Week 36: April 20-24

Wow! The Project Utopia presentations were so much fun. I really enjoyed seeing the students demonstrate their creativity. There is one final "big"project left in the school year... the book finale. Book Finale options are found here on the blog: Click Here for Book Finale Options  Students need to choose a book they have read this trimester (not "The Giver") and choose a book finale type they have not done before. Book Finales are due on Friday, April 24th

April 24th will also be the deadline for the final Book Order I'll be sending. If you are interested in purchasing books for summer reading, this is the month! Scholastic has FANTASTIC prices because they know their window of selling to you is closing. It's certainly worth checking out! You are welcome to send in a check to Scholastic or cash or order online. Here is the link to order online: Click Here to Order Online  Online orders = free books for the classroom, so I really do appreciate any order you place. This month Scholastic is giving away free mustache bookmarks with any orders. It's a win-win!

We will be moving into prep for SAGE Reading Test. To begin, I'll be taking students on the SAGE portal where they can see how specific question types are answered. On Tuesday, I'll have them take the Portal Practice test. It's not scored, but it's good, solid practice. We will then be moving into a day of Listening Comprehension and a day of analyzing figurative language in poetry. I'm going to be doing a read aloud each Friday. This allows me to model good reading, teach comprehension skills & conduct literary class discussions. We will be reading "The Crossover" by Kwame Alexander. This is a huge hit in the YA world right now and I really loved the book. This will be a fun one to read in class and provide excellent opportunities for understanding and analysis.

According to goodreads: "With a bolt of lightning on my kicks . . .The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is DRIZZLING. Stop all that quivering. Cuz tonight I'm delivering," announces dread-locked, 12-year old Josh Bell. He and his twin brother Jordan are awesome on the court. But Josh has more than basketball in his blood, he's got mad beats, too, that tell his family's story in verse, in this fast and furious middle grade novel of family and brotherhood.  Josh and Jordan must come to grips with growing up on and off the court to realize breaking the rules comes at a terrible price, as their story's heart-stopping climax proves a game-changer for the entire family."

Thanks for the continued support and encouragement. Please email or call me (652-4742) with any questions. Enjoy your week!

Nation-in-the-News

to present Friday, April 24th

2nd period: *Seth Millward, *Jaedan Mandato, Skylar Reid, Matt Quigley, Hallie Remund
3rd period: Jose Ruiz, Kayden Stauffer, Kyla Thalmann
4th period: *Olivia Quezada, Bailee Southam, Zach Tilford, Maddy Stucki
5th period: Keean Kirkland, Emily Leavitt, Tonga Nilo, *Santiago Perez
6th period: *Treson Swingler, Angie Stucki, Gracee Larsen, Carlos Romero, Tali Puriri
* = unprepared, you own me 2

Monday, April 20th
Short PLC Day (school out at 11:45am)
Mustache Random Student Form
SAGE questions (I'll review with you how to answer specific questions)

Tuesday, April 21st
Free Reading
SAGE Portal Practice Test
2nd period Honors: Newspaper Day
(do practice test at home)

Wednesday, April 22nd
Free Reading
Listening Comprehension Notes
Practice: "Red River"

Thursday, April 23rd
Free Reading
Figurative Language in Poetry I

Friday, April 24th
Free Reading
Figurative Language in Poetry Quiz
Read Aloud: "The Crossover"
Project Utopia PresentationsBook #8 Due 
Book Orders Due
Book Finale Due!!


Looking Ahead...next week
Reading Comprehension
Context Clues
Vocabulary

Congrats to Braden C. for entering the iRead 40 Club!