In The Know

Students are hard at work, researching topics for the study of Ancient Egypt. Topics covered include everything from gods and goddesses to pyramids, mummification and technology. Students were to have finished gathering a third source from the library yesterday and should be working on their outline in order to begin their first draft on the computers tomorrow. Students are applying the Step-up to Writing method learned for paragraph writing, and expanding it to create their research essay. After students have organized their body paragraphs, next week we will work on strategies for writing introductory paragraphs and conclusion paragraphs. In addition, students will have time to work on their visuals in class with assistance from me.

In Language Arts, students have been working hard on grammar. They have been working on identifying the simple subjects and simple predicates in sentences, identifying types of sentences, and complements. In addition to playing an “I Spy” game to learn about direct and indirect objects, students have been singing the “Helping Verb” song to help them memorize the helping verbs. Listen to the students as they sing in 1st period and 3rd Period. They had a healthy competition going for quite awhile!

Students will be taking tests tomorrow to reach their first Accelerated Reader points goal for reading (at their reading level) for 20 minutes nightly over the last 6 weeks. If your student did not make their goal, please remind them they can make up the time on the weekends as the next goal will be due on December 16th.

Please email me if you have any further questions. I hope to be able to post some of the student projects for Egypt once they are done on my website. So, please stay tuned!

I have to say I was impressed with all of the new 6th graders. Even though it was the first day of class, we jumped right into our lessons. The students were engaged, respectful and responsible. In addition, we were able to start class even before the bell rang.

The students will have homework tonight, so make sure you check in with them. I am expecting the students to be responsible and am looking to 100% of the students completing their homework.

I am hoping the students will stay strong and work towards their College units in each and every class so they can make it to the first College Friday on September 9th. If today is any indication, each and every 6th grader in my class will be on their way to College Friday and on their way to College!

I enjoyed meeting and greeting every student today. They are a wonderful group of kids. I have no doubt in my mind that this is the beginning of a great year!

I find it hard to believe another year has ended. This has been my fourth year at SJMS and, as other teachers have noted, this has also been the best year. The number of students who are dedicated to working hard towards college continues to expand. My seventh graders were busy learning and working on projects up until just yesterday. We were able to read a few more stories and complete our ABC book for history based on the content learned in our last unit of study, Europe Enters the Modern Age. We learned a great deal about the Scientific Revolution, the Age of Exploration and the Enlightenment. I am sure Mr. Wookey will be pleased with how prepared the students will be for 8th grade history.

I hope students will take advantage of the summer to read some novels to prepare for Mr. Rosichan’s 8th grade Language Arts class (check out the reading program for teens at the Marin County library). Please see my resources link on my classroom wikispace for reading lists. I will also be sending a reading list to the Friends of the Novato Library to post in their reading room. By the way, if you have never been to the used bookstore for the Novato library (The Book Place at 1608 Grant Ave.) you should check it out. You can get gently used novels for 50 cents to a few dollars each. I was able to stock up on several novels for the summer and still had money left over! I frequent the place often to replinish books that disappear from my classroom library. It is a great deal!

I hope you all have an enjoyable summer. I know the next two months will fly by all too quickly. I myself will be busy taking a class late this summer on Project Based Learning with Mrs. Meyers through Dominican University and the Buck Institute. I am looking forward to learning some new tricks to inspire learning in my seventh graders next year.

Enjoy your summer, keep reading, and I look forward to seeing you in the fall.

The star writing test will take place for all seventh graders tomorrow, March 2nd. Please be sure your student has had a good night’s rest and a good breakfast to help them concentrate during the extended writing period. The test will take place during their Language Arts and History class core period.

On another note, students have just finished their Persuasive letters and are preparing to give speeches on Thursday and Friday of this week. If you would like to come in and see your child present, please send me an email and I will do my best to make arrangements for you to come in and observe. Also, students have their next six week goal for Accelerated Reader. Please make sure they are reading a minimum of 30 minutes each night (Monday through Friday) in order to reach their goal.

In History class, students are finishing up Unit 5 which covers Medieval Japan. Students are learning about the Japanese vassal system – Shoguns, Daimyos and Samurai – and about the complex and rigorous expectations of the warrior class. Last week, students wrote a diary entry about what life would have been like as a noble during the height of Japan’s golden age.

