The last week of April 2010

This week will be fun! Or, at least I'll try to make it fun for you. We will be reading our novel, The Cay and working on elements of fiction like: point of view, summary, conflict, plot, character, and setting. I think you're going to like being in Literature Circles and holding discussions with your new table groups. I'm interested to hear your opinions about it.

In Social Studies we'll work on writing our district CBA (Content Based Assessment) about Project Citizen. This is basically a reflection of the PC process from start to finish. The paper you wrote rightafter your presentation will be a big help with this paper.

PROJECT CITIZEN PRESENTATIONS ARE OVER!!!

YOU KNOW HOW SOMETIMES YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING AND YOU REALLY DON'T WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL? BEING VERY HONEST, THIS HAS NOT HAPPENED TO ME THIS YEAR. I AM SO LUCKY I GET TO SPEND MY DAYS WITH 54 OF HORIZON'S ALL-TIME GREATEST KIDS.

Week of April 19-23

Woooo Hooo! The time is nigh! Project Citizen Presentations are THIS Thursday in the HMS library. I know you will all do your best, and you know I will be in the back crying tears of pride as I watch you present. I am really impressed with your hard work, and I can't wait to see it all come to fruition. YAY YOU! Don't forget to invite your parents in to watch you present. I know they'll want to stand back and be proud of you too!

In addition to working on our presentations and our project boards, we'll begin a reflection C.B.A. paper. This paper sounds like a bigger deal than it is. But it is important. If you've kept notes, and understood the process as we've gone along, you'll do fine.

Don't leave AR in the dust as we work. You are reading for POINTS this trimester, so keep up on your reading. A few of you have already earned your points, and a couple of you are reading Don Quixote- WOW! I teach a bunch of really bright kids!

I'm looking forward to a great week with you all.

I'll be back Wednesday. BE GOOD!

This week in Fillyland...

Okay my darlings, this week it's back to Project Citizen. We've got to get moving and get our research DONE. We'll cover some figurative language in L.A., but for the most part we're going to buckle-down and get the P.C. job done.

After reading over your sensory detail paragraphs, I must tell you all how deeply impressed I am. So many of you had me visualizing your locations, and it felt like I was there. Ryan H. made me laugh out loud with his description of an orthodontist visit, and a couple of the Hawaii descriptions made me want to get on a plane to paradise ASAP!

Looking forward to seeing you all next week! Keep up the great work!

Oh, and to the parents reading this post, GREAT JOB at the Crooked Cane! Who knew what mad volleyball skills y'all had?!

Dates to remember:

All 3 A.R. books must be read and tested by March 16.

End of the trimester is March 19

I KNOW! I know!

I am so sorry that it has taken me TWO weeks to update our blog- but honestly, we've been doing the SAME THING for two weeks!

However, as you all know, this is a short week filled with fabulous parent-student conferences. We're reading a story in our W.I.R and of course working on Project Citizen. I think you have all come up with great topics and I am excited to see the changes you will make to our community!

Anyhow, I am happy to be back after the long weekend; I hope you are too!

Feb. 1-5 2010

WOW! That was a doozey of a test today wasn't it?! Thank goodness y'all have an awesome teacher that allows notes and as much time as you need!

You will be grading your own tests next Monday after our

final S.T.R.R.T.S. project presentations.

This week we're also going to begin our HUMONGOUS Project Citizen unit. You are going to be amazed at the power YOU have to change public policy,

and make the world a better place.

If you'd like more information on Project

Citizen please visit:

http://www.civiced.org/index.php?page=introduction

I think y'all know...

This week's work is on the whiteboard in the room, but if you're spacing out, know the BIG things:
1. We finish reading S.T.R.R.T.S. this Wednesday and will have a "Ducky Test Prep" Thursday, and we'll end the week with a BIG FAT TEST on Friday.
2. We're now done learning about Native Americans. We're on to Washington state constitution! Do YOU know what a wolf meeting is? You will!

YOUR PROJECT IS DUE MONDAY! If you need to borrow a video camera, ask! If you need help, ask! If you're

confused about anything to do with the project- PAY ATTENTION IN CLASS!

On that note, you guys have been uber-chatty. SOOOO you've left me no choice. We'll go back to sitting in rows on Tuesday. Yep, you can cry in your Wheaties to your mama, but you'll still be sitting in boring old rows.It would take a lot of convincing (in the form of a persuasive letter. hint! hint!) to make me believe that sitting in rows is a bad idea.

Sorry Mr. Ady!

Here is the link to finish your packet at home!

http://washingtonhistoryonline.org/treatytrail/teaching/journey.htm

Click on the lesson plans for any downloads.

Mini-week January 19-22

(Read the following with a Texas twang) Y'all were great while I was in Texas, and I thank ya kindly fer yer positive behavior! Good job period 5 in earnin yer free day. I'm mighty proud o ya!

Now, on to the week ahead...Tuesday we had a guest speaker and finished working on our Treaties packet. This is the sample work you will use for your student-lead conference in February, so DO try to put your best into it. You want the boss of you to be proud of the smarty you are-right!?

Wednesday and Thursday in LA will be reading and test prep days. We'll read up to chapter 20 in Streams to the Rivers, Rivers to the Sea. We'll have a quiz Wednesday and a test Friday.

Wednesday and Thursday will also be test prep days for our doozey of a test in social studies. You'll get to use your two-column notes and your packet to answer several essential learning questions. You're a bright bunch, so I am not worried about anyone NOT passing this one.

If you are in my AM block you can earn an extra 15 points to be used in either block class if you write a thank you letter to Hank- our Nez Perce guest speaker.

If you're in my PM block, listen carefully for the next two days...I just might mention something in an aside that you'll want to hear.

