December!

First off, apologies, for not keeping the blog up this past month. My mother was gravely ill and I did a large amount of traveling, put 5,000 miles on my car, and have been crazy trying to catch up on everything I missed. My mom seems to be recovering, time will tell.

6th grade will go to the movie PAN, on Thursday---cost is $6 for movie, soda & popcorn. DO NOT let them bring any other money---they cannot spend it. Please email me if your child is unable to attend, so I can prepare an alternate activity for them. They will eat lunch early so they can still have their pizza for lunch.

8th grade is going caroling on Wednesday night. Students can bring a $5 gift for an exchange, if they so desire. 

Projects: your students know the Preamble to the Constitution---have them recite it to you. We have finished an inspiring unit on the American Revolution and the Constitution; they know the law of the land and all about their founding fathers and heroes of the American Revolution. 

6th reading: Students are completing a triarama depicting a setting from the novel George Washington's Socks 

6th writing: Students have been learning to organize their writing using various graphic organizers. They are writing persuasive and argumentative pieces.

8th writing: Students have written an argumentative paper, an explanation of how to do something they are good at. They are now demonstrating their skill and teaching the class how to do such things as: dance, braid hair, broad jump, repair a clogged fuel line, develop a sports skill, play drums, prepare foods, and much more! 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  

 

Week of November 2nd

Notice to all: Maverick Monday is the first school day Monday of each month!

Projects: Students are working in groups of 3 to create a digital ABC book about the American Revolution. They will be doing this for 2 weeks. The past 2 weeks they have been gathering information. Project is due November 19th.

6th Writing: Students are editing paragraphs on an accomplishment and on describing their room. They also wrote a thank you letter to a Veteran. I will mail the letters to the Reno VA Hospital on Wednesday.Reno

8th Writing: Students are writing an argument essay on the topic of their choice. Also, they wrote a thank you letter to a Veteran and I will mail those on Wednesday.

6th Reading: Students are creating and finishing graphic novels on the French & Indian War as well as participating in a book club, which requires them to summarize, clarify meaning, make text connections, predict, question, discuss and listen. Whew! They are good at it and are working hard and steady!

Pictures come home this week. I am impressed with the quality---you have good looking children, too! 

Week of October 26th

STORES was a huge SUCCESS!

This week, Thursday, students will be able to wear Halloween costumes to school, but no masks or items that hide faces.

School dance on Thursday from 6-10. Cost is $5. Costumes may be worn. This is a very well chaperoned dance and should be tons of fun.

Projects: Students are learning about the American Revolution. This week they are researching, watching videos, and gathering information about acts, people, places, events, concepts, and important numbers. They will be working in groups of four to create a digital ABC book, incorporating their research information.

6th Reading: The entire class is reading George Washington's Socks in a book club format. They have a self-check form to ensure their participation in reading, discussion, predicting, summarizing, questioning, clarifying word meaning, and listening. There will be a project when we finish. 
We are also creating a graphic novel page on the French & Indian War, due this Thursday.

6th Writing: Students are using spatial organization to draw and write about their room at home. 

8th Writing: This week we are focusing on choosing a topic for their argumentative writing, writing a thesis statement, as well as, beginning research for pros and cons of their topic. 

Access Brainpop from home

We have Brainpop! You and your child can access it from home for a plethora of interesting, short, informative learning videos. 

login: oasisacademyfallon.us
pwd: isthisworthit  

(yes, this is worth it; please use it at home to reinforce learning)

Week of October 19th

New quarter begins! The year is racing by at top speed.

Parent Teacher Conferences on Friday this week, October 23rd. If you can't make it on Friday you can email me and schedule for another day next week. Thank you.

6th Grade will hold their first STORES on Wednesday, wherein they will buy and sell items using class cash. They are pretty excited about it. I hope to see some budding entrepreneurs. 

Projects: We will research and learn about the French & Indian war, then move into events leading up to the American Revolution. More to come on daily work, plans and final project.

6th writing: We are working on various ways to organize our writing: chronological order, sequential order, cause & effect, and spacial order. We practice cursive every Wednesday, each student vying for the Golden Pencil Award. We will practice aspects of grammar with ixl on Tuesdays & Thursdays.

8th Writing: This week we will finish up our efforts to create 18 writing topics from one movie. Then we will begin our argumentative writing lessons. We will use ixl to improve basic skills every Tuesday and Thursday.

6th Reading: I didn't have students keep reading logs the first quarter, but plan to initiate it this quarter. We will finish up Blood on the River with a test and a character study. This quarter will feature book clubs; I hope to set that up this week.

Also, the book fair is this week, with a monster theme. Thursday is monster hair day and family night. Students will attend the book fair during the week, as well

As always, nachos on Wednesdays and pizza on Thursdays at lunch time. This begins a new quarter if you want to send money for the entire quarter for pizza.

UP COMING WEEK OF OCTOBER 12TH

RED LETTER DAY!

Hooray! I am finally catching up to my weekly blog! 
This quarter is about over---just 2 more weeks! Parents should have received an invitation to schedule for parent-teacher conferences. I am excited to meet with you, so please sign up, if you can. If the date and time do not work for you, please contact me so we can schedule another day.

