Clymer Kurtz classroom update

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Today students learned about English/Reading classroom expectations and
procedures and about their new teacher. They wrote a letter to Mr. Clymer
Kurtz, and studied the different types of internal and external conflict.

Incredibles Team Late Work Policy: You are encouraged to turn in EVERY
assignment on time. This helps you master the content you are learning and
allows your teachers time to check for understanding. Assignments turned
in one or two class periods late may receive only partial credit. Work
will not be accepted after it is two class periods late, and you will
receive no credit for the assignment. Illness and other extenuating
circumstances should be discussed in a timely manner with your teachers,
who may require a parent note.


Christopher Clymer Kurtz
Language Arts 7, JFHMS Incredibles
mr.clymerkurtz.com
voice/text: (540) 692-9421

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students turned in signed Classroom Expectations and Procedures forms
(period 1/2 will turn these in tomorrow) and began taking a
beginning-of-the-year reading assessment.

HOMEWORK:
-Binders are due tomorrow! Use the Binder Table of Contents handed out in
class.
-Period 1/2: Class Expectations are due signed Friday; binders are due set
up on Monday.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Student binders were collected for grading (period 1/2 binders are due
Monday), and students continued taking a beginning-of-the-year reading
assessment. Then students began their beginning-of-the-year writing
assessment.

HOMEWORK:
-Period 1/2: Binders due Monday!

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Period 1/2 binders were collected for grading.

Students finished their beginning-of-the-year writing assessment and,
with extra time, evaluated online educational games, and then continued
the study of conflict and plot.

HOMEWORK:
-Have your classroom expectations and binder been checked?

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students completed a spelling assessment and then continued the study of
conflict and plot by reading the story "Rikki-tikki-tavi." Students also
received instructions for word study 1 (DUE TUESDAY, 9/4).

HOMEWORK:
-Have your classroom expectations and binder been checked?

-Word study 1 DUE TUESDAY, 9/4

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students continued studying conflict and plot in [
http://www.rikkitikkitavi.net/pages/rikkitikkitavistory.htm
]Rikki-tikki-tavi, worked on word study 1, and visited the library to
check out books.

HOMEWORK:
-Word study 1, Tues. 9/4
-20 book points, Mon. 10/22

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

As part of the continuing study of conflict and plot, students found and
identified conflicts in [
http://www.rikkitikkitavi.net/pages/rikkitikkitavistory.htm
]Rikki-tikki-tavi. Students also read in their "book point" books.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students finished finding and identifying conflicts in [
http://www.rikkitikkitavi.net/pages/rikkitikkitavistory.htm
]Rikki-tikki-tavi and then plotted the story's main events. Students also
read in their "book point" books or worked on their word studies.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students turned in word study 1, drew conclusions from a canceled check,
read independently, and began creating a comic strip based on a conflict
in [ http://www.rikkitikkitavi.net/pages/rikkitikkitavistory.htm
]Rikki-tikki-tavi.


HOMEWORK:

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students finished creating a comic strip based on a conflict in [
http://www.rikkitikkitavi.net/pages/rikkitikkitavistory.htm
]Rikki-tikki-tavi, then received and worked on word study 2. Finally, they
analyzed a character from Rikki-tikki-tavi and made a wanted poster of
another character of their choosing.


HOMEWORK:
-word study 2, Tues. 9/18

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students finished making a wanted poster of a character of their choosing
from [ http://www.rikkitikkitavi.net/pages/rikkitikkitavistory.htm
]Rikki-tikki-tavi and discussed theme, sensory details and vivid language
in the story. Students also read in their books.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students reviewed the wanted posters, then discussed theme in [
http://www.rikkitikkitavi.net/pages/rikkitikkitavistory.htm
]Rikki-tikki-tavi ("There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking
makes it so." -Hamlet), and began studying simile and metaphor.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students read in their books, then began learning about and planning an
essay: "Your Story".

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students finished planning their "Your Story" essays, and read "Harrison
Bergeron" as part of a Utopia/Dystopia in Literature unit.


HOMEWORK:
-Finish your essay frame (plot diagram)

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students discussed attempts at utopia in "Harrison Bergeron," wrote the
first rough draft of their "Your Story" essays, and visited the library to
check out books.


HOMEWORK:
-Word study 2, Tues. 9/18

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students worked on the first rough draft of their "Your Story" essays, and
took a beginning-of-the-year vocabulary/context clues assessment.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students finished the first rough draft of their "Your Story" essays, and
took a beginning-of-the-year STAR test, then explored the meanings of
colors.


