Friday, March 14, 2008

LAST DAY OF 3rd NINE WEEKS!

Mr. D wishes you a super, wonderful, awesome, spectacular, memorable, excellent, incredible, unforgettable, nice, great, fantastic, fun Spring Break. This is your LAST SPRING BREAK of your middle school career. Have fun. Be safe. Don't do anything I wouldn't do.... I love you!



HISTORY CLASS

"Opposing Slavery" (Chp. 15.2)

Objectives for Today

• You will be able to explain how the antislavery movement began and grew.
• You will describe how the Underground Railroad helped slaves reach freedom.
• You will be able to discuss why many white northerners and southerns opposed the campaign to abolish slavery.

Agenda for Today

1. Bellringer: Draw a picture of a cotton gin. If you don't know what it is, look it up in your book and then draw what you think it would look like.
2. You will work on a crossword puzzle that will review the information we covered in class yesterday. This will serve as a test grade for this section!

READING CLASS

Core Reading Skill #9: Understanding Plot

Objectives for Today

• You will analyze the development of plot in a narrative text.
• You will recognize the basic situation of central conflict, the events or complications related to the central conflict, the climax, and the resolution.
• You will know how cause-and-effect relation ships affect the plot.
• You will understand where and when a story takes place, and trace the author's development of time and sequence.

Agenda for Today

1. You will come in and finish this week's Readers Workshop.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

HISTORY CLASS

"Opposing Slavery" (Chp. 15.2)

Objective for Today

• You will be able to explain how the antislavery movement began and grew.
• You will describe how the Underground Railroad helped slaves reach freedom.
• You will be able to discuss why many white northerners and southerns opposed the campaign to abolish slavery.

Agenda for Today

1. Bellringer: Think about a situation that you consider to be unjust. You will write a two paragraph description of what actions or risks you would be willing to take to correct that unjust situation.
2. Mr. D will teach everyone a song that arose from the times of slavery in the U.S.
3. Mr. D will lecture on chapter 15, section 2 and you will take notes.

READING CLASS

Core Reading Skill #9: Understanding Plot

Objectives for Today

• You will analyze the development of plot in a narrative text.
• You will recognize the basic situation of central conflict, the events or complications related to the central conflict, the climax, and the resolution.
• You will know how cause-and-effect relation ships affect the plot.
• You will understand where and when a story takes place, and trace the author's development of time and sequence.

Agenda for Today

1. You will come in and begin working on this week's Readers Workshop.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

HISTORY CLASS

"Growth of the U.S. to 1853" (Chp. 13)

Objective for Today

• Learners will be able to interpret a geographic map of the early U.S.

Agenda for Today

1. Bellringer: You will come in, sit down, and write a one paragraph explanation of the map you labeled yesterday. Your paragraph should explain what each of the eight divisions on the map represent and why it is important to know about these.
2. Mr. Duncan will talk briefly about your maps.
3. You will work independently, answering the questions from the overhead that relate to your map.

READING CLASS

Core Reading Skill #9: Understanding Plot

Objectives for Today

• You will analyze the development of plot in a narrative text.
• You will recognize the basic situation of central conflict, the events or complications related to the central conflict, the climax, and the resolution.
• You will know how cause-and-effect relation ships affect the plot.
• You will understand where and when a story takes place, and trace the author's development of time and sequence.

Agenda for Today

1. You will come in and write a definition of plot without looking it up in the book.
2. Mr. D will read chapters 4 & 5 of Stepping on the Cracks.
3. We will work on another exercise on learning to understand plot.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

HISTORY CLASS

"The Industrial Revolution & Westward Expansion" (Chp. 11.1-2)

Objectives for Today

• You will be able to identify the Industrial Revolution and explain its effects on the U.S.
• You will be able to identify the important people, places and things from the westward expansion of the U.S.
• You will be able to interpret a geographic map of the early U.S.

Agenda for Today

1. Bellringer: You will have your 8 minutes to review chapter 11, sections 1 &2, specifically paying attention to the overall significance of the Industrial Revolution to American history and three innovations of the westward expansion of the U.S. (e.g. turnpikes, canals, steamboats).
2. You will take a short quiz over chapter 11, sections 1 & 2.
3. After the quiz, you will work on drawing two geographic maps of the early U.S. (pgs. 379 and 433).

READING CLASS

Core Reading Skill #9: Understanding Plot

Objectives for Today

• You will review the characteristics of plot.
• You will work in whole class, cooperative groups, and individually to read short stories.
• You will demonstrate an understanding of plot structure by analyzing a several short stories.
• You will use Plot Diagram interactive as prewriting activity for essay tracing plot structure in a short story.

Agenda for Today

1. Bellringer: Write a defintion of plot and then write a description of the plot of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears."
2. We will share our definitions of plot.
3. Mr. D will do a short read aloud.
4. We will look at our newest core reading skill and review a tip sheet on how to practice it.
5. We will do at least one mini read today to practice this new skill.