August 22-24
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Here’s what we accomplished this week in language arts-
Ice Breakers: On the first day of school, I had students solve a series of Wordle puzzles –visual depictions of common phrases. Then on the second day of school, I had students participate in a post it note discussion to answer various questions pertaining to class such as, for example, “What makes an effective teacher?” “How does one produce the best writing?”
Reading: This week students read a parable called “The Blind Men and the Elephant” about 6 blind men who encounter an elephant for the first time. Through their interactions with the elephant, each of the blind men has a different interpretation: wall, spear, snake, tree fan, rope. Because each of the men has only encountered a portion of the elephant, they misinterpret the elephant as a whole. Thus, the moral of the story is to always take into account all perspectives. After discussing the parable, I then tied the theme of the story to the 6 dimensions of wellness: social, physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and environmental and the importance of taking into account all sides of a person before making rash judgments.
Learning Styles: This week students began to answer a series of questions about their individual learning styles to determine whether or not they were visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learners. In addition to discussing their preferred learning style, students also determined whether they prefer working alone or in groups and whether they prefer expressing ideas through oral presentations or written work.
Writing: Next week students will begin decorating their writing portfolios. As a means to generate ideas, I will have students list words according to different categories. Using their generated ideas, students will then begin decorating their portfolios with pictures, words, and symbols to represent their interests/goals.
Book Review: Students have been asked to choose a fiction reading book at their reading/interest level of about 200 pages. During first quarter, students will have eight weeks to read and annotate their book. Using the Cornell note-taking method, students will be bullet pointing important information, reacting to the text through the use of questions, comments, or connections, and then writing a short 8 sentence summary. All reading book selections should be made by Wednesday, August 29th as I will be checking them in class and we will be chunking our books into goals.
MAPS: Students will take their Fall MAPS test on Monday, August 27th. As soon as all students are finished testing, I will go over the results with students.
School Pictures: On Wednesday, August 29th, students will have their individual, team, and 7th grade panoramic picture taken.
Blog: Please visit our team blog at teamclassy2015.weebly.com for important information and homework assignments.
Upcoming Assignments (may change slightly due to student needs)
Monday – Pick out silent reading book, finish learning styles questionnaire, syllabus signature
Tuesday, Pick out silent reading book, work on portfolio, and dress up for picture day
Wednesday – Read Goal 1, work on portfolio
Thursday - Read Goal 1 and complete set of Cornell notes, work on portfolio
Friday - Read Goal 1 and complete set of Cornell notes, work on portfolio
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Emily Lee
7th Grade Language Arts
Learwood Middle School
[email protected]
440 933-8142 ex. 2606
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Here’s what we accomplished this week in language arts-
Ice Breakers: On the first day of school, I had students solve a series of Wordle puzzles –visual depictions of common phrases. Then on the second day of school, I had students participate in a post it note discussion to answer various questions pertaining to class such as, for example, “What makes an effective teacher?” “How does one produce the best writing?”
Reading: This week students read a parable called “The Blind Men and the Elephant” about 6 blind men who encounter an elephant for the first time. Through their interactions with the elephant, each of the blind men has a different interpretation: wall, spear, snake, tree fan, rope. Because each of the men has only encountered a portion of the elephant, they misinterpret the elephant as a whole. Thus, the moral of the story is to always take into account all perspectives. After discussing the parable, I then tied the theme of the story to the 6 dimensions of wellness: social, physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and environmental and the importance of taking into account all sides of a person before making rash judgments.
Learning Styles: This week students began to answer a series of questions about their individual learning styles to determine whether or not they were visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learners. In addition to discussing their preferred learning style, students also determined whether they prefer working alone or in groups and whether they prefer expressing ideas through oral presentations or written work.
Writing: Next week students will begin decorating their writing portfolios. As a means to generate ideas, I will have students list words according to different categories. Using their generated ideas, students will then begin decorating their portfolios with pictures, words, and symbols to represent their interests/goals.
Book Review: Students have been asked to choose a fiction reading book at their reading/interest level of about 200 pages. During first quarter, students will have eight weeks to read and annotate their book. Using the Cornell note-taking method, students will be bullet pointing important information, reacting to the text through the use of questions, comments, or connections, and then writing a short 8 sentence summary. All reading book selections should be made by Wednesday, August 29th as I will be checking them in class and we will be chunking our books into goals.
MAPS: Students will take their Fall MAPS test on Monday, August 27th. As soon as all students are finished testing, I will go over the results with students.
School Pictures: On Wednesday, August 29th, students will have their individual, team, and 7th grade panoramic picture taken.
Blog: Please visit our team blog at teamclassy2015.weebly.com for important information and homework assignments.
Upcoming Assignments (may change slightly due to student needs)
Monday – Pick out silent reading book, finish learning styles questionnaire, syllabus signature
Tuesday, Pick out silent reading book, work on portfolio, and dress up for picture day
Wednesday – Read Goal 1, work on portfolio
Thursday - Read Goal 1 and complete set of Cornell notes, work on portfolio
Friday - Read Goal 1 and complete set of Cornell notes, work on portfolio
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Emily Lee
7th Grade Language Arts
Learwood Middle School
[email protected]
440 933-8142 ex. 2606