HOMEWORK:
-Finish rough draft 1 of Your Story essay

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students peer reviewed the first rough draft of their "Your Story" essays,
studied personification, and read in their books.


HOMEWORK:

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students turned in word study two, continued studying personification,
brainstormed vivid verbs, and began making revisions to their "Your Story"
rough drafts. They also received word study 3.

HOMEWORK:
-Word study 3, Tues. 10/2

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Today students read in their AR books, began an introduction to
Shakespeare, continued making revisions to their "Your Story" rough
drafts, and reviewed characters, theme, conflict, setting and plot for a
quiz tomorrow.

HOMEWORK:
-Blackfriars Playhouse field trip permission forms due by 9/28 to Mrs.
Fawley

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Today students reviewed and then took a quiz about the elements of
fiction, read in their AR books, and continued making revisions to their
"Your Story" rough drafts.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Today students completed an introductory video about Shakespeare, wrote
rough draft #2 of their "Your Story" essays, and read in their AR books.
Students also began studing irony.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Today students read Act I of "The Two Gentlemen of Verona," finished
writing rough draft #2 of their "Your Story" essays, and read in their AR
books.

HOMEWORK:
-Finish rough draft #2

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Today students read most of Act II of "The Two Gentlemen of Verona."

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Today students turned in rough draft 2 of their "Your Story" essays, then
read from Acts II and III of "The Two Gentlemen of Verona," and visited
the library to check out books and shop at the book fair.

HOMEWORK:

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Today students then read from Acts III and IV of "The Two Gentlemen of
Verona."

Visiting Blackfriars Playhouse is a wonderful opportunity for us. Please
return your permission form and $1 to Mrs. Fawley as soon as possible!!! A
blank permission form is attached.

HOMEWORK:
-Blackfriars Playhouse field trip permission forms due by 9/28 to Mrs.

Fawley DEADLINE EXTENDED TO MONDAY!

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Today students then read Act IV of "The Two Gentlemen of Verona" and then
answered two questions:

1. Write the page number and 3-5 lines from today that you would like to
have explained.
2. Find an example of metaphor, simile, or personification in what we read
today. Write down the example (and page #), then explain what it means.

Visiting Blackfriars Playhouse is a wonderful opportunity for us. Please
return your permission form and $1 to Mrs. Fawley as soon as possible!!! A

blank permission form is attached. DEADLINE EXTENDED TO MONDAY!

HOMEWORK:

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Today students read Act V of "The Two Gentlemen of Verona" and drew a
character map of the story.

Students also began analyzing "Your Story" essays.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Today students turned in word study 3, read in their books, continued
revising "Your Story" essays, discussed theater etiquette, and began
studying irony.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Today students read in their books, conferenced about their "Your Story"
essays, continued studying irony, corrected a quiz, and received word
study 4.

HOMEWORK:
-Word study 4, Tues. 10/16

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Today students read in their books, conferenced about their "Your Story"

essays, and continued studying irony.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Today students read in their books, conferenced about their "Your Story"

essays, reviewed areas of difficulty on a recent quiz, and continued

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Today students read in their books, conferenced about their "Your Story"

essays, and began a Two Gentlemen of Verona irony project.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Today students read in their books, conferenced about their "Your Story"

essays, and worked on the Two Gentlemen of Verona irony project. Students
also checked out books from the library and learned about plagiarism.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Today students took an IA quiz (SOL practice), read in their books,

conferenced about their "Your Story" essays, and worked on the Two
Gentlemen of Verona irony project.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Today students read in their books, began writing "Your Story" essay final
copies, and worked on the Two Gentlemen of Verona irony project.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Today students read in their books and worked on the Two Gentlemen of
Verona irony projects (performances tomorrow!) and "Your Story" essay
final copies.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Today students turned in Word study 4, rehearsed their the Two Gentlemen
of Verona irony projects (performances tomorrow!), and worked on "Your

Story" essay final copies.

HOMEWORK:

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Today students performed their the Two Gentlemen of Verona irony scripts,
worked on "Your Story" essay final copies, and read in their books. They
also reviewed areas of difficulty on a recent SOL review test.

HOMEWORK:
-20 book points, Mon. 10/22

-Word study 5, Tues. 10/30

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Today students finished performing their the Two Gentlemen of Verona irony
scripts, finished their "Your Story" essay final copies, and read in their
books. They also took a benchmark test and received back graded work.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Today students finished performing their the Two Gentlemen of Verona irony

scripts, finished their "Your Story" essay final copies, read in their
books, received missing assignments reports, and began reading "The Giver."

