Please read both documents and sign the behavioral contract. I will collect the behavioral contract Tuesday.
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A friendly reminder for students to be working on their 3D models for their upcoming final. We only have five weeks left of school! A great time to end on a high note!
Students will be generating a soundtrack of their own making to fit with the Lightning Thief text that we have been studying this spring. They are required to pick ten songs and ten scenes from the novel. They must write a fake interview with themselves about the decisions they made for the film. They must also give me five justifications for why they chose particular songs for particular scenes. I am working with Mrs. Carrillo on this project. We have generated a few templates that will help them create these artifacts. The due date is June 6th. At the end of the unit, we will show the film in the commons to match with a few select soundtracks. I think that this is a great opportunity for students to showcase their creative abilities while working in a narrative format. That being said, I am strongly encouraging them to make good decisions with the songs they pick. I will not tolerate profanity or any vulgar language in their tracks. To be safe, I am encouraging them to only pick songs that are radio friendly OR without vocals. Below you will find any important attachment regarding this project.
Remember that you are focusing on three elements of the Wacky Tacky Door event. What went well for you? Focus on two elements of which you are proud. What went poorly? Focus on one element that could have gone much better. These three items will be the focus of your story. Reflect on what went well and what went poorly. In the body paragraphs, you will flesh out your thoughts. See below for attachment.
Example of Compare/Contrast for ReadWorks
The similarities between “The Ex Factors” and “Take the Plunge” indicate that exercise is the key to a long and healthy life. When we compare “The Ex Factors” to “Take the Plunge”, it becomes clear that “The Ex Factors” is more of a summative examination of exercise whereas “Take the Plunge” really details the benefits of swimming. Although “The Ex Factors” and “Take the Plunge” are different, “The Ex Factors” gives a very detailed breakdown of how muscle fibers work and how a healthy diet is of great benefit to all. The most obvious difference between the two articles is their focus. “Take the Plunge” looks at how swimming transformed Mike Garris’s confidence and body: “Now I am much more self-confident because I am strong." “The Ex Factors” focuses on the chemical/physical make-up of the human body. In particular, the lack of IL-6 seems to put people at risk for diabetes: “In other words, IL-6 appeared to be the exercise factor that Pedersen was looking for.” The common characteristics include: a healthy diet and regular exercise. Yet, one distinction remains: “The Ex Factors” is a scientific look at exercise whereas “Take the Plunge” identifies the muscle groups and benefits of swimming in general, but especially at an early age. By comparing the two articles we learn how important exercise is for our daily lives. The shared attributes further this notion. The more we eat healthy and the more we exercise, the longer we live. Example of Cause and Effect for ReadWorks According to "Winter Workouts," weather has a significant impact on the motivation for people to exercise. Winter is an especially hard season. The major causes of not exercising can be traced to the discomfort cold can bring. Due to this discomfort, many people avoid exercise. Gary Sforzo, a professor at Ithaca College, reminds us that if a person avoids exercise for the entire season of winter they will “potentially lose whatever benefits you gained during the rest of the year.” One cause of this is a sedentary lifestyle will not grow muscles. A reason for exercising, on the other hand, is skiing – and other winter activities – can be “totally exhilarating.” The end result is dependent upon each person. The impact of not exercising in winter is the lack of muscle gain and the start of a poor workout routine. Example of Proposition and Support for ReadWorks In regards to a healthy diet and long-term fitness, it is believed that they are developed as a routine. “Staying Fit and Healthy” presents the position that a lifetime of fitness and health revolves around a strict routine: daily exercise and a balanced diet. “Apples: The Health Benefits” proves that the consumption of just one apple a day has extremely high upside. Apples help combat cancer, stroke, and heart disease. These views are based on research from researchers both in Finland and in America. A particular study out of Cornell University found that, “certain nutrients in apples slow the growth of colon and liver cancer cells.” Many experts claim that the failure to exercise is due to the inability to see all options. According to ReadWorks and the article “Slim Gym,” exercise can be found anywhere, such as in the form of “jumping jacks, push-ups, crunches, running in place....[These] are good ways to work out without spending a dime.” Even when particular equipment is unavailable, a person can “forget the expensive dumbbell sets. Just use some heavy jugs they have around the house—a gallon of milk, a jug of laundry detergent,” or a two liter of soda. There is little doubt that a healthy diet and daily exercise are essential tools towards a healthy lifestyle. “Staying Fit and Healthy” urges one to see the health benefits of performing winter workouts, of swimming, of stretching, of portioning, and of consuming fresh foods. Students have already begun data gathering for their upcoming final. The gist of this final is data collection from multiple sources to allow for an informed discussion. Each student is responsible for their own model of a chosen cultural innovation and for a deep understanding of that particular culture. Students will be expected to be fully aware of each culture studied in class and be responsible for counterarguments concerning other innovations and other cultures. In short, students need to collect mounds of data, highlight what's important, analyze that data and then construct a 3d model of the innovation they determine to be the most influential from the cultures studied in class. Our deadline is the second week of June. Presentations will occur during the second week of June. Each set of speakers will have thirty minutes to parse out each other's ideas and to form counters. The best argument from each set of speakers will earn a seat in the finals. The finals will be held near the last day of school. Attachments detailing the project further will arrive soon.
