Winter Break!!

When we come back we will continue to work on grammar and we will start poetry.

I hope everyone has a fun and a relaxing break!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

A Peek at Next Week 12/14/07

In Language Arts next week we will be working on our editing skills. We will be learning about commas and interjections.

In Reading next week we will finish a Christmas Carol and we will watch the movie in class.

Important Days:
Tuesday- Progress Reports
Thursday- The 2nd edition of the Spartan Scroll comes out.
Friday- Last day before winter break!

The Verb Unit is Completed! 12/7/07

We finished our Verb Unit this week in Language Arts. Students have been working on review packets the last few days in class. We will have our Verb Test on Wednesday, December 12th.

Next week in Reading is a Wordskills week. We will be studying Unit 10 and we will be taking the test on Friday the 14th. We will also begin reading "A Christmas Carol".

Important Days:
Monday: Activity Pictures
Wednesday: Verb Test
Friday: Wordskills Unit 10 Test

The first full week of December! 12/3/07

In Language Arts we are going to finish up our Verb unit. We will have a test on verbs at the end of next week.

In Reading we are going to continue our unit on Drama. We will read our second play, The Monsters are Due on Maple Street.

Important Days
Tuesday- Boys' Basketball Game
Wednesday- Book Fair
Thursday- Girls' Basketball Game
Book Fair
Winter Concert
Friday- Pajama Day
Open Gym

A Sad, Yet, Memorable Day

Today was a sad day after the horse derby in the gym. I practiced and practiced, and we made green team signs. Yet, the Blue team won. I am sorry for letting the Green Team down. However, I would like you to know that Ms. Nylon and I put forth a great effort and we enjoyed being in the race. I am just glad that I ended up not needing my helmet. I guess there is always next year.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

The End of the Miracle Worker!

We finished the movie of The Miracle Worker in class this week. Students had to compare and contrast the movie to the book. We will have a test on the book on Monday. On Tuesday we are having an exciting guest speaker coming in to teach us different signs.

Have a fantastic weekend! Bear down!

Important Days
Monday- Miracle Worker Test
Tuesday- Guest Speaker
Staff Volleyball Game
Magazine Sale Horse Race-Go Team Green!!!
Wednesday-Friday- No School!
Thanksgiving Break!

A Peek at Next Week

Next week in Language Arts we will continue to learn about verbs and
direct objects.

In Reading we will finish reading our novel.

Have a great weekend!

A Peek at Next Week 11/2/07

In Language Arts next week we will continue to work on verbs. We will learn about progressive verbs, transitive and intransitive verbs, and direct objects. All of our homework will be out of our Workbook.

In reading we will visit the IMC, and we will be reading Act III of The Miracle Worker.

Have a fantastic weekend!

A Peek at Next Week 10/26/07

In English next week we will be learning about the perfect tense of verbs, and irregular verbs. All of our homework will be out of our workbook.

In Reading we will finish Act II in The Miracle Worker. It will also be a Wordskills week, so we will be working on Unit 6. This time, students may choose what they would like to do for their application. Their application will be due on Wednesday, their unit will be due on Thursday, and their test will be on Friday.

Important Days:
Monday-No School!!!
Tuesday- Progress Reports
Thursday- Parent Teacher Conferences 4:30-8:30pm.

Have a fantastic weekend!!! Bear Down!

A Peek at Next Week 10/19/07

In Language Arts next week we will be starting our Verb Unit. We will be learning about different kinds of verbs, verb phrases, and verb tenses. The homework next week will be pages out of the workbook.

In Reading we will finish Act I in The Miracle Worker. We will be taking notes in class and we will review the different kinds of conflict.

Important Dates:
Sunday: Bears play the Eagles at 3:15
Monday: Red Ribbon Week Begins
Book Report is due
Friday: Wear Red for Red Ribbon Week

A Peek at Next Week 10/12/07

In Language Arts we are finishing up our unit on nouns. There will be a test on Thursday, Oct. 18th.

In Reading we will be working on Unit 4 in our Wordskills books. Students will be creating a test for their words, which will be due on Wednesday, Oct. 17th. The workbook for Unit 4 will be due on Thursday, Oct 18th, and the Wordskills test will be on Friday, Oct. 19th. We will also be reading The Miracle Worker and we will hopefully finish Act I.