We have Brainpop! You and your child can access it from home for a plethora of interesting, short, informative learning videos. 
login: oasisacademyfallon.us
pwd: isthisworthit 
(yes, this is worth it; please use it at home to reinforce learning)

MAVERICK MONDAY is happening on October 12th!
Students can bring money ($2 suggested maximum), walk as a class to Maverick and buy a small treat.

Projects: This upcoming week will be full of chemical reactions experiments. You may want to hide your vinegar, baking soda, alka-seltzer and matches, at home, after this week! There will be a fun  tie dying project  on Tuesday and a final written test the following week.
Students need to bring in a white cotton t-shirt, pillow case or pair of socks to dye. Nothing bigger than a pillowcase or they will not get to dye it.
6th Reading: Students are continuing with Blood on the River reading. They are also working on a reading project mini-book titled "Five characters That Would Make Awesome Friends". It is due on Wednesday and features 5 characters from their nightly reading this quarter. All students should be reading 20 minutes a night. They are also working in groups to create a poster about the 13 original colonies to culminate their Social Studies unit on Colonization this quarter. In addition, they have done some extended learning about Pocahontas and her relationship that aided the first successful English settlement in America.
6th Writing:This week students are writing a paragraph using chronological order that tells about something they have accomplished. Their daily journal writings will be earning a quarter grade, as well. Each week we practice cursive writing in a fun way. The best penmanship each week earns The Golden Pencil Award!
8th Writing: This class has a 25 word vocabulary test coming up on Wednesday. We are learning to identify purposes of writing and use 6 categories to initiate writing topics that they are interested in. This week they will use a movie to inspire questions and then will choose a topic to analyze and interpret. This will help prepare them for upcoming writing proficiency testing. They are a bright group of students with lots to say---now I want them to translate that into lots to write about!

Weeks of Sept 28th and October 5th

We are busy, busy, busy in the classroom!

Projects: The past two weeks we have been learning about physical properties, chemical properties and chemical reactions. Students have participated in some fun learning labs, using household items to identify the different types of properties. We have lots of new vocabulary under our belt and have even participated in some simple experiments. So far, much to the disappointment of the class, we have not blown anything up yet!

6th Reading and Social Studies: We are focusing on the 13 colonies and working on a final project of creating an informational poster for each region: New England, Middle and Southern colonies. Students are enthralled with the story of Jamestown featured in the fictional novel Blood on the River.

6th Writing: Each week we focus on learning and practicing aspects of grammar. Our focus has been comma use, transitions and prepositions. We are learning to organize writing through chronological and sequential order. They had to write directions to a place in the school and see if their partner could follow the written directions. A few ran into walls, but it was a great learning tool.

8th Writing: This class is lively and love to stay active. The past two weeks they have been learning to write directions for games, using sequential order. They love to play a game I taught them called, "On the Other Hand, It's Murder", which they quickly shortened to Murder. They learned to play it, then had to write directions on how to play it. I shared the directions they wrote with other groups of people who had never played the game to see if the directions were understandable. Some were, but some discovered it is easier to tell it than write it. Soon I hope to close that gap. They also had to put a puzzle together with partners without speaking. Afterward, they wrote a paragraph explaining the best way to put a puzzle together. These engaging activities have taught them to be aware of detail. They are learning to be clear, precise and more sophisticated in language use. This is a great way to improve transition use, as well.

Week of September 21

Projects: Students research and studied about molecules; they created 2 models of two different molecules. The complex molecule was drawn and labeled; the simple molecule was a 3D model. I received outstanding work on this project! They will present to the class on Monday.

6th Reading: We are reading Blood on the River in learning about the 13 colonies. We are reading other articles about various aspects of the 13 colonies, including: founders, life in early America, Native Americans, slaves, economies, interesting facts and more. This will lead us into the American Revolution, which will be our next subject of study.

6th Writing: Students write every day. They free write on journal topics, proofread and edit, and compose a paragraph each week. Currently, they are improving their ability to add detail by elaborating and by using dialogue. We have begun practicing cursive in earnest. We are using language arts ixl, in class, to improve spelling and grammar skills.

8th Writing: Students write every day. They free write on journal topics, proofread and edit. They just finished a final revision on their 13 colonies paragraph, as well as putting finishing touches on their personal narratives. We are reading the narratives aloud, in class, which has been a little intimidating for most. However, they are a talented, hard working group, so they have had nothing to fear (but fear itself!). We are also learning and practicing important grammar skills by using the ixl program, in class.

Specials: 6th grade is exhibiting tremendous talent in Art each week.

NOTE: 6th graders now have classroom jobs and are earning class cash for doing their jobs. They will have to pay fines for minor infractions, work together, and spend wisely. They will be allowed to set up their own stores during"Stores" and sell items to each other. (no food or drink; they can sell used items or make new ones) In addition, we are trying to establish some monthly activities, such as Maverick Monday, when they get to walk to Maverick and buy a treat, as well as taco Tuesday when they get to walk to Taco Bell for lunch. More will be forthcoming on these activities.

