Beware of Due Dates & Short Weeks!

Greetings!

We only have three days with students this week due to the state of Idaho’s mandatory teacher in-service days this Thursday and Friday (October 3 – 4). Due to the short week with kids, there will be NO SPELLING OR VOCABULARY LISTS AND TESTS. We do, however, have our infamous Mugshot sentences and paragraph—which is due when students arrive to class on Wednesday. Our normal schedule will resume with a new list of Greek and Latin roots next Monday.

Due to mass confusion regarding the literary elements of plot when we discussed the novel Tuck Everlasting, I knew that we needed to continue to study plot, especially the fact that there are many pieces of rising and falling action within a story. The climax has also been difficult for the class to pinpoint, so today I read them Walter the Farting Dog (by William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray, illustrated by Audrey Colman). As I read the 32-page picture book aloud, students created individual plot pyramids and worked to determine where each part of the story should be placed on their paper. As a class, we then discussed who had what where, and why they believed it was exposition or the inciting incident, etc. The most confusion surrounded the climax of the story. Is it when Dad decides Walter has to return to the pound or does it happen when the house is being burglarized? After a good discussion, the students realized that even though Walter was bound for the animal shelter, more trouble erupted when burglars climbed through the window to rob the family. Boom, there is our climax. I won’t go into any more details because I’d hate to spoil the story for anyone who wishes to read it, but reviewing these elements with a picture book was definitely beneficial. There was also a lot of laughter and the kids might start blaming flatulence on your family pets.  

Following our discussion and dissection of the plot pyramid, we reviewed story elements such as setting, characters, protagonists and antagonists. Tomorrow we’ll go over conflict (internal and external), characterization (direct and indirect), all sorts of character types (flat, round, static, dynamic), mood and atmosphere, imagery, and theme. All of these notes that should be taken in class will be crucial when they’re ready to work on the Independent Reading Project for the mystery novel that will be broken down on a cereal box.

As we go over the elements, we’ll use examples from Tuck Everlasting. For instance, Tuck Everlasting has internal conflict (man vs. himself) as well as external conflict (man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. fate). Students will reflect on these in class and we’ll discuss ideas.

Finally, several people were unhappy with the ending of Tuck Everlasting. They wanted a different version of the story. Tra-la-la…now they get to have a different version because they’re going to write it! Bwahahahaa! We’ve already discussed point-of-view (first, second, and third-person), and we’ll talk more about VOICE as well. Students will borrow a copy of the novel and rewrite the ending from the point-of-view of Jesse, Miles, Mae, Tuck, Winnie, or the toad. They’ll write in first-person and need to be true to the voice of that character when writing. The piece will begin right after the first paragraph (which follows) from page 134 of the novel:

The sign said WELCOME TO TREEGAP, but it was hard to believe that this was really Treegap. The main street hadn’t changed so very much, but there were many other streets now, crossing the main street. The road itself was blacktopped. There was a white line painted down its center.

Here is where students will pick up the story and write from the point-of-view of any of the aforementioned characters. What does that character see, feel, know? What has he or she experienced? This is an opportunity for creative writing (yay!) and for everyone to rewrite the ending that they want. (Note that even if you, the student, like the original ending of the book, you will rewrite it from first-person point-of-view and let the reader inside your character’s head.) Also, endings WILL be shared with the class, so take the time to be creative, use a lot of wonderful details, and pay attention to the proper use of English as a writer. (The standard writing rubric will be used to grade this assignment AND it’ll also be graded on proper implementation of the point-of-view, details, and the depth of the story. One or two paragraphs WILL NOT BE A GOOD ENDING. TRUST ME. TAKE THE STORY SOMEWHERE NEW AND RUN WITH IT!) Also, make sure your writing is at its best. The final copy is due on Monday, October 7. I’d prefer your paper to be typed, but if you don’t have access to a computer, a NEATLY written copy will be satisfactory.  