HOMEWORK:
-"Your Story" not finished? Finish at home and turn it in Monday!

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students reviewed several hotspots from the benchmark test, read in their
books and took AR quizzes if necessary (20 book points due today!) and
continued reading "The Giver."

HOMEWORK:

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students continued studying topic sentences and reading "The Giver",
received benchmark score reports (due signed tomorrow), and worked with a
song "Prefixes, Suffixes, and Roots."

HOMEWORK:
-Benchmark 1 score report (signed), Wed. 10/24

-Word study 5, Tues. 10/30

-20 new (or 40 for year) book points, Mon. 1/14

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students continued studying topic sentences and reading "The Giver",
received benchmark score reports (due signed tomorrow), and worked with a
song "Prefixes, Suffixes, and Roots."

HOMEWORK:
-Benchmark 1 score report (signed), Wed. 10/24
-Word study 5, Tues. 10/30
-20 new (or 40 for year) book points, Mon. 1/14

Parent conference day is November 5! An updated list of available times
for Incredibles team parent conferences is available on the "Conferences"
page at [ http://mr.clymerkurtz.com/ ]mr.clymerkurtz.com.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students today read chapters 4 and 5 in "The Giver", turned in their
signed benchmark score reports, and visited the library to check out books.

HOMEWORK:

-Word study 5, Tues. 10/30
-20 new (or 40 for year) book points, Mon. 1/14

Parent conference day is November 5! A letter detailing the day and an

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students today read chapter 6 in "The Giver" and answered this discussion
question: Does Jonas's community seem more like a utopia or dystopia? Use
details (with page numbers) to support your opinion. Write 5+ sentences
(substantive).

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students today read chapters 7-9 in The Giver and continued working on the
"Prefixes, Suffixes and Roots" song packet.

Report cards distribution to students will be on Wednesday, November
7. Parent conference day is Monday, November 5. A letter detailing the day

and an updated list of available times for Incredibles team parent
conferences is available on the "Conferences" page at [

http://mr.clymerkurtz.com/ ]mr.clymerkurtz.com. If you have any questions,
contact Christopher Clymer Kurtz at (540) 692-9421.

HOMEWORK:
-BINDERS due for grading on Friday, 11/2 (will be kept all weekend)

-Word study 5, Tues. 10/30
-20 new (or 40 for year) book points, Mon. 1/14

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students today finished and turned in both the "Prefixes, Suffixes and
Roots" song worksheet and the topic sentences worksheet, organized their
binders, and read chapter 10 in The Giver and continued working on the

"Prefixes, Suffixes and Roots" song packet.

Report cards distribution to students will be on Wednesday, November
7. Parent conference day is Monday, November 5. A letter detailing the day
and an updated list of available times for Incredibles team parent
conferences is available on the "Conferences" page at [
http://mr.clymerkurtz.com/ ]mr.clymerkurtz.com. If you have any questions,
contact Christopher Clymer Kurtz at (540) 692-9421.

HOMEWORK:
-BINDERS due for grading on Friday, 11/2 (will be kept all weekend)

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students received back graded work, filed their beginning-of-the-year and
Your Story essays, turned in their binders for grading, received word
study 6, and read chapter 11 in The Giver.

Report cards distribution to students will be on Wednesday, November
7. Parent conference day is Monday, November 5. A letter detailing the day
and an updated list of available times for Incredibles team parent
conferences is available on the "Conferences" page at [
http://mr.clymerkurtz.com/ ]mr.clymerkurtz.com.

HOMEWORK:
-Word study 6 due Tues. 11/13

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students read chapter 12 in The Giver and wrote 3-5 sentences in response
to these discussion questions:

How is it that memories make the Giver feel heavy (page 82)? Are all
memories both good and bad at the same time (86)? Why does the Giver not
respond to Jonas's comment that "now I understand better, what it meant,
that there would be pain" (86)?

Students also watched an incredibly boring video about paragraph unity,
and began brainstorming for an upcoming essay.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students read through chapter 14 in The Giver and wrote 3-5 sentences in

response to these discussion questions:

Jonas and the Giver agree that making choices is dangerous (98). Is the
freedom to make choices worth the danger?

The Giver tells Jonas that while he does things (takes walks, eats, etc.)
his true life is internal, in the memories (104). What does he mean?

