What to expect for the rest of the year.

Students,

I would like to let you know what we will be doing for the next few weeks, and into the Spring semester with this class.

This week we will make-up the work we did not complete on the snow days, then we will work on our PBL's in class. The PBL's will be due Friday afternoon. If you anticipate (predict) that you will need more time than given in class, you must work outside of class. If you do not have the internet, then you must schedule a time with me and with your parents to stay at school and work.

Next week we will review for and take the benchmark exam. Unlike last time, the benchmark will count as a grade. Do your best, then I will determine how to curve the grades.

Next semester we will be working on two long-term projects, that I believe you will enjoy.

You will be working independently on a self-selected reading journal, which will culminate in a creative project. You will also be working on a music journal, where you will analyze and respond to musical pieces of your choosing.

I will give you assignment descriptions and rubrics next semester.

For now, I'd like to make a resource available to you.

If you don't know what to read next, try this quiz: What should I read next?

I will periodically update this with announcements, information, resources, and some lessons. Please check this at your convenience.

Sincerely,
Ms. Moryan

P.S. If you need help with your math homework, use this website.

Six Word Story Warm-Up

According to legend, the author Ernest Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in six words. 

He penned these words: "For Sale: Baby shoes, never used." 

This single sentence allows the reader to infer a great deal of information. Hemingway illustrated that a story does not need to be long and dense in order to have depth and meaning. 

Today I would like to challenge you to write a story in six words. 

Take your time, and be thoughtful. Please write as many six word stories as you'd like. 

When we are done, we will share our stories. 

The author of the best story will receive extra credit on the unit exam on Wednesday. 

Flowers for Algernon Audiobook

One of your vocabulary this week is "metacognition," which means "thinking about thinking." 

In other words, having metacognitive skills means that you know your intellectual strengths and weaknesses and work to utilize or address them. 

Many of you have complained that first few chapters are difficult to read because of the spelling. Some of you are auditory learners and may benefit from listening to audio while you read. 

I also suggest annotating your text by making notes about the plot, characters, and figurative language you see. Make predictions and ask questions in your annotations. This will help you to understand what you read on a deeper level. 

I've linked the full audiobook for 'Flowers for Algernon" to help those of you who are struggling. 

Remember, in order to maximize the benefit of listening, you must also read along. 

During your Free Time

As you know, you do not have free time in my class, however, when we are done with the lesson, you sometimes have some flexibility and choices with independent work.

Here are your options:

1. Review your vocabulary words on quizlet. I am proud of the progress you have made so far this year. Also, be aware that we will be having frequent, cumulative exams. That means you need to learn and remember your vocabulary words!!

2. Review your spelling words on spelling city. I want you all to work on your spelling. This will prove important on standardized exams. It will also make you more confident writers.

3. Read a book. We will be beginning "Flowers for Algernon" on Monday. Use class time to read so that you will have less homework.

4. Finally, you may do work for another class.

You may talk quietly if you are actively engaged in one of these tasks. If you are not engaged in these tasks you will earn reprimands.

I have overheard and spoken to many of you who want to be entrepreneurs. 

Watch this interview with Richard Branson, and consider the following: 

How did Branson get started? 

What opportunities did he take advantage of? 

What does Branson accredit to his success in the airline industry? 

Write a ten sentence summary answering the preceding questions. Keep it, we will discuss your results. 

Poetry Analysis "Royals" by Lorde

As we learned in last week, we all learn differently. This week I was hoping to appeal to the musical learners in our class by viewing and analyzing "Royals" by Lorde.

You have probably already heard this song. Many of you have probably already heard this song so many times that you're sick of it. 

But before you archive it, and forget about it forever, I'd like to take a closer look at the figurative language and thematic intention. 

Please view the video and read along with the lyrics. 

What is your dominant learning style?

As we review for tests, I think it will be helpful for you to think about how you learn.

The online supplements I have created for you have many components: you can hear words and definitions, you can see them, or you can learn in the context of a game where you can compete with friends or against yourself. These online supplements are designed to cater to many (but not all) learning styles.

Take the following quiz on your chromebook.

What is your dominant learning style?

Once you have determined your learning style see the following chart.