While we’re on the topic of writing, I handed out brochures regarding the Patriot’s Pen essay contest last Wednesday. Students had all day in class the following day to brainstorm ideas for their paper and to begin writing; I was not here and returned Friday to learn that several students said they brainstormed solely in their heads, even though I left specific instructions with my sub to have the students create webs, lists, free-writes, outlines, anything they could to have something ON PAPER. A handful of students shared what they had written and from there we simply discussed ideas. I intended to grade their papers but I didn’t want the kids’ grades to suffer in case the sub didn’t tell them what I did. It was all written on the board, but apparently the students went to a different classroom to work so, again, I can’t assume they were told to use PAPER for this assignment and don’t want their grades to suffer if they weren’t properly informed of my expectations.

Prior to the weekend, I told students the final draft of the Patriot’s Pen paper was to be typed in Times New Roman, 12-point font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins. They should also have a complete heading AND note the word count (which needs to be 300-400 words, but if they’re a LITTLE bit over that is okay—I told them I’m a master at getting rid of words to pare down the count). They were also told that their papers would be due when they arrived to class on Wednesday, October 2. I fear that many students are procrastinating because I had only one tell me today that she had her paper written and it simply needs to be typed. Please make sure that the papers are ready for Wednesday: We are doing a peer-editing activity and POINTS WILL BE LOST FOR LACK OF PARTICIPATION IF A FINAL COPY OF THE ESSAY IS NOT TURNED IN AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS.

I appreciate those of you who are using this blog to keep track of due dates and know what we’re doing in class. Remember, our quarter ends on Friday, October 18, and there are some big assignments (Patriot’s Pen, Cereal Box Book Report, rewriting the ending to Tuck) that are due before then. Some grades will rise and some will fall—make sure that you climb to the top and earn the grade that reflects your best effort and understanding of the material that we’ve covered.

Now, before your head crashes into your keyboard with boredom, I’ve had several people ask how to post comments to the blog. If you don’t have a gmail account, it’s simple to create. Go to gmail.com and create an account. It can be used by parents or the student—it makes no difference to me—but the gmail accounts are able to post to the blog. I fear it’s a sinister plot for Google to take over all things Internet, but if that’s the worst thing that happens, life is pretty darn good.

Until next time,

Mrs. Gott

Routines, Projects, & What's Happening

Hurrah! This is the first week that every student turned their mugshot: We’re halfway through the first quarter and the routine is finally becoming, well, a solid routine that you’ve discovered is not going to disappear. I had several students who earned perfect scores and only one student who didn’t do the paragraph, so we are making progress! Thank you to the parents and adults at home who have made certain that the students arrive to school with their work finished. [Roll footage of kids scrambling to complete their mugshot paragraphs at lunch while Mrs. Gott is oblivious and happy because she believes that everyone has managed to finish their work long before it is due.]

I’ve had some questions from parents about the spelling tests and Greek / Latin roots. Mugshots are DOL (which means Daily Oral Language and it’s the paper with five sentences on the front and the paragraph on the back). This week, on Friday, September 20, the students will have a test over Greek / Latin roots (specifically “man” and “manu”); next week we’ll have spelling words instead of roots. The students do not need to complete the spelling handout, it’s simply so they know what words they’ll be tested on and it puts the words into context for them. It is not an assignment, it’s merely a list of spelling words. Confused? Mugshots are every week. Spelling lists are every other week, with the Greek / Latin roots on the weeks we don’t do spelling. This means there is a test over something (spelling words or roots) at the end of each week.

Students were to have their mystery novels chosen by today, so please make sure that they’re reading at home. The details of the HUGE Quarter One Reading Project (or the Cereal Box Project—as I’ve heard some people call it) are on the blog. Simply scroll down and find the entry that contains all of the details if you don’t have the hard copy that was handed out and discussed in painstaking detail during class. It’ll take a while to not only read the book but to complete the project, so it’s not something to put off until the last minute. In fact, I recommend taking notes as you read the mystery novels so you have material for the project.

We’ll finish Tuck Everlasting in class tomorrow and then discuss not only the novel, but we’ll go over a plot pyramid and discuss story elements, characters, and points-of-view. This is necessary to understand these literary concepts AND to complete the Independent Reading Project, so make sure to take good notes!

