I can't believe that it is already time for Christmas Break! For homework over the break, you only have Grammar Sheets (just the odds...) and the Word Search for Vocabulary if you did not finish! Then for Literature....pick a book, any book, and read it! Be ready to chat with me about it after the break!
Have a great, restful break! See you all next year!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Writing Homework (Due Dec 13,15)
For Writing….
All you have to do this week is add transitions to the paragraphs I handed back to you in class this week. If you did not receive paragraphs back, it means you never turned them in the first time around…so you need to do two expository paragraphs, or find the ones you were supposed to do previously.
When you add your transitions, add them in BLUE. And remember, transitions are part of your RDFs. You do not have to rewrite your paper, you simply add them in and draw an arrow to where they need to be in your paper. This should be a super simple assignment and not time consuming at all. :)
***If you need a refresher on two of the expository paragraphs you were supposed to turn in, check the blogs entries from Sept 13 (8 sentence paragraph) and Sept 29 (11 sentence paragraph).***
All you have to do this week is add transitions to the paragraphs I handed back to you in class this week. If you did not receive paragraphs back, it means you never turned them in the first time around…so you need to do two expository paragraphs, or find the ones you were supposed to do previously.
When you add your transitions, add them in BLUE. And remember, transitions are part of your RDFs. You do not have to rewrite your paper, you simply add them in and draw an arrow to where they need to be in your paper. This should be a super simple assignment and not time consuming at all. :)
***If you need a refresher on two of the expository paragraphs you were supposed to turn in, check the blogs entries from Sept 13 (8 sentence paragraph) and Sept 29 (11 sentence paragraph).***
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Genre Homework for Literature (Due 12/13,15)
This week in class we learned about GENRE and discussed several different types of literary GENRES(through an AWESOME Power Point presentation using our new projector!). Each student has a packet of Double Column Notes over GENRE to use and keep forever. :)
For Homework:
Look through your notes on GENRE. Pick one GENRE to focus on. Once you have picked that GENRE, please find a piece of literature that is an example of that genre. Read it! Be ready to share your piece of literature with the class next week. Try to pick a piece of literature that is short, not a novel. Have a parent help you find a specific fable, or myth, or reference source that you can read (or look through!) and share....
***Please don't feel limited to a fable, myth, or reference source...it can be an example from ANY of the GENRES we learned about in class!!!***
For Homework:
Look through your notes on GENRE. Pick one GENRE to focus on. Once you have picked that GENRE, please find a piece of literature that is an example of that genre. Read it! Be ready to share your piece of literature with the class next week. Try to pick a piece of literature that is short, not a novel. Have a parent help you find a specific fable, or myth, or reference source that you can read (or look through!) and share....
***Please don't feel limited to a fable, myth, or reference source...it can be an example from ANY of the GENRES we learned about in class!!!***
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Week of November 15,17 (Due 11/29,12/01)
Independent Reading Project reminder!
Please remember that this is a PROJECT and I expect neat work that you put a lot of effort into...this is a major part of your Literature grade this semester! :)
For Writing this week...
You are to complete your 11 sentence Compare/Contrast paragraph. Make sure that is starts with an O/P Statement!! After you complete your paragraph, please go back and underline each sentence accordingly.
Topic Sentence
RDF
Explain
Explain
RDF
Explain
Explain
RDF
Explain
Explain
Conclusion
Please remember that this is a PROJECT and I expect neat work that you put a lot of effort into...this is a major part of your Literature grade this semester! :)
For Writing this week...
You are to complete your 11 sentence Compare/Contrast paragraph. Make sure that is starts with an O/P Statement!! After you complete your paragraph, please go back and underline each sentence accordingly.
Topic Sentence
RDF
Explain
Explain
RDF
Explain
Explain
RDF
Explain
Explain
Conclusion
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Writing Homework! (Due November 15/17...had the wrong due dates...so sorry!)
Today during writing we took notes on how to write a great Compare/Contrast paper. We focused on the purpose of this type of writing, along with tips and tricks on how to write this type of paper easily!
For homework, each student needs to write an Occasion/Position Statement (see notes and/or Handy Pages) for a paragraph either comparing (telling how they are alike) or contrasting (telling how they are different) The Secret Garden book to the movie. After the O/P Statement has been written, each student needs to plan their paragraph...not write it, just plan for it! Please use the following format:
Topic Sentence
RDF (Reason/Detail/Fact)
E (Explain)
E
RDF
E
E
RDF
E
E
Conclusion
For homework, each student needs to write an Occasion/Position Statement (see notes and/or Handy Pages) for a paragraph either comparing (telling how they are alike) or contrasting (telling how they are different) The Secret Garden book to the movie. After the O/P Statement has been written, each student needs to plan their paragraph...not write it, just plan for it! Please use the following format:
Topic Sentence
RDF (Reason/Detail/Fact)
E (Explain)
E
RDF
E
E
RDF
E
E
Conclusion
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
KidBlog.org Assignment!