Week of September 14

Projects: Student worked with a partner to complete a scrapbook of information about one of the elements on the periodic table. Ask your child what element (s)he researched and reported on. I had great projects turned in and they seemed to enjoy the creativity and learning. This project helps them learn about and use information from the periodic table.

6th Writing: Students created a group story and presented them to the class. They were also working on writing a final chapter to the read-aloud Never Mind.

6th Reading: We began a new read-aloud titled Blood on the River. This is a book about John Smith, Pocahontas, and other early colonists who participated in the settling of Jamestown. We have done other reading and note taking in order to prepare for the next quarter of study: the 13 colonies.

8th Writing: Students have been challenged to use their informal outlines about the 13 colonies to write an informative essay about new England, Middle and Southern colony groups. They finished their rough draft this week.

Picture Day Coming Up!

Picture day will be Monday, Oct 5th at10:30 for our classroom. 

I found it! August 31st and September 7th

The past two weeks have been fast and furious!

Projects: The report to the mayor about the sports complex and materials to use was due on August 31st, but a couple of extra days were provided if students needed them. We have begun a study of the basic elements of life and the periodic table. Students have a project due at the end of the day on Thursday to create a booklet (baby announcement or MVP award) on an element from the periodic table. They will work with a partner on this one.

6th Reading: We just finished our first read-aloud Never Mind, which they seemed to love. The class is enjoying the Garden of Readin" and beg for more "read to self" time. Several are trying to read a book a week for the quarter. There will be a prize for all who can do it. We are also doing some reading and study about the 13 colonies to prepare for our Social Studies quarter. This includes taking notes, making a timeline and informational posters about the colonies.

6th Writing: Students work to write and turn in a piece of writing every week. I am impressed with their skill and creativity! They are currently working as a team to compose a short story and also working alone to write another chapter to add to the book Never Mind.
8th Writing: These students are writing  profusely! They have two in-progress pieces that they are working on. The first one due will be a short report on the thirteen colonies, using their informal outlines from Reading class. They are also developing a narrative paragraph about a personal experience. Their first piece, about a sport, was a collaborative effort, with an individual final draft, as well.

Book orders will go out every month, but there is no obligation to purchase. If you do decide to buy, all ordering and payment will be online. 

8th Writing: These students are writing consistently. They have learned some important techniques about writing topic sentences. In addition, they submitted paragraphs about sorts that was part collaborative and part individual work. Currently, they are writing a piece about the thirteen colonies, as well as beginning work on a personal narrative about one of these choices: a first time experience, a scary or dangerous situation, a surprising or unexpected event.

Please Be Patient with me!

I got up extra early this morning to post, since I am a week behind. Somehow, AFTER the blog was finished, I deleted it instead of posting it! I will re-post today. arrgh!

week of August 24

This week flew by! 

Projects: students have been busy researching synthetic and organic products online. They were to complete evidence cards and their rough draft of writing. 6th graders have do write at least 2 pages and 8th grade have to write at least 3 pages. I gave them some guide sheets to use/complete that will guide their papers. For example, the first paragraph should introduce the project. the second one should define and/or explain the key terms: synthetic (how materials are made), organic, cost effective and environmentally friendly. Other paragraphs should address pros and cons of each material, and the final paragraph should be the recommendations to the mayor. Projects are due Monday, August 31st. 

6th Reading: We will begin incorporating social studies with reading. We are studying colonization, the 13 original colonies and events leading up to the Revolutionary War.

6th Writing: They have submitted their first paragraph, which was an article for a pretend school newspaper.

8th Writing: Writers used the writing process to plan and submit a paragraph about a "sports" topic.

We are introducing ourselves and getting our communties established through various Tribes activities. 

 

Week of August 17th

First Week! We had a great week, but I must admit that there has been a sharp learning curve for me. Please know that I am doing my best to get up to speed.
Your children have been wonderful! I appreciate their respect, good behavior and help in teaching me the ropes at Oasis.

6th Reading: They should be reading 20 minutes (at least) every night. There is a reading challenge that they read a book a week. I hope they accept the challenge. We are reviewing reading strategies and have a read-aloud going titled "Never Mind". Ask them about it.

6th Writing: We are using 6+ Traits strategies to improve and focus our writing this year. This past week was an introduction to that weekly process, as well as daily journal writing, and editing practice with a story line about Harry Beast and friends. This program will be referred to as "Caught Ya" as I try to catch their editing mistakes. We have learned the basic format of a friendly letter and have written one to the teacher.

8th Writing: We are also writing daily in a journal, with prompts and working on a "Caught Ya" story about modern day Romeo and Juliet. We have learned the basic format of a friendly letter and have written one to the teacher. We reviewed about multiple intelligences, learning, and the writing process. This class is good to go and will be writing many paragraphs this year.

Projects: The first project is about comparing and contrasting synthetic and organic materials. Quite a challege to research, understand, plan a sports facility and write a report good enough for the "Mayor" of our town, but WE CAN DO HARD THINGS!

Specials is ART for our class and PE was learning about la crosse and playing capture the flag.

FUN LEARNING WEEK!