Remember, if your grade isn’t where you want it to be, we’re only halfway through the first quarter. There is still time to bring up your grade by doing all of your work and taking pride in the work that you do. I’m finally beginning to see people stepping up their game to meet the expectations of the class. It may be a pain now, but I guarantee that there will come a day that you’ll thank me for pushing you to be accountable and take time to put forth your best effort. These are the qualities that will get you far in life.

There’s no official homework tonight, so if you’re prepared for your test over Greek and Latin roots (which is Friday), then pick up your mystery book and read before you turn out the lights! And Paige, that book isn’t scary. Really. I promise. It’s a FUN mystery and I hope you all enjoy the books you’ve selected for your project.

Happy reading!

 

Mrs. Gott

Writing Rubric, Superstitions Assignment, and a Friendly Reminder

WRITING RUBRIC

Please follow the rubric that will be used to evaluate your writing. I handed out copies of the rubric in class today, but I want to make certain that you always have access to the scoring guide by visiting this webpage. I explained the rubric in detail, so if you paid attention in class, you will understand the rubric and what each specific category entails. I gave examples and answered questions. Hopefully you were listening at this time.

 
A (4) is the highest score possible, with a (1) being the lowest.

4          3          2          1          IDEAS with relevant supporting details

 

4          3          2          1          ORGANIZATION with intro, body, and conclusion;
                                                 also uses transitions to connect ideas

 

4          3          2          1          VOICE AND WORD CHOICE with a sense of person
                                                 and powerful effective word usage

 

4          3          2          1          SENTENCE FLUENCY with effective flow and
                                                 rhythm to writing

 

4          3          2          1          CONVENTIONS with correct capitalization, usage
                                                 and grammar, punctuation, spelling, and
                                                 paragraphing

 

Along with the rubric, you’re expected to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of it by writing a well-composed paper about superstitions. Consider what role superstitions—these beliefs about luck or even the existence of things that cannot be seen or explained—play in our lives as humans. This touches on our ESSENTIAL QUESTION about what it means to be human, and I also believe it will be interesting for you to contemplate and write about why superstitions exist at all. Feel free to include some superstitions that you may have and explain why you believe in them; you can also explore the topic as a non-believer, explaining why you don’t have any personal superstitions and whether or not you believe in good or bad luck.

Remember, the assignment is due when you walk through the door for class on Monday. It should be typed in Times New Roman 12-point font and have one-inch margins. Make sure to use left-margin alignment and double-spacing as well. DO NOT put “bonus” spaces between paragraphs, the entire paper is simply double-spaced; we show paragraphs by indenting, not with spacing. (If you’re wondering why I don’t use that format on this blog, it’s because the formatting won’t allow me to write with proper paragraphs: Blogger is quite persnickety! Trust me, I’ve tried…)

 

Finally, make sure you have your heading in the top right-hand corner of the paper. (You can tab it over to that area or use right-margin alignment for that portion and then select left-margin alignment for the rest of your paper, whatever works best for you.) The heading’s topic is SUPERSTITIONS. Obviously the rest of the heading is your full name, class period and date.

Please follow the writing rubric for all of your formal papers—such as this one—and make sure you take the time to proofread, edit, and rewrite your work so that the finished product can earn you a high score.

Finally, as a quick reminder, I still need the titles and authors of your mystery novels for your reading / cereal box project. Only a handful of students have requested preapproval—please don’t procrastinate! Feel free to e-mail me titles and authors and I’ll get back to you as soon as I’m back online.

Cheers, and have a wonderful weekend!

 
Mrs. Gott

Progress Reports, Reminders, and an Opportunity for Extra Credit!

The school year is speeding by and we’re nearly at mid-terms! Our mid-term grades are due on Friday, September 20, and progress reports can be picked up if you attend parent-teacher conferences. Conferences will be on a Tuesday and Wednesday evening, from 5 – 8 PM on September 24 and 25 at McCain Middle School. Our mid-terms are essentially to let you know how you’re doing halfway through this first quarter.