Map testing will be coming up again in the next few weeks. In addition, all of the seventh grade is eagerly anticipating their field trip to U.C. Berkeley on March 12th. If you would like to join us, please check with Ms. Dragonette in the office to obtain the necessary forms for chaperones.

If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to email or call. I look forward to seeing you during Open House later this month.

As the month of October draws to a close, History students have completed one unit of study and begun another. The students took their Unit 1 test on Europe during the medieval period after completing a study guide and Jeopardy style review. They are currently at work on unit 2, “The Rise of Islam.” Students finished creating travel brochures that summarize the adaptations for the different environments found on the Arabian Peninsula. This week we they are learning about the origins of the Arabian culture during the Dark Ages and how Islam and the teachings of the prophet Muhammad united this diverse region.

In Language Arts, students are finishing a novel study on “The Midwife’s Apprentice.” We have been hard at work on standards such as analyzing characterization and setting, events that advance the plot, recognizing cause-and-effect relationships, determining internal/external conflict and identifying figurative language. The students have been listening to the story read by a skilled storyteller and they have been thoroughly engaged. Ask them what they have enjoyed about the novel and how the character has changed and developed over the course of the story.

In addition to the novel study, students are working towards their next Accelerated Reader points goal. I have met with each student who has not made progress and am encouraging them towards reading at their own pace. This includes the 30 minutes of nightly reading homework. If your student has not been completing this requirement, please check in with them and encourage them to makeup time on the weekend. Another bonus – any points beyond their reading goal becomes extra credit! The next due date for AR points is next Friday, November 6th.

Tomorrow will be our third College Friday for the year. There are more students on the list this time than there were last. We are hoping that the trend will continue to improve. Many students have been falling short of their college units by only a few points due to missing homework. Please feel free to send me an email if there is something I can do to help you at home. I am available at lunchtime four out of the five days during the week (Monday through Thursday) if your student needs more support on homework completion. Most of the work is done in class but there are students who need more time. I am trying my best to support them and provide them with a place to study. Furthermore, the progress reports will be out in another two weeks. If you have any questions, please feel free to email or call me.

Have a safe and thrilling Halloween!

The ASU Sun Devil

These are the proud colors of ASU, Arizona State University, the college I have adopted for my classroom. As students enter the halls of San Jose Middle School this coming Thursday, August 20^th, they will be seeing many different colored pendants and banners from colleges all over the U.S. As a staff, we are excited about the new college focus and have many activities planned around it. The first activity will be our College Readiness Kick-off Event on Tuesday, September 1^st from 1:00-2:00p.m. This event will include guest speaker Dr. Jeri Echeverria, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs of the California State University system. That following Friday will be our first College Friday for students who have been responsible, respectful, engaged and adhering to the SJMS Commitment contract that each student will have signed.

To start out the Language Arts and History core curriculum, students will begin with a strong focus on writing. We will begin with improving vocabulary, writing strong paragraphs and expanding paragraphs to organized essays. In addition, each class will be focusing on writing for the daily warm-ups for the first few weeks to get the students comfortable with writing. Mini-lessons on reading comprehension will be integrated into each History lesson, which will eventually work into collaboration lessons. The intent is to help the students work towards working in groups to investigate mini-inquiry/research questions. Students will eventually be taking a reading placement test (STAR test) using the Accelerated Reader program provided by the district. Once the students reading levels are determined, an AR points goal will be set for each student for the semester. This points goal is a formula based on students reading at their level for a minimum of 30 minutes per night, 5 nights a week. Please help your student by making sure that they have a book (I strongly encourage you to get a free Marin library card) and that they are reading for the minimum time nightly. You could also read to or with them. This is a great way to connect with your teen and to ask questions in order to gauge what they comprehend while reading.

Unfortunately, Technology is not an elective that is being offered this year. My hope is that I will be able to integrate technology into the different subject areas in different ways with the students. That being said, it is important for you and your students to make sure that all information from the packets that are passed out on the first day are returned as soon as possible. Within that packet there could be a form that allows students to get onto the computers at school. If they did not attend SJMS last year or did not turn in their form (AUP – Acceptable Use Policy/Network form) they will not be able to use the computers. This will greatly hamper their academic experience if they cannot participate along with their peers.

