Pajama Day

Today was pajama day at Lakeview. I saw a plethora of plaid, fleece, and sports symbols as pants, along with a variety of fuzzy slippers. Many people came decked in their school spirit and enjoyed the day in comfy clothes. Here are some of the 7th grade teachers dressed for the occasion.

Editorials

This week we have been reading and discussing editorials and political cartoons. Next week we will be creating our own.





Here is one of my new favorites:

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Next week we will continue our Cay webquest and begin looking at editorials.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving break!!!

Remember to cheer for the Bears on Sunday!

The Cay Webquest

Today students were introduced to their final project for The Cay.

Students were given 7 scenarios to choose from and were to either:

1. Work individually
or
2. Work with a partner

Next week the classes will be in the IMC researching their scenario.

2 days will be spent researching (11/23-11/24)

2 days will be spent creating a minimum of 4 powerpoint slides (11/30 & 12/2)

Presentations will be on Thursday 12/03

Students SHOULD NOT have to work on this outside of school unless they are not using their class time wisely or are choosing to do extra work at home.

I encourage you to take a look at the Webquest online - follow the link below and you can see the 7 scenarios to choose from and the articles they will be reading as part of their research! I look forward to some great projects!

http://teachers.plainfield.k12.in.us/jcraney/TheCayTasks.htm

Extended Responses

It is that time of year again, where we are beginning extended responses. In the spring when the students take their ISAT tests they will be expected to write a response to their reading passages. These answers are called extended responses. Students need to restate the main idea, give two pieces of evidence supporting their main idea, interpret their evidence, and end with a closing statement or extension. We will begin practicing these this week, and will continue to write them throughout the rest of the year.

Important Days:
Thursday- Bowling trip
Friday- Last day of the trimester

A Peek at Next Week

In Language Arts students will be revising and editing their persuasive essays. We will look at the persuasive essay rubric and students will practice grading papers. Then students will grade their own essay and see if they need to add anything.

In Reading we will read chapters 12-15 in The Cay. Students will do some activities that they will complete while being blind folded. This is so that students will gain some perspective of what it would be like to loose their sight, like our main character in The Cay. Students will also pick out their next book report book, which will be a free-choice book.

Important Days:
Sunday- Bears play Cardinals
Wednesday- No School, Veterans' Day

Persuasive Essay

We will begin our persuasive essays this week. We will discuss thesis statements, finding evidence, and having a logical flow to our writing. Students will journal topics, fill out graphic organizers and begin writing their paper. Our goal is to complete our rough drafts by the end of the week.

Important Days:
Thursday- Fall Sports Banquet
Friday- Fall Dance

Survival Projects

Next week in Reading students will be presenting their survival projects. Students have had a choice to either build a raft that has survival items on it, create a song about survival techniques, or write a newspaper article about survival methods. Everyone has been working on their projects, and I am looking forward to seeing their final products on Tuesday.

Important Dates:
Monday- Chicago Field Trip
Tuesday- 9 week Progress Reports
Thursday- Parent/Teacher Conferences
Friday- No School, Teachers' Institute Day

A Peek at Next Week

In Language Arts we are going to finish our noun unit. We will review nouns Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. On Thursday we will do a Brain-pop activity on nouns in the IMC. Then on Friday we will take our noun test.

In Reading we will work on our Survival Projects Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Students will present their projects on Tuesday, October 27th. We will also continue to read Chapters 4-6 in The Cay.

Important Days:
Sunday- Bears play the Falcons at 7:20
Monday- Kick-off for Red Ribbon Week
Wednesday- Early Dismissal

A Peek at Next Week

Next week we will begin our noun unit in Language Arts and our survival projects in Reading. We will continue to read The Cay and work on our new vocabulary words.

Important Days:
Sunday- Chicago Marathon- Go Mrs Mixon!!!
Monday- Columbus Day, No School
Thursday- Newspaper Club

The Cay

Next week will be starting our first novel, The Cay. The story takes place during the 1940's in the Caribbean. We will be learning about World War II, and going over vocabulary from the story.

In Language Arts we will finish our first grammar unit. We will be taking our sentence test on Wednesday. We will also work on our second lesson in our ISAT book.

Important Days:
Today- DGS Homecoming game and parade
Sunday- Bears play the Lions at noon
Tuesday- Midterms
Wednesday- Sentence test
Friday- Picture re-takes

A Peek at Next Week

Next week in Language Arts we will begin our first grammar unit on sentences. Students will review the different types of sentences, subjects, predicates, fragments, and run-on sentences. In Reading we will finish our short story unit and take a test on our stories on Wednesday.

Important Days:
Saturday- Memory Walk
Sunday- Bears game at 3:05
Monday- Final Draft of Narrative Due
Wednesday- Short Story Test
Tuesday- Magazine Turn-in Day
Friday- DGS Homecoming Parade

A Peek at Next Week

On Monday students will begin their Extensions in Reading book. This book is replacing the ISAT book we used last year. Each lesson corresponds with a reading strategy. Students will be focusing on finding the main idea of fictional pieces. We will also continue our short story unit next week and will be reading "Rikki-tikki-tavi."