This week each of you will create a blog post and submit it to me for approval. Please answer the following question:
How and why will blogging help motivate you to read your book for the Independent Reading Project?
Answer the above question in at least five sentences. Remember that your classmates will see your responses, so please use correct punctuation and spelling. :)
Also, be sure you E-MAIL me your book choice for the Independent Reading Project. Do not put it on the blog.
Have fun blogging!
How and why will blogging help motivate you to read your book for the Independent Reading Project?
Answer the above question in at least five sentences. Remember that your classmates will see your responses, so please use correct punctuation and spelling. :)
Also, be sure you E-MAIL me your book choice for the Independent Reading Project. Do not put it on the blog.
Have fun blogging!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Independent Reading Project!
Now that we have finished reading The Secret Garden, it is time to move on to something new! Before we dive into our next novel (My Side of the Mountain), we are going to do an Independent Reading Project. I will be passing out a hard copy of the Project in class and discussing it thoroughly. I will also attempt to attach a copy of the Independent Reading Project here as well. :)
One think you might notice on our blog is that I have created individual student blogs for each student! We will be using these blogs throughout the year, starting with our Independent Reading Project for our Reading Logs. I will let you all know your username and password next week in class, and I will give you a demonstration on how to use your blog then. I'm very excited about this added element to our blog and to our curriculum.
So for now, take a look at the PDF of our Project and start thinking about what book you would like to read. If you come up with a one, let me know in class or through e-mail and you can go ahead and start reading!
Independent Reading Project
One think you might notice on our blog is that I have created individual student blogs for each student! We will be using these blogs throughout the year, starting with our Independent Reading Project for our Reading Logs. I will let you all know your username and password next week in class, and I will give you a demonstration on how to use your blog then. I'm very excited about this added element to our blog and to our curriculum.
So for now, take a look at the PDF of our Project and start thinking about what book you would like to read. If you come up with a one, let me know in class or through e-mail and you can go ahead and start reading!
Independent Reading Project
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Writing Homework! (Due November 1/3)
The past few weeks of class we have really focused on learning how to organized our thoughts in order to write a great expository paper. I feel like everyone has a great grasp on organizing their thoughts, so we have moved on to learning how to write topic sentences.
The first type of topic sentence that we have learned is the Occasion/Position Statement. We took notes on this in class, looked at several exampled, and practiced writing several O/P Statements individually. The Handy Pages also has a section on topic sentences that highlights the Occasion/Position Statements. Please use these as a reference for your homework! :)
Directions: Write an O/P Statement for each of the topics written below. When you are finished, you should have three outstanding Occasion/Position Statements.
TOPICS:
1. comparing Mary and Colin
2. your feelings about the book The Secret Garden
3. how Lord Craven feels about Colin
Have a great week off while I meet with your parents during Teacher/Teacher Conferences! See you in November! :)
The first type of topic sentence that we have learned is the Occasion/Position Statement. We took notes on this in class, looked at several exampled, and practiced writing several O/P Statements individually. The Handy Pages also has a section on topic sentences that highlights the Occasion/Position Statements. Please use these as a reference for your homework! :)
Directions: Write an O/P Statement for each of the topics written below. When you are finished, you should have three outstanding Occasion/Position Statements.
TOPICS:
1. comparing Mary and Colin
2. your feelings about the book The Secret Garden
3. how Lord Craven feels about Colin
Have a great week off while I meet with your parents during Teacher/Teacher Conferences! See you in November! :)
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Writing Assignment Due Oct 4/6
Since the Writing homework did not make it on my newsletter, I am posting it here for all to see! :)
Students...turn to page 15 in your Paragraph Planning Packet. You get to choose the topic on this one! Go ahead and plan your paragraph. Remember, when you see dots and dashes that means to just jot down ideas to organize your thoughts...not complete sentences! After you have completed the Paragraph Planning Sheet (pg. 15), expand your planning into a paragraph. This paragraph will have ELEVEN sentences. After your paragraph is complete, please underline the sentences in the correct corresponding color (green, yellow, red). That's all! :)
Students...turn to page 15 in your Paragraph Planning Packet. You get to choose the topic on this one! Go ahead and plan your paragraph. Remember, when you see dots and dashes that means to just jot down ideas to organize your thoughts...not complete sentences! After you have completed the Paragraph Planning Sheet (pg. 15), expand your planning into a paragraph. This paragraph will have ELEVEN sentences. After your paragraph is complete, please underline the sentences in the correct corresponding color (green, yellow, red). That's all! :)
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Week of September 20/22 -- Literature!
