Mrs. Varga's Blog

Week of 5/30/06

Hello all you girls & guys in 634, 734, & 834. June is just about here, and we are beginning to wrap up the school year. 634, we are beginning to write our Gary Paulsen response to literature. 734, we are mimicking authors such as Gary Soto - and, we will explore the world of myths. 834, we are beginning our Ray Bradbury response to literature, and analyzing his work. So much to do, so little time!
Homework is as follows:

6/2/06
634: Rewrite your entire response to literature on loose leaf.
734: Write down suggestions to improve your play.
834: Make a character inference for a character in your independent book. Support it with evidence from the story.
6/1/06
634: Rewrite and revise concluding paragraph in Sourcebook
734: Write about the character flaw from your myth.
834: Graduation rehearsal. See you tomorrow.
5/31/06
634: Rewrite and revise Paragraph #3 in sourcebook.
734: Read 15+ pages in your independent book. Find a new sentence pattern in your book, copy it, and mimic it on loose leaf.
834: Write a summary of "Kaleidoscope." Which main character do you admire the most? Why?
5/30/06
634: Revise and rewrite paragraph #2 in your Sourcebook.
734: read 15+ pages in your independent book. Copy a sentence you like, and mimic it.
834: How is Ray Bradbury different from other authors? What is his philosophy on life?

Posted by Mrs. Varga at 3:14 PM 0 comments

Greetings all you girls & guys in 634, 734, and 834! It's hard to believe how fast the month of May is going. 634, we will be finished with The Crossing this week. I wonder how this realistic fiction by Gary Paulsen will end. What will happen to Sgt. Locke? What will happen to Manny? 734, we are still celebrating Virginia Hamilton's work. Good job presenting this week: Kristel, Jack, Iveliss. We will continue our enrichment curriculum, reading more of Gary Soto's play - as well as mimicking his writing style. 834, graduation rehearsals have begun, and your senior trip will take place... but our work is not over. We are well into our Ray Bradbury author study. This week we will analyze another one of his short stories.

*Exciting news for 634 : Laptops are here!

Homework is as follows:
5/26/06
634: Revise your introductory paragraph on loose leaf.
734: Find a sentence pattern in your independent book and mimic it.
834: Be a linecatcher for yor independent book.
5/25/06
634: Rewrite and revise you introductory paragraph for Gary Paulsen Response to Literature in Reader's Notebook.
734: (We did not meet today because of special training - see you tomorrow.Bring yesterday's hw)
834: (Graduation rehearsal -see you tomorrow. Bring yesterday's hw)
5/24/06
634: Write a summary of The Crossing. Include how Sgt. Locke's and manny's conflicts were resolved.
734: Revise and rewrite your constructed response about "Novio Boy" and "Nerd Landia'"
834: In a paragraph, explain which of the 3 Bradbury stories we've read so far is your favorite.

5/23/06
634: Write a paragraph predicting what will happen in Chapter 12 of The Crossing.
734: Compare "Nerd Landia" to "Novio Boy."
834: (Senior trip; see you tomorrow.)
5/22/06
634: Write a paragraph explaining why the bullfight upset Sgt. Locke.
734: Make a prediction for Scene 4 in "Nerd Landia."
834: Be a psychologist for a character in your book.

Posted by Mrs. Varga at 3:27 PM 0 comments

Greetings all you girls and guys in 634, 734 & 834. It is the middle of May, and we are well into our genre studies. 634, we are more than half way done reading and analyzing The Crossing, by Gary Paulsen. Gary Paulsen is certainly keeping us in suspense. What will happen to Manny? What will happen to Sgt. Locke? 734, we are fine tuning our Virginia Hamilton letters. This week we will have writing conferences to help us meet or exceed the standards. Presentations will begin. 834, we are beginning our Ray Bradbury author study. He will surprise us all ; I guarantee it! I would love to get some feedback from you on this blog. Please leave me a comment.

