Blog Archive

Sunday, March 27, 2022

MP3 - Week 9 - 2022

  Monday and Tuesday we will finish the Practice ELA in Educlastic!  



     WEDNESDAY   3-30-22      A/C-Day: Finish Practice Test and Analyze Rubrics     


        ANNOUNCEMENTS          

Check your Gmail twice a day - before school and after school.




        DO NOW          


Copy the following into your class notebook...

Questions based on the chart above:

1.  How many passages will you have to read for the test?

2.  How many single-paragraph essays will you have to write for the test?

LEARNING TARGETS    


I can explain the format of the NYS ELA Test using information from the Educator's Guide to the NYS ELA.


        MINI-LESSON          


Multiple-Choice Questions

Multiple-choice questions are designed to assess Reading and Language Standards. They will ask students to analyze different aspects of a given text, including central idea, style elements, character and plot development, and vocabulary. Almost all questions, including vocabulary questions, will only be answered correctly if the student comprehends and makes use of the whole passage. Many questions will require students to combine skills. For example, questions may ask students to identify a segment of text that best supports the central idea. To answer correctly, a student must first comprehend the central idea and then show an understanding of how that idea is supported. 


Short-Response Questions Use TR EA EA T or just T EA EA

Short-response questions are designed to assess Reading and Language Standards. These are single questions in which students use textual evidence to support their own answers to an inferential question. These questions ask the student to make an inference (a claim, position, or conclusion) based on their analysis of the passage, state it in their own words, and then provide two pieces of text-based evidence to support their answer. 


Extended-Response Questions   Use TR EA EA T

Extended-response questions are designed to assess Writing from Sources. They will focus primarily on Writing Standards. In Grades 4–8, extended-response questions will require students to read and analyze paired texts. Paired texts are related by theme, genre, tone, time period, or other characteristics. Many extended response questions will ask students to express a position and support it with text-based details. Extended response questions allow students to demonstrate their ability to write a coherent essay using textual evidence to support their ideas.


Two Point Rubric (Short Responses)


DIRECTIONS
With your tablemates, re-word the five criteria above for a 2-Point Response.  Chose a reporter to record your responses and read them to the class.

The first one is done for you below...


EXAMPLE
Criteria:  Valid inferences and/or claims from the text where required by the prompt.

Re-worded:  A logical statement about the passage based on the question. (T)



4-Point Rubric (Extended Response)



DIRECTIONS
With your tablemates, re-word the four criteria above for a 4-Point Response.  Chose a reporter to record your responses and read them to the class.

The first one is done for you below...


EXAMPLE

Content and Analysis

Part 1:  Clearly introduces a topic in a manner that follows logically from the task and purpose.
Re-worded:  A logical statement about the passage based on the question. (T)


Part 2:  Demonstrate comprehension and analysis of the text.
Re-worded:  You understand and can break down the passage. 



        WORK TIME          

1.  Finish your Practice Test

2.  Done?: you may work on other classwork.



          ASSESSMENT          


Your completed Edulastic Practice Test.




     THURSDAY    3-31-22      B/D-Day: Scoring Practice     


        ANNOUNCEMENTS          

Check your Gmail twice a day - before school and after school.

Congratulations to Hailey for winning the Middle School Reading Challenge!



        DO NOW          


Read the following tips for taking the NYS ELA 2018 Session 2 and answer the questions that follow in your notebook.



QUESTIONS

1.  Summarize bullet two in your own words.

2.  Restate the suggestions in bullet 3 in your own words.

3.  What is one of the most important things to remember when answering short or extended response questions?


LEARNING TARGETS    


I can use a past NYS ELA exam to better understand how to answer short and extended response questions.



        MINI-LESSON          

What are some tris to remember when answering written questions for the NYS ELA?



        WORK TIME          

Open the NYS ELA 2018 in Google Classroom.

Read the passages.

Plan an extended response based on the question.



          ASSESSMENT          

TBD




     FRIDAY    4-1-22      A/C-Day: Make Up Day     


Sunday, March 20, 2022

MP3 - Week 7 - 2022

 


     MONDAY    3-21-22      D-Day: Taking a Stand Part II     

        ANNOUNCEMENTS          


1. Check your Gmail twice a day - before school and after school.

2.  Did you turn in Genius Project Update #3?


        DO NOW          


DIRECTIONS: Complete this sentence in your notebook and be prepared to share with the class.


