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Grades 6-8: Independent Reading Project (Delayed Presentations)
At this point everyone should have completed and submitted/shared their Part B (Creative Component/Presentation) of the Independent Reading Project. Unfortunately the presentation portion of this assignment is going to be delayed. As I deal with the lingering effects of the car accident, students will have ample time to practice and perfect their presentations.
Please practice your presentations with your family and peers! Take time to re-read the rubrics below.
Please be sure to create a presentation plan if you presenting a video, newspaper, scene, playlist, or song. Students should not be coming up and just hitting play on a particular item. You want to provide the audience with a background knowledge about your book. Please include: title, author, main characters, basic plot (without giving the story away).
Tips for success:
- Do not read directly from the slides (use your slides as a guide)
- Practice your presentation at least five times to improve eye contact
- Use gestures/emphasize words to highlight important facts during your presentations
- Make sure any typed text is big enough for the audience to read (limit full paragraphs on slides)
- Explain any pictures/visuals you used during your presentation
Please email me if you have any questions. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
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Open in new tab Grade 7: The Dog Who Wanted To Die (Short Story)
Please read and respond to the following short story:
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Grade 6: Try Something New (Blogging Edition)
CHECK OUT THESE WEB TOOLS
http://blog.whooosreading.org/50-creative-writing-prompts-for-student-blogging/
This awesome list of prompts comes from TheEduBlogger.
Task: Choose to explore one of the ten creative outlets below.
You have the opportunity to demonstrate your creativity and innovative skills. You may choose to write, design, or talk about a topic that you are passionate about (it must be school appropriate). Remember that your parents, teachers, and peers all view your blog.
When you are finished with your new creation, please be sure to post it on your blog.
1. Live Blog – Create a ‘Storify‘ for a topic or event that collects tweets, Instagram, links, and more into one place. Embed the story into a post and include an introductory summary and conclusion.
2. Infographic – use a tool like Canva to create an infographic and then write a post describing why you included the ideas you did.
3. Video – Produce a video with Animoto, or upload it to YouTube, embed it, and write about the decisions you made when making the video.
4. Poll – Use Google Forms or a plugin to publish a survey or poll. Follow up with a post that goes over the results, including graphs, charts and analysis.
5. Lists – Use Listly to create a list of resources, links, people, or ideas. You can even use this tool to crowdsource the list.
6. Talking Avatars – Create a speaking character using Voki to read your post or to interact with your blog’s visitors.
7. Presentations – Publish the slides, Prezi, or video of your presentation in a post. Reflect on the presentation. What is one thing that went well and one thing that could be have been improved?
8. Comics – Create a cartoon using Bitstrips and share it on your blog.
9. Audio – Record yourself speaking or reading and then use a tool like Audioboom to discuss your audio in a post.
10. VoiceThread – Embed your VoiceThread project in a post and encourage your blog readers to leave a comment with feedback on the presentation.
Grades 6-8: Independent Book Project Extended
The students have been working hard to complete the various sections of the Independent Reading Project. At this point, everyone should have submitted their Part A: vocabulary terms and two journal entries.
The due date for Part B: creative component/presentation has been extended. The creative component presentations will now begin on Wednesday, November 20th.
Please review the rubric/creative component guidelines:
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Grade 8: Thesis Statement Packet
Check out these sources to help you craft the perfect thesis statement! We will be spending time in class this week crafting and analyzing how to create an effective thesis statement.
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Grades 6-8: The Reading Challenge is Back!
The OJCS Reading Challenge is back, but this year it’s bigger and better!
The prizes this year will include:
- An end-of-year book-based film screening in each classroom that meets their goals. The library will provide each class with popcorn and candy treats.
- Small prizes will be given out to each student who gets a Bingo on the genre bingo sheet (see document below)
- The middle school class that reads the largest number of books will also earn a trip to an escape room!
Will this year’s Grade 8 class repeat as middle school champions!?
How will we record the number of books read in each class?
For grades 6 – 8:
- Upon completing a book, students will be required to complete an Accelerated Reader Quiz (AR Quiz) in order for their book selection to be recorded in the class total
- To complete the quiz…follow these steps:
- http://bit.ly/readojcs
- Click on Accelerated Reader (orange box)
- Search for your book and complete the reading practice quiz
- Students can earn an additional point for the class by writing a review about their book on the library catalogue https://theojcs.booksys.net/opac/ojcs/index.html#menuHome
The number of pages will also impact how many books a particular novel counts for in the class total. After the AR Book quiz is complete, students will inform Mr. Washerstein and he will add the novel to the class list.
0-300 pages will count as one book
301-600 pages will count as two books
601-900 pages will count as three books
901-1,100 pages will count as four books
We will set our class goals at the end of this week!
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Grade 6: Terrific Tales Writing Assignment (Due: Monday 11/11)
Grade 6 students are preparing a written piece for their personal blogs! I can’t wait to read all of the Terrific Tales that our class composes. Today the students spent time in class reading the instructions, reviewing the requirements, brainstorming, and preparing to write their very own Terrific Tale.
Key requirements:
- Respond to ONE of the following prompts
- Minimum three paragraphs
- Read the rubric and effectively edit your paper (follow techniques discussed in class/use COPS editing checklist)
Students will be given a significant amount of class time to work on this writing assignment this week. I do not want students to feel stressed about completing this assignment at home. Over the next two weeks, students should be focused on completing the various components of their Independent Reading Project at home.
Click here to access the Paragraph Planner Graphic Organizer: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IU5BXLQ3yos1XPngTCfKRcB6pRg4zF0KjOsWOJyRexs/edit?usp=sharing
Please check out the assignment details, rubric, brainstorming graphic organizer, and editing checklist below:
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Grades 6-8: Independent Reading Project Check-In
I hope everyone has been enjoying reading their novels thus far! Please bring your books with you to school everyday this week. There will be time given to students throughout the week to D.E.A.R. (drop everything and read). This will provide students with an opportunity to get ahead of their nightly reading. Additionally, I will be meeting with students to check-in, offer suggestions, and provide feedback as students begin completing various parts of the project.
Please remember to complete the vocabulary portion of the project as you read! Journal entries may also be written as you are reading, depending on the response you have selected.
Here is a friendly reminder of the various due dates for the project:
- Book completed- November 8th (Friday)
- Check-in #2
- Part A: Vocabulary List/Journal Entries- November 12th (Tuesday)
- Check-in #3
- Part B: Creative Component/Presentation-November 18th (Monday)
- Presentations begin on November 18th, 2019
- Please note: students will lose 10% of their mark per day late
Grade 7: The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street (Due: Friday 11/8)
We finished the short story, The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street, on Thursday. The students will now be going back into the story to answer the corresponding questions. Students will have time in class to answer the questions.
For question number four, ignore the portion of the question that references a conflict map. Please skip questions 9 and 10.
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