In Language Arts we will continue to revise and edit our narratives by adding and using quotation marks and sensory detail in our writing. We will also remind students that texting terms should not be used in a formal essay. For example, gonna, u, and cuz, are not real words and therefore should not be in an essay. The final drafts of their narratives are due Monday, September 28th.

Important Days:
Sunday- Bears play the Steelers at 3:15
Tuesday- Magazine Turn-in Day, Early Dismissal
Friday- Magazine Turn-in Day

A Peek at This Week

It was wonderful to meet so many parents at Open House last week. As we discussed, students will be starting off the year with a writing unit. This week in Language Arts, we will finish writing our rough drafts of our narratives. In Reading we will continue our short story unit, and will be reading the story "Zebra."

Important Days:
Tuesday- Three-Week Progress Reports
Thursday-Washington DC Information Meeting

Narratives

This week, everyone did a great job giving their one-item speeches. In Language Arts next week we will start our narrative unit. Students will be journaling about important events, people, and places in their lives. In Reading we will read Names/Nombres, a personal essay. We will discuss the importance of names and the history of our names.

Important Days:
Monday- Labor Day, No School!
Thursday- Open House 6:45
Friday- Dance-A-Thon, Magazine Kick-Off

Enjoy your weekend!

Welcome Back!!

Welcome to Seventh Grade! My name is Mrs. Mastny and I will be teaching Language Arts and Reading. This is my third 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!

Novel List:
The Cay
The Wanderer
Girls, Drums, and Dangerous Pie
Homecoming

Summer is Here!

The end of the year is finally here. We finished our fairy tale unit and have turned in our books. We went to the IMC, and Ms. Hagensee told us about the library's summer reading program. Some great summer reading books are: Star Girl by Jerry Spinelli, The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud, and The Gammage Cup by Carol Kendall. Enjoy your summer!!

Our Final Week

It is finally that time of year again. Students have turned in their text-books, and next week they will be cleaning out their lockers. This past week, we have turned in our narratives and finished watching Harriet Tubman. I was very impressed with everyone's narratives, they did a really nice job. Next week students will finish reading fables and writing fairy tales.

Important Days:
Tuesday- Locker Clean-Out Day
Wednesday- Awards Assembly and Graduation
Thursday- Spartan Games
Friday- 9:00 Dismissal, Last Day of School!

A Peek at Next Week

In Language Arts we will begin our unit on multiple perspectives. We will read different versions of various fairy tales. Then we will write a fairy tale from another character's point of view. In Reading we will be looking at a variety of fables. We will be focusing on the different themes and morals in the stories, and will be comparing and contrasting them.

Important Days:
Monday- No School, Memorial Day
Friday- All text books need to be returned.

Enjoy your weekend!!

A Peek at Next Week

We finished our Pronoun Unit and Harriet Tubman this week. Next week in Language Arts we will be working on our narratives. Students will be writing in journals, filling out graphic organizers, and working on their rough drafts. In Reading students will take a test on Harriet Tubman and we will be watching the movie that goes along with our book.

Important Days:
Today- Musical 7pm
Saturday- Softball Tournament
Monday- Lifeskills begin in Health
Tuesday- Lakeview Concert 7pm
Wednesday- Choir Field Trip

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope everyone has plans with their Mother's this weekend. I know I will be making brunch for my mom, and will be taking my mother-in-law out to dinner. Remember that flowers and a card are great simple gifts!

Important Days:
Saturday- Market Day Pick-up, Volleyball Tournament at 8:30AM
Sunday- Mother's Day
Tuesday- Progress Reports
Thursday- Musical Performance
Friday-Musical Performance

Pronouns

Next week we will begin our last grammar unit on Pronouns. Students will be learning about the different types of pronouns and how to use them in their writing. We will also continue to read Harriet Tubman.

Important Days:
Today- Band Trip
Wednesday- Choir and Band Concert at Lakeview

A Peek at Next Week

Next week students will be giving their career speeches in Language Arts. The seventh graders have been working very hard on these projects and I am excited to see their final products. In reading we will continue to read Harriet Tubman and learn about conflicts leading up to the Civil War.

Important Days:
Monday- Sport Pictures
Thursday- Swim Meet, Band Trip
Friday- Band Trip

Have a wonderful weekend!

A Peek at Next Week

Next week we will be practicing our career speeches and working on our visual aides. We will also continue to read our novel, Harriet Tubman.

Important Days:
Saturday- Mother/Daughter Tea
Tuesday- Progress Reports
Wednesday- Career Fair Field Trip
Friday- Half Day

The Career Unit

This week is our last week of research for the Career Unit. Students are taking notes on note cards in the IMC. They are looking at books and career websites for information. By the end of this week we will be organizing our note cards in order to create our speech outlines.

Important Days:
Monday- Girls' Soccer Game
Tuesday- Boys' Volleyball Game
Wednesday- Boys' Soccer Game
Thursday- Boys Soccer and Volleyball Games
Friday- Spring Dance

Spring Break!

