Happy Holidays!

Right now I'm sitting on my couch, sipping hot chocolate, typing on my laptop, and watching it snow. What a wonderful way to spend a snow day. I am contemplating watching Walle, the movie I rented last night for our school holiday party. I think I will watch the movie and finish wrapping my holiday gifts. Though it was a pleasant surprise to sleep in, I am sad we did not get to have our celebration. However, I am sure you are all enjoying your day off. I hope you are out sledding and playing in the snow. I hope you have a great rest of your two weeks and have a happy holiday!

A Peek at Next Week

On Monday we will be taking the second part of the verb test, which ends our unit! We will then begin the pre-writing process for a persuasive essay. Students will journal about ideas and research their topic.

In Reading we will read "The White Umbrella," and a comical play called A Defenceless Creature.

Important Days:
Monday- Verb Test
Tuesday- Choir Concert
Friday- Band Concert

Verbs

We are finishing our verb unit this week. Students will take a test on the second half of the unit on Monday the 15th. We will also be reading two short stories this week.

Important Days:
Wednesday- Book Fair
-Choir and Band Concert
Friday- Activity Pictures for Yearbook
-Open Gym

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today was a fun day to kick off Thanksgiving break. At the assembly today the girls' volleyball team beat the teachers. The teachers put up a great fight but the varsity team was just too good with their spiking and blocking. Then came the amazing horse race. Even though Mrs. Mixon and I practiced and tried our best, we came in second place for the yellow team. Our hand-off of the horses was just not good enough. Miss Nyhlen and Miss Coppoletta brought in the victory for the red team.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Robert Frost

This past week we have been reading and analyzing Robert Frost poems. Frost grew up in California and then moved to New England. There he farmed in New Hampshire and once he married, he lived in Great Britain for a few years before returning back to the farm. He became a college professor and ended up teaching at the University of Michigan.

My favorite Frost poem is "The Road Not Taken":

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

A Peek at Next Week

We will be taking a Verb test on Wednesday. It will be on action and state of being verbs, and verb tenses. Students should know the perfect, progressive, and perfect progressive forms of the verbs.

In Reading we will finish watching The Miracle Worker and we will begin a unit on poetry. We will review the elements of poetry, and then we will be analyzing poems.

Important Days:
Sunday- Bears play the Packers at noon
Wednesday- Verb test
Thursday- Bowling field trip
Friday- End of the Trimester

A Peek at Next Week

Now that we finished The Miracle Worker, we will be taking a test on the novel and we will be watching the movie. Next week in Language Arts we will continue our unit on verbs. We will be learning about irregular and progressive verbs.

Important Days:
Sunday-Bears play the Titans at noon
Tuesday- No School- Veterans' Day
Wednesday- Test on The Miracle Worker

Happy Halloween!

Next week we will be reading our final Act in The Miracle Worker! We will also be working on verb tenses in Language Arts.

Important Days:
Today: Halloween
Sunday: Turn back your clocks!!!
-Bears play the Lions at noon
Tuesday: No School! Election Day-Go Vote!!

Have fun trick-or-treating!

Hellen Keller

The novel the seventh grade is reading, The Miracle Worker, is about the life of Helen Keller. Miss Keller was born on June 27, 1880, in Tuscumbia, Alabama. When she was 19 months old she had a fever, and it was this illness that left her deaf and blind. When she was six and half years old her parents arranged for Miss Annie Sullivan to come and attempt to teach her. It was Miss Sullivan who finally taught her sign language through the sense of touch. Helen went on to attend school at the Perkins Institute for the Blind. Here she learned to read using raised letters and braille. She went on to attend schools in New York and learned to speak. She learned this by touching people's mouths and throats and trying to imitate this process. She was able to speak but it was very hard to understand her. Miss Sullivan was usually needed to be her interpreter. Miss Keller then went on to earn her degree at Radcliffe College.

Helen then traveled with Miss Sullivan and did fund raising for the blind. She became a world famous speaker and author. Miss Keller wanted to promote better living and working conditions for the deaf and blind. In 1915 she created the Helen Keller International which was devoted to researching vision and health.

Helen Keller wrote many different books and essays, most were autobiographical and were about the philosophies of her life. Many were about her views of socialism and women's suffrage. On June 1st 1968 she died in her sleep at the age of 87. Miss Keller has a name that will always be recognized as a woman who overcame incredible odds.

If you would like to look up more information on Helen Keller you may go to the American Foundation for the Blind's website (www.afb.org).

A Peek at Next Week

Next week students will be revising and editing their narratives. They will also be reading Act II in The Miracle Worker, and practicing extended responses.

