Vocabulary resources

The song:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_I1BzVQN8U

The word lists:

• challenge
• super-challenge
• extreme-challenge

Today, and all this week we are creating storybird stories using our vocabulary lists.  You must use all the words correctly in the story, and the story must have a minimum of eight pages.  Good luck!

You will get a bonus point if you log into Storybird successfully

You will get an additional point if you can come in Monday and recite (word for word) one of the rules under the community guidelines "A few other things" section.

More Storybird Stuff - Vocabulary lists

The vocabulary lists you need are in the form of the flashcards.  The links are below.

• challenge definitions
• challenge sentences
• super-challenge definitions
• super-challenge sentences
• extreme-challenge definitions
• extreme-challenge sentences

Storybird

Hi Kids, Today we went over the paragraphs and questions you completed for the story "The Somebody." Afterward, we took a brief tour of storybird.com, a website that we will be using all week when we get back.

Once you go there, you'll get to play around, but take a look at the vocabulary assignment I posted there for you....if you want the vocab lists, that is in the posting right above this one.


 Homework:  
1)  log into storybird.com with the temporary password that I gave you in class today.
2)  change your temporary password to your network password.
3)  read the "community guidelines"  It will keep you from getting kicked off.
4)  play!

Realize that this is a safe site, and only kids in your class will be able to see your stories, unless you mess with my default settings, which will get you in trouble with me.

"The Somebody"

Over the weekend, you read "The Somebody."  Today we will discuss it, and talk about the following terms:

• P.Q.E. (Prepare, Quote, Explain)
• Direct characterization
• Indirect characterization
• Unreliable narrator

Notice that the definition for the last three terms are on my flashcards, here.

To reinforce your understanding of these terms, you will need to write a "min-paper" due tomorrow as well.

The instructions are below:

Mini-Paper on “The Somebody” Due Tuesday.

Directions:  Write two paragraphs in response to the following questions.  Your paper can be either typed or handwritten in ink.   It should be “final draft” quality work, so be sure to edit.

·      Paragraph 1:  What is Chato’s character like?  Name one or two clear personality traits, then give several examples of how those traits are shown through indirect methods.

·      Paragraph 2: How does Chato’s family have an impact on who he is and what he is like (personality traits)?  Give several details about his family and explain how they impact Chato.

In each paragraph, be sure to follow the correct structure for a paragraph:

1.     Topic sentence

2.     Supporting details (PQE)

a.     Prepare the reader by giving at least a phrase that tells us when in the action the following quote your are giving us shows up.

b.     Direct quote from the story (any sentence that you take from the story, whether it is dialog or narration – it doesn’t matter).

c.      Explain the significance of that quote:  How does it help prove the main idea of that paragraph?

3.     Concluding sentence

The Somebody

Hi kids,

Today in class we took the Commonly Confused Words Quiz #2 today.  We graded it in class, so you should know how you did right away.  If you did poorly, study more, and then re-take by Tuesday of next week.

After the quiz, we started reading "The Somebody" by Danny Santiago.  We have copies in class, or you can read the text online here. 

After reading the story, answer the following questions, with at least two complete sentences each:

1.     What is Chato’s character like (traits)?  How are they shown in the story?

2.     What details do we know about Chato’s family life?  What are his relationships with his parents like?

3.     Give examples of times where Chato jumps to a conclusion

4.     Look carefully at the scene where Chato goes into the boys’ club (bottom of pg. 3 and top of pg. 4).  What important information does the reader learn from this scene?

5.     Does Chato care about what other people think of him?  Give a couple of specific details to support your answer.

6.     In what ways is Chato an unreliable narrator (which means he is not trustworthy to be able to tell the story accurately. 

 


Homework:  (See above).  All questions must be answered with at least two complete sentences each.  In addition, you must find a quote (dialog or narration) to support your answer for your assigned question.  Due Tuesday!

New Commonly Confused Words Quizlet Flashcards are up!

Hi kids,

Today we will finish off all videos that we can see, we will study our flashcards, go over any bonus posters, and correct our last Commonly Confused Words Quiz.

Here are the online flashcards:

Challenge - List 2
Super-Challenge - List 2
Extreme-Challenge - List 2

Once more, if you have an iPod Touch, you can download a bunch of flashcard apps - just make sure that it can download flashcards from quizlet.com ... look for user "cmsteacherstowell".  A student told me that there was a really cool app called iReview - it's free!

Commonly Confused Words - Part II

Ha, Ha, Ha!  You thought you were done! 

Yesterday in class, you took the quiz on part I of commonly confused words.  You did quite well, generally speaking!  Today we start part II - the nitty-gritty if you will.  I consider this second group even more important!!   I was grading your essays yesterday, and boy-oh-boy, I noticed that many of you need to know the its vs. it's rule....sheesh!

Today in class we are changing seats, checking your last quiz's flashcards, and working on the new list of commonly confused words.


Homework:   Exercise 2 - due in class today.
C.C.W. II bonus poster is due Thursday.
C.C.W. II flashcards are due Thursday.
C.C.W. II quiz is this Friday.

