Mapping the Seedfolks

Today, students worked on their "Mapping the Seedfolks" project. I have already had the chance to read some students stories and some are just amazing. We will be sharing our final products tomorrow. Come prepared with completed story and maps tomorrow for our share day.

Asssessments: Reading strategies & vocab

Testing day! Today, students took their reading strategy assessment as well as their vocabulary assessment. Afterwards, we worked on our mapping the Seedfolks writing and mapping project. We'll work more on these on Monday.

Have a happy, happy weekend. Dance in that rain!

Amir, Mapping the Seedfolks

Today we reviewed our reading strategies and map skills. We will have a reading strategy assessment tomorrow. Students read the Amir chapter of Seedfolks and reflected on how the garden changed Amir's perspective of America and how the garden has changed this Cleveland community. Students did a mapping activity and then we discussed our "Mapping the Seedfolks" story writing and mapping project.

Homework: Study vocab and reading strategies for assessment tomorrow. You may begin working on your "Mapping the Seedfolks" story writing and mapping project.

More reading strategy practice and relative location!

Today, students did some more reflecting on their heritage project from yesterday. We did a group reading activity with the Nora and Maricela chapters from Seedfolks and practiced active reading strategies as we read. There is a reading strategy assessment on FRIDAY. After this activity, we talked about RELATIVE LOCATION, or the description of where something is relative to something else, and did a team competition activity to practice understanding relative location. No homework tonight.

Heritage Project Presentations!

Miss D. was out sick on Friday and Monday.

Today was an exciting day because we shared our Pizza Box Heritage projects. Students shared their projects in small groups and gave and received feedback from classmates. Students got a chance to look at the project feedback they received before turning it in to receive a grade.

After sharing projects, we had the chance to celebrate each of our personal cultures by sharing food that we brought. Today, we dined on vegan chocolate cake, Russian tea, crepes, English bread and butter, scones, pasta salad, tomatoes and mozzeralla cheese, ambrosia, gumbo and more.

Students practiced with their week two vocab words from Seedfolks. Here are this week's words:

1. vegetating-v- leading a lazy existence without utilizing your body or mind
2. oblige-v- to do a favor for
3. refuge-n- a place that provides shelter and protection
4. haphazard-adj- marked by lack of plan or order
5. disgrace-n- source of shame or embarassment
6. crevice-n- narrow opening resulting from a crack
7. solitary-adj- being, living, or going alone without companions
8. decorum-n- good taste in conduct or appearance

Homework tonight: do the "my example" portion of the vocab sheet, writing a sentence with each vocab word.

Seedfolks, reading strategies, food

Today, we shared our "beliefs" homework from last night and added these artifacts to our pizza boxes. Then, we read chapters 7 and 8 (Virgil and Sae Young) from Seedfolks and practiced two reading strategies as we read.

Students composed stories using their vocab words in order to prepare for the vocab assessment tomorrow.

Homework: Study vocab words for assessment tomorrow. Finish vocab story if you did not do so in class. Bring in a piece for your heritage project about food in your personal culture.

Reminder: Next Tuesday is pizza box project presentation day and you may bring food from your personal culture to share with the class.

Evaluating & Seedfolks

Wednesday was choice book activity day at ACMS. We spent the morning doing activities in groups based on the choice book we read this summer.

In class, we re-did our vocab sheets to make sure that everyone understood the directions, as Ms. T and Ms. D discovered some misunderstanding when grading them. We shared our homework on family traditions/customs.

Then, we talked about evaluating, or making judgments when you read. Students read chapter 6 from Seedfolks (Sam's chapter) and practiced making evaluations as we read. We answered these two evaluative questions at the end of class:

1. Do you think Sam can change the world by smiling?
2. Do you think people should use wire and fencing to keep others out of their gardening space?

HMK: Sam talked a lot about what he believed in the chapter we read today. Tonight, find an artifact or a couple of artifacts to represent what you or your family believes/values.

Family & traditions

Today, we did silent skits to practice Seedfolks vocabulary. Then, we shared our family artifacts from last night's homework. We glued these artifacts to the pizza boxes and began the written explanation for each artifact we've brought in. We talked about what it means to make CONNECTIONS when reading and the three types of connections we can make (text-self, text-text, text-world). Then, we read the Leona chapter of Seedfolks and practiced making connections.

