9/14

Awesome work in the dirt and the bus today folks!

HW due Friday:
1. Have your just right choice fiction novel that you haven't read before that you think you could finish in a month with you in class. If you this is going to be a problem for you, communicate with me before 8:35 tomorrow.

2. Practice understanding the essential question response criteria rubric by assessing three different essential questions written by past students. Essential Question Responses - Student Examples

For each essential question response (there are three total) give them a score out of 3 points. Give two reasons why you gave them that score.

Consider our essential question criteria:

***Field Study Essential Question*** (3)

• Complete sentences
• At least 2 specific examples from the field study
• At least 1 connection and 1 observation from the field study
• MAXIMUM EFFORT!!!

R.A.C.E.to write an effective constructed response

Restate → Restate the question by turning it into a statement

Answer → Answer all parts of the question

Cite        → Give examples and SPECIFIC evidence from the field study!!!

Explain   → Explain how your evidence supports your answer

9/13 (late post... whoops!)

My apologies for the second day in a row of VERY VERY late blog posts. My bad.

HW due Thursday:

1. Read the two short articles on Mudbone Grown Unity Farm and respond to the three questions at the end: Unity Farm Article and Questions

A reminder to come ready to go right away tomorrow. We have to leave at 8:50 AM to catch our bus to head out to the farm. Bring a lunch (or get one right away from the cafeteria), water bottle, and appropriate clothes that you are comfortable getting dirty.

Tomorrow night is Back to School Parent Night starting at 6:30. Check in to see if someone from your family is planning on attending.

HW due Friday:
All students should have a just right choice fiction novel that they have never read before in their hands Friday morning. Come and talk to me if that is going to be a problem.

Google Classroom + NewsELA - Weekly Reading

Google Classroom + NewsELA - Weekly Reading

I invited you all to my Google Classroom called Michael's Core Class 2017-18. Check Google Classroom under your Apps. Our Google Classroom Code is huc3ult

Once you are connected into my Google Classroom I want you to read an assigned NewsELA article. 

Either click on the link below or go to newsela.com and type in the code below.

News ELA article: 
https://newsela.com/quickjoin/#/PQJUBZ
NewsELA Class Code: PQJUBZ

If you still cannot access our Google Classroom or NewsELA article, simply go to newsela.com and sign in through google using your PPS account. 

Read the following articlehttps://newsela.com/read/school-garden/id/13207 at the "1010 or 810 Reading Level"

If this is challenging, try using this quick start guide to support you figuring out how to access the article: NewsELA Quick Start Guide

If you have finished the assigned article, quiz, and written response, read a choice NewsELA article at your reading level. 

9/12

My apologies for the late post. On Tuesday's I always have meetings right after school that go until 5:30.

HW due Wednesday:
1. Respond to the questions from our film this afternoon, DIRT! The Movie:Dirt! The Movie - Student Worksheet
...If you need to do this on a separate sheet of paper or want to type it or audio record it you are welcome to. This is a 5 point assignment and will be checked off tomorrow morning. Do not work on this for more than 30 minutes unless you want to.

Thursday = Mudbone Grown Unity Farm field study
Thursday = Back to School Parent Night 6:30 - 8:00

All students should have selected their "Just Right" fit choice fiction novels that they can finish reading within 1 month by Friday (this definitely includes graphic novels, but should not be a book you have read before). Unless you communicate ahead of time with me, I expect you to have that book in class Friday

9/11/17

HW due Tuesday:

1. Bring in a quote you stand for or a quote that you think best represents the way life should be lived.

...This quote can be written down, typed, printed. It can be from someone you know, someone you look up to, someone who is no longer living, or someone who is currently living. It can be from a song or from a fictional character. It should be middle school appropriate. This quote will live on our wall all year long. Make sure you are willing to stand by it!

Here are some examples of quotes if you are struggling to come up with one: http://brightdrops.com/inspirational-quotes-for-kids

If you want more time to think about it you can have it as long as you let me know tomorrow before 8:35 (mjansa@pps.net).

2. Bring choice silent reading material to class for tomorrow morning (including magazine articles, graphic novels, anything through audible or learning ally)

Thursday = Field Study to Mudbone Grown Unity Farm
Thursday = Back to School Parent Night 6:30 - 8:00

9/8 - Weekend HW

Awesome Friday Fist Pumps today...Happy weekend everybody! Rest easy as next week is our first official full week of school!

HW due Monday:

1. Moda Center Field Study Assignment: Moda Center Field Study Assignment

Take some time review the expectations and rubric before finishing your assignment.
Remember that the essential question is the most important part of this assignment. I expect complete sentences, full effort, specific examples from our field study, and a connection and observation. Also, don't forget that you can complete your assignment questions in alternative ways if you don't want to write them out (lists, images and captions, audio recording, video recording, etc...). If you choose to type your responses to this assignment that is totally fine, just make sure that you have it either printed or emailed/shared with me before 8:30 Monday morning.

Field Study Assignment Rubric

Field Study Do's and Expectations

Email: mjansa@pps.net
Google Docs Sharing: mjansa@apps4pps.net

Make sure you read daily this weekend (20-45 minutes a day)!!!

You will need to have selected a "Just Right Choice Fiction Novel and have it in your hands by next Thursday, September 14th

Thursday, September 14th is Back to School Parent Night from 6:30 - 8:00

9/7

HW due Friday:

Thanks for an engaging day of learning, an exciting intro to the Year of the Mountain with some DIRT, and a great trip to the Belmont Library.

1. Writing - Making Sense of the Summer: Making Sense of the Summer Writing Activity
...Come to school with this finished tomorrow. If you finished it during the 45 minutes we worked on it in class, then spend 11-14 minutes working on this tonight, expanding beyond the minimum and adding more details. No one should work on this for more than 33 minutes unless they want to. If you get to 33 minutes and are not done, mark where you stop and check in with me in the morning.
I will collect these tomorrow.