How is it that, according to Jonas, scientists "know nothing" about
humans' "being" (105)?

Students also continued brainstorming for the "Not My Job" essay.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students read through chapter 16 in The Giver and added details to their
"Outfitting Jonas" worksheets. They also completed the three main idea
sections of the frame for their "Not My Job" essays.

HOMEWORK:
-If not finished in class, complete the "Not My Job" frame (but not the
intro and conclusion parts), due Mon. 11/12

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students read from The Giver, showed and added details to their
"Outfitting Jonas" worksheets, and began working on gripping opening
sentences for their "Not My Job" essays. Classes also visited the library

to check out books.

HOMEWORK:

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students read from The Giver, showed and added details to their

"Outfitting Jonas" worksheets, and continued working on gripping opening
sentences for their "Not My Job" essays. Students also turned in word
study 6 and received word study 7.

HOMEWORK:
-Word study 7 due Tues. 11/27

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students read from The Giver, showed and added details to their

"Outfitting Jonas" worksheets, and wrote 3-5 sentences answering the
question, "How does the Giver help Jonas (p. 145)?"

They also continued working on gripping opening sentences for their "Not
My Job" essays and turned in their W4 notes page for grading.

In addition, students turned in word study 6 and received word study 7.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students finished reading The Giver and turned in their study guides, then
began writing the main body paragraphs, with topic sentences, for their
Not My Job essays.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students took an SOL diagnostic quiz (not a grade), discussed utopia in
The Giver, and then continued writing the main body paragraphs, with topic

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students discussed utopia in The Giver and took a test about the book,
began a book project about The Giver, and watched the trailer for the
movie that is the third component of the Utopia/Dystopia unit: The Truman
Show.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students finished taking the test about The Giver, worked on their Not My
Job main paragraphs, and began watching the movie that is the third

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students watched the third component of the Utopia/Dystopia unit The
Truman Show, then analyzed it in the context of the short story "Harrison
Bergeron" and The Giver.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students turned in word study 7 and received word study 8, read
individually, learned about transition words, and made Not My Job essay
revisions.

REQUIRED in the Not My Job essay:
-Thesis statement (main idea) in paragraphs 1, 5 (circled)
-Topic sentences in paragraphs 2, 3, 4 (underlined)
-Transition words in paragraphs 2, 3, 4, 5 (boxed)
-Effective opening sentence (starred)
-Punchy conclusion (starred)


HOMEWORK:
-Not My Job rough draft was due...make sure it's finished!
-Word study 8 due Tues. 12/11

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students peer edited Not My Job essays, read independently, and (in
periods 2 and 8) began learning about author bias and purpose.

REQUIRED in the Not My Job essay:
-Thesis statement (main idea) in paragraphs 1, 5 (circled)
-Topic sentences in paragraphs 2, 3, 4 (underlined)
-Transition words in paragraphs 2, 3, 4, 5 (boxed)
-Effective opening sentence (starred)
-Punchy conclusion (starred)


HOMEWORK:

-Not My Job rough draft was due...make sure it's finished, with
requirements!

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students wrote a second rough draft of their Not My Job essays, practiced
eliminating redundancy in writing, and continued learning about author
bias and purpose.


REQUIRED in the Not My Job essay (rough drafts 1 & 2):
-SKIP LINES

-Thesis statement (main idea) in paragraphs 1, 5 (circled)
-Topic sentences in paragraphs 2, 3, 4 (underlined)
-Transition words in paragraphs 2, 3, 4, 5 (boxed)
-Effective opening sentence (starred)
-Punchy conclusion (starred)


HOMEWORK:

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students began typing their Not My Job essays, read independently, and
continued studying author bias and purpose.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students finished typing their Not My Job essays and turned them in, read

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students reviewed elements of fiction in the movie "Frog" and continued

studying author bias and purpose.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students read independently, then studied imagery in the lyrics of [
http://www.clymerkurtz.com/2011/04/why-so-hard.html ]Why So Hard, then
learned about polio in preparation for reading Blue.

HOMEWORK:
-Word study 8 due Tues. 12/11
-20 new (or 40 for year) book points, Mon. 1/14

Incredibles Team Substitutes Behavior Policy: If a substitute teacher
leaves a negative note about a student, that student will automatically
receive two days of after school detention.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students turned in word study 8 and received word study 9, plus discussed
the imagery in the lyrics of [
http://www.clymerkurtz.com/2011/04/why-so-hard.html ]Why So Hard (finished
and turned in handout), discussed author bias and purpose in a nonfiction
article, and read Blue pages 9-23 and answered the following question
(handed in):

What is the author's purpose for including the following sentences (pages
19-21)?