Intelligence Area	Strengths	Preferences	Learns best through	Needs
Verbal / Linguistic	Writing, reading, memorizing dates, thinking in words, telling stories	Write, read, tell stories, talk, memorize, work at solving puzzles	Hearing and seeing words, speaking, reading, writing, discussing and debating	Books, tapes, paper diaries, writing tools, dialogue, discussion, debated, stories, etc.
Mathematical/ Logical	Math, logic, problem-solving, reasoning, patterns	Question, work with numbers, experiment, solve problems	Working with relationships and patterns, classifying, categorizing, working with the abstract	Things to think about and explore, science materials, manipulative, trips to the planetarium and science museum, etc.
Visual / Spatial	Maps, reading charts, drawing, mazes, puzzles, imagining things, visualization	Draw, build, design, create, daydream, look at pictures	Working with pictures and colors, visualizing, using the mind's eye, drawing	LEGOs, video, movies, slides, art, imagination games, mazes, puzzles, illustrated book, trips to art museums, etc.
Bodily / Kinesthetic	Athletics, dancing, crafts, using tools, acting	Move around, touch and talk, body language	Touching, moving, knowledge through bodily sensations, processing	Role-play, drama, things to build, movement, sports and physical games, tactile experiences, hands-on learning, etc.
Musical	Picking up sounds, remembering melodies, rhythms, singing	Sing, play an instrument, listen to music, hum	Rhythm, singing, melody, listening to music and melodies	Sing-along time, trips to concerts, music playing at home and school, musical instruments, etc.
Interpersonal	Leading, organizing, understanding people, communicating, resolving conflicts, selling	Talk to people, have friends, join groups	Comparing, relating, sharing, interviewing, cooperating	Friends, group games, social gatherings, community events, clubs, mentors/ apprenticeships, etc.
Intrapersonal	Recognizing strengths and weaknesses, setting goals, understanding self	Work alone, reflect pursue interests	Working alone, having space, reflecting, doing self-paced projects	Secret places, time alone, self-paced projects, choices, etc.
Naturalistic	Understanding nature, making distinctions, identifying flora and fauna	Be involved with nature, make distinctions	Working in nature, exploring living things, learning about plants and natural events	Order, same/different, connections to real life and science issues, patterns

How does knowing your learning style help you to effectively prepare for exams in the future? Write down in your journal a few ways you can prepare for exams. Use complete sentences. I will call on you to share your ideas. 

Calvin and Hobbes

Many of you may be unfamiliar with Calvin and Hobbes. It's a comic strip about a young, rebellious boy who enjoys challenging authority. If you've never read these comics, I think many of you would like them. 

Please look at the following comic and answer the questions in a "Quick Write" google doc. 

The goose step is a marching style commonly associated with the Nazi Party. What figure of speech is this an example of? 

What is the tone of the strip?

What types of conflicts are present in the strip?

Tone and Mood

One thing we did not cover during the previous quarter is the difference between tone and mood.

Tone is the writer's attitude toward his work.

Mood, on the other hand, is the atmosphere in the work.

To help illustrate the difference between tone and mood, I would like for you to view two music videos of the song "Crazy in Love."

Although the lyrics of the song are the same, the mood differs substantially between the two videos.

I will give you a "mood words" chart. Circle the words that describe the first video, then underline the words that describe the second video.

When you are done we will discuss your thoughts.

After our class discussion I would like each of you to write about how mood is created in each music video.

"Crazy in Love" by Beyonce 

"Crazy in Love" by Antony and the Johnsons

Next week we will review all of our vocabulary from last quarter and we will take a unit test. 

I have created new sets on quizlet for you, here: http://quizlet.com/Jaclyn_Moryan

Next quarter we will begin doing exercises to improve our spelling. 

I have created a Vocabulary Spelling City account to help you, here: http://www.spellingcity.com/JaclynMoryan/

During any remaining time, you may play games on these websites. 

Now you never have to ask me "Miss, what are we supposed to be doing?" again! 

Conflicts Exercise

As our first quarter comes to an end, I would like for all of you to remember all of the terms and concepts we learned these past nine weeks.

It's important you remember what we have learned about characters, conflict, point of view, figurative language and parts of speech.

Over the rest of the year, I will expect for you to apply the concepts we have learned in class to the next stories and novels we read. We will also be writing more-- both in length and frequency.

For today's exercise I would like for you to take a look at these images I've uploaded from postsecret.com.

Each illustrates a type of conflict we have discussed in class.

In a google doc entitled "Quick Writes" choose the most appropriate conflict for each post card, and be sure to explain your answer. Once you are done with your entry, please share your google doc with me. We will continue to add entries to this throughout the year, and I will be providing feedback to you on an individual basis.

We will spend the rest of class working on our benchmarks. There will be absolutely no talking while students are testing.

If we have any remaining time in class, you have three options:
1) Read
2) Review the Unit Review Quizlet I have created for you.
3) Work on homework for another class.

Resilience, Education and Self-Efficacy

Wednesday, October 16

This week in class, for our PBL's, we discussed resilience. 

Resilience, you will remember, is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. 

I would like for you to consider how resilience is important to you in school. 

For your quick write today, I would like for you to answer the following questions: How do I exhibit resilience in school? How can I be more resilient in school? 

Please write at least ten sentences. 

After you complete your quick writes we will take our benchmark exam. 

During the remaining time, please see the quizlets I have prepared for our unit reviews. 

http://quizlet.com/Jaclyn_Moryan