Helpful Websites on Writing

Since we are working on a writing project and students will be finishing rough drafts over winter break, I wanted to post a few helpful writing websites! Here they are...

http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/curriculum/writing/elem_writing/bib/writingprocess.htm
This website links you up to a bunch of other writing websites!

http://www.netrover.com/~kingskid/writing/Kids_Writing.html
Kids writing games :o)

I'll post more as I find more! Stay tuned!

Important Assignments before Winter Break

Hello! I hope everyone is excited for the holidays! I was able to make it to the Winter Arts Showcase tonight and was so impressed by the students' work!

There are a couple of important things coming up...

1. I gave out Unit 3 study guides on Monday.
2. The Unit 3 Test is on Friday.
3. Students must hand in study guides on Friday before we take the test.
4. If students hand in the study guide completed and on time AND they make their best effort on the test, if they do not like their scores they can retake another version of the test either after school or during lunchtime.
5. We began our Unit 3 writing project today. Students will be writing five paragraph essays about EITHER the style or the theme of three different Virginia Hamilton texts. We will be working on this project in class, but students will be expected to complete rough drafts over winter break.
6. Reading homework responses will be summaries (5-7 sentence MINIMUM) for the rest of this week and next because we are doing writing projects and not doing reading lessons.

I really want the students to do well on their Unit 3 Tests! The study guides WILL help if students take it seriously and work through it honestly! Please also make sure that your student gets enough sleep on Thursday night--the test will take the full hour of class.

Helpful Websites

Here are some helpful websites for context clues! Context clues are necessary for great readers and they are also highly tested on the MSA.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&um=1&q=context%20clues&ndsp=20&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=iw&start=0

http://www.english-zone.com/vocab/vic02.html

http://www.quia.com/pop/35971.html

Unit 3 is on the move!

Hello, everyone! I hope this post finds you well.

For starters, I am sending home a parent letter tomorrow with general updates and very important information regarding your student's reading level. Please ask about this letter and make sure that you get it!

Today we began reading Cousins by Virginia Hamilton. We will be reading this book this week and next. The book is just over 100 pages and will finish quickly. I will be photocopying the last few chapters for students to read and finish during Thanksgiving break. After we finish Cousins, students will be choosing their next Virginia Hamilton book with their groups. At the end of this unit, we will be writing a compare/contrast essay about what we have read so students need to really read and pay attention! Unfortunately, students may not take the books home because there are not enough copies. If you would like to purchase a copy of any of these books, that would be wonderful! Some students have already told me that they have some Virginia Hamilton books.

Here's a homework update:

Vocabulary words were given out today. They are due on Friday.

Tonight's reading response: Write five THICK questions as you read (Students have been taught about THICK questions. These are questions for which students need to make an inference in order to answer. They are the tough, big idea questions.).

Tomorrow: Practice the Character Captain literature circle role by choosing a character and completing a character trait chart or discussing that character's personality in one paragraph.

Thursday: Practice the Passage Picker literature circle role by choosing one passage or line from your book that you think is particularly interesting. Write one paragraph explaining why you chose that part or line.

Friday: Practice the Illustrator literature circle role by drawing a detailed picture of something important in your book. It could be an artistic representation or an exact replica of what you visualize.

Special Note: If students need to complete more homework assignments or get a little extra credit, they can complete extra readings over the weekend and write a summary. I have several students that already turn in 3 assignments on Monday instead of just one for some extra points.

Additionally, if your student is reading non-fiction and actually cannot write one of the responses (like the character captain assignment), he or she is to write a 5-7 sentence summary.

A Couple Days' Updates

Final Copies of Narratives were turned in last week. We have now begun a new unit. We are completing an author study on Virginia Hamilton. At the end of this unit, we will be writing compare/contrast essays about the books and texts we have read.

Homework:

Tonight: Create a new title for your book. Why is it a good title? Is it standard or inferential?

Tomorrow: If you are reading non-fiction, explain how knowing that your book/text is non-fiction makes it easier to understand. If you are reading fiction, explain what type of non-fiction you would like to read to give you more information about your book.

Wednesday: Students are not coming to school. We have parent/teacher conferences all day. Please call to schedule a conference! :o)

Unit 2 is Coming to a Close!