"Junior, who said you could take over my garden? I should never've told
you I was planting peas today," I said.
Junior ... flapped an oily rag in my direction. "Oh, stop it, Ann Fay.
This is a man's job and you know it."
"And Daddy told me I'm the man of the house while he's gone."
...
But in our minds it wasn't a ditch anymore--it was a deep ravine with
serpents and giant spiders spilling over the top. And we didn't jump over
it--we closed our eyes, held hands, and flew over it.
...
Junior asked did I want to try running the tiller. "No," I said. "You
wanted to do it. Now do it."


HOMEWORK:
-Word study 9 due Tues. 1/08

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students read chapters 5-6 from Blue and then wrote a personal letter to
one of the characters in the book (include 3 details from the book, with
page numbers).

HOMEWORK:
-Word study 9 due Tues. 1/08

-20 new (or 40 for year) book points, Mon. 1/14 (NOT The Giver or Blue)

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students in periods 5/6 went to Challenge for the entire class period;
students in other classes read independently, viewed author/producer bias
in a short news clip, and began studying "Figurative Language" (song
packet).

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students read chapters 7-8 in Blue, studied figurative language, and

continued studying author bias and purpose.

HOMEWORK:
-Word study 9 due Tues. 1/08
-20 new (or 40 for year) book points, Mon. 1/14 (NOT The Giver or Blue)

-WORD STUDY TEST on 1/15. Study prefixes, suffixes, and roots from word
studies 1 through 9.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students read chapters 9-11 in Blue, studied figurative language, and

continued studying author bias and purpose.

HOMEWORK:
-Word study 9 due Tues. 1/08
-20 new (or 40 for year) book points, Mon. 1/14 (NOT The Giver or Blue)
-WORD STUDY TEST on 1/15. Study prefixes, suffixes, and roots from word
studies 1 through 9

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students visited the library to check out books, plus read chapters 12-13
in Blue and did the following:

Imagine you are one of the characters in Blue. Write a diary entry
describing the events and your feelings in chapters 12 and 13 (pages
86-98). Include 5 specific details from the book, with page numbers.

Example:
Dear Diary,
Today I finally did it. I stole my dad's bike and rode away (164).
It's been a long time coming, this escape. I need to get away so that the
feelings can go back to the people. I also needed to get away because they
were going to kill Gabe (158), and there's no way I could let that
happen. ....
All my love,
Jonas

HOMEWORK:
-Word study 9 due Tues. 1/08
-20 new (or 40 for year) book points, Mon. 1/14 (NOT The Giver or Blue)

-WORD STUDY TEST on Tues. 1/15. Study prefixes, suffixes, and roots from

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students reviewed figurative language, read from Blue, and began
brainstorming for the Change Your Mind essay.

HOMEWORK:
-CYM frame due at the beginning of class, Mon. 1/07

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students read from Blue, and completed the frame for the Change Your Mind
essay, read independently, and received back graded work.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students read independently, received missing assignments lists, began
writing the rough draft of the Change Your Mind essay, and read from Blue.

HOMEWORK:

-Word study 9 due Tues. 1/08

-CYM rough due at the beginning of class, Wed. 1/09

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students received study lists for the word study test on Tuesday, began
revising their Change Your Mind rough drafts (rough draft 2 due Friday),
and visited the library to check out books.

HOMEWORK:
-CYM rough 2 due at the beginning of class, Fri. 1/11

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students turned in rough draft 2 of their Change Your Mind essays, read
independently, reviewed sentences/sentence fragments (packet pages 2-3),
and identified figurative language in Blue.

LAST DAY TO TURN IN MISSING WORK IS TUESDAY, 1/15.

HOMEWORK:

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students read independently and began conferencing for their Change Your
Mind essays, reviewed sentences/sentence fragments, studied for the word
study test TOMORROW, and identified figurative language in Blue.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students took the word study test, then read independently and continued

conferencing for their Change Your Mind essays, reviewed

sentences/sentence fragments, and identified figurative language in Blue.