The quarter, however, will end before we know it! The official end of Quarter One is Friday, October 18, and teachers’ grades will be available on Family Link by the end of the day on Monday, October 21; that gives us the weekend to continue grading papers and putting grades onto the computer.

Remember that each week, on Friday, we have a test over spelling words OR Greek and Latin roots; make sure to study for these! In addition, Mugshots (DOL) are given at the beginning of each week and we do the first two sentences as a class on Monday, the last three sentences on Tuesday, and the paragraph—which is done independently—is due when you arrive to class on Wednesday. Parents, if you can take a moment to see that your child has his or her paragraph done on Tuesday night, this may help more students to actually complete their work. There is no reason for them to not get this done, yet some students’ grades are suffering because they aren’t doing the weekly paragraph. Every day in class, I remind students to do their work: The reminder is spoken, it’s written on the board, and I have even resorted to having the class read the day’s lessons on the board aloud to me. Therefore, they hear it, see it, and even say it…yet some students are still not getting their work done. If we had time and money, I’d have them sculpt each day’s work in clay, wear shirts that have lessons printed on them, and hire a plane to fly a banner over everyone’s house to remind them things like, “Hey, your mugshot paragraph is due tomorrow!” Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of doing these things and I’m not sure they’d make a difference anyhow. (Feel free to give me more zany suggestions in the comments section of the blog. It’s kind of depressing that I never have any comments but I have a bazillion page-views!) *Five points extra credit will go to the first student who correctly identifies what rhetorical device I just used in the previous sentence. Post the answer in the "comments" section below! Sign only your first name after your answer if you're logged in anonymously.*

Please, please, please know that every grade counts. If, at mid-term, your grade isn’t where you want it to be, know that you’ll still have time to bring that grade up. Remember, we have a big independent reading project due at the end of the quarter and if it’s not done when it’s due, grades will plummet. Paying attention to due dates of assignments and projects is critical. It’s also imperative that you always do the BEST that you can on each and every lesson. Speaking of assignments, make sure to figure out what mystery you’re going to read for your project and have it approved by me ASAP.

Finally, I don’t always have Internet access—particularly on weekends—so if you e-mail me at gott.the.teacher@gmail.com or directly at school at kogott@payetteschools.org, please know that I may not be able to reply until I’m back at McCain Middle School.

Thank you for checking the blog. Any feedback is welcome! Also, good luck on the extra credit question. I'll tack the bonus points on to the winner's next assignment.

Mrs. Gott

Yup, I'm gob-smacked!

I am totally gob-smacked by the amount of traffic that the blog has received! That said, I’d like to say that we finished the front of our Mugshot sheet today and the paragraph is due tomorrow when students arrive to class. I noticed that many students didn’t have their paragraph done, so please remind them to finish it tonight as homework. We reviewed the fact that even though there are “hints” in sentences throughout the paragraph, they aren’t to delete the hints or answer the questions, they’re simply supposed to fix the errors. I also demonstrated left-margin alignment and how to indent a paragraph to remind them that the left-hand side of their handwritten paragraph should not be choppy with jagged edges, only the first line should be indented and the rest should be nice and neat against the left-hand side of the page.

We spent today going over the Quarter One Independent Reading Project. (They must choose a MYSTERY novel to read AND it must be approved by me; it shouldn’t be a book they’ve already devoured. Novels may be checked out from the school or public library, purchased, or they may even be enjoyed on an e-reader. The origin and format of the book is inconsequential, but the content and genre matter to me, so please reiterate the necessity of having pre-approval before diving into this project.) The project’s details are on yesterday’s post and each student was given a hard copy of the assignment today. (The end of the quarter is going to arrive sooner than we think, so make certain that a book is selected, approved, and read right away! We’ll go over terminology and elements of literature, so don’t panic if the terms in the first paragraph of the instructions aren’t yet known. They will be taught and learned in class, then comprehension will be assessed via the project.) The details are on a pink sheet of paper and I don’t see any littering the floor, so it appears that all of my kids made it out of the classroom with their detailed instructions. Yay!

As a reminder, there is a spelling test this Friday, September 13. The students were given spelling lists on Monday and need to know the 20 “basic” words; one or more of the review or challenge words will be asked as extra credit.