Our Unit 2 Assessment is tomorrow. I have informed students that if they have turned in a completed study guide and genuinely put their greatest effort on the exam and still do not hit their mark, they may stay after school any day this week to take an alternative version of the exam. I will have the assessments all graded tomorrow evening so students will know their grades on Tuesday. However, if a student has left blanks on the test or has not turned in a completed study guide, then he or she will not have the opportunity to take a make-up exam.

In other news, starting Tuesday we will be really getting down to work on our narratives. Students are writing their own stories about a memorable event in their lives. Students have already chosen what they will be writing about and have done several other prewriting activities. Tuesday we will begin really writing. The narratives are due on November 4. Students are not required to type their narratives, but may do so if they wish.

Throughout this time, reading homework responses will be summaries.

November 5 will mark the beginning of Unit 3: Author Study. We will be studying the works of Virginia Hamilton.

BIG NEWS: Report card grades are being entered and published on October 30. Please feel free to call the school and schedule a conference with the teacher team! That's part of what we're here for.

I'm Still Here

Hello, families! I apologize for not posting last week, things have been slightly hectic and busy! Here are a couple points of interest:

• Unit 2 has begun. Last week we studied plot and point of view. This week we are studying characterization. Students have also begun brainstorming for the stories that they will be writing.
• We began a new vocabulary procedure last week. Students are given a list of vocabulary words at the beginning of the week. They are responsible for completing the exercises on the vocabulary worksheet and turning it in on Friday before our quiz. The words will be a part of the quiz, including spelling. Based on last week's quiz results (TBA on schoolmax soon), I can tell that students did not take this seriously. Please encourage them to do so.
• When there is a substitute in the room, students tend to be a little looser than when their normal teacher is there. Yesterday I was proctoring individual reading tests all day and so there was a substitute in the room. Although I was in the building, there were still students that acted up. The Yellow class and the Blue class were particularly troubling to the substitute and she had to send some students to me and some to the office. Some students feel like they can mouth off to a substitute, please support me by telling them that is never acceptable. Of course I try to never be out of the building, but it does happen from time to time and I want to ensure that no substitute teacher feels disrespected.
• Unit 1 Tests are being returned today. Here are the class averages:
• Red Class 79%
• Orange Class 74%
• Yellow Class 58%
• Blue Class 78%
• Most students did very well and three of these averages are just a hair short of our 80% goal. The Yellow class average is much lower because there were several students that simply stopped working and answering questions. If those students at least attempted responses, they likely would have gotten some credit. Be sure to ask your student his or her score today. Students will be completing a reflection exercise in which they note the sections they did well and the sections they need to improve upon.

Homework this week:

Monday: Write a one paragraph summary of what you read.

Tuesday: Write one paragraph describing one of the characters in your book. What are some character traits for that character? How do you know?

Wednesday: Write one paragraph explaining whether your character is a static character or a dynamic character.

Thursday: Choose an example of dialogue from your book. Explain what that piece of dialogue says about your character.

Friday: Choose a character from your book. If you were a director and you were turning your book into a movie, what actor or actress would play your character and why?

Please be sure to remind students that vocabulary homework must be completed throughout the week.

The End of Unit 1

This week marks the end of Unit 1. Today we reviewed the skills, strategies, and grammar we have learned over the past four weeks. Tomorrow is our Unit 1 Exam. Reading homework Monday night is extra credit because of the exam Tuesday.

We will be starting Unit 2: Narrative Genre Study on Wednesday. Students will be studying and writing their own narratives.

I am also putting in progress report grades this Friday. They should be coming out soon!

Homework this week:

Monday, September 21:

Complete Study Guide and bring to turn in tomorrow.

Extra Credit: 30 minutes reading, record and respond: Write a one paragraph summary of what you read.

Tuesday, September 22: 3o minutes reading, record and respond: Write a one paragraph summary of what you read.

Wednesday, September 23: 3o minutes reading, record and respond: Read one full chapter and record the events of the plot in that chapter. If you are reading non-fiction, write a one paragraph summary.

Thursday, September 24: 3o minutes reading, record and respond: Read another chapter or if your chapters are long, think back to the last chapter you read. Identify the parts of the plot and write a Brief Constructed Response. BCR Prompt: Explain how the climax of the story leads to the resolution. Use details from the text to support your response. If you are reading non-fiction, write a one paragraph summary.