Taking a stand is like a ____ because ____.


Example (Can't use this): Taking a stand is like a rock because you must be tough, strong, and stay in place.


LEARNING TARGETS    


I can get information from photographs and make inferences about those images.  RL 8.1

I can use a Frayer Model to deepen my understanding of the concept of taking a stand.  RI 8.7

I can develop a deeper understanding of what it means to "take a stand." RI 8.7



        MINI-LESSON          


Go to this Padlet and discuss your thoughts about the following questions about the pictures in the Taking a Stand Notice and Wonder assignment.  This is a class participation grade.

1.  What might all of these photos have in common?

2.  Why might all of these people be holding signs?

3.  What are some things motivating all these people?

 


View the photo below.  On your Taking a Stand Notice and Wonder Chart 2016 from yesterday under picture #6, (Assignment 49.0), jot down details of what you notice in this photo and things you might wonder about it.

        WORK TIME          

Share your thoughts on this Padlet...

1.  Who might be taking a stand in the photo?

2.  How could taking a stand be a positive and a negative?

3.  Share a story of a time you or someone you know took a stand!



          ASSESSMENT          

Padlet responses.





     TUESDAY     3-22-22      A-Day: Begin Reading Chapter 1 of Graphic Novel     


        ANNOUNCEMENTS          

1. Check your Gmail twice a day - before school and after school.

2.  Did you turn in Genius Project Update #3?




        DO NOW          

NEW ENTRY TITLE:  To Kill a Mockingbird Characters and Setting

Copy the following information into a new entry in your TKMB Folder called.


CHARACTERS

SETTING
To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Great Depression (1929–32).

PLOT
The first half of the novel centers on Jean Louise (“Scout”) Finch, an unusually intelligent girl who ages from six to nine years old during the novel.  The second half of the novel focuses on the trial of Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell.


LEARNING TARGETS    


1. I can explain the deadlines and expectations for reading the novel, filling out the Study Guide Questions, and filling out the Theme Tracker.  

2.  I know where to find resources in Google Classroom that will support my learning during the reading of the novel.

3. I can explain what framing a story is and identify the frame in To Kill a Mockingbird.



        MINI-LESSON          

1.  Study Guide Questions 

The SGQs are questions designed to help you focus your attention on the most important sections of the novel as you read it.  The reading assignments are divided into chunks of 2-4 chapters, each with a related deadline.  The deadlines are only a guideline and may change depending on class progress, breaks, and testing - like the Spring NWEA.


2.  Theme Tracker  

The Theme Tracker will help you keep track of ONE theme of your choice throughout the novel: Taking a Stand, Compassion, or Prejudice.  You will then use this document to create a final presentation which will be done once we finish reading the book.


3.  Resources

In Google Classroom I have posted materials for you to use as you read the book.  You will find the full-length original text, a graphic novel version of the book up to chapter 12 only, and links to the online audio version of the novel parts I and II.  You may use any of these versions of the book on your own.  We will mostly be using the screenplay in class.


FRAMING A STORY

Also known as The Story within a Story technique.


Example #1: The Princess Bride
A grandfather, in an attempt to get his grandson interested in anything but video games and television, tells him the story of The Princess Bride.


Example #2: Inception (by Christopher Nolan)
In the film, Inception, Leonardo DiCaprio enters into the dream of Cillian Murphy to embed an idea into his subconscious. Leonardo puts him to sleep in a dream, following him to a second layer of dream that soon gives way to another dream. In the innermost dream, Leonardo is blown out and enters into an endless dream – “limbo” – which could last for eternity, but only a few seconds pass in the real world. Leonardo, eventually wakes up through layers of dreams, feeling as though years have passed away, returning to his waking life.


Example #3: Titanic 
In the movie, Titanic, an elderly woman, Rose, begins the movie by telling a story of her voyage in the Atlantic Ocean. When the reader gets into her narrative, he finds himself in the year 1912, where the story begins. Only a few times do readers return to the elderly Rose to get in touch with her experience; however, the movie ends as it begins. This is the story within a story.


