theme, setting and deciding on Point of View.  The students will write a rough draft, revise the draft, proofread and present it on Friday. The Vocab test over list 2 will be on Thursday.  The new vocab cards will be due on Monday.

Standards: Writing 8.3, 8.4, 8.5, 8.6, 8.7, 8.8, 8.9 and 8.10 and Language 8.1, 8.3

Some Thoughts on Blogging

BLOGGING IN EDUCATION

 

Setting up student blog posts is challenging, and at times I wondered, if it would be worth it. After using a different blog site, for 3 years, Last year, I knew it was time to move to another platform. After watching the suggested videos with my classes, the students created their own blogs, yet something wasn’t right. It took some time,but we worked out the issues. I am excited to use edublogs.org again this year,with my 8th grade students.

Some may wonder what the purpose of blogging is??? In today’s world our students will encounter many new uses for technology. We know the changes in communication will continue at a mind boggling speed. I believe we need to continue making changes in education to keep up.

One of the changes is blogging. In a traditional classroom, students wrote for an audience of one, their teacher. In today’s world, through the use of blogging, students write for a much larger audience. Students naturally are more concerned about their writing. They strive to improve as they learn this new method of communication.

As we excitedly look forward to the future, so do the students. Preparing them to adapt to change, through learning the skills they will need, allows students to gain the confidence needed to continue to grow and learn in the 21st century!
Student blogs are located as links, on the left side of my blog, located at
Mrs. Duffy’s Language Arts Classes

Weekly Objectives 10/3/16

Weekly Objectives 10/3/16

Vocabulary words this week are common educational words.  The following words are important for all Middle School students to know, understand and use. List 2: 6th grade, List 1: 7/8th grade

 Standards: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use: L6.4, L6.5, L6.6, L7.4, and 7.5, L7.6 and L8.4, L8.5 L8.6

6th grade:

 Students will review their vocabulary words and definitions for list 2.  Due to the NWEA testing last week, we didn’t have the vocab test.  We will continue reviewing the 8 parts of speech and learning the stages in the Writing Process this week.  The stages Prewrite, Rough Draft and Revision / Peer Review will be discussed and added to their learning journals.  Students will practice revision on writing samples.  The Vocab Test will be on Thursday and the new vocab cards will be due on Tuesday as we do not have school on Monday. 

Standards: Writing 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6 and 6.10, and Language 6.1,6.2,6.3

7th grade:  Students will review their vocabulary words and definitions.  Due to the NWEA testing last week, we didn’t have the vocab test, so the test will be on List 1.   Students will continue with the stages of the Writing Process this week.  We will discuss and add Revision and Peer Review to their learning journals this week.  Students will practice revision as the revise and complete a peer review of their Hero paper.  The Vocab test will be on Thursday.  The new vocab cards will be due on Tuesday.

Standards: Writing 7.4, 7.5, 7.6, 7.10 and Language 7.1, 7.2, 7.3

8th grade English:  Students posted an introductory blog this past week! They worked hard, to design their blogs and figure out how they worked. The students will post regularly in their blogs through the school year. The students did not take their vocab test as we had the NWEA testing.  They will have the same list and the test will be on Thursday. Students will practice goal- setting skills this week through their writing.  During the Prewrite stage students will practice inquiry through developing research questions on their career choice.  Students will begin their research, looking for facts to answers to their questions.  Students will paraphrase their notes and create citations as they research.

Standards: Writing 8.2, 8.4, 8.5, 8.6, 8.7, 8.8, 8.9 and 8.10 and Language 8.1, 8.3

 

Objectives for the week of 9/26

Weekly Objectives Week of 9/26

English

Mrs. Duffy

Vocabulary words this week for 6th grade are common educational words.  The following words are important for all Middle School students to know, understand and use. Vocabulary Cards are due on Monday and the Vocab test is on Thursday. Citation, Classification, Collaborate, Describe, Evidence, Fact, Inquiry, Judgment, Perspective, Paraphrase List 2

7th and 8th grade: list 1

Standards: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use: L6.4, L6.5, L6.6, L7.4, and 7.5, L7.6 and L8.4, L8.5 L8.6

6th grade English:  Students will learn the “common educational” definitions of the vocabulary words and discuss how they will be used in their other core classes. The Vocab test over List 2, will be on Thursday.  Students will continue learning an overview of the 8 parts of speech, stages of the writing process and practice note taking skills. Students will develop writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting or trying a new approach. Students will apply the new information by using the first stage, Prewriting for a narrative. The students will continue writing in their daily online journal.

  Standards: Writing 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6 and 6.10

7th grade English:  Students will begin their week, working on organizing their biography and sharing their outline and rough draft on Schoology.com.   Student work will be shared with their peers to help the development, organization and style of their writing. Students will discuss the task, purpose and audience for the biography. Students will use peer review to check citations.  Students will review the stages of the writing process and beginning learning important writing traits. As we progress through the year, student writing will be assessed using the traits.  Students will have a Vocab test over list 1, on Thursday.

Standards: Writing 7.2, 7.4, 7.5, 7.6, 7.10 and Language 7.1, 7.2, 7.3

8th grade English:  Students will publish their first blog entry to start the week.  The students will post regularly in their blogs through the school year.  Students will practice goal- setting skills this week through their writing.  During the Prewrite stage students will visualize themselves in the future and develop long and short term goals to attain their imagined future.  Students will practice inquiry through developing research questions on their career choice.  Students will begin their research, looking for facts to answers to their questions.  Students will paraphrase their notes and create citations as they research.  Students will have a Vocab test over list 1, on Thursday.

Standards: Writing 8.2, 8.4, 8.5, 8.6, 8.7, 8.8, 8.9 and 8.10 and Language 8.1, 8.3

 

Objectives for the week of 9/16

    

English

Mrs. Duffy

Vocabulary words this week are common educational words.  The following words are important for all Middle School students to know, understand and use. Vocabulary lists will also be found on the left hand side, on the vocab page.  Analysis, Evaluation, Synthesis, Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Infer, Compare, Support, Elaborate.

 Standards: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use: L6.4, L6.5, L6.6, L7.4, and 7.5, L7.6 and L8.4, L8.5 L8.6

6th grade English:  Students will learn the “common educational” definitions of the vocabulary words and discuss how they will be used in their other core classes. Vocab cards are due on Mondays and the Vocab test will be on Thursdays.  Students will continue learning the 8 parts of speech, the stages of the writing process and practice note taking skills. The students will continue writing in their daily online journal.

 Standards: Writing 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6 and 6.10

7th grade English:  Students will begin their week finishing their research for their Hero biography.  Students will use their research notes to create an outline, organize the material and write the rough draft.  Students will begin revising their papers to see if they say what they want it to say, and if it will make sense to their audience.  Students will review citations and practice creating citations. They will include citations with their paper.  Students will publish their Informative Biography on schoology.com.  Student work will be shared with their peers.  Students will learn the “common educational” definitions of the vocabulary words and discuss how they will be used in their other core classes. Vocab cards are due on Mondays and the Vocab test will be on Thursdays. 

Standards: Writing 7.4, 7.5, 7.6, 7.10 and Language 7.1, 7.2, 7.3

8th grade English: Students will work on learning the correct procedures for good Peer Reviews this week.  They will continue working on revision skills as they revise their Introduction for their first blog post.  Students will discover how to upload to their blogs and comment on other student blogs.  Students will learn the “common educational” definitions of the vocabulary words and discuss how they will be used in their other core classes. Vocab cards are due on Mondays and the Vocab test will be on Thursdays. 

Standards: Writing 8.2, 8.4, 8.5, 8.6, 8.7, 8.8, 8.9 and 8.10 and Language 8.1, 8.3