Homework is as follows:
5/19/06
634: Rewrite constructed reponse on loose leaf.
734: Summarize Scene 3 in "Nerd Landia."
834: Write a paragraph about the Ray Bradbury interview we watched.
5/18/06
634: Create a semantic scale for Sgt. Locke with 'responsible' and 'irresponsible.' Create a semantic scale for Manny, with 'foolish' and 'wise' . Use the graphic organizer to write a paragraph comparing and contrasting the conflicts in the 3 Paulsen books you've read.
734: Write a summary about the characters we've met so far in Soto's play, "Nerd Landia."
834: We did not meet today for ELA; see you tomorrow.
5/17/06
634: Create a semantic scale for Sgt. Locke, based on Chapter 9 (Weak - strong). Create a semantic scale for Manny, based on Chapter 9 (conniving - honest)
734: List three areas in ELA you would be interested in exploring further. (By the way, congratulations to: Brandon, Jazmin, and Eric for a job -well done on your Virginia Hamilton letter presentation.
834: Write a paragraph or two explaining which Bradbury story you found more interesting- "Hail and Farewell" or "Night Meeting"?
5/16/06
634: Create a semantic scale for Sgt. Locke, with 'uncaring' and 'caring.'
734: 4th draft and final draft due tomorrow. Be ready to present your VH letter.
834: Read and highlight important and interesting details in Ray Bradbury research.
5/15/06
634: Write a paragraph coomparing and contrasting Manny's conflicts in The Crossing, to Gary Paulsen's real conflicts in Woodsong.
734: Continue to revise Virginia Hamilton letter. Note what you need to conference on, on post-its. Be ready to present by the end of this week.
834: Highlight important and interesting information on Ray Bradbury research handout.

Posted by Mrs. Varga at 7:34 AM 0 comments

We are approaching the middle of May, and time just seems to fly. We have so little time, and so much left to do! 634 - You are half way through The Crossing, reading and analyzing the characters as well as Gary Paulsen's writing style. 734 - Your first draft of the Virginia Hamilton response to literature is due. You will be working on editing and revising your writing to "meet" -or possibly "exceed" the standards! 834 - It's time to enhance your historical fiction stories.
You are editing and revising your writing to make your stories effective and engaging. You need to look at the rubric to make sure you "meet" or "exceed" the standards.

Homework is as follows:

5/12/06
634: Read 25+ pages in your independent book.
Complete "Who-What 's happening" Chart
734: On a post-it, write specific areas of weakness you need to conference on for your VH letter.
834: Do research on Ray Bradbury. Highlight important and interesting information. (By the way, great job presenting your Historical Fiction stories: Susana, Zoey, and Johnathan!)
5/11/06
634: Make a Predict/Support chart for how Manny will meet Sgt. Locke a second time.
734: Virginia Hamilton Draft #3 on loose leaf.
834: Write a paragraph reflecting on the strengths & weaknesses of today's Historical Fiction presentations. (By the way, great job presenting: Elizabeth, Miguel & Joel!)

5/10/06
634: Read 15+ pages in your independent book. Make a predict/ support chart for what you think will happen next.
734: Complete another row on the "Who-What's happening " chart for a confucing excerpt in your Virginia Hamilton book.
834: Final draft and questionnaire due tomorrow!

5/9/06
634: Read 10 -15 pages in your independent book. Complete a
'who-what happens- how character feels-how I feel' chart.
734: Complete draft # 2 and rough draft cover sheet.
834: Complete draft #2 of Historical Fiction narrative.

5/8/06
634: Create a 'mind mirror' for your character.
734: Complete your first draft of your Virginia Hamilton response to literature on loose leaf.
834: Write your second draft of your historical fiction story on loose leaf.

Posted by Mrs. Varga at 8:13 PM 0 comments

It is already MAY!

634 - We have begun reading The Crossing by Gary Paulsen, and realize how different the setting is from Woodsong. 734 - We are reading more of Virginia Hamilton's stories and are continuing to notice recurring patterns and lessons ('learnings') for the reader. We have chosen a pattern that is common in the Virginia Hamilton book we read on our own - as well as two of the Hamilton pieces we've read in class. 834 - We are writing our historical fiction stories, plotting out our character's journey to America from his/her country of origin.

Just a reminder: Ms. Ostapak and I will be at a 3 day workshop from 5/3 to 5/5. You are all responsible for the work we left for you. Assignments and homework will be collected and graded. See you all on Monday. Leave me a comment to let me know how you're doing.

Homework is as follows:
5/2/06
634: Write a letter to Sgt.Locke, giving him advice on how to deal with his problems.
734: Revise your concluding paragraph about Virginia Hamilton.
834: Continue your HF story in Writer's Sourcebook. Final first draft due Monday 5/8/06 (on loose leaf).

5/1/06
634: Write a paragraph about Sergeant Locke using the character trait chart in your Reader's Notebook.
734: Make revisions on your introductory paragraphs in your Sourcebooks.
834: Complete journey cycle template; continue your HF draft. (Completed story draft due Monday, 5/8/06.)

Posted by Mrs. Varga at 4:37 PM 0 comments