Have a great week!

How to check your grades online

http://www.cvsd.org/student_information_system.asp

Parents may access the following password-protected information about their student(s):
-Attendance – excused, unexcused for current school year
-Test scores – history of standardized test results (e.g.: WASL)
-Class schedule - online gradebook
-Academic progress – report cards for students in grades 6-12
-Discipline – lists any incidents occurring over the past three years
-Fines and fees
-Credit audit – for grades 9-12 - lists the requirements still needed for graduation

To access this exciting communication tool, contact your eldest child’s school to receive a unique identification number and password.

Your student should have also received different access codes to view the same information.

Got em on YouTube!

If you go to YouTube type in Horizon Filly Infomercial and you should be able to see them.

OR

you can find them by my user name: TeacherJagsHorizon

They are posted as private, so I am not sure how that changes who can and can not view them.

Here are all of the URLs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npWQgSWgHJo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U81kyFZH_BE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IA1VbehXq4o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcWejjk6HEU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxLEu5iP0cQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck2Hu2KNYwQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FUa9Xyi42E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPp7jjxJ5sc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irGZc7_mL04

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeHTMlRAuv4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JA0NzD3Nwg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFYWCggaDpg

It's just not working

Okay guys....I've tried several times to upload here, but it's not working.
I'll post them all on YouTube directly and not here. I'll post a link as soon as I get to it.

Infomercial #5. Did they sell it well? Comment below.

I'm getting there...

I've finally downloaded the infomercials onto my home computer. It takes a while for Blogger to upload them...have patience.

They will come up one by one...as I get to them, in between

making sure Stinky Face leaves the dogs alone, baking, and wrapping gifts.

But for you my little duckies, it's worth it.

Hope your break is FANTASTIC! I already miss you guys!

Last week before CHRISTMAS VACATION!!!

Okay my little ducklings, this week is going to be THE BEST...for me that is!

After we study verbs and adverbs, review all the other parts of speech and sentence structure,

YOU ARE GOING TO FILM AN INFOMERCIAL

TO BE BROADCAST ON THIS BLOG PAGE!!

Don't you LOVE IT?

You'll be taped, with our fancy new camera,in a group, presenting Tony Little-esque infomercials with descriptive dialogue, compound/complex sentences, and reflexive verbs. Dance little students, dance! We'll film them Thursday and Friday.

On a more serious note, we'll have one more dam lesson, study the mega floods that formed our beautiful state of

Washington and then take

THE BIG TEST.

I am thinking I'll combine all the tests that

are scheduled, into one bigger test.

Better to do it all quick; like pulling off a Band Aid, ya know?

PLEASE REMEMBER TO SHOP FOR OUR HOLIDAY FAMILIES!!!

DUCKS ARE ON THE LINE HERE, PEOPLE!!

top secret extra credit: Write a letter to ANY Horizon teacher letting them know how they have helped you. This is worth 10 LA pts. if you let me deliver it to that teacher. Put it in a Christmas card and I'll add an additional 5 pts. (an additional 3 pts if you can tell me what is wrong with the directions above (hint: think plural).

Lost Ducks and this week...

WE ARE DONE WITH THE MIDDLE AGES!! Wow, 3 months after we started and look at all you've learned: Feudal systems, roles of the church and king, the black death, crusades, roles of women in the middle ages, Judaism, Muslims, Christians, and let's not forget HOW TO JUGGLE! I have a sneaky suspicion that you'll need to understand the ruling systems and roles of women in Native American culture...good thing we've got such a great reference base!

This week (while I hunt for the last three hidden duckies) we will begin learning about the geology and formation of our state. We'll learn about the giant flood that formed our area and made the soil so rich. We'll learn about Kennewick man and the controversy that surrounds his remains, and we'll be putting it all together while learning sentence structure (diagramming sentences is FUN) and parts of speech.

I LOVE SCHOOL!

Remember, you start school Monday with an A+, and I am a cake teacher- so keep that sugar of a grade up there!

Our new yearbook camera takes panoramic pictures!

My lovely 1st period class

Thanksgiving week

What an AWESOME time we had at the Medieval Feast! Thanks to you all for being such a great group of kids. It's because you're so cool that we're able to do things like this at Horizon. Other schools don't get to do these things; you're special! I'll post pictures as soon as I can, so check back here to see them.

This whole week we'll be in the library while Mrs. Albers teaches us library skills. It's going to be a fun lesson that will take us through the break and we'll finish in December. You'll like it-really!

Your Crispin book report projects are due Monday, DON'T FORGET! You'll be presenting in front of the class, and I can't wait to see what y'all have come up with!

All AR book tests must be taken and passed by December 4th to count for a HUGE part of your grade. Get on it and READ-READ-READ!

Week of November 16- 20

This will be a busy writing week. We'll be finishing our Jane Schaffer essay about Middle Ages women as second-class citizens. So far it looks like you are all doing a fine job, and I am looking forward to reading your papers.

Since we're writing on a social studies topic, and we'll be working on primary sources, we're going to use the block fully. That means both periods will be spent on different aspects of the same topic.

Friday is the Medieval feast. Be sure to have your costume, and your $3.00! It's going to be SO great!

See ya in class!

November 9-13

This is a short week for us, there is no school on Wednesday and Ms. Filly will be gone on Tuesday. That means you've got a chance to earn a FREE DAY this Friday!

My thoughts are that we will ACTUALLY PLAY SCRABBLE Monday, and then hopefully finish Crispin.

In Social Studies we're going to work on our essay about women in the middle ages. Not exciting work, but important work!

NO TESTS THIS WEEK! WOOO HOOO!