EXAMPLE #4 To Kill a Mockingbird
The narrator, Jean Louise (Scout) Finch, and her brother, Jem, are having a disagreement about how Jem broke his elbow when they were younger. The main story then unfolds within a flashback.



        WORK TIME          


Read the first chapter of the novel using the graphic version.



          ASSESSMENT          


To Kill a Mockingbird Intro Kahoot!





     WEDNSEDAY - FRIDAY     3-23 to 3-25-22      B/C/D-Days: ELA Practice Test in Edulastic     


        ANNOUNCEMENTS          

Check your Gmail twice a day - before school and after school.




        DO NOW          

Open the Edulastic app on your Chromebook using this link.

https://app.edulastic.com/author/tests/verid/5e7cb49503b7ad092447b6de




LEARNING TARGETS    

I can get a feel for the format of the NYSELA by taking a practice test in Edulastic.



        MINI-LESSON          

How to access the Edulastic App.

  


        WORK TIME          

Complete the practice test by Sunday.

There are 50 Questions.  Most are multiple-choice.  There are three single-paragraph essays to complete. Use TR EA EA T for each of them!  For the last one, you will need three examples.  TR EA EA EA T.




          ASSESSMENT          

Completed practice exam.




Monday, March 14, 2022

MP3 - Week 6 - 2022

 

     MONDAY    3-14-22      C-Day: Group Presentations     


        ANNOUNCEMENTS          

1. Check your Gmail twice a day - before school and after school.

2.  Genius Project Update #3 Due this coming Sunday!

3.  Get ready to present to your classmates!

4.  Principal Nicastro Reminders...

no ordering food during school hours

dress code from the BOE -must cover buttocks, stomach/midriff, and chest and be void of abusive, profane, or suggestive language

be on time for class and if late - ask the teacher who kept you for a pass to the next class.



 

        DO NOW          

1.  Open your group's presentation on your Chromebook.

2.  Go over your presentation in your head to warm up.






        LEARNING TARGETS          

I can teach my classmates about an important topic that will help prepare them for reading the screenplay for To Kill a Mockingbird!




        MINI-LESSON          



A few reminders when presenting...

1.  Do not read off the slides.  You should be using note cards or have your presentation memorized.

2.  Be sure to cover all the information on your topic.

3.  When you finish, share your presentation with the members of your group.  They will need this in order to study for the quiz we will have on all this information.




        WORK TIME          

Presenting Procedures...

1.  Get into your new group assigned by Mr. DeGrandis. Appoint a group leader.

2.  Start with Topic 1.

3.  Present the topic.

4.  Using the rubric, grade the presenter.

5.  Group Leader inputs the final grade in Google Classroom Form, Assignment 50.0, TO Kill a Mockingbird Group Presentation Grades.




NEW GROUPS

Period 2

Group 1

Students

Aiden

Evie

Elias

Cat

Josie


Group 2

Students

Ava

Anastasia

Anthony

Amari

Poppy


Group 3

Students

Derek

Coryn

Li-Li

Liam

Lidia



Group 4

Students

Sienna

Esther

Akyriah

Quincey

Nyasia



Group 5

Students

Hailey

Smariyah

Amari

Li-Li

Josie







Period 4

Group 1

Students

Timia

Zurri

Naz

Neech

Janeek


Group 2

Students

Joseph

ELasia

Aje’anae

Max

Sinai


Group 3

Students

Lianna

Anthony

Bruce

Nyzeriah

Jaslene



Group 4

Students

Nye’zeriah

Anijah

Neech

Angela

Naviana



Group 5

Students

Jaslene

Naviana

Max

Janeike

Sinyiah






Period 6

Group 1

Students

Cat

Paul

Henry

Alina

Julianna


Group 2

Students

Hope

Janani

Etienne

Myles

Samari


Group 3

Students

Sovanna

Kamora

Destiny

Morgan

Joe



Group 4

Students

Alex

Amiyali

Amelia

Yahaira

Shamari



Group 5

Students

Hope

Kamora

Harley

Morgan

Sophia







          ASSESSMENT          



Turn in a grade for each member of your group.