A few events that you should be aware of by now include the mandatory parent meetings on Tuesday, August 25^th, Wednesday, August 26^th, and Thursday, August 27^th at 7:00pm. Please find a day that works for you in order to attend one of the meetings. In addition, Back-to-School night is slated for the evening of Wednesday, September 9^th from 6:30-8:00pm. I look forward to meeting you face-to-face on that evening and I anticipate this will be a new, exciting year for us all!

With a week remaining, Core students are trying to finish out the last of the unit on the Maya, Incas and Aztecs. They are also preparing for a fashion show where they must write descriptive paragraphs/scripts to read during the show for the designs they create. It should be a hoot!

Next year, there will be a school-wide emphasis on reading and Accelerated Reader. In order to motivate summer reading, I asked the Novato Teen public librarian to come and speak with the students about their summer program. There is an online site where students go to write book reviews for books they have read. For each review, students will obtain an e-raffle ticket towards weekly drawings and the final, grand prize…a voice activated shuffle. If you want your student to keep track of what books they have read, I have a Reading Record on my resources page.

The Technology/Exploratory class is viewing the projects they have created with iMovie. We are finishing out the year with a few fun art projects inspired by artists like Matisse and Escher. Students will be bringing their Technology portfolios home. I try to encourage the students to keep them, as they may want to create and adapt the projects at a future date.

In closing, I would like to say it has been a great year. I have enjoyed teaching all of your students and learning from them, also. Please, encourage them to read over the summer months. Share what you are reading with your students and ask them to share. Read a book together, as a family. On long trips, download audiobooks onto ipods or borrow audiobook CD’s from the library. The main Novato library has quite an extensive selection of teen books. I hope to have the opportunity to talk with the students in the fall about the novels they have read over the summer. Have a peaceful and relaxing summer.

Star testing begins this Monday, April 27th, and will conclude on May 8th. Attendance is very important and we ask that you make sure your student gets to school on time for the next two weeks. Also, please be sure that your student has had a good breakfast and plenty of rest.  You may also want to provide a healthy snack and make sure they have a good book to read when they have completed testing.

Students have completed research on their careers and will be creating their final product this coming week. It has been fun reading about what they hope to become. One thing is for sure, San Jose Middle School will have an abundance of alumni who will be professionals in all areas.
Seventh grade students have just finished Unit 4 in History about Imperial China. They will be taking a unit test next week (study guides will go out this week) and will begin the next unit of study about Medieval Japan. I anticipate the student will enjoy learning about the warrior class.

In Language Arts, students will begin a novel study based on James Howe’s novel, The Misfits. This novel is about a group of seventh grade students who are not a part of the mainstream. They decide to come up with a new “political party” for the student council elections with an agenda that includes a zero tolerance policy for name-calling. As a culminating activity for this unit of study, my students will create public service announcements, short movies, for anti-bullying.

On another note, there are about seven remaining weeks left of school. Spring fever is running rampant; however, there is still work to be done. Student Accelerated Reader goals have been increased, once again, and the new due date is May 29th. For those students who have fallen behind on their reading goals, it is imperative that they increase their reading time from 30 minutes a night, five days a week, to an hour and include the weekends. Remind them, there is extra credit for any student who can read beyond their independent reading level goal.

I hope you are enjoying our beautiful weather. You may be seeing me riding around Novato with my family. The spring weather makes us anxious to get out and exercise. Perhaps we will see you today at the School Fuel bike ride at San Marin.

If you have any questions, feel free to call or email me. In addition, if you would like to see your student’s PSA on anti-bullying, please send me a note. If all goes well, I am hoping to upload them onto the wikispace page for viewing purposes.

During this final week of February, we have begun to anticipate the testing that students will be taking in the coming months. The first California standardized test, which all seventh graders will be required to take, is the STAR writing standards test. In order to prepare the students, all seventh grade classes have been analyzing or are in the process of analyzing and practicing the different genres that students could possibly be confronted with on Tuesday, March 3rd.  The different genres are Persuasive, Summary, Response to Literature, and Narrative. In the process of preparing, we have been trying to help the students focus on the importance of organizing their writing and the key parts of each genre. While the students have many good ideas and much to say, if they do not have the organization or the elements which comprise each genre, their writing will not matter. In preparation for the test on Tuesday, we ask that you have all seventh graders to school on time, with a good night of rest and a healthy breakfast. They will be completing the writing test in their Core classes.