Important Days:
Monday- Picture Re-takes
Wednesday- Early Dismissal- 11:30
Thursday- Noun Test
Friday- Unit 4 Wordskills Test
Spirit Day- Wear Orange and Black for Halloween
Fall Dance- 3:00-5:00 pm

A Peek at Next Week 10/5/07

In Language Arts we are working on our noun unit. We will be going over appositives, possessive nouns, and plural nouns.

In Reading we are starting our new novel, The Miracle Worker. It is a play about the life of Helen Keller. We will hopefully get through Act One.

Important Days:
This Weekend- Washington DC Trip
Sunday Night- Bears Play the Packers
Monday-No School! Columbus Day
Tuesday- Mid-term/Progress Reports

Enjoy your long weekend!

A Peek at Next Week 9/28/07

Next week in Language Arts, we will be finishing up our narratives. All final drafts will be due on Thursday, the 4th.

In Reading we will be working on Wordskills Unit 3. This week students will be creating a cross word puzzles with their words, using http://www.puzzelmaker.com/. There test will be on Friday, the 5th. We will also finish our short story unit, with the reading of "Zebra".

Important Dates:
Tuesday, October 2nd, Final Magazine Turn-In Day
Thursday, October 4th, Final Drafts of Narratives Due
Friday, October 5th, Wordskills Unit 3 Test

Have a great weekend! Go Bears!

A Peek at Next Week 9/21/07

In Language Arts we will begin to write narratives. Students will write about the most important people in their lives, and will be creating a timeline of their life. We will also go over the parts of a narrative and plan out our writing. The first draft of our essay will be due on Friday, September 28th. The final drafts will be due on either Wednesday, 10/3, or Thursday, 10/4.

We will also be reading "Names/Nombres", by Julia Alvarez. Students will read the personal essay, and then they will be researching their heritage and the origins of their names.

Important Days:
Tuesday: Magazine Turn-In Day

Thursday: 7th Grade Golf Field Trip
Magazine Turn-In Day

Friday: DGS Homecoming Parade 1-4pm

A Peek at Next Week 9/14/07

In Language Arts we will be finishing up our unit on sentences. Second and Sixth Period will have their test on Wednesday the 19th. Fourth Period will be taking their OLSATs on Wednesday, so they will take their test on Thursday, the 20th.

In Reading we will be working on Unit 2 in our Wordskills book. We will also be reading "Thank you, M'am" by Langston Hughes.

Important Dates:
Monday 9/17: Curriculum Night

Tuesday 9/18: Early Dismissal

Wednesday 9/19: OLSAT

OLSAT Update 9/11/07

The OLSAT test just arrived today, therefore we will not be ready to take the test tomorrow. The 7th Grade teachers will meet this week, and reschedule the test date.

A Peek at Next Week 9/7/07

We are done reading “Seventh Grade” and we will do some projects based on the story. We will split up into four groups and go to four stations. In one station we will research Mexican-American culture, in another station we will write a letter from one of the character's point of view, at another station we will create a mobile that has all the parts of a short story on it, and in the last station we will write about an embarrassing moment. We will also begin our ISAT book in Reading next week. We will be learning about prefixes and suffixes.

In Language Arts we will finish up Unit 1 on sentences. We will learn about complete sentences, run-ons, fragments, and complex sentences.

Next Wednesday, the 12th, all seventh graders will be taking the OLSAT test during 4th hour.

Have a fantastic weekend! Go Bears!

A Peak at Next Week 8/31/07

Next week we will be reading our first short story, “Seventh Grade” by Gary Soto. After reading the book, we will be working on a few projects in class. We will also be starting our Wordskills Workbook in Reading. We will begin Unit 1 on Tuesday, and we will have our test on Friday, Sept. 7th. We will be working out of our Wordskills book every other week.

In Language Arts we will be learning about the subjects and predicates of sentences. We will also continue to write in our journals everyday.

I had a wonderful first week getting to know everyone, and I look forward to many more. Have a wonderful weekend!

Welcome Back!

Welcome to Seventh Grade

Language Arts!

I hope everyone's summer went well. My name is Mrs. Mastny and I am the new 7th grade langauge arts teacher. I taught the last three years at Alphonsus Academy in Chicago. I just recently moved from Chicago to Downers Grove. I am looking forward to starting the school year with you all. This year we will be working on essay writing, poetry, and we will be discussing novels in our literature circles. I look forward to meeting you all at our open house!