     TUESDAY    3-15-22      D-Day: Taking a Stand Part I     


        ANNOUNCEMENTS          

1. Check your Gmail twice a day - before school and after school.

2.  Genius Project Update #3 Due this coming Sunday!

3.  Quiz Friday on To Kill a Mockingbird WebQuest.

4.  Middle School Reading Challenge 2022.





        DO NOW          

Entry Title: Pictures or Words? Read the two quotes below. Pick the one you feel most strongly about (not both) and explain why you picked it on this JamBoard. QUOTE 1 "A picture is worth a thousand words." - Fred R. Bernard QUOTE 2 

"...your words can cut like a knife." - Proverbs 12:18

 

LEARNING TARGETS    


1.  I can get information from photographs and make inferences about those images.  RL 8.1

2.  I can explain the advantages and disadvantages of gathering information from photographs.  RI 8.7

3.  I can explain my opinion about what it means to "take a stand." RI 8.7



        MINI-LESSON          


  • Create a New Folder in your Google Drive labeled, To Kill a Mockingbird.

  • Go to Assignment 49.0 in Google Classroom and OPEN the Taking a Stand Notice and Wonder Chart 2021.

  • Using the Taking a Stand Notice and Wonder Chart 2021, capture specific details you notice in each photo below.  You will have one minute to view each photo.

  • REMEMBER:  Inferencing is noticing clues from a text and using your background knowledge to express logical conclusions about it.

  • What do you notice and wonder about the following images?


        WORK TIME          


Use these pictures to complete your taking a Stand Notice and Wonder Chart 2022


IMAGE 1




IMAGE 2




IMAGE 3



IMAGE 4


IMAGE 5
Civil rights march on Washington, D.C.




          ASSESSMENT          


TURN and TALK

With a partner, discuss your thoughts about the following questions.  Be ready to share your thoughts with the class!

1.  What might all of these photos have in common?

2.  Why might all of these people be holding signs?

3.  What are some things motivating all these people?





     WEDNESDAY    3-16-22      A-Day: Taking a Stand Part II     

        ANNOUNCEMENTS          


1. Check your Gmail twice a day - before school and after school.

2.  Genius Project Update #3 Due this coming Sunday!


        DO NOW          


DIRECTIONS: Complete this sentence in the chat and copy it into yesterday's Visual Synectics entry.


Taking a stand is like a ____ because ____.


Example (Can't use this): Taking a stand is like a rock because you must be tough, strong, and stay in place.


LEARNING TARGETS    


I can get information from photographs and make inferences about those images.  RL 8.1

I can use a Frayer Model to deepen my understanding of the concept of taking a stand.  RI 8.7

I can develop a deeper understanding of what it means to "take a stand." RI 8.7



        MINI-LESSON          


Go to this Padlet and discuss your thoughts about the following questions about the pictures from yesterday's Notice and Wonder assignment.  Be ready to share your thoughts with the class!  This is a class participation grade.

1.  What might all of these photos have in common?

2.  Why might all of these people be holding signs?

3.  What are some things motivating all these people?


  


View the photo below.  On your Taking a Stand Notice and Wonder Chart 2016 from yesterday (Assignment 49.0), jot down details of what you notice in this photo and things you might wonder about it.

        WORK TIME          

Share your thoughts on this Padlet...

1.  Who might be taking a stand in the photo?

2.  How could taking a stand be a positive and a negative?

3.  Share a story of a time you or someone you know took a stand!


          ASSESSMENT          

Padlet responses.





     THURSDAY     3-17-22      B-Day: Begin Reading Chapter 1 of Graphic Novel     


        ANNOUNCEMENTS          

1. Check your Gmail twice a day - before school and after school.

2.  Genius Project Update #3 Due this coming Sunday!




        DO NOW          

NEW ENTRY TITLE:  To Kill a Mockingbird Characters and Setting

Copy the following information into a new entry in your TKMB Folder called.


CHARACTERS

SETTING
To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Great Depression (1929–32).

PLOT
The story centers on Jean Louise (“Scout”) Finch, an unusually intelligent girl who ages from six to nine years old during the novel.  The second half of the novel focuses on the trial of Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman.