We are moving right along in The Secret Garden. I really enjoyed our class discussions about Mary and Dickon this week. :)
For homework this week, please do Activities 15 and 16 in your Notebook. Remember, next week in class we will be having a quiz.
***Parents!!!***
For Activity 16, you are to listen to your child read aloud part of The Secret Garden. It doesn't need to be a whole chapter, but it does need to be enough for you to assess their oral reading. On page 12 of their Secret Garden Notebook is a chart for you to complete while they read.
As your child reads to you, simply place a tally mark in the chart next to the area that you see as a concern.
Omissions = when words are omitted from the reading
Insertions = when words are added orally that are not written
Substitutions = when a different word is said instead of the word printed
Mispronunciations = when a word is pronounced incorrectly
Inversions = when words are reversed ("saw" for "was")
Aided = when prompting/help is used to read the word
Repititions = when a word is repeated orally but not repeated in the text
Expressions = if your child reads with expression, please place a (+) in this column. If there is no expression, please place a (-) in this column.
Rate = if your child reads at a good rate, please place a (+) in this column. If the rate is slow, please place a (-) in this column.
Volume = if your child reads an easy to hear volume, please place a (+) in this column. If your child reads at a volume you can't hear very well, please place a (-) in this column.
Class Reminder! We will be having a quiz over The Secret Garden next week. Make sure you have read through Chapter 16.
For homework this week, please do Activities 15 and 16 in your Notebook. Remember, next week in class we will be having a quiz.
***Parents!!!***
For Activity 16, you are to listen to your child read aloud part of The Secret Garden. It doesn't need to be a whole chapter, but it does need to be enough for you to assess their oral reading. On page 12 of their Secret Garden Notebook is a chart for you to complete while they read.
As your child reads to you, simply place a tally mark in the chart next to the area that you see as a concern.
Omissions = when words are omitted from the reading
Insertions = when words are added orally that are not written
Substitutions = when a different word is said instead of the word printed
Mispronunciations = when a word is pronounced incorrectly
Inversions = when words are reversed ("saw" for "was")
Aided = when prompting/help is used to read the word
Repititions = when a word is repeated orally but not repeated in the text
Expressions = if your child reads with expression, please place a (+) in this column. If there is no expression, please place a (-) in this column.
Rate = if your child reads at a good rate, please place a (+) in this column. If the rate is slow, please place a (-) in this column.
Volume = if your child reads an easy to hear volume, please place a (+) in this column. If your child reads at a volume you can't hear very well, please place a (-) in this column.
Class Reminder! We will be having a quiz over The Secret Garden next week. Make sure you have read through Chapter 16.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Week of September 13/15 -- Literature
First of all, class, as you are reading and learn more and more about Dickon, please write those adjectives that describe him on his picture (pg 16)! We will compare/contrast Dickon and Mary in class next week!
Activity 9 Vocabulary
1. Wick
2. Governess
3. Guardian
4. Solemnly
Activity 10 Reader's Response
"Happiness must be grown in one's own garden." -Mary Engelbreight
When you write about what you believe this quote to mean, be sure to write at least a five sentence paragraph. Use the format we learned in writing class! :)
Activity 11 Vocabulary
I'm looking forward to seeing your picture of a Rajah gaping fretfully at ....! Do your best, even if you don't consider yourself artistic!
Activity 12 Literary Terms
1. Imagery : figurative language (to see a picture in your mind)
2. Metaphor : a strong comparison, applying a word or phrase to something else, usually using the verb "is"
General Example : He is a bear in the morning.
Story Example :
3. Simile : a comparison that is not as strong, that uses "like" or "as"
General Example : He is as quiet as a mouse.
Story Example :
4. Symbol : something that represents something else
General Example : The sun rose the next day bringing hope.
Story Example :
***I just realized that I forgot to type #5 on in your handbook. Please try to find space on your paper to add it! I'm sorry! :)
5. Personification : giving human characteristics to objects
General Example : The sunflower shined its face on us.
Story Example :
Make sure that by class next week you have read through Chapter 11. And as always, e-mail me if you have any questions, comments or concerns. Have a great weekend!
Week of September 13/15 -- Writing Assignment for Writing Class!
Today (Tuesday...Thursday students, ignore this until after class on Thursday!) in class we talked about the organization of paragraphs and how to make sure we have paragraphs that make sense. We discusses five, six and seven sentence accordion paragraphs. This is how they look:
For homework, each student is to write an 8 sentence paragraph and the topic is movie/tv show. Follow the accordion format below!
