Mrs. Albanese’s Blog

Homework – Go to the public library and check out good books. READ ALL SUMMER!

Monday – Blog project: share blogs and get 200 points credit!  MAke up work time!

Tuesday – Student Teachers teach Cool Tech stuff! Avatars, RSS Feed, Audio, Video Blogrolls, Links

Wednesday – STAR Tests! This is the third test this year and your results will be given to you as part of your portfolio.  Finish all essays!  New Post: Find a poem that you love and post it. Tell why you like it.  Then visit 3 other blogs from 8th grade (see blogroll on my blog) and read posts, comment. Write a post about something that interests you.

Thursday – Jungle Jims Trip! Take a dip and have fun! Drama Club Show! 

Friday – (Honor Society Trip to Jungle Jims)  Lesson: What advice would you give the 7th graders who are moving up? What should they know about 8th grade, teachers, lessons, homework, sports, drama, music, PE? What should they know about LA with me as their teacher? Write a post to the 7th grade students giving “big brotherly” advice. Include details.  Write this in WORD, revise and edit, print on fancy paper for a bulliten board and sign it with your name.

Monday – Blog Final Grades

Tuesday – Transition practice and tee shirt/yearbook signing

Wednesday – 9pm Transition Ceremony! Half day of school! HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!

^{YOU ARE THE AUTHOROF YOUR OWN LIFESTORY!}

^{Capstone Project}

This is it! The end of your middle school experience. Now get writing!

• Part 1 – Brainstorm to create list of personal accomplishments and memories
• Part 2 – Writing Workshop create written material that represents your life so far then post on your blog. Respond to classmates postings.
• Part 3 – Oral and Visual Presentation protopage project and oral presentation  

List of Choices   * items are a must do                                                         

1. Accomplishment Essay * – Name a special accomplishment that you are proud of. Tell about it and how it changed your thinking.
2. Resume * –tells about your qualifications for a summer job
3. Letter * –  a thank you letter thanking someone for helping you
4. Proudest Moment Essay or Person You Most Admire Essay * – your proudest moment or write about the person you most admire.
5. Timeline – your life events in a time sequence
6. Hobby or Passion – write about something that you love to do. Include pictures and descriptions.
7. Favorite Things Protopage – tab each of your favorites including food, games, sports, music, dances, art, books, colors, fashions, shoes, whatever! Include website links.
8. Virtual Vacation – what places would you like to visit? Create a blog page or a protopage linked to your blog to show this place.
9. Middle School Memories – What are your most precious memories?
10. Your choice – see me for discussion. 

Homework – you guessed it! READ! Must take one AR test by the end of May for your grade.

Monday – Best Short Story text – “The Treasure of Lemon Brown” by Walter Dean Myers. Read Introduction. Pages 190-193.  Read the story 195-205. Make a character map as you go to help you remember a major character. 

Tuesday – “The Treasure of Lemon Brown” finish reading. Dialect, page 207-209. Do Exercise A Questions 1-2. 

Wednesday – “The Treasure of Lemon Brown”. Using comparisons.  page 214-215 Do Exercise C, #1-2. Do Review and interpret questions on pages 219-223.

Thursday – Test on Lemon Brown. Poem, Petals revisited and writing our own petal poem for mom.

Friday – Book Review

   Homework – Read AR books for 30 minutes each night! Your next book review is May 9.

Monday – Poetry Challenge – final poems from teams printed and posted. TV and Movie review. Use the guide. 

Tuesday – MARINER IDOL POETRY SLAM. Teams perform their poems and the top four poems, one from each class are revealed!

Wednesday – WASHINGTON DC Field Trip. Be here at 6:45. Buses roll at 7:00. 

Thursday – Movie and book reviews posted on your blog with pictures!

Friday – Surprise

    Homework – Read AR Book for 30 minutes each night.

Monday – BOOK FAIR DAY! Visit and get great ideas for you personal library and for our class library. Persuasive Essay Brainstorm:  This Week’s Essay Question

We are building a new Cape Henlopen High School!  They saved some money on construction costs and they are asking the public if we want to build an extra playing field and a swimming pool. What do you think?  Are you pro or con?Do a brainstorm in a Word document. Make a list of reasons to support your argument.Then write a persuasive essay in Word. Save it to your file. 

Tuesday – EARTH DAY! PICTURE DAY  Poetry Challenge in Teams (see post).  Persuasive Essay – Revise, edit and publish on your blog.  Give it a good, descriptive title. Don’t forget to email me a copy of your blog URL today! I will place your blog URL on my blogroll.  We can look at your blog from my blog!

Wednesday -  No school for students! Parents and students visit Mariner to meet with teachers to and discuss goals. Where will you be next year?

Thursday – Library Last chance to take AR test for this marking period. Also check out good books. Remember, the STAR test is just around the corner so read and increase your reading skills! 

Friday – Book Review – Write a book review and post it on your blog. Be sure to cover these: characters, plot, setting. Also tell what you think the author was trying to say about life.  What message did you come away with?

Homework – Read AR book for 30 minutes each night. Deadline for AR test for this marking period is April 25. Next library time is next week.  Midterm grades are to come back signed.  Washington DC Permission slips and $25 are to be into your homeroom teacher by April 18th. 