LEARNING TARGETS    


1. I can explain the deadlines and expectations for reading the novel, filling out the Study Guide Questions, and filling out the Theme Tracker.  

2.  I know where to find resources in Google Classroom that will support my learning during the reading of the novel.

3. I can explain what framing a story is and identify the frame in To Kill a Mockingbird.



        MINI-LESSON          

1.  Study Guide Questions See the posted material titled  (Click the link to view it.)

The SGQs are questions designed to help you focus your attention on the most important sections of the novel as you read it.  The reading assignments are divided into chunks of 2-4 chapters, each with a related deadline.  The deadlines are only a guideline and may change depending on class progress, breaks, and testing - like the Spring NWEA.


2.  Theme Tracker  See Assignment 42.0 (Click the link to view it.)

The Theme Tracker will help you keep track of ONE theme of your choice throughout the novel: Taking a Stand, Compassion, or Prejudice.  You will then use this document to create a final presentation which will be done once we finish reading the book.


3.  Resources

In Google Classroom I have posted materials for you to use as you read the book.  You will find the full-length original text, a graphic novel version of the book up to chapter 12 only, and links to the online audio version of the novel parts I and II.  You may use any of these versions of the book on your own.  We will mostly be using the screenplay in class.


FRAMING A STORY

Also known as The Story within a Story technique.


Example #1: The Princess Bride
A grandfather, in an attempt to get his grandson interested in anything but video games and television, tells him the story of The Princess Bride.


Example #2: Inception (by Christopher Nolan)
In the film, Inception, Leonardo DiCaprio enters into the dream of Cillian Murphy to embed an idea into his subconscious. Leonardo puts him to sleep in a dream, following him to a second layer of dream that soon gives way to another dream. In the innermost dream, Leonardo is blown out and enters into an endless dream – “limbo” – which could last for eternity, but only a few seconds pass in the real world. Leonardo, eventually wakes up through layers of dreams, feeling as though years have passed away, returning to his waking life.


Example #3: Titanic 
In the movie, Titanic, an elderly woman, Rose, begins the movie by telling a story of her voyage in the Atlantic Ocean. When the reader gets into her narrative, he finds himself in the year 1912, where the story begins. Only a few times do readers return to the elderly Rose to get in touch with her experience; however, the movie ends as it begins. This is the story within a story.


EXAMPLE #4 To Kill a Mockingbird
The narrator, Jean Louise (Scout) Finch, and her brother, Jem, are having a disagreement about how Jem broke his elbow when they were younger. The main story then unfolds within a flashback.



        WORK TIME          


Read the first chapter of the graphic novel using the graphic version.



          ASSESSMENT          


To Kill a Mockingbird Intro Kahoot!






     FRIDAY     3-18-22      C-Day: ReadWorks     


        ANNOUNCEMENTS          

1.  Don't forget to turn in your third Genius Project Update by Sunday night.

2.  Check your Gmail every morning.

3.  Find a book you would like to read outside of class.  We will be starting literature circles soon.



        DO NOW          

None for today.



LEARNING TARGETS    

I can demonstrate my knowledge of the topics we studied in class in order to prepare for reading To Kill a Mockingbird.


      MINI-LESSON          

How to access the quiz.  


        WORK TIME          


1.  Take the quiz.  See Assignment 53.0 in Google Classroom.

2.  Periods 1, 2, 6:  Work on your Genius Project Update #3.

3.  Period 4: Complete the new ReadWorks assignment 54.0 in Google Classroom.  Due Sunday.


See the tips in blue for responding to the questions...

5. What is one advantage the Hyperloop would have over other types of transportation?

Use the articles "Could the Futuristic Traveling Tube Become a Reality?" and "Predicting the Future" to answer questions 6 to 7.

No Answer Provided

6. Contrast the Hyperloop with the changes in transportation that Golden expects.

No Answer Provided

7. What might Golden think of the Hyperloop? Use evidence from both texts to support your answer.



          ASSESSMENT          

Your completed quiz, update (Periods 1, 2, 6), or ReadWorks assignemnt (Period 4).