English-Nagy
Mrs. Nagy’s class started off the new school year concentrating on cause and effect, where they not only had great discussions and in-depth practice identifying the causes and effects of an event, but even used examples from their own lives to make the connection. Each student even wrote a short story that included causes with their reciprocating effects. After that mini unit, the focus switched to reading non-fictional articles from the book Reality Central: Readings in the Real World. This unit includes articles that center on heroes in the real world and in history. Mrs. Nagy has been challenging her students to read the article on their own before reading as a class, and annotating the article. Students have learned that annotating means interacting with the text by highlighting what they find important, interesting, and simply note worthy. Writing notes in the margins, both thoughts and questions, is also an important part of annotating, and even though it has been a challenge, the students have done extremely well with challenging themselves and applying their critical thinking and discussion skills. Parents, ask your son/daughter what it means to annotate, and see what they say!
Student Interview(s)
Leo: “What I like about English is the different annotations we do. With annotating these articles on the world, it shows how much the world needs our help. It also expands our knowledge about different things.”
Caitlyn: “I have liked English because I was struggling with the difference between cause and effect. And, I have liked the unit on annotating because it helps me get better at taking notes on a reading.”
English-Lavery
Mrs. Lavery’s class has been reading and learning about the Great Chicago Fire. We are reading Survivors, Fire: Chicago, 1871 which is about two friends who love to sneak out to watch the firefighters battle the many fires that had taken place that dry windy summer. The boys friendship begins to feel strained as Ryan is more adventurous than Nate is. Nate will be meet a wealthy girl named Julie whose very over protective mother never lets her leave the house, until that night when things take a terrible turn for the worse. Each chapter we read is accompanied by a vocabulary lesson using the LINCing strategy to “linc” a familiar word to the new word and definition. They also “linc” the two words together using a sentence and a picture. Additionally, the students have been completing comprehension activities each chapter that include: question/answer, character relationships, cause/ effect, and even some art activities to incorporate all learning modalities. We will begin charting and mapping the locations of the fire and where the characters are at in relation to what they are talking about in the story. Ask your child to tell you about Nate’s family. They can tell you what happened to his parents, who he is living with, and what kind of home his caregiver runs.
Zach : “I like the whole book because I like talking about fire and I love firefighters.”
Dylan: “This story is great, because it's about a true story about the Chicago Fire. So the events that happened in the story, it is based on the true story.”
English-Lindemulder & Granato-Wagner
Mrs. Lindemulder & Mrs. Granato-Wagner get to rock this English class together! This class of students has been actively learning about how our country became independent from Great Britain and the rule of the vindictive and grumpy King George III, with the book What is the Declaration of Independence. Each chapter is typically accompanied by a supplemental video to provide the students with a visual of what they are reading. Additionally, comprehension activities have included question/answer, hands on projects, such as taste testing tea, making 3-D main idea/detail pyramids, creating protest signs and doing a march against the King & Parliament. Students are being taught in a way to awaken all learning modalities such as, auditory, visual, and kinesthetic (hands on) to support recall and comprehension. Students are required to answer questions in complete sentences and they excitedly earn Behavior Bucks for following the 3B’s of CD. Parents, ask them about “taxation/taxing” and see what they have learned.
Tyler P: “English class is funny because we’re always doing something different.”
Mrs. Nagy’s class started off the new school year concentrating on cause and effect, where they not only had great discussions and in-depth practice identifying the causes and effects of an event, but even used examples from their own lives to make the connection. Each student even wrote a short story that included causes with their reciprocating effects. After that mini unit, the focus switched to reading non-fictional articles from the book Reality Central: Readings in the Real World. This unit includes articles that center on heroes in the real world and in history. Mrs. Nagy has been challenging her students to read the article on their own before reading as a class, and annotating the article. Students have learned that annotating means interacting with the text by highlighting what they find important, interesting, and simply note worthy. Writing notes in the margins, both thoughts and questions, is also an important part of annotating, and even though it has been a challenge, the students have done extremely well with challenging themselves and applying their critical thinking and discussion skills. Parents, ask your son/daughter what it means to annotate, and see what they say!
Student Interview(s)
Leo: “What I like about English is the different annotations we do. With annotating these articles on the world, it shows how much the world needs our help. It also expands our knowledge about different things.”
Caitlyn: “I have liked English because I was struggling with the difference between cause and effect. And, I have liked the unit on annotating because it helps me get better at taking notes on a reading.”
English-Lavery
Mrs. Lavery’s class has been reading and learning about the Great Chicago Fire. We are reading Survivors, Fire: Chicago, 1871 which is about two friends who love to sneak out to watch the firefighters battle the many fires that had taken place that dry windy summer. The boys friendship begins to feel strained as Ryan is more adventurous than Nate is. Nate will be meet a wealthy girl named Julie whose very over protective mother never lets her leave the house, until that night when things take a terrible turn for the worse. Each chapter we read is accompanied by a vocabulary lesson using the LINCing strategy to “linc” a familiar word to the new word and definition. They also “linc” the two words together using a sentence and a picture. Additionally, the students have been completing comprehension activities each chapter that include: question/answer, character relationships, cause/ effect, and even some art activities to incorporate all learning modalities. We will begin charting and mapping the locations of the fire and where the characters are at in relation to what they are talking about in the story. Ask your child to tell you about Nate’s family. They can tell you what happened to his parents, who he is living with, and what kind of home his caregiver runs.
Zach : “I like the whole book because I like talking about fire and I love firefighters.”
Dylan: “This story is great, because it's about a true story about the Chicago Fire. So the events that happened in the story, it is based on the true story.”
English-Lindemulder & Granato-Wagner
Mrs. Lindemulder & Mrs. Granato-Wagner get to rock this English class together! This class of students has been actively learning about how our country became independent from Great Britain and the rule of the vindictive and grumpy King George III, with the book What is the Declaration of Independence. Each chapter is typically accompanied by a supplemental video to provide the students with a visual of what they are reading. Additionally, comprehension activities have included question/answer, hands on projects, such as taste testing tea, making 3-D main idea/detail pyramids, creating protest signs and doing a march against the King & Parliament. Students are being taught in a way to awaken all learning modalities such as, auditory, visual, and kinesthetic (hands on) to support recall and comprehension. Students are required to answer questions in complete sentences and they excitedly earn Behavior Bucks for following the 3B’s of CD. Parents, ask them about “taxation/taxing” and see what they have learned.
Tyler P: “English class is funny because we’re always doing something different.”
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