Back to School Night

Well, parents, students, and families, Back to School Night was a success. I loved seeing some of you again and I loved meeting some of you for the first time. Unfortunately, we didn't have tons of time so I had to talk VERY fast! Here's a recap:

1. Homework--EVERY NIGHT! Students should have a homework notebook with the first page being the Reading Log (Date-Title-Author-Pages Read) and a few pages in a Response Log (Date-Title-Author-Response). Responses vary night to night depending on the reading lesson that day. Students write down the response at the beginning of class. Homework is graded daily. A check means great job, a check minus or anything else means something was missing and I will write a note.
2. SRI--Reading Tests have been administered, scores to be back soon.
3. Unit 1 Test Tuesday, September 22.
4. Contact me via the blog or email (jean.gelso@pgcps.org) to talk about specific grades.
5. I record classwork and homework grades daily on paper, but add them up for a weekly grade in schoolmax. If you would like more specific information, contact me via email.
6. Students are always aware of how they are doing behaviorally and academically. They KNOW.
7. Several parents asked about how they can figure out what response students should be writing. Please check their agenda books, they should write it down. I will also post the week's worth of responses at the beginning of the week here on the blog.
8. Any other questions, please feel free to contact me.

Again, thanks for coming! If you did not get a chance to make it over, I hope to meet you in person soon!

Helping Your Student Find a "Just Right" Book

Wondering how to know if the book your student is reading is "just right"? Here's how!

1. Ask your student to open to any page.
2. Ask your student to read that whole page aloud to you.
3. If your student did not know 4 or more words, the book is probably too hard!
4. Ask your student to summarize what happened in that page. If he or she is right, the book is probably "just right."

We also went over the "Five Finger Rule" the first week of school. This is a way for students to check if a book is "just right" themselves.
1. Open to any page.
2. Read the page aloud.
3. Count the number of words you do not know or recognize.
4. If you counted 4 or more words, the book is too hard! If you counted 1-3 words, the book is "just right"!

Week 3 is Done!

Well, we all learned about flexibility last week. The SRI surprised us by being ready! So Thursday and Friday were dedicated to taking the SRI. The quiz that should have been Friday has been moved to Tuesday.

Additionally, we will have our first unit exam on Tuesday, September 22. There will be a review that Monday, so students should bring home a review guide to study.

Also, please don't forget about our daily reading homework!

Welcome!

Welcome to Ms. Gelso's RELA Website! The school year has begun and I have finally found a moment to invite you all to the site.

I have made the attempt to call each of you personally, but have not called everyone. If you are one of the parents who I have not called, I do apologize and hope to be in touch soon! If you ever would really like me to call you and I have not, please leave me a message here on the website and I will call you ASAP. And don't worry, our website is private, it is a safe place!

I first of all want to say that as I am getting to know each of your children, I am only more excited about this year. They are all so smart and talented!

On this website I will not be posted information about specific children, but will be giving general updates about the class. Sometimes I might post videos or links to particular websites that would be helpful or interesting for you or your student. Again, feel free to make comments or add questions, our website is private and just for us. Please also if you know other parents in the class, let them know about the website. I have made my best effort to get all of the email addresses that I can to send website invitations, but have inevitably left someone out.

Here are some updates about our class:

• We had our first quiz the week before last. Most students aced it. I handed back many quizzes today and will hand back others tomorrow. Be sure to ask your student about what score he or she earned. Quizzes are kept in the classroom so that your student can keep track of his or her assessment grades and also so that when you come in for a conference we can look at your student's entire portfolio.
• We have another quiz this Friday. There will be a grammar section and a reading section. The grammar section will cover nouns, verbs, and adjectives, and the reading section will cover the reading strategies we have been studying over the last week and a half.
• Students should be completing reading homework every single night. They should be reading a book of their choosing for 30 minutes and then writing a response in a notebook. Right now The Bully is the Principal's Book of the Month and is on sale for $1. I also have composition books for sale from my classroom school store for just $.75. If there are any big difficulties please let me know and we will figure something out.
• This week we will also be giving a reading diagnostic, the Scholastic Reading Inventory. I have discussed this with the students fully and they know what it is and that it is soon. I do not know the exact date because I am waiting on answer sheets, but I told the students to come prepared any day. The results of this test will show us exactly what level your child is reading and what our next steps will be for reading and improving reading. I will be sharing the scores with the students after I receive them and discussing what those scored mean. Stay tuned to know when those results are released.
  

Right now these are the biggest updates! Thank you for your continued support and welcome to G. James Gholson Middle School!