This Week: January 20-23

Parents,
We are currently working on a Composition Unit. I have attended several workshops this year to help myself become a better writing teacher. Ability and experience in the area of writing is something that I feel will very strongly impact my students' lives as they move to eighth grade, high school, college, and/or work. I am working hard to help them become better writers, and they are working hard also. We will not have quite as much homework as we begin the writing unit, though there will be some. We are also preparing to take the Alabama Direct Assessment of Writing test (which is at the end of February).

A new grading period has begun. I have helped each student start a grade sheet, so he/she can keep up with his/her own grades this nine-weeks. Your student should be able to give you an estimate of his or her average so far. You can also check STI and look for progress reports every three weeks! Please let me know if you have any questions or need anything from me!
-Mrs. Skelton

Below is this week's schedule:
Monday, January 20: (no school- Martin Luther King Jr. Day)

Tuesday, January 21:
Kick-off- review simile, personification, and hyperbole
Hand out ADAW chart
discuss modes of writing (narrative, expository, persuasive, descriptive)
Pass out Friday's Quiz
No homework

Wednesday, January 22:
Kick-off- practice using quotations and commas
Practice reading essay prompts and determining mode, audience, and topic
Practice using your opinion and the topic to create a thesis for essay prompts
No homework

Thursday, January 23:
Kick-offs: distinguishing between direct and indirect quotes
Work in groups to determine mode, audience, and topic
Creating a thesis for essay prompts
Creating an outline for a specific essay prompt

Friday, January 24:
Turning an outline into an essay.

January 12-16

Monday:
Kick-off- personification
Introduction to Composition
Take Essay Outline Notes
No homework

Tuesday:
Kick-off- similes
Essay Structure discussion
Essay Structure Visual (in class)
Students will choose one of the visuals that we discussed for an essay, and create a diagram.
Options: Hamburger, Love Story, House

Wednesday:
Kick-Off- essay prompt practice
Complete Essay Structure Visual

Thursday:
Kick-off- grammar practice
Working Backward: student will work in groups to take apart a correct essay, searching for the thesis, topic sentences, main ideas, etc.
Homework: Study Essay Outline Notes for Quiz Tomorrow

Friday:
Kick-Off- hyperbole (turn in Kick-offs)
Essay Outline Quiz
Complete Working Backwards assignment
Thursday

Welcome Back! This Week: Jan. 6-9

Welcome Back! I hope everyone had a great break! I know that getting back into the swing of things is hard for us all, and I think the weather is making it even harder! However, I am glad to see my students and get started with the our new year.

Parents, as you may know, the schedule is a little different in Jefferson County this year. Instead of taking our exams before Christmas, we are taking them this week. The 3rd 9-week grading period will begin next week. I am very excited about our plans for the third 9-weeks, but first things first--we must take exams and finish up where we left off.

The students were given a study-guide today. We will review more tomorrow, and the 2nd-nine weeks exam will be on Thursday, January 8.

Here is a general schedule for our week:
Tuesday, January 6:
Complete Exam study-guide in class
Homework: finish study-guide if not finished in class.

Wednesday, January 7:
Discuss study-guide and review for exam.
Homework: Study!!!

Thursday, January 8:
Take 2nd Nine-Weeks Final Exam

Friday, January 9:
Library Day- take AR tests, check out new books, etc.