Important Days:
Today- Fall Dance
Saturday- Illini game at 7pm
Sunday-Bears play Minnesota at noon
Monday- Red Ribbon Assembly
Wednesday- Half Day
Friday- Chicago Field Trip!

Narratives

The first draft of our narratives are due on Tuesday. The rest of the week we will be working on grabbing our readers attention with our introductions, and incorporating sensory details into our work. Students will also be learning revising and editing skills. They should have their second draft done by Friday.

Important Days:
Sunday- Chicago Marathon, Bears play Atlanta at noon
Monday- NO SCHOOL! Columbus Day!
Friday- Fall Dance

A Peek at Next Week

Next week we will be starting a Narrative essay. Students will be making timelines of their life, and writing about important people and events in their lives. They will also be reading examples of narrative writing.

In Reading we will be starting our first novel, The Miracle Worker. This book is a play that tells the life of Helen Keller. We will be going over vocabulary for the book and we will begin Act I.

Important Days:
Saturday- Market Day
Sunday- 12:00 Bears vs. Lions
Tuesday- Mid-terms go out
Friday- Picture Re-takes

BEAR DOWN!!!!!!

A Peek at Next Week

In Language Arts we will finish up our Noun unit. We will have a test on nouns, on Friday. In Reading we will read another short story by O.Henry, "Retrieve Reformation."

Important Days:
Sunday- Bears vs. Eagles at 7:15
Tuesday- Magazine Turn-in Day
Wednesday- Newspaper Club Meeting
Friday- LA Test

Bear Down!!!!

Magazine Drive

This week we kicked off the magazine drive! Lakeview's goal is to raise $800! If we make our goal, then the teachers will participate in an inflatable horse derby, just like last year. The school will be divided into 4 teams and each group will have a relay team of two teachers. Team One will have Mrs. Wagner and Ms. Lepley, Team Two will have Mrs. Mixon and me, Team Three will have Mr. Little and Mrs. Schulyer, and Team Four will have Ms. Coppoletta and Mrs. Olander. Go Team Two!!!

Important Days:
Friday- DGS Homecoming Game
Sunday- Bears opening game!
Tuesday- Magazine Turn-In Day
Wednesday- Sports Pictures
Thursday- Magazine Turn-In Day
-Golfing Field Trip

BEAR DOWN!!!!

A Peek at Next Week

Next week in Language Arts we will be finishing our unit on sentences. Students will have a Unit 1 test on Friday. In Reading we will finish reading "Zebra" and then will read "Rikki-tikki-tavi." We will be analyzing the stories and pulling out the different components that make up a short story.

Important Days:
Sunday- 12:00 Bears play the Panthers
Monday-Magazine Drive Kick-off
Tuesday- Early Dismissal and Open House
Friday- DGS Homecoming Parade

ISAT Mondays

Every Monday we work out of our ISAT book. We start off with doing part of the pretest and then we complete a lesson out of the book. Last week we learned about prefixes and suffixes, and this week we are learning about root-words. On Monday students will receive homework based on our ISAT lesson and the homework will be due on Thursdays. This way we learn the lesson at the beginning of the week and we come back and review it towards the end of the week.

Welcome Back!

Welcome to Seventh Grade! My name is Mrs. Mastny and I will be teaching language arts and reading. Last year was my first year teaching at Lakeview. Before I moved to Downers Grove, I had taught in the city for three years. This year we will be focusing on essay writing, poetry, and reading short stories and novels. I look forward to working with you all.

Naper Settlement

Well today we enjoyed a soggy walk through the Naper Settlement. We went back into time, to the late 1800's and learned about the way people lived. My group's first stop was the Martin Mitchell Mansion, built in 1883. Mr. Mitchell made his money in the brick and limestone business. He made his fortune re-building the city after the Chicago Fire. He had one of the first indoor bathrooms in Illinois. We then went to the Murray House which was built in 1842, and it represented a middle class American home. We learned that everybody in the house took one shower a week and that they all used the same water. (Ew!) They took showers in order from oldest to youngest. We also stopped by a replica of Fort Payne, the Century Memorial Chapel , the Paw Paw Post Office, and ended our tour with the Copenhagen Schoolhouse. My group especially liked the school house where if students misbehaved they had to wear a sign of shame and stand with their nose touching the chalkboard. Parents would then know if their children misbehaved when they came home with chalk on their nose! We were a tad wet, but we enjoyed our day.

Happy Memorial Day!

We are done with our political cartoon/editorial unit! Editorials were due today and the cartoons are due on Tuesday. Students may make an extra cartoon for extra credit if they would like. Next week students will be working on some creative writing, and they will be learning about fables.