Speaking of extra credit, congratulations to Paige for knowing that ALLITERATION is the correct terminology for the figurative language that I used when I spoke about a project on a pink piece of paper. I offered five bonus points to the first person who could correctly identify what form of figurative language I used. Alliteration isn’t something we’ve covered yet this year, but Paige said she studied it in both fourth and fifth grade. (Kudos to her former teachers—and also to Paige for remembering the information!) I use a lot of figurative language AND it’s something that we discuss during teachable moments (like today), so everyone will be well-versed when it comes to literary devices by the end of the year.

I noticed many of my boys sporting football jerseys and the girls were dressed to the nines for their volleyball games tonight, so I didn’t assign any reading from Tuck Everlasting for tonight, even though we didn’t get to read in class today. (Yes, it took the entire period to review and discuss the final three sentences of the Mugshot and to explain and answer questions regarding the reading project.) Regardless, the Mugshot paragraphs are due tomorrow and we do have a spelling test Friday.

Because tomorrow is September 11, we’ll likely have a brief writing assignment and discussion about the terrorist attack; it’s interesting to see how much OR how little our tweens and teens know about what happened that day and how it has impacted our nation. I believe that it will also help us to explore our overall question: What does it mean to be human?

Now have fun finding a wonderful mystery to read! You can access our library online at library.payetteschools.org and search the catalog to see what resources are available. (Go to McCain Middle School and then on the tab, open the catalog and begin your search.) I look forward to the projects; we have a lot of creative minds in here!

Independent Reading Project (Quarter One)

QUARTER ONE

INDEPENDENT READING PROJECT

(mystery genre)

You’ll create a “cereal box” that addresses literary elements in the mystery novel that you’ve chosen for your independent reading project. Literary elements must include theme, plot, setting, conflict, characters (protagonists, antagonists, flat, round), and figurative language.

You are expected to read your self-selected (and teacher-approved) book at home or during free-time at school or while hunting, fishing, polishing your toes, capturing iguanas, running marathons, or hiding in a tree fort. (Basically, you’re not going to be granted a lot of time in class—if any—to read the book. You must figure out how to get it done.) Once you have read the book, you’ll decorate a real cereal box with illustrations and information that is related to the book you read. (Miniature one-serving boxes are not allowed, nor are cereal bags; if you don’t have access to a cereal box, please let me know and I’m certain we can collect some in a timely manner so that you have a proper cereal box to use.) Also, please remove the cereal from the box prior to your presentation. I don’t want to lug around a pile of cereal.  

You must follow the instructions below. They are quite detailed, but if you have any questions, please ASK for clarification in plenty of time so that you can manage to finish your project.

CEREAL BOX BOOK REPORT

·         Front of box: [This is the front of the box when it is standing upright. It’s probably got the name of the cereal in large letters, making the front easy to identify. Fantastic! Now you can begin.] Use a piece of white or light colored paper (NOT lined notebook paper!) to cover the front of your cereal box. I suggest you create the cover in its entirety before gluing it to the box; it’ll be difficult and messy if it’s already attached while you try to work on it, especially if the glue is still gooey and the box is still intact. On the paper—which will be the front cover—you need to invent a name for the cereal that is related to the title of the book AND sounds like a cereal. Do NOT use the exact title of the book or simply change one or two words; be creative and figure out how to meld a cereal-like name with some elements of the book’s title. Choose a shape for the cereal as well as colors and ingredients that ALL RELATE TO THE BOOK. For example, if the book were Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, you might invent a cereal called Wizard Wands, a toasted oat cereal in the shape of miniature lightning bolts. Notice that I used the word “colors” in here. A nice colorful cereal box will earn a better grade than one that is simply slopped together with pencil and no color at all. That’s not exciting. We want our cereal boxes to be amazing and appealing and so exciting that kids on the school bus try to bum cereal from you! That’s how gorgeous your cereal box will be if it’s done correctly!