Five Sentence Paragraph
Topic Sentence
Reason/Detail/Fact
Reason/Detail/Fact
Reason/Detail/Fact
Conclusion
Six Sentence Paragraph
Topic Sentence
Reason/Detail/Fact
Explain
Reason/Detail/Fact
Explain
Conclusion
Seven Sentence Paragraph
Topic Sentence
Reason/Detail/Fact
Explain
Reason/Detail/Fact
Explain
Explain
Conclusion
***Parents: This might look a little foreign to you, but trust me, your kids should know exactly what it means! We looked at examples and practices writing paragraphs like this in class. If you or your student is lost, please e-mail me! mfernihough@asd20.orgFor homework, each student is to write an 8 sentence paragraph and the topic is movie/tv show. Follow the accordion format below!
Eight Sentence Paragraph
Topic Sentence
Reason, Detail, Fact
Explain
Reason, Detail, Fact
Explain
Reason, Detail, Fact
Explain
Conclusion
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Activity 6 Vocabulary
My Tuesday students are completely on top of completing their "Secret Garden Notebook!" I am just now getting the vocabulary for this week posted and I have already had several inqiries about where the definitions were! So those of you who have been eager to begin, I'm so sorry! I'll try to be better at posting the definitions that day I assign them. :)
Remember, copy down the definitions and then draw a picture out to the side to help you remember the meaning of each word!
1. Porridge - breakfast food like oatmeal
2. Biscuit - can be a small cake or cookie, not usually too sweet
3. Matted - a tangled mess, clumped together
4. Alcoves - a shady or secluded place in a garden
I look forward to hearing how many of your predictions from Activity 7 were close to what happened in the story!
I hope you are enjoying this book and the activities as much as I am! Have a great week! :)
Remember, copy down the definitions and then draw a picture out to the side to help you remember the meaning of each word!
1. Porridge - breakfast food like oatmeal
2. Biscuit - can be a small cake or cookie, not usually too sweet
3. Matted - a tangled mess, clumped together
4. Alcoves - a shady or secluded place in a garden
I look forward to hearing how many of your predictions from Activity 7 were close to what happened in the story!
I hope you are enjoying this book and the activities as much as I am! Have a great week! :)
Friday, September 2, 2011
Followers!
Thank you so much for those of you who have already signed up and are now "following" this blog! I really appreciate it! I believe that as "followers" you will get notifications when I post. This is a new concept for me (and for CSP) to have a class blog that is an actual interactive tool for the students. I appreciate any and all feedback, as I want this to be useful and exciting! Thank you so much for your support thus far this year and I look forward to a great year with all of you!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
The Secret Garden - Activities 3 and 4
Thank you for making your way to our class blog! This is where you will find information you need to complete your homework at times. For this first week of our Secret Garden Unit, you will copy down the definitions for your vocabulary words for Activity 3! Beneathe the Vocabulary Words for Activity 3 are some images to help you with Activity 4. I hope you enjoy this blog as a fun tool to help you with your homework! If you have questions or something is unclear, please feel free to e-mail me at mfernihough@asd20.org.
Mrs. Fernihough
Activity 3 Vocabulary
- Befriended - to make friends with
2. Ushered - led into
3. "Polished the furniture" - dusted the furniture
4. Displeased - not pleased
5. Intrustion - an interruption
***Do not forget to draw a small picture beside each word to help you remember these definitions. :)
Activity 4 Art
You are to draw a picture of what you think The Secret Garden might look like. I have posted a few pictures of gardens to get your brain waves thinking that direction. Enjoy!
Now that you have drawn your beautiful garden (and colored it!), focus on the points to ponder at the bottom of page 3.
Read Chapters 2 and 3. We will talk about these two chapters in class next week...we will focus on Mary's attitude!
Enjoy your week and I can't wait for our next class!
Mrs. Fernihough
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Welcome!
I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with the blogging world, but it is a great tool to use in education. This blog will serve a few specific purposes.
- I will post homework help and tips for you here. Since I only meet with you each once a week, I might not be able to cover everything as thoroughly as I would like. This blog will help me to reinforce or add additional information to what was taught in class.
- I will use this blog to post images and links that I would like you to see to help you with your studies at home. This is a safe way for me to show you exactly what I would like you to see without you having to search the internet aimlessly.
- If time allows, I will post updates and recaps for parents to know what we are studying and all that was completed in class.
- I would like to be able to add assignments and links to this blog for you to access our classwork in case of an absence.
I'm sure as the year progresses I will think of many more useful ways to use this blog. This is my first time using a blog as an educational tool, so if you have any great ideas for me, please do not hesitate to let me know!
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