7th and 8th grade homework

7^th graders should be studying for a vocabulary test next Wednesday (May 16).  The test will cover vocabulary from chapters 1-4 of Ten Little Indians, with an emphasis on chapters 3 and 4 as well as the “ly” words (adverbs like surreptitiously, conscientiously, and adroitly).

 

8^th graders should be studying The Declaration of Independence for a second recitation due Tuesday, May 15.  Students, in general, did quite poorly on this recitation a few days ago, and they are being asked to continue trying to memorize the first few sentences.  The first recitation grade WILL stand, but a second recitation grade will help to balance it out.  Ms. Briggs and I challenged the students who earned good scores the first time to aim for at least one letter grade of improvement. 

 

 

 

7th and 8th: homework, tests, projects, memorizations, oh my!

7^th graders have their independent reading project letters due on May 15 and 30, as detailed in yesterday’s email and blog posting.  They will also be having a TEST on May 7 that covers the VOCABULARY we’ve been learning from chapters 1 – 4 of Ten Little Indians.  There will be some time dedicated in class to reviewing this vocabulary, but students will also need to study at home.  They may print their vocabulary lists off of their iPads to bring home.

 

8^th graders have a “layered curriculum” project that they will begin in class today.  In this project, they have a menu of options to choose from to earn a particular grade.  They will have 2 ½ blocks to work on this project, which may be sufficient for some students.  Time may need to be spent on the project over the weekend or during nights this week. The entire project is due at the start of class on Monday, May 7.  Additionally, students are being asked to memorize and recite the beginning of The Declaration of Independence as part of our ongoing commitment to grappling with rigorous text and our current study of our rights as Americans (related to the class novel).  The first sentence is the basic requirement, and memorizing it will earn students a 75%.  They may choose to memorize more of the text, and may earn up to a 105%. Recitations will be held on Tuesday, May 8. 

 

All students will be having end of the year exams.  It is never too early to start reviewing for these by organizing binders, reading through notes, making flash cards for vocabulary, correcting old worksheets, et cetera.  June will be upon us all before we know it!

 

 

 

 

Last Independent Reading Project

7^th Grade Parents,

 

The final independent reading project is to read a book in a genre of choice and compose two 400-word letters/emails to me about the book.  The first letter/email should be written at the halfway point in the book, and the second should be written when the book is completed.  Each letter/email should be 400 words and should be approximately half summary of the text and half personal response (opinions about characters, predictions, things you notice about the author’s style, connections, et cetera). 

 

Letter one is DUE on or before MAY 15, 2012

 

Letter two is DUE on or before MAY 29, 2012

 

Students who earned a 3 or a 4 on the NECAP this past fall are exempt from writing the letters, but are still expected to read a book and be ready for an informal assessment(s) on that book. 

 

Thanks,

 

Abby Wald