Important Days:
Monday-No School, Memorial Day
Tuesday-Political Cartoons due
Friday- Naperville Settlement Field Trip

Have a wonderful weekend!

Finishing Harriet Tubman

Next week we will finish writing our editorials. The final draft will be due on Friday, and we will begin to look at and analyze political cartoons.

We will finish up Harriet Tubman on Monday and take a test on the book on Friday. Students will create a map of the Underground Railroad and will help create their own test questions.

Important Days:
Thursday and Friday- School Musical: "The Music Man Jr."
Friday- Harriet Tubman Test, Final draft of Editorial

Enjoy your weekend!!

The Last Grammar Unit of the Year!

We just finished our last grammar unit of the year! Next week we will start a unit on commentary. Students will be reading editorials and political cartoons. Students are encouraged to bring in any articles that they find interesting.

Next week we will finish Harriet Tubman. We will continue to discuss the Civil War and how it relates to our novel.

Important Days:
Sunday- Mother's Day
Monday-Spring Concert
Tuesday- Progress Reports are Available
Wednesday- Chicago Field Trip

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Finishing our unit on Prepositions

This week we will finish our unit on prepositional phrases. We will review all week and have a test on prepositions on Friday.

In Reading we will continue to read Harriet Tubman. We will be discussing the tensions leading up to the Civil War and how that affected fugitive slaves.

Important Days:
Friday- LA Unit 7 Test

A Peek at Next Week

In Language Arts next week we will continue our unit on prepositional phrases. We will also continue to read Harriet Tubman. The novel has brought about great discussions on slavery and freedom.

Important Days:
Thursday and Friday- Band Trip


Have a fantastic weekend!

A Peek at Next Week

Our career unit is over and everyone did a great job on their speeches. We are still looking forward to the Career Fair field trip on Wednesday.

Next week we will start our grammar unit on prepositional phrases. We will also continue to read out new novel, Harriet Tubman.

Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy our spring weather!

A Peek at Next Week

Next week in Language Arts students will be giving their career speeches. Students need to dress nicely for the occasion. We have been researching and working on the speeches for the last two weeks and everyone is doing a great job.

This past week in reading we read about the Titanic, finishing up our non-fiction unit. Next week we will be starting our new novel, Harriet Tubman. Students will be working on vocabulary and will begin reading the book.

Have a great weekend!!

Career Project

We have been working on our career projects all week. The researching part is over! Next week we will finish our outline and practice our speeches. Students will also be working on their visual aides that go with their presentation.

Enjoy a weekend full of spring weather!

Important Days:
Wednesday- AR and final outline due

Spring Break!

We are done with The Cay and Unit 4 on Modifiers. When we come back we will start our Career Unit.

Have a wonderful Spring Break!!!

A Peek at the Week

In Language Arts this week we are having a test on modifiers on Wednesday. We will be working on a review packet on Monday and Tuesday. In Reading we will have a test on The Cay on Tuesday. Students know what to study and have already worked on the essay questions.

Important Days:
Monday- Happy St. Patrick's Day
Tuesday-Test on The Cay
Wednesday-Test on Modifiers
Friday- No School! Spring Break!

ISAT

Next week students will be taking the ISAT test. They will be taking reading tests on Monday and Tuesday, math tests on Tuesday and Wednesday, and science tests on Thursday. They may use a calculator on all of the math tests.

Healthy Testing Tips:
1. Go to bed early the night before testing.
2. Eat a healthy breakfast on testing days.

Important Days
Monday-Thursday- ISAT Testing
Tuesday- Report Cards Go Home
Thursday- Parent-Teacher Conferences
Friday-No School!

Happy Pulaski Day!

Next week we will be working on ISAT prep. In Language Arts students will be writing and grading their extended responses. In Reading we will be working on lessons out of our ISAT book.

Important Days:
Monday- No School

7th Grade Poems:

"King Tut"

In Egypt there lived King Tut,

His servants lived in a hut,

But when he had died,

Ah!! What a surprise!

They had to cut out his guts.

~Grace

"Addiction"

Amazing sport

Sprint, kick, score,

Wind blowing in your face,

Sweat dripping down your cheek,

Fans cheering,

Coaches yelling,

Great feeling,

Heart racing,

Intense playing,

Yea! I made a goal,

Never want to let the feeling go,

Soccer

~Nicole

A Peek at Next Week

In Language Arts next week we will be learning about adverbs and working on ISAT prep. In Reading we will be finishing up our book, The Cay, so we will be working on some end of the unit activities.

Important Days:
Friday- End of 2nd Trimester

Haikus by our Seventh Graders:

"Moonshine"

With a moon like shinning snow,

or like a bouncy ball to lead

me home, I felt unstoppable.