Homework: Bring in an artifact to represent your family's customs or traditions.

Pizza boxes & chapter 4

Today, we introduced the pizza box heritage project. We covered our pizza boxes with wrapping paper and glued our "recreation and play" artifact to the pizza box. Then, we read chapter 4 of Seedfolks (Gonzalo) and practiced asking questions as we read.

Homework: Gonzalo talked a lot about his family in today's chapter. Tonight, reflect on your own family as part of your personal culture. Bring in an artifact that represents your family to glue on your pizza box tomorrow.

Visualizing & Seedfolks

Friday! Woot woot!

Today we reviewed vocabulary homework. Class 6B needs to complete the Seedfolks vocabulary sheet for homework. We discussed our second active reading strategy, visualizing and practiced visualizing while reading chapters 2 & 3 of Seedfolks. We discussed the characters in the book and marked our maps with the countries where these characers are from. We will be beginning our Personal Heritage Culture project on Monday, therefore we began a discussion about aspects of personal culture. Students should bring in an artifact to represent one of those aspects of culture- recreation/play- for homework. The artifact needs to be something that can be glued to the pizza box.

Congrats on making it through your first week of middle school!

Homework: 6B- finish vocab sheet. All students- bring in a artifact to represent the recreation/play aspect of your personal culture. This object should be able to be glued to a pizza box. Also, bring in your own wrapping paper to wrap your pizza box on Monday. If you do not bring in wrapping paper you will use the paper provided in class.

Unit 1: Exploring Cultural Diversity

Today, we began our first unit of the year: Exploring Cultural Diversity: A look at ourselves and our community. We browsed the unit overview sheet and talked about things we're excited about and worried about in this unit, as well as any questions we have. We previewed the first book we'll read: Seedfolks, by Paul Fleischman. We talked about our first reading strategy, making predictions and made predictions as we read chapter one. Then, we worked on this week's vocabulary for Seedfolks. The words are listed below.

1. fiction (adj)- something invented by the imagination, specificallly an invented story
2. plot (n)- the main events of a story
3. theme (n)- the main idea or underlying meaning of a literary work
4. culture (n)- the set of shared attitudes, values, goals and practices that characterize a group of people
5. heritage (n)- practices that are handed down from the past by tradition
6. community (n)- a group of people living in a particular local area
7. diversity (n)- the recognition of individual differences, especially in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs and political beliefs
8. cooperation (n)- collaboration; work together on a common project

Homework: Draw a picture to represent each vocabulary word on your weekly vocab sheet.

"Smarts," Library time, World mapping

Today we reflected on our personal "smarts" that we bring to the classroom and brainstormed the different project options we would like to do to demonstrate understanding. We'll be referring back to these project options throughout the year by giving the students multiple intelligence options for class projects.

Then, we went to the library for library orientation with Mr. Edmison.

Finally, we did a world map activity to assess students' current knowledge of continents, oceans, hemispheres and cardinal directions. Students worked in partners, shared their knowledge with the class and then used atlases to complete a world map activity that they will use as a reference point throughout the year.

Homework: Complete the world map activity if you did not do so in class. On the back of the world map activity, write down 3 questions you have about the geography of the world.

Ms. Devine's questions:
1. Greenland and Iceland are part of what continent(s)?
2. Why is the Middle East a region and not its own continent?
3. How big is Antarctica? Maps can be deceiving.

Procedures and diagnostic

Today, we buried our "killer statements" and discussed why these statements are not a part of our classroom environment. We continued to go over class procedures and practiced several of these procedures. Students completed a writing diagnostic and chose between 4 different writing prompts to write about an important experience in their life. This diagnostic will be used to set writing goals for the school year. Students who did not take the "8 kinds of smart" test during orientation did so today in class while the rest of the class completed an activity discussing the 8 kinds of smart and the different talents that individuals may have. Each student had their picture taken today.

There is no homework.

Welcome to the 2009-2010 school year!

Welcome back from summer vacation. We're going to have a great school year!

Today, we talked about class expectations, consequences using the class syllabus. The syllabus should be signed by parents and returned tomorrow for a homework grade. Students also received a parent letter and student learning survey. The learning surveys should also be completed by parents and returned tomorrow. Finally, students should complete the "Who are you?" questionaire for homework.

We're looking forward to exciting learning opportunities ahead. Cheers!