Week-In-Review

This week we took our first Global Scholar assessment, learned about nouns and pronouns, visited the book fair, and began our first unit of study. 

Noun projects were due yesterday. You can still turn yours in on Tuesday, but I will deduct 10 points for each day that it is late. Your noun quiz will be on Wednesday. Be sure you are prepared! Here's a brief list of things to know:

Be able to define and identify the following parts of speech in a sentence:

1. Common Noun (Daybook p. 2)

2. Proper Noun (Daybook p. 2)

3. Concrete Noun (Daybook p. 5)

4. Abstract Noun (Daybook p. 5)

5. Plural and Singular Nouns (Daybook p. 8)

6. Possessive Noun (Daybook p. 10)

7. Pronoun (Daybook p. 12)

8. Indefinite Pronoun (Daybook p. 14)

9. Collective Noun (Daybook p. 8)

Know the rules for forming plural and possessive nouns and be prepared to correct errors in possessive and plural nouns. (Your charts on pages 8,10, 12, and 13 should help.)

Remember that collective nouns are singular. (Ex: That pride of lions is getting closer)

Indefinite pronouns ending in "-thing," "-one," and "-body" are always singular. (Ex: Someone is coming.)

I will give out a paper copy of this study guide as well as a review sheet on Tuesday. Until then, I hope everyone enjoys the long weekend! I'm sure we'll all be cheering on our favorite teams with the return of college football! 

Guess What Day It Is!

This week marks the start of our first unit. Here are some important things to keep in mind:

• We will visit the Book Fair for 15 minutes tomorrow to browse. 
• Noun Projects are due on FRIDAY
• Your first grammar quiz will be on Wednesday, September 4
•  Your first Vocab quiz will be on Friday, September 6

Today I will be entering grades for the "100 Things" Assignment. Check STI this evening for a more updated average.

QOTD: "Writing is writing, and stories are stories. Perhaps the only true genres are fiction and non-fiction. But even then, who can be sure?" --Tanith Lee

Tuesday's QOTD

" The truth is rarely pure and never simple."
--Oscar Wilde

Today we started Unit 1: "What is the Best Way to Find the Truth?"

Noun projects are due on Friday. The requirements are listed below. If you did not pick a collective noun from the box, see me to make sure you have that information!

Collective Noun Illustration (DUE FRIDAY!)

Your job is to illustrate the collective noun listed below. You should look up the animal listed as well as the definition of the collective noun. Your drawing must include the following:

_____ A label telling which collective noun you are illustrating (5 points)

_____ Definition of the grammar term collective noun (5 points) (You can find this in your notes.)

_____ Definition of your particular noun (5 points) (Ex: if your term was “pride of lions,” define “pride”)

_____ A drawing or collage showing thought and effort (15 points)

_____ Your image must be colored (5 points)

_____This rubric must be stapled to your illustration (5 points)

Weekly Update!

Parents,

We've had a great week back at school. To name a few things, your students got to know their classmates, set goals for themselves and their class, and listed their 100 writing territories! I'm still inputting your contact information into my e-mail, and once I have that finished you can expect a weekly e-mail update from me. I just wanted to update you on some things that will be happening in the near future.

·         Global Scholar: On Monday, we’ll be taking the Global Scholar assessment. If your students are from Lee County they should be familiar with this test. This assessment is administered on the computer. Monday’s test is basically a benchmark to see where your students are at the beginning of the year. Please encourage them to try their best on every question. We get most of our data regarding what to focus on from these assessments. Also, please tell your students that we will not meet in my classroom, 615, but we’ll be in the computer lab in building 5.

·         Unit One: We will begin our first unit of study on Tuesday. We’ll be focusing on the Big Question “What is the best way to find the truth?”

·         Book Bingo: We’ll begin our Independent Reading projects in the next few weeks, so be sure your students are reading at home on a consistent basis!

The 7^th and 8^th grade Football Jamboree is tonight! GO PANTHERS!

First Day of School

"Education is not filling a pail but the lighting of a fire."
--William Butler Yeats

We've had a great first day of School! It was great to meet all of your students and settle in to our first week of class. Your students are bringing home my class syllabus with a purple slip for you to sign. Their homework for tomorrow is to return the signed slip as well as bring their composition books to class. Each of these will be a 10 point homework grade in STI. I've uploaded a pdf version of the syllabus. You can look at that by clicking on the syllabus link on the "Important Documents" tab.

I hope you're looking forward to a great year! See you tomorrow!

Thanks for Making Open House a Success!

I was so excited to meet all of you who came out on Tuesday and Thursday night. I know we are going to have a great year this year. Enjoy your last weekend before the school year starts!

Is it August Already?

It seems like the summer flew by! I hope you're all excited for the new year. Here are some links to important information to remember as the school year begins.

SSJH Supply List

Early Schedule Pick-Up/Open House Information