·         Right Side: [This is the narrow side on the right if the front of the box is upright and facing you. Again, use a piece of paper to cover this portion of the box. You may wish to measure the remaining three sides and use one piece of paper, or you may wish to create a separate piece for both sides and the back. It’s your call, but it must be done neatly, so don’t glue it on until you’ve finished each portion.] Make a list of ingredients that includes the story elements CHARACTERS and SETTING. Under the heading “Ingredients,” list the main characters and write a complete sentence about each one. Also note if they are a protagonist or antagonist or otherwise. Then describe the setting. Create a “Nutritional Facts” chart that rates the book by giving the percentage of the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) in several categories (mystery, humor, drama, suspense, action, romance, education, vocabulary, etc). Make sure you include ALL of the categories listed here AND ADD AT LEAST ONE CATEGORY OF YOUR OWN. Look at how the cereal box itself has this information and use that as inspiration and a general guideline if you’ve never taken the time to look at the side of a box of cereal or any other packaged food you cram into your mouth.

·         Left Side: [This is the narrow side on the left if the front of the box is upright and facing you. Refresh your memory about paper and suggestions for application as noted in the instructions above.] Write a summary (this means writing in correct format, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and proper mechanics) that describes the main problem and the solution of the book. Use interesting “quality” words that function to grab the readers’ attention so that they’ll want to buy your cereal.

·         BACK OF BOX: [This is obviously the back of the box if the box is upright. It’s not the front. It’s not the sides. It’s the back of the cereal box.] Design a game that is based on the story. It can be a puzzle, a word search, a word scramble, a maze, a crossword puzzle, an illustration with hidden pictures, or any other fun activity that might be found on the back of a box of cereal. It is imperative that the game and all of the information on the back of the box actually corresponds to the novel and has information from the book. There should be instructions and it should all be pertinent to the story you read. Don’t just do something random here—it is, after all, a book report.

·         TOP OF BOX: [Seriously, I’m not going to explain where to find this.] Include the book’s actual title, author, number of pages, and also the number of stars you would give the book if you were a book critic. The rating scale is 1-5 with five being the highest, the best, the most stars possible. Your math skills should tell you that a one, therefore, is the lowest number of stars for your book rating. Zero stars won’t count. Even if you hate the book, simply give it one star. Get it? Got it? Good!

·         BOTTOM OF BOX: [If you really have to ask the location, there’s a problem. I’m not even going there.] Your first and last name should be written neatly on the bottom of the box. And yes, it should be covered with paper like the rest of the box, don’t just scrawl your name on there with a Sharpie or a pencil and expect it to be nice. That would be sloppy and you’ll lose points. This is not a lie.

·         PRIZE: [No, I didn’t make this up. Cereal companies used to lure children into begging for cereal because of some sort of prize. I eat Special K and there is no prize, but I imagine Fruity Pebbles or Captain Crunch with Crunch Berries are likely to have prizes jammed inside.] Regardless, cereal boxes often include a prize. Your prize MUST be something the MAIN CHARACTER could have used in the book OR something that REMINDS you of the MAIN CHARACTER. Please put the prize in a Ziploc-style bag and include a well-composed and neatly written description of what the prize has to do with the main character of the story. You might even want to include a picture and brief description of the prize on the front of your box to let the reader know what is inside the box (as incentive to buy your cereal, of course)!

YOU WILL PRESENT THE COMPLETED CEREAL BOX TO THE CLASS. THIS MEANS YOU’LL ACTUALLY STAND IN FRONT OF YOUR TEACHER AND YOUR CLASSMATES AND YOU’LL READ DETAILS FROM THE BOX AND SHOW US ALL FOUR SIDES, THE TOP, AND THE PRIZE. WHEN DOING THIS PROJECT, BE CREATIVE AND FOLLOW ALL OF THE DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY. IF YOU FORGET TO DO A SIDE OR YOU LEAVE OUT INFORMATION OR ANOTHER ELEMENT, YOU WILL EARN A POOR GRADE. THE ORDER OF PRESENTATIONS WILL BE RANDOM.

PROJECTS ARE DUE AND PRESENTATIONS WILL BEGIN

WHEN YOU ARRIVE TO CLASS ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15.