~Taylor

"Rain"

It is cold, not dry,

It is like clouds' sad tears,

I am very wet.

~Kevin

Happy Presidents' Day!

Next week in Language Arts, we will be beginning Unit 4 in our English books on Modifiers. We will be learning about identifying, writing, and comparing with adjectives. In Reading we will continue to read The Cay, and we will do Unit 15 in our Wordskills book.

Students will also be taking the IOWA tests. So be sure to get a good nights sleep!

Important Days:
Monday- Presidents' Day- No School!
Tuesday-Thursday: IOWA Tests
Friday- Wordskills Unit 15 Test

Poems by our Seventh Graders:

"Grass"
Natures green thick hair
A green blanket for the world
It is everywhere.
~Danny

"Passion"
Passion is what makes you dive,
it's your desire to do whatever for more than a high five,
it is why you run that last sprint,
sooner or later people will get the hint.

The hint is you putting it all on the field,
your teammates will then yield they'll say "man, I need that",
and they'll work to do what you did as quick as a cat.
~Marty

A Peek at Next Week

In Language Arts we will be reviewing the mechanics of writing. We will be going over commas, formal letters, direct quotes, titles, semicolons, and colons. In reading we will discuss the second section of The Cay and we will begin reading the third section.

Important Days:
Monday- Hat Day
Tuesday- Green Day- Pack the Place
Wednesdy- Gold Day- Pack the Place
Thursday-Parent-Teacher Conferences
Friday- Winter Dance

Poems by our Seventh Graders:

"Peru"
There once was a man from Peru,
Who dreamed he was eating his shoe,
He woke with a fright,
In the middle of the night,
To find that his dream had come true.
~Mike

"Computer Crash"
There was a title wave,
The little computer tried to save,
The computer washed away,
Like a lifeguard not doing his job that day,
And it really upset Dave.
~Finnian

A Crazy Week

I hope everyone enjoyed their snow day and had a fun Superbowl Sunday.

We are working on making rafts, like our main characters in The Cay. This week is also a Wordskills week and we will be working on Unit 14. In Language Arts we are writing the introducation and conclusion to our persuassive essays and the final draft will be due on Monday.

Have a wonderful day!

Important Days:
Tuesday-No School! Teacher Institute
Thursday-Early Dissmissal
Friday-Spirit Day-Hat Day

The Poetry Unit has Come to an End

This week we have been writing poems and everyone's Poem Packet is due on Monday. Next week in Reading we will start reading The Cay, and in Language Arts we will began writing persuasive essays.

More Poems by our 7th Graders:

"Piano Songs"
The First strike of the solid keys
Are like music to my ears,
Different crescendos and dynamics
Bring the music to life,
It can go fast, medium, or slow,
Be piano or metzo forte,
The music makes me feel like I'm
In a different place or setting,
At times I feel serene,
And others angry and frustrated,
But happy for what I can do
On that wonderful, magical instrument.


"Today"
Today's the day,
To go the distance.
To reach for the stars.
To follow my dreams.
To find what I've been looking for.
To answer MY questions.
To travel my thoughts.
Today's the day,
To be me.

Onomatopoeia

What a great word! This week students wrote poems with onomatopoeias (sound effects) and alliteration. This coming up week we will be writing an anthology of poems to finish up our poetry unit.

In Language Arts we have finished Unit 5 on Mechanics, and we will have the Unit 5 test on Thursday.

Important Dates:
Monday- No School! Martin Luther King Day!
Tuesday- Progress Reports
Wednesday- AR Printouts Due
Thursday- LA Unit 5 Test
Friday- Wordskills Unit 13 Test

Tongue Twister- Alliteration:
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

See if you can pick out the onomatopoeias.

"Water Slide"
Woosh! The sound of water,
Wee! You slide down,
Splash! You hit the pool.

By: One of our 7th Graders

Limericks

This week we have written poems in Reading. Students wrote a haiku and a limerick. Next week we will learn about personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia, imagery and free verse. In Language Arts we will finish up our grammar unit.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Some fun limericks:

A flea and fly in a flue

Were caught, so what could they do?

Said the fly, "Let us flee."

"Let us fly," said the flea.

So they flew through a flaw in the flue.

-Ogden Nash

There was an Old Person whose habits,

Induced him to feed upon rabbits,

When he'd eaten eighteen,

He turned perfectly green,

Upon Which he relinquished those habits.

-Edward Lear

There once was a man with strange hair.

He said, "Anything other than physics, don't care."

He sat down with a book,

And had a long look,

And he realized that E=mc2!

-Sarah Antel