Winarski's Wonderful Writers

May 12th to May 16th

Language Arts: Students are working on their persuasive essays. We have been completing all the steps of the writing process in class together. In addition, we are learning about thesis statements (again), topic sentences, detail/supporting sentences, concluding or circling sentences, and transitional elements. Students have the entire rough draft written on their topic and will finish the completed copy tomorrow in class.

Students should return their Language Arts textbooks starting tomorrow.

Next week: Upcoming lessons include several myths from various cultures around the world. This ties into our curriculum nicely, and to our recent "International Day," where our very own students shared their own culture with all of us. In addition, the myths provide us with a glimpse of how early man viewed the world.

RCICA: Still working on our Literature Circles. Students are really enjoying their book circles. I encourage students to work their very  best on discussion days. Students should have work done for tomorrow's in-class discussion.

Calling all books!!

In my room I have a classroom library the students can use to borrow books to read. This is particularly helpful during the year as our library has been closed a number of times, and students have been unable to check out any books.

However, I think many of you have noticed that the end of the school year is, sadly, drawing near. This is a friendly reminder to please return the books you borrowed. I know how books can be; they notoriously end up mixed in with yours on your bookshelves or stashed under your bed. Please take a look around, and if you should find a book with the "WINARSKI" sign clearly printed on the edge(s) of the book, return it the classroom library as soon as you can.

I hope you enjoyed the books as much as I did, and I hope the classes in years to come will enjoy them too! Thank you!

Week of May 5th to May 9th

May 5th: Monday:

Language Arts: Continuing our work on Persuasive essays. Students have homework tonight: Looking at the Essay we read in class today, complete the organizer (locate Thesis, reasons, supporting details--indicate whether each supporting detail is a fact, opinion, an example, or a statistic).

Announcement: Since we are running short on time (the end of the year is three weeks away--scary!!), I am not assigning another book report this year. (Please see me if you have already completed a report in anticipation of an assigned project.) Although we did not meet my goal of reading eight books this school year, we did succeed in reading and completing reports on four books; this is an accomplishment. I always set my goals and standards high and try my best to get our students to reach them. While I am hopeful every year of reaching the mark of "eight" books, realistically with all of the other work we complete, four books is a great feat. I am proud of my students for working so hard on their incredible projects--we had some fantastic, creative, beautiful, and artistic work going on in this class; and the students who created these projects are all intelligent, creative, bright individuals. I am so proud to have taught them. Great work guys!!!

RCICA: Continuing our work in literature circles. Groups met today to discuss the first reading and complete their individual "job" for the week. Only homework is to read your book...working toward our second meeting on Thursday the 8th.

BOOK FAIR: The BOOK  FAIR is here from 8AM until 9:15 AM every morning. It is BUY ONE, get ONE FREE. Take advantage of this great deal. Books make great gifts.

Tuesday, May 6th:

Language Arts: Discussed topics for our persuasive essay; students were given a list of 9 topics to choose from.

RCICA: worked on reading for next meeting date of 5/8

Wednesday, May 7th:

Language Arts: brainstormed several topics to come up with reasons for proponents and opponents and then shared those ideas with others writing on the same topic.

RCICA: HW: need to complete your job for your literature circle by tomorrow. Tomorrow your group will focus on discussion of your book.

Thursday, May 8th:

Language Arts: Organizer for paper--students worked on it in class--filled in thesis, 3 reasons of support, and details supporting reasons (i.e., facts, statistics, examples, opinions)/ Introductions: HW: two worksheets containing introductions. Students have questions on each page to address for the paragraphs. / Reasoning and support

RCICA: discussion on your literature circle books for meeting date two, 5/8. All work for the circle needs to be done before you can participate in the discussion circle.

Friday, May 9th:

Language Arts: Review homework on introductions/ HW: write their own introduction for their persuasive essay/ Circling in persuasion notes and examples

RCICA: reading your book for the next reading meeting date 5/15

CRCT WEEK

Language Arts:

Here are notes from the "research" section we discussed briefly yesterday in class. Please review these notes before the CRCT. Download research_notes.doc

No Homework this week. Get plenty of sleep each night. Eat breakfast each morning. Relax--you know this stuff!!!

RCICA: no homework this week. Reading in class and Vocabulary work in class.

April 15th to April 19

Language Arts:

We continue with complex sentences this week. Quiz on Friday. Finished Compound sentences and had a test on Wednesday. Also, we have started our persuasive unit. Studing Fact and Opinion and looking at persuasive topics with sample effective essays. Students have two models of excellent persuasive essays.  Our CRCT begins next week on Wednesday. Please have students to school on time. Our review continues daily on concepts covered on the CRCT.

RCICA: Compare / Contrast paragraphs and article. "Bene/Bon" latin roots worksheets passed out. We will begin those words next week. Paragraphs due on Friday.

April 14th

Notes on Complex sentences. Notes on Persuasion. Review for Compound sentence test on Wednesday. Students have a study guide. No Homework today.

March 31st to April 4th

March 31st: LA: HW 1st and 2nd period--CRCT review package and worksheet 4C on simple and compound sentences        RCICA: Read and complete Journal #4 (Journals due on Friday)

April 1st: LA Journal in class/ review 4C worksheet on simple and compound sentences/ review crct prep package/ HW: Study for Quiz on Simple and compound sentences--infinitives, prepositions, direct objects, predicate adjectives and predicate nouns    RCICA: Background notes and vocab/ Read article "Hanging by a Thread" and complete math problems/ study for quiz on article

April 2nd: LA: Proofreading journals in partners/ Quiz/ review CRCT prep/ notes on Complex sentences      RCICA: Quiz on Article/ stations on vocabulary "Manus" latin root words

April 3rd: LA: Revise journal/ crct review/ complex sentences  HW: worksheet on complex sentences     RCICA: Create sentences for Manus words and study for Quiz on words (10)

April 4th: LA: check HW worksheet on Complex sentences/ review crct      RCICA: Quiz on Manus words and Read and complete journal #5--turn in journal before leaving today

March 24th 28th

Language Arts: HW: 3/26 for 2nd to 5th periods CRCT worksheets (2)

**5th period--you will have a quiz on compound sentences on Friday 3/28

Compound Sentences continued; CRCT practice beginning this week. Students will also be working on Lit Analysis paper--turned in before the break.

RCICA: **3/26 HW: Study for how to increase your vocab quiz SSR on Mondays and Fridays: journal due Friday before Spring break. Vocabulary instruction for the next two weeks. Prefix, Suffix, Roots--test on Friday, April 4th. Literature circles beginning after Spring Break.

Thesis

These are sites that are useful as we start our discussion on thesis statements.

http://a-s.clayton.edu/mwinkler/thesis.ppt

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/545/01/

http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/thesistatement.html

http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/EngPaper/thesis.html

Study guide answers (can't use typed version on the test)

Download study_guide_for_response_to_literature_text_answers.doc