This was a hectic week in seventh grade, we finished up a lot of units. We are done with our unit on prepositions, we are officially done with The Wanderer, and we presented our book reports. Everyone did an excellent job on their presentations! We get a week of relaxation and then we are moving onto our next project. When students come back we will begin our career unit and our last novel, Harriet Tubman.

Important Days:
March 30th- April 3rd- Spring Break!
Tuesday 4/7- No School, Election Day
Friday 4/10- No School

Have a wonderful break!!!

Spring is Here!

Next week in Reading all the students are going to teach their peers a skill, just like the characters in The Wanderer. They will also be presenting their Book-box projects. In Language Arts we are finishing our unit on Prepositions and there will be a test on Thursday.

Important Days:
Monday- Skating Party 4-6:30 pm
Tuesday- Progress Reports
Thursday- Test on Prepositions

A Peek at Next Week

In Language Arts we will continue to study prepositional phrases. Students will also be learning to identify adjective and adverb phrases. In Reading we have finished The Wanderer, and on Friday students will take a test on the novel.

Important Days:
Tuesday- St. Patrick's Day
Wednesday- Book Fair
Thursday- Book Fair
Friday- Wanderer Test
Saturday- Snowflake

A Peek at Next Week

In Language Arts we will be starting our unit on Prepositional Phrases. In Reading we will continue reading The Wanderer.


Important Days
Tuesday- Report Cards
Thursday- Early Dismissal, Parent/Teacher Conferences
Friday- No School!

ISAT

Students will be taking ISAT tests every morning next week. Seventh graders will be tested on Reading, Math, and Science. Calculators are allowed on all the math tests! Students should remember to get plenty of sleep and eat a healthy breakfast.

Important Days:
Monday- No School! Pulaski Day!
Tuesday- ISAT Reading Tests Part I and Part II
Wednesday- ISAT Reading Test Part III, Math Part I
Thursday- ISAT Math Test Part II and Part III
Friday- ISAT Science Test Part I and Part II

Have a wonderful weekend!

A Peek at Next Week

Next week in Language Arts we will be finishing our ISAT book and we will be working on Extended Responses. In Reading we will continue to read The Wanderer and learn about radio code.

Important Days:
Tuesday- Musical Workshop
Friday- Musical Workshop

The Wanderer

In Reading we have started our new novel, The Wanderer, by Sharon Creech. In this story our main character, Sophie, sails across the Atlantic with her three uncles and two cousins. They are sailing to England so that they can visit their grandfather. Last week we went over sailing terms, the parts of the boat, a map of their voyage, and our new vocabulary. This week we will continue to read the novel and take notes on their adventures.

Important Days:
Monday- No School
Tuesday- PTO Fundraiser at Fuddruckers
Wednesday- Snowflake Meeting during Study Hall
Friday- Winder Dance

Spartan Pride!

Pack the Place was a huge success! Both the boys and girls basketball teams ended with victories. Students had all week to get excited about this event. We wore crazy hats on Monday, dressed as twins on Tuesday, and wore Lakeview colors the rest of the week. I was also one of the teachers that received a pie in the face on Thursday night. Overall it was a fun week.

Pack the Place

Next week is Pack the Place, where everyone shows their school spirit and cheers on our Spartan basketball teams. There will be spirit days every day next week to build the anticipation for the games. On Wednesday the girls will be playing Burr Ride and on Thursday the boys will be playing Westview. To build motivation, if the either of the Spartan teams win, then students will be able to throw whipped cream pies at the teachers. If the girls win on Wednesday, then you could throw a pie at Mrs. Liles, Ms. Coppoletta, Mrs. Mixon, Ms. Enzbigilis, or Mr. Little. If the boys win on Thursday, then you could throw a pie at Mr. Windsor, Ms. Payne, Mr. Dodd, or me. So come on out and enjoy the festivities!

Spirit Days:
Monday- Hat Day
Tuesday- Twin Day (Dress just like your friends!)
Wednesday- Green Day
Thursday- Gold Day

A Peek at Next Week

Next week students will finish their editorials and political cartoons. They will also continue to read The Cay and work on extended responses.

Important Days:
Monday- Begin Life Skills, DGS Open House
Tuesday- DGS Open House
Friday- Open Gym
Saturday- Latin School Math Competition

Projects

This week we read and analyzed political cartoons and editorials. Next week we will be finishing up our projects. Students will be organizing their information into a graphic organizer and will be working on their rough drafts.

In reading students have been working on their survival projects. Some students are making a raft that has their top ten survival items on them. Others are making up songs or writing newspaper articles on survival tips. The final project is due on Thursday.

Important Days:
Monday- Martin Luther King Day- No School!
Tuesday- Mid-terms, Presidential Inauguration

A Peek at Next Week

In Language Arts we will be writing editorials. Students will be reading editorials and they will begin writing their own editorial. They will also be analyzing political cartoons and will create their own cartoon to go along with their writing.

In Reading we will continue to read The Cay and students will be working on a survival project.

Important Dates:
Saturday- Market-Day
Tuesday- IOWA testing
Wednesday- IOWA testing
Thursday- IOWA testing

Have a great weekend!