Poetry Challenge: April is National Poetry Month. To celebrate we are having a poem writing and performing challenge. Write a poem using one of the following themes and perform it for the class on April 28th. The best poets go on to perform at the HOB First Annual Poetry Slam!  Themes: growing up, friendship, bad day, favorite things.

Monday – Finish Poetry unit and Short Story unit.  Poetry. Copy poem “The Kiss” Write a reflection based on the 3 r’s -  rhyme, rhythm and repetition, the concepts we have been studying for the past 3 weeks.  Finish reading the poems in this chapter including “Song” Nothing Gold Can Stay”, “Fireworks,” and “Full Fathom Five”. Then answer the questions on pages 125-128, #1-15 and turn into the tray.  Short story – Finish reading Raymond’s Run, pages 67-76 then read lesson 2, Characters in Action, page 82-83. Do Exercise B, questions #1-2 on page 83. Turn into the tray. 

Tuesday – Copy poem “I am Nobody – Who are You?” and do reflection.  Poetry – Review of poetry questions #1-15.  Poetry short answer questions.   Presentations of Blog.  Protopage – finish presentations.

Wednesday – Raymond’s Run questions and lesson.

Thursday – Student blogs on Edublogs.org.  Blog Guidelines, lessons and how to start demonstrated.

Friday – Students log on and create their own blogs sending me their blog URL.

April is National Poetry Month

To celebrate we are having a poem writing and performing challenge. Write a poem using one of the following themes and perform it for the class on April 28th. The best poets go on to perform at the HOB First Annual Poetry Slam!  Themes: growing up, friendship, bad day, favorite things.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes each school night. Deadline to read one AR book and take a test will be April 28!!  Write a poem for the Poetry Challenge.

Monday – Library – AR Tests and book check out only – Cores 1,3,4.  Protopage Evaluation and Presentation. S will evaluate each others Protos using the rubric created in class. S will also self evaluate answering these questions: What did you do well? What improvement would you make next time? What other ways can you use Proto?

Tuesday – Poetry Best text. Read aloud Song, Nothing Gold Can Stay, Fireworks, Full Fathom Five.  Discussion, reflection. Quiz pages 125-128, #1-15 on looseleaf paper. Review and evaluation.  Protopage Evaluation and Presentations.

Wednesday – Short Story – Raymonds’ Run, Best text, pg 60 – 66 introduction.  Raymond’s Run read 67-76 creating a character map (Readers Handbook) and a plot line to be turned in and graded.

Thursday –  Finish reading Raymond’s Run. Discuss character development, finish character map and plot line.  Character and description, lesson 1, 79-81, exercise A.   Character and Action, lesson 2, 82-84, exercise B. Do individually.

Friday – Book Review!  Any book that you wish!  New format! 

Homework – Read AR book.

Monday – Review Test To Build a Fire – grades.  Make up for test and book review.   Review of Protopage. Give back work – portfolios.

Tuesday - Poem “Arpil Fools Day”   Protopage work.  Criteria for rubric. Students share.

Wednesday – Poems – from text Best Poems.  Unit 4, “Rhythm, Rhyme and Repetition:.  pg 105-124. Read the information and the poems and discuss in teams. Find a poem that your team wants to recite out loud. Practice.   

Thur – Poem from text – Best Poems. Discuss poems. Take poem quiz on 125-128. Teams perform poems. 

Fri - Protopage gallery.

April Fool’s Day

Mackenzie put a whoopie cushion

on the teacher's chair.

Makayla told the teacher

that a bug was in her hair.

Alyssa brought an apple

with a purple gummy worm

and gave it to the teacher

just to see if she would squirm.

Elijah left a piece of plastic

dog doo on the floor,

and Vincent put some plastic vomit

in the teacher's drawer.

Amanda put a goldfish

in the teacher's drinking glass.

These April Fool's Day pranks

are ones that you could use in class.

Before you go and try them, though,

there's something I should mention:

The teacher wasn't fooling

when she put us in detention.

–Kenn Nesbitt 

    Some Bunny Loves YOU!

Homework – Read and study for Fire Test. Bring book to class on Thursday for Book Review.

Mon – Poem: Shamrock.  “To Build a Fire” – review questions and answers – creating your own study guide.

Tue – New grading system review: 5=A, 4=B, 3=C, 2=D, 1=do over.   So far graded item this marking period (5th) are

1. To Build a Fire – 2 column notes
2. Questions #1-8 done in class for review
3. Fire test.  Today- Fire Test

Wed – Library – exchange books and take AR tests.  Readers Handbook – read Comparing and Contrasting. 383-388.  Do a compare and contrast chart using Scrooge and the Grinch. 

Thursday – Bring book to class.  Book review. 

HOMEWORK – Read AR book for 30 minutes each night. Bring the book to class and you can read when you are finished with state testing. Finish your final essay, a special day, and turn it into the tray this week.  Write down the title of your favorite book that you have read this year and also the author.

Testing begins Wed of this week. We will work on the unit To Build a Fire around the testing this week.   See the plan for this below.