We will continue having Literature Circles until the end of April. After that, we will pivot into Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series. I will be grading two more of these circles in the next seven weeks (one week is not counted due to spring break). Journals have been improving each week, but I am asking students this week to improve them. I have given each student feedback. I am focusing on skill building over these next two weeks. I want students to feel like they can add depth to their writing. Please check the Google Drive folder of your student. Here are the directions for the journals and the frame: For each day we discuss our books, you need to have a journal entry. This will summarize your thoughts on the reading and mention a few key parts. For each journal entry you need:
Write down things you thought were interesting and that you want to talk about! Try not to write things you think are boring. INCLUDE PAGE NUMBERS WHEN YOU CAN! My book: _________________________________ Author: __________________________________ How much do I have to read each week? _________________________________________ How to set up a journal response: Week # Pages ___ - ____ Summary: In this part of the book, _________. _____ decided to ______, which meant that _______. After that, _______. Then, _______. ______ was important because _____. The most important thing that happened was ______. Finally, _______. (1 paragraph) Prediction: I think _____ will _____.
NOTES: Write extra notes on bottom – other things you want to talk about but don’t have a place to put it. It’s better to have too much than not enough! ReadWorks is something that we will be doing each week. Every Tuesday, students will be assigned a new leveled article. I am basing this on their Lexile Levels. It allows me the opportunity to up the difficulty or bring it down a notch. Questions are context based and allow students practice with testing and on how to justify their answers. Students are aware of their class code and password. But just in case: Core 1 - XA3LDC; Core 2 - VYCF3P. Here is the website: http://digital.readworks.org/?utm_source=Center%20Box&utm_medium=Center%20Box&utm_campaign=6.1.16%20digital Synthesis projects were fairly well constructed last week. I noticed that some students needed more time. For the next project, students will have four weeks to construct one of the six options into something they are proud of. They will have ample time in class to do this. Reading Logs have been given out four times so far this year. Please check StudentVue/ParentVue to see how your particular learner is doing. I do not need your signature to give them a good grade. They can receive an 8/10 even without it, as long as they fulfill the other portions of the assignment. As always, take care!
We have just launched our Design Star project for the spring. We will be working on having students utilize the two sites given to us by the city planners of Newberg. One site is located behind the school near the Allison Spa. This location is over 30 acres of space but provides its own challenges like traffic, water/electricity access. The other site is located in downtown Newberg just across from the post office. This site is very small in comparison but already has access to water and electricity. The downtown site also has parking spots all around it. For this project, students will be choosing a location, brainstorming a business that would fit nicely into that spot, researching successful business ventures, coming up with a rough mock-up of the location, and then writing and giving a speech that details all the reasons on why their particular business will find economic success in Newberg. Since we are changing a few items this year to make the process easier for students, the documentation will be coming in chunks. I have attached the Speech frame to this post, and I will attach a rough rubric for the project. In the next week or so, all relevant documents will appear below. The due date for the speeches and mock-ups is March 21st. I look forward to working with your student on this enriching real-world project.
Here's the document you need for your portfolio. See below for attachment.
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Mr. McLayAn attempt to flip an Integrated LA/SS classroom. Categories |