HOMEWORK:
-20 new (or 60 for year) book points, Mon. 3/25 (NOT
Giver/Blue/Comfort/Outsiders)

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students took a mid-year spelling assessment, then read independently, and
then identified figurative language in Blue.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students identified figurative language in Blue, then continued studying
sentences and sentence fragments.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students read independently, conferenced about their Change Your Mind
rough draft 2, and received prizes in the Blue figurative language contest.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students took the second benchmark test and the STAR reading assessment,
then read independently and conferenced about their Change Your Mind rough
draft 2.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students took a midyear released SOL test, then visited the library for a
lesson about research and to check out books.

HOMEWORK:
-CANCELED: 20 new (or 60 for year) book points, Mon. 3/25 (NOT
Giver/Blue/Comfort/Outsiders). READ BECAUSE YOU WANT TO.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students finished taking a midyear released SOL test, then read
independently.

HOMEWORK:

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students read independently and began writing their Change Your Mind final
copies.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students read independently and began writing their Change Your Mind final
copies.

PARENT CONFERENCES are on Thursday, February 7. To schedule a conference
or learn drop-in times, please read the attached letter or visit the [
http://mr.clymerkurtz.com/p/conferences_25.html ]conferences tab at
mr.clymerkurtz.com.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students finished writing their Change Your Mind final copies and read
independently. Then students began studying MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech
(in periods 5/6, they attended a guidance assembly instead).

PARENT CONFERENCES are on Thursday, February 7. To schedule a conference
or learn drop-in times, please read the attached letter or visit the [
http://mr.clymerkurtz.com/p/conferences_25.html ]conferences tab at
mr.clymerkurtz.com.

HOMEWORK:

-Change Your Mind final copy due at the beginning of class tomorrow!
-READ BECAUSE YOU WANT TO.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students turned in their Change Your Mind final copies, continued taking
several midyear assessments, and read independently. Then students
continued studying MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech.

PARENT CONFERENCES are on Thursday, February 7. To schedule a conference
or learn drop-in times, please read the attached letter or visit the [
http://mr.clymerkurtz.com/p/conferences_25.html ]conferences tab at
mr.clymerkurtz.com.

HOMEWORK:

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students read independently, then participated in a moodle discussion of
MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech:

Answer any three of the following questions about MLK's speech (viewable [
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B1SYncAaWAOHQnpyNVlUWkxBa00/edit ]here):
1. What is something that surprised you about MLK's speech?

2. Quote a line/sentence/passage from MLK's speech. Has our society
responded to this? Are MLK's dreams, hopes, or observations now a reality?
Have things changed?

3. Quote from MLK's speech an example of figurative language. Also name
the type of figurative language it is, explain what it means, and tell why
it stands out to you.

4. If MLK were to give a speech to us today, what would he speak about?
Quote one of his metaphors or similes from the "I Have a Dream" speech
that he could still use, or change one of his metaphors or similes into
one so that it could apply to today's issues.

5. Who do you think MLK wanted to hear his speech (Who was his intended
audience)? What was his purpose for making this speech? Include quotes
from the speech to support your answer.

PARENT CONFERENCES are on Thursday, February 7. To schedule a conference
or learn drop-in times, please read the attached letter or visit the [
http://mr.clymerkurtz.com/p/conferences_25.html ]conferences tab at
mr.clymerkurtz.com.

HOMEWORK:

-READ SOMETHING BECAUSE YOU WANT TO.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students reviewed points of discussion from last week's MLK speech moodle,
read independently, selected essays and signed up for snacks for
Thursday's Writers Read, read an article about polio eradication, and
received Civics word study 1.

PARENT CONFERENCES are on Thursday, February 7. To schedule a conference
or learn drop-in times, please read the attached letter or visit the [
http://mr.clymerkurtz.com/p/conferences_25.html ]conferences tab at
mr.clymerkurtz.com.

HOMEWORK:
-READ SOMETHING BECAUSE YOU WANT TO.

-CIVICS word study 1 due Tuesday, 2/19

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students read independently, read and discussed an article about sports
for students with disabilities, and reviewed questions from Blue that
might be answered in Comfort. Students also began studying idioms.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students read independently, began presenting their Writers Read essays,
and visited the library. Bring party food tomorrow!

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students continued presenting their Writers Read essays and ate party food!

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students read independently, learned about PTSD (in preparation for
Comfort), worked on their idioms charts, and began studying love poem
metaphors.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students read independently, continued studying love poem metaphors,
organized their binders, and began reading Comfort.

HOMEWORK:
-Read!

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students read independently, continued studying and began writing love
poem metaphors, and continued reading Comfort.

[Christopher Clymer Kurtz]

Students wrote final copies of their metaphorical love poems and continued