In addition to continued preparation for the tests, students are gearing up to memorize a two-minute speech to present to their classmates. The speeches will be chosen from a variety of topics: book excerpts, persuasive speeches, short story, monologues, etc. (Students will also be informed of links on my resources page to book experts) They are required to memorize their speech with, at most, an index card to serve as a prompt. If you are interested in coming in to observe your child present, please feel free to email me and I will do my best to accommodate the schedule for you. Those students who do an outstanding job may be asked to participate in the SJMS speech contest on March 24th and possibly move on to the San Domenico Speech contest.

In conclusion, I would like to encourage you and your children to read together in the evenings. Students are required to read for thirty minutes every night (their Accelerated Reader points, which are adjusted for their independent reading levels, are based on this daily time). What a better way to end the night by reading as a family and then sharing what you have read. Share with your child the process – what you think about, what you predict will happen, questions you have about why the author chose to portray the character in a certain light or write in a certain way. The more you can model your reading process the more experience they will gain. Ask them the same questions about their reading. I read to my children every night. As we read together, I will stop and ask them questions about what they think might happen next. Too often, students believe there is a right or wrong answer and they can’t appreciate the anticipation and joy that reading can bring. They are used to reading and answering questions from a textbook and are unsure or hesitant about thinking for themselves.  It is amazing how much modeling can help free them up in order to show them they are capable of critical thinking. This will also help them in their Reader’s Journal responses. You could even have them write their journal response letter to you. Wouldn’t it be fun to write a letter back to them?

I understand how life can keep us busy, but there is no greater gift you can give your child than modeling for them how a reader reads, responds and interacts with text. It can be reading the newspaper, a poem, novel or other informational text. The objective is to show the importance of reading and how we make sense of it. You are your child’s first teacher. With your support, we can work together to guide your student towards becoming a life-long learner.

We are off to a new semester and a fresh start. To begin the new year, each student in CORE was given a composition book to use for their Writer’s Notebook. Our first entry was to list our New Year’s Resolutions or to reflect on what changes we think the New Year will bring in light of a new president. The students were excited to receive their own book and were able to reflect and write their responses in their books. We also discussed and wrote down the expectations of the Writer’s Notebook. The students were able to understand the goal is to get the ideas down and not to get hung up on spelling and writing conventions. We will be using these notebooks everyday in order to become comfortable with writing. I write along with the students, share my own writing, and then open it up for the students to share. My hope is that this notebook will be a springboard for writing at a later date.

In addition to writing, all students have a new Accelerated Reader points goal. The homework continues to be reading nightly for at least 30 minutes. I have been reminding students daily that the AR points are based on their reading level and a formula based on reading 30 minutes five days a week. Reader’s Workshop will continue on Fridays along with mini-lessons on reading comprehension and read-alouds. GATE students are beginning work on their next Literacy Exploration project.

In History, students are finishing up their unit on Muslim contributions and the crusades to new Muslim empires before moving on to learn about the ancient societies of West Africa. Most students will be working on posters highlighting the Muslim contributions; GATE students are investigating literature with excerpts from The Rubaiyat by Omar Khayyam, a Sufi mystic who wrote poetry, and the Epic of Kings by Ferdowsi, a Persian nobleman and poet. They will create a product or response that will be posted to their Blogmeister space. Stay tuned!

Technology students from last fall have now moved on to Spanish with Ms. Krott and I have a fresh batch of students for the spring semester. We have begun our first unit of study, Internet Safety. At the end of this section, students create an Internet safety podcast based upon what they have learned. Stay tuned for this audio podcast. It will be posted on the Technology page.

Upon closing, I would like to point out that Challenge day will occur once again for a second year. I would like to say what a moving experience this was for me last year (see my post below) and I hope this will encourage more students to be the conduit that will make the change! Middle school can be a challenging place to get along with others but let’s try and make it the place we want to be. Find it in yourself to treat others respectfully and be supportive of your fellow classmates. We are all more alike than we are different. Let’s start this New Year on a clean slate both academically and socially!