Monday-Friday (May 14-18)

On Monday and Tuesday, students continued work on a poetry unit. Students will be incorporating poetry into a poster and will make a podcast based on a poem of their choosing. This Wednesday we took a time-out for music as the Marine Corps Jazz Combo played for Dzantiki Heeni Middle School Students. On Thursday we will have another classroom guest helping students participate in Reader's Theatre. Finally, Friday will be a work day for students to continue to finalize poetry projects.

Parents: Students may ask you for pictures to utilize on their final poetry poster. Please know that we will be cutting these photos up, so only give students pictures that you don't mind losing or ones that can easily be copied.

THANKS! Mr. Fortier

Tuesday-Thursday (May 1-3)

This week we will continue our poetry unit. Students will complete an I used to be...poem on Tuesday; Haiku on Wednesday, and Diamonte Poetry on Thursday. By the end of the week, students will start working on a final poetry poster.

Parents: your student may ask you for pictures that they can put on their poster, please know that we will cut these pictures up so don't give your student any pictures that you cannot easily duplicate or don't mind giving up.

HOMEWORK: Students will only have homework on days that they do not finish their classroom work.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Friday, May 4, Coast Guard Presentation.

Monday-Thursday (April 15-18)

Poetry Unit: Students worked on a variety of poetry this week. They started with acrostic and shape poems, and now are writing both I AM and Cinquain poetry. The overall goal is to get students writing poetry and working with a variety of verbs and adjectives to strengthen their vocabulary. Each day, students will learn a new form of poetry, then be given class time to complete each example. Students will have homework only on days they do not finish that particular assigned poem.

In addition to writing poetry, students are also reading a variety of poetry. They are preparing to record and add pictures to a podcast, utilizing a poem of their choice.

FRIDAY: NO CLASS (LITTER PICK-UP)

SBA TESTING WEEK April 10, 11, 12.

All students will be testing for SBA's.

I am also attaching an Echo Ranch letter to this page for parents who would like to help in our trip on May 9th and May 10th (Levernier/Drapeaux/Fortier Homebases only).

Language Arts: Monday, April 2

Students reviewed synonyms, homonyms, and antonyms; after, they finished watching the movie Inkheart (relating to myths, legends, and folktales).
Tomorrow (TUESDAY): Quiz on Synonyms, homonyms, and antonyms.

NEXT WEEK: SBA TESTING: TUESDAY-THURSDAY

Language Arts: Friday, March 16

Students participated in Socratic Seminar discussion based on news articles and stories. END OF THIRD QUARTER.

HAVE A GREAT SPRING BREAK!!!

Language Arts: Tuesday, March 13

Students completed a twenty minute SBA review. After, LA I went to the library to look at a variety of folktales, legends, myths, and fables. LAII started learning techniques for socratic seminar (a learning tool which will support student led discussion and increase student participation and learning). 

During the week students have also participated in an acting workshop. For further information, please see the attached letter (found at the bottom of this page).

Language Arts: Monday, March 12

Today we participated in the Artist in the School Workshop. We will not have homework this evening.

MONDAY EARLY RELEASE. HAVE A WONDERFUL EARLY AFTERNOON.

HUNTERS EDUCATION MONDAY/TUESDAY (NO LANGUAGE ARTS)

Students will be participating in Hunter's Education.

I recommend (Not required) Students read thirty minutes every night.

Language Arts: Thursday, March 1

Update: Students are continuing learning and researching myths, fables, legends, and oral history. We were very fortunate to start our acting workshop today (with actors/actresses from Perserverance Theatre)! You can expect a letter sent home tomorrow or monday detailing the workshop. One language arts class participated today, the other will participate tomorrow.

NO HOMEWORK: HAVE A GREAT THURSDAY 

Language Arts: Monday, February 27

Update: Students are learning characteristics of myths, legends, folk tales, fables, and oral history. Each lesson has a corresponding reading activity.

HOMEWORK: Quotations Maze (to be completed as homework if not finished in class).

HAVE A WONDERFUL EARLY RELEASE DAY!

REMINDERS: Hunter's Education Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday (March 5-7).

Language Arts: Tuesday/Wednesday February 21-22

I look forward to meeting all parents for conferences! Hope you had a wonderful long weekend. SEE ALL STUDENTS ON THURSDAY!
 

Language Arts: Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Update: Today we put finishing touches on Life Trails Project, Read in the Language of Literature Textbooks (In the Land of Small Dragon), and toured bookfair.

HOMEWORK: LIFE TRAILS PROJECT (IF NOT FINISHED)

UPDATES: Parent Teacher Conferences Next Tuesday and Wednesday

Language Arts: Monday, February 13, 2012 (Early Release Monday)

Update: Monday/Tuesday will be project work days where students will be given time to finalize their Life Trails Project.

PROJECT DUE WEDNESDAY (NO Homework unless students need to finish work on Life Trails Project).
 

Language Arts: Monday, February 6, 2012

Daily Update: Students looked at a variety of posters, highlighting strengths and weakness of work in order to improve their own poster quality. Students continued to work on finishing life trails project.

TIMELINE FOR THE WEEK:

Tuesday: Apostrophes; Work on Life Trails Project Posters

Wednesday: Contractions; Work on Life Trails Project Posters

Thursday: Classroom reading (looking at dialogue; Language of Literature textbook); Life Event #5 (completed by Friday)

Friday: Peer Edit
 

Language Arts: Friday, February 3, 2012

Daily Update: The class took an open note quiz over literary devices commonly used in writing (personification, metaphor, simile, hyperbole, etc.). After, students worked on completion of thier fourth life event.

Weekend Homework: If not already completed, students are asked to finish their fourth life event and turn in next monday.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

Language Arts: Thursday, February 2, 2012

Daily update: students finished reading All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury. We watched a short film after the reading based on All Summer in a Day. Students completed a compare/contrast of the reading.

Homework: Life Event #4: Due Friday
Quiz: Literary Devices Friday (open note) If students have taken regular classroom notes, they may use the notes for the quiz.

Language Arts: Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Classroom update: students continued working on life trails project. We worked in the computer lab to finish the third life event and began to work on a fourth event.

Homework: Life Event #4 DUE FRIDAY
 

Language Arts: Monday, January 30, 2012

Classroom update: today we worked toward learning literary devices (idioms, personification, alliteration, etc.), then practiced reading strategies.

Monday-Tuesday Activities: Reading (Language of Literature) All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury

HOMEWORK: Due Tuesday

Due: Rough Draft (third life event)

Due (previous Friday): Interview (second life event)

Homework from previous weekend: Get correspondence letter signed. Due Tuesday, January 31.

January/February UNIT PROJECT: Students are working on a Non-Fiction project, writing stories of what they feel are major life events from throughout their own lives. They are writing two paragraphs on each of these life events. Further details can be found on the attached Life Trail Project Rubric.