Commonly confused words and mnemonic devices

Hi Folks,

Today we went over the some of the online flashcards for the commonly confused words.  See below for the links!  Don't forget that I'll be checking your flashcards and you will have a quiz on Monday.  For some of the harder words, we might need to come up with mnemonic devices. We have a couple awesome ones:  RAVEN, and CHILE, and ARID, but we could use some more!

Can you think of mnemonic devices for the following groups of words?

council, counsel, consul
allusion, illusion
emigrate, immigrate
all right, alright
all ready, already
further, farther
complement, compliment
accede, exceed

If you come up with a brilliant one, email me at cmsteacherstowell@gmail.com with it by Monday, and if it is awesome, I'll break you off some bonus points.  Remember, a good mnemonic device is short, meaningful, and above all, is memorable.  The point for these devices is that they show the difference in meaning and spelling of these homonyms, so folks will know when to use them properly.

Commonly Confused Words, Part I.

Hi kids, today we went over commonly confused words - homophones.  We did exercise 1 in class, (finished it for homework if we needed to) and started making flashcards.  If you have an iPod Touch, I did put some flashcards on quizlet.com:

Extreme-Challenge List
Super-Challenge List
Challenge List

If you download these onto your iPod, I'll give you homework credit for them.  Now, of course, these won't work unless you study them on a daily basis.

Homework:  Exercise 1 due Tuesday.  Flashcards due Wednesday.  Quiz on them the Monday you get back.

Vocab Quiz is in PowerSchool

Check out your grade on PowerSchool.  By in large, you guys did really well.  If you bombed it, then you need to schedule a retake before this coming Wednesday.

Vocab Quiz today!

Today there is a vocab quiz.  If you are absent, you will be taking it when you come back on Monday during a study hall or lunch.  It is up to you to schedule it, or it will be a zero, and that is baaaaaaaad! 

Plus, to see how many of you actually read this blog, I'll give you a bonus buck if you come into school on Monday with a piece of paper that has the name of the author (correctly spelled) who wrote One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest.

Homework:  (None)  Please take a moment to insure that you have handed in your instructional essay, that you have turned in your project, that you posted your five vocabulary posters, AND you have made 5 comments on kidblog.org.

Have a great weekend!

Time to study that vocab!

Okay kids, for the last two days, we have been showing our how-to videos and PowerPoints (which have been awesome!) and reviewing the vocab.  Tonight....you need to study!  Listen to the song at least five times, and review the flashcards.  For some extra fun, check out your classmates' vocabulary posters that they posted on kidblog.org.

For the link to the video, check this!


And for those flashcards, click the appropriate ones below!

Challenge Definitions
Challenge Sentences
Super-Challenge Definitions
Super-Challenge Sentences
Extreme-Challenge Definitions
Extreme-Challenge Sentences


Spelling counts!  You need to know the part of speech as well.  Good luck!

Passing in Projects, Studying Vocab, and Commenting on Kidblog

Hi Kids,

Today we're in the library, with computers.

Projects are due today, please pass them in to me.  I need the thumb-drives back....today!

In class, while Mr. Stowell is collecting projects, we are doing three things:

1. Log into kidblog.org and make at least five comments to your classmates.

• Each comment must be at least three complete sentences.
• Each comment must specifically mention what you liked about the posting.
• At least one of the comments must be on someone's artifact.
• Each comment must be for a different classmate....don't stick with your buddy.
• Each comment must be polite, well-punctuated, and grammatically correct - no "text-speak."

     2.  Finish your own "motivational posters" (all 5 of them) and post the links to them to kidblog.org if you haven't already (I showed you in class yesterday, see below, or look at your classmate's examples, or ask a friend if you still don't know how to).

    3.  Study your flashcards, or the flashcards that I made for you on Quizlet.com....see yesterday's post on this blog (right below) for directions on how to do that.  YOU NEED TO STUDY THE EXAMPLE SENTENCES TOO!

Homework: (see Monday's post, below)

Monday's Class

Hi Kids,

Today in class, we are reviewing the music video for the "Silence, Reticence" vocabulary lists.  Try to watch/or listen to it at least 10 times on your own.  You can get the song from iTunes, or you can listen to it on the English Moodle page.  For the link to the video, check this out.

Afterward, we checked out the www.quizlet.com site - there is where I have all the flashcards for you to download.  Search for the title of the song, and then look for the creator, "cmsteacherstowell." 

Notice that you need to study spelling of the word, the part of speech, the example sentence, and the definition.  Click below for the cards for each list:

Challenge Definitions
Challenge Sentences
Super-Challenge Definitions
Super-Challenge Sentences
Extreme-Challenge Definitions
Extreme-Challenge Sentences

If you haven't made 5 "motivational posters," go to gotbrainy.

Homework:  

• Projects due tomorrow!
• 5 motivational posters due Wednesday
• Typed, Final drafts of "Instructional Essay" due Thursday.
• Vocabulary Quiz is Friday.