week of March 7

ISAT testing has been completed! Thank you to all the students for their hard work while preparing during the weeks prior to the tests.

In 1st period language arts we will be continuing the writing process and will begin planning and writing a "Character Sketch." The "Character Sketch" involves the students writing about someone they admire and know very well. The essay follows the same format as the persuasive essay we completed a few weeks ago. In class, students will follow the same format. We will break the essay into parts and focus on one component at a time.

In 3rd period reading we will begin reading the novel "Taking Sides." We will begin the unit with prereading activities that will focus on ethnic diversity and social classes. Through out the story we will be reading as a group, independently and conduct literature circles. We will complete activities that focus on all elements of a story, vocabulary, and complete character analyses.

week of January 31

In first period language arts, we completed writing our first persuasive essay! I am very impressed with how well the students worked and the effort they put into their rough drafts. In class today (Friday), teacher edits were done and the second rough draft is due on Monday.

In third period reading, we are continuing with the second unit in the Inside series. We will be reading Film Fright beginning on Monday. Preparation for the ISAT's will begin the week of February 7.

In eighth period math, the students are diligently working on fractions. Although they have become frustrated at times, their hard work is paying off. This week we have reviewed finding the LCD (least common denominator) and then focused on adding fractions without common denominators. We will continue with subtraction next week. There will be a quiz on Friday, February 4.

*** Don't forget....Downers South's Orientation Night is Monday, January 31 at 6:30!!!

week of January 24

In 1st period language arts, we have completed a graphic organizer in preparation for the persuasive essay. Students learned how to write a thesis statement and then thought of 3 reasons to support their thesis. Today they learned about attention getters and the three types they could use. Next week, we will continue to write 3 body paragraphs which will include one topic sentence and two transitional sentences. The majority of the writing process will be done in class.

In third period reading, we will be starting the first story, Frankenstein, in our next unit from the Inside series. Within this story we will be focusing on the plot. We will also learn about prefixes and how we can use them to decode unknown words in a piece of writing.

In math, we will be continuing to work on fractions. We have learned how to add and subtract fractions with a common denominator. We have begun adding and subtracting mixed numbers. Next, we will add and subtract fractions without a common denominator.

week of January 18

In 1st period Language Arts, we will begin writing a persuasive essay. Students will learn the correct format and learn the major components of a writing a persuasive essay such as thesis statement, transitional sentences, and effective introductions and conclusions. The writing process will be a "step-by-step" process and we will focus on each component separately. The majority of the writing will be in class.

In 3rd period Reading, we will continue reading from the Inside series. Our next unit is called Creepy Classics beginning with Frankenstein.

In 8th period Math, we are continuing fractions. Students will have a quiz on Thursday on adding and subtracting fractions with common denominators. Next we will focus on adding and subtracting mixed numbers.

week of January 10

In language arts first period, we are continuing to learn about adjectives. We will finish up the unit with proper adjectives. On Thursday we will review for Friday's quiz.

In reading 3rd period, students received a written explanation for the book report that is due Tuesday, January 18. Students are to make a poster board explaining the plot of the book they read. Each poster board, is to include the title and author of their book, and 8 boxes. In each box a well detailed picture needs to be hand drawn with a written explanation underneath the picture. All pictures need to be in color. The explanations underneath, can be hand written or typed. On Tuesday, January 18, the students will present their poster boards to the class.

In math 8th period, we are continuing to work on fractions. This week students will learn to add fractions with common denominators (changing to mixed numbers included). We will begin to cover subtraction of fractions but will continue the week of January 18.

In first period language arts, we are continuing to work on narrative essays. Students filled out story maps which included characters, setting and plot. We discussed and practiced how to write a "attention getting" introduction to their story. Through out the rest of the week we will be working in class on the rough and final drafts. After the holiday break, we will focus on parts of speech, specifically adjectives. Learning and reviewing adjectives will help improve our creative writing.

In reading third period, we are working from a new series called "Inside." This series incorporates and focuses on specific reading skills and genres in each story. We started the series with natural disasters. Last week we read about Hurricane Katrina, this week we reading about earthquakes. After the holiday break we will take the first week to read and discuss volcanoes. After we finish the last story, we will take a quiz on the vocabulary covered in the unit and comprehension of the stories.

In 8th period math, we are staring our second week on fractions. We have worked on equivalent fractions, ordering and finding the greatest common factors. This week we are reducing fraction to lowest terms. After the holiday break, the class will add and subtract fractions with common denominators.

week of November 29

Language Arts (1st period):

After focusing on writing well detailed paragraphs, we focused on grammar. The students learned verbs. We focused on action verbs (mental and physical), verbs of being, irregular verbs, verb tenses and verb phrases. Beginning next week, we will redirect back to writing. Students will focus on writing multiple paragraphs and learn when to begin with a new paragraph. We will also learn to complete an outline which will aide with paragraph writing.

Math (8th period):

After a few weeks and extensive practice, students have greatly improved their division skills. While learning how to do long division without a calculator, students have also improved their knowledge of multiplication facts. Next week, we will begin our Fraction Unit. Students will use manipulative to gain knowledge and understanding of fractions. We will also learn to add and subtract fractions as well as reduce to lowest terms and change mixed numbers into improper fractions.

Have a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving!