Enjoy Your Holiday!

What a busy day we have today. The eighth graders are having a dance so that they may exhibit their new ball room dancing skills. Meanwhile the rest of the school is having a holiday party and watching a movie.

I hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday. Enjoy your winter break!

A Peek at Next Week

Next week is a very busy week. We will finish Unit 15, write an opinion essay, visit with our pen-pals, and finish reading our articles on heroes.

Important Days:

Wednesday- Visit with Pen-Pals

Thursday- DGS Choir Concert

Friday- LV Concert and Holiday Activities

A Peek at Next Week

Next week we will continue our unit on heroes. We will read the articles: "Superheroes," and "Unsung Heroes." Meanwhile in Language Arts, we will continue to study verbs and prepositions.

Important Days:

Saturday- Winter Band Festival

Sunday- Bears play the Chiefs at Noon

Tuesday- LV Winter Concert, Book Fair

Wednesday- LV Winter Concert, Book Fair

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is an exciting day at Lakeview, we have our PBIS assembly. The teachers will be playing in a volleyball game against the girl's volleyball team. After the staff game is over, the girl's team will play the boy's football team. Then in the final game the volleyball team will play a team of students made up of our Spartan Star winners. I look forward to the all of the fun!

A Peek at Next Week

Next week we are finishing up Unit 14 in our Language! program. We will be done reading about artists, and when we come back from Thanksgiving break we will begin our unit on heroes.

Pen-Pals

This year my students are pen-pals with Mrs. Nino's class at Prairieview. One of our goals is to practice letter writing. The Lakeview students will also practice being good role-models, while Mrs. Nino's 4th and 5th grade class will become accustomed to coming to Lakeview. So far our students have exchanged two letters and they met for the first time today. Mrs. Nino's class came to Lakeview where they got a tour of the school, and students interviewed each other over rice-crispies and juice. Overall I think it was a great experience!

Art

This week we started Unit 14 in our Language! series. The content of all of our readings has been centered around art. We are reading about the evolution of art, how to become an artist, and about different artists. While we are reading out loud we are focusing on reading with expression and using proper inflection.

PAWS

PAWS will start on Monday of next week!

PAWS

Positive Actions With Support

PAWS is a PBIS Tier 2 program designed to help small groups of students meet the Lakeview

school-wide expectations, Be Respectful, Be Responsible, and Be Safe.

Role of the PAWS teachers:

• Connect with PAWS students during Homebase to see how they are and make sure

they have the supplies they need for the day.

• Make sure that PAWS students have all of their assignments written down by Study

Hall.

• See PAWS students briefly at the end of the day to assess the students’ days and get

their parent form to take home.

Role of Students in PAWS:

• Check in with their PAWS teacher in the morning.

• Bring supplies needed for 1st-5th period to Homebase

• Take their DPR to each class.

• Give the DPR to their teachers at the beginning of class.

• Act Respectfully, Responsibly and Safely during class.

• See their teachers at the end of each class for a brief behavior evaluation.

• Write down their assignments in their assignment notebooks in their classes.

• Check out with their PAWS teacher at the end of 8th period.

• Bring the parent signature form home and get it signed.

• Bring the signed parent form back to school the following day.

Role of all Teachers:

• Monitor the behavior of PAWS students in class.

• Give them a score on the DPR each day based on the Lakeview expectations, Be Respectful,

Be Responsible (on time to class, brings supplies to class, homework completion,

etc), Be Safe.

• Briefly meet with the student at the end of class to explain the scores you gave them.

Students should not be handed their DRP without having their scores explained to

them. For example: I gave you 2 points for being responsible because you had your

homework done, but you only got 1 point for being respectful because you told Johnny

that his question was stupid.”

Role of Parents:

• Try to set your child up for a good day before he/she leaves for school. Having his/her

backpack packed at night might make for a less stressful morning.

• When you and your child get home, please ask him/her how his/her day was. Ask to

see the DPR that was filled out by your child’s teachers that day. Celebrate the points

that your child earned in his/her classes. Encourage him/her in areas that need work.

• Sign the DPR and have your child pack it in his/her bag to take back to school the next

day.

Inventors

The first two months of school we have been focusing on reading non-fiction texts, since that is the majority of what we read throughout our day. We have been working on strategies that will help us read these texts more efficiently and to help us summarize them. Meanwhile our content has been about inventors. We have read about different inventions, how inventors are able to solve problems, and the different steps inventors take to come up with their product or idea. This past week we have talked about Leonardo da Vinci and how he used his creativity and drawing skills to come up with his great inventions. We will continue to talk more about Leonardo next week.

Important Days:

Sunday: Bears play in London 12pm

Monday: Kick-off to Red Ribbon Week

Thursday: Early Dismissal: School Improvement Day

Vocabulary Quiz

On Tuesday we have a vocabulary quiz in Reading. Students need to know how to spell and define 5 words that are from our Latin word roots unit.

Vocab Words:

Autograph

Belligerent

Fortress

Fragile

Proceed

Teachers' Institute Day

On Tuesday the Lakeview teachers will continue their training in CRISS strategies. CRISS stands for CReating Independence through Student-owned Strategies. We will be discussing current strategies that we already use in our lessons, and how we will be using them across our grade level.

The main CRISS principles and philosophy include:

1. Metacognition: Good readers are goal-oriented and they know how to attack print and to create meaning. Teachers need to help students use their background knowledge to help with reading comprehension and to set a purpose when they are reading. To help with reading comprehension students need to discuss and write about what they read. Good readers also know how to organize information they received in the text and understand their authors' purpose.

2. Explanation and Modeling: Students learn to become strategic when teachers teach these processes directly through explanation and modeling.

3. Teaching for Understanding: Students come to truly understand by focusing on thought-demanding content.

Lakeview teachers cannot wait to bring our new CRISS strategies into the classroom!

Language

Next week we will be starting a new program called Language. It will encompass all the components of Language Arts and Reading. Students will start each day with a phonics lesson which will help with decoding words and reading fluency. Then they will do a spelling and grammar lesson. Next students will work on reading comprehension strategies. Finally they will have a writing lesson where they will apply their grammar skills while responding to the literature they have read. Our goal is to improve students' reading comprehension and fluency skills. Our winter MAPS scores will help us with this assessment. We look forward to piloting this new program.

A Peek at Next Week

Next week in Language Arts we will be beginning our Narrative writing. We will be brainstorming in our Writer's Notebooks, learning about the parts of a narrative, and filling out graphic organizers. In Reading we will continue with our non-fiction unit and will be reading an article about sharks.

Important Dates:

Sunday- Memory Walk

-Bear Down! Bears vs. Packers

Monday- Home Volleyball Game

Wednesday- 7:30 Football Game at DGS

Friday- Early Dismissal, School Improvement Day

Tips When Reading Non-fiction

1. Look at the title and sub-titles.

2. Look for key terms (at the beginning or in bold).

3. Look at pictures and read their captions.

4. Read the first and last sentence.

5. Scan or Skim the text to see what pops out at you.

Root Words

In Reading class and RtI Reading, we will be focusing on using root words, prefixes, and suffixes. Students looked up the meaning of Latin roots and prefixes this week. They were then given five vocabulary words. Then they made flash cards, drew pictures of the definition of the words, and wrote sentences using the new vocabulary words. Next week they will take a quiz on the definition of the words and on their spelling.

Vocabulary Words:

Architect

Audition

Incredible

Rebellion

Success

A Peek at Next Week

Next week we are going to continue to work on cause and effect in Reading. We will also continue to work on sentences and creating paragraphs in Language Arts.

Have a great three-day weekend!

Welcome Back!

Welcome! My name is Mrs. Mastny and I will be teaching language arts and reading. This is my fifth 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 reading strategies, and essay writing. I look forward to working with you all.

Homework:
Assignments are to be turned in on the day that they are due. Students will lose points for every day that an assignment is late. I will accept late work up until the day our unit is over. Exceptions may be made to those who are absent. Grades will be posted on-line. Please check them and email me if you have any questions.

Contact Information:
If you need to get a hold of me, my email address is: lmastny@ccsd66.org, and my phone number is: 630-783-5114. I am available to meet with parents and or students by appointment. I also have a blog where I will post my weekly updates. You can look at the blog by either clicking on my name on the school website, or by directly going to the blog site:
http://mrsmastny.blogspot.com/


Have a terrific weekend!


Lauren Mastny

The Last Week of School!

Have a terrific summer!

WOW

W.O.W. (Widen Our World) day was amazing! The students got to pick something they wanted to learn and then today they learned about their topic and presented their final products. I was in Ms. Hopkinson's room where 3 groups of students were choreographing their own dances, one group was frosting a cake, another was making a city out of food, and yet another was learning how to juggle. Everyone put forth a lot of effort to make this day such a success. We look forward to doing it again next year!

Radio Show Rubric

Radio Show Rubric

Radio Show

Radio Show
During this unit you will be creating an old radio show. After listening to some old radio shows and seeing what they are like, you will get into groups of 3 and create your own radio show.

Your group will need to come up with a story for your radio show. You will need to write out a script that includes sound effects and music clips for transitions. Everyone in your group needs to have a role.

You will need to perform your radio show. You may record the show on your own, or you may perform the show live. This means you will have to practice your show, and you will have to bring any props you need to class the day of your performance.

On the day of the performance you will turn in your script with a cover sheet. Your cover sheet is worth two points and must include the title of your show, author, and the cast of characters.

Theme Song

Next week we are going to look over the highlights of our 7th grade year, just like how Steven from Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie, looked over his whole 8th grade year on his graduation day. We are going to find a song that represents the main events that happened this past year. Students will need to have the lyrics to their song and write about how it represents their year.

Theme Song Rubric
30 points total

Front Cover
My 7th Grade Year was________
Symbol/picture that is representative of your year/theme song
the title of your song:
your name
Cover is neat, colorful, creative with correct spelling, grammar and punctuation
- All in color and hand-drawn (not computer generated)

________/10 points

Written Explanation
3-5 events
Each event must include the following:
Explanation of event and the significance
Connection of event to a line(s) from song and explain the importance
correct spelling, grammar and punctuation throughout write-up

________/30 points

Create A Comic

Next week in Language Arts we will be creating comic strips. Students will be able to work on their comics in class Wednesday-Friday. Below is what they will be graded on.



Comic Strip Rubric

Rain, Rain, Go Away!!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend with your family. I do hope your child found time to work on their career project and began practicing their career speech.

During Language Arts this week the students have been practicing their speeches, adding information and/or deleting information to fit within the 3 - 5 minute time frame. Some of the students are ready with their visuals and bibliographies, where as others are still preparing. Students will be presenting their career speeches Wednesday through Friday this week. Students know which date they are presenting and have been given the rubrics for all pieces which will be graded.

We read chapter 13 and 14 in Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie this week in Reading. The remaining class periods of Reading will be devoted to career speeches, and an AR book check-out in the IMC for our May book project.

For those students going on the band trip to Tennessee, I wish you good luck, and have an enjoyable time! We will miss you!

Mrs. Froats

A Busy Week Ahead!

During Language Arts this week the students will have both Monday and Tuesday to write a rough draft of their outline for their career speech. We discussed the rubric for the outline and shared some key points for this process. On Wednesday and Thursday (early dismissal) the students will be in the IMC typing the final copy of their outline which will be used to present their career speeches next week. Students should bring a flash drive on Wednesday! It will also be important to print out the final copy of their bibliography (5 to 8 sources needed) and work on the visual for their speech.

The students will be working in groups to read Chapter 11 & 12 in Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie during Reading. Vocabulary for both chapters will be due on Tuesday. The students, within their groups, will be responsible for reading the chapters and completing the comprehension questions which will be discussed and collected during the last part of class on Wednesday. We will not have reading on Thursday due in part to early dismissal and we will be using the time to finish our career outlines.

If you have any questions please contact me at kfroats@ccsd66.org

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Froats

Outline Rubric
Career Speech and Visual Rubric

Career Unit Review

Today marks the first week of our career unit in the IMC. The students have begun their research on their chosen career. Most students are on target and have been completing all target points according to the checkpoint sheet given out on Monday.
This weekend would be a great opportunity for some to continue their research and possibly find someone to interview, to gather more information, which can be used to enhance their career speech.

It has been an enjoyable week watching the students 'search' and find successful information. What an eye opening experience for all of us!

Please contact me if you have any questions about this Career Unit.

Mrs. Froats

Book Report Project

Students were given class time today and will have next Friday as well to work on this month's book project. The students checked out their new books on Friday March 25. Each student should devote 20 minutes daily for reading their chosen book. The goal should be to complete the reading of the novel over the weekend and begin preparing their project. Students should be managing their time or they may find themselves overwhelmed with trying to finish the book report in reading and the career unit in language arts' class. The book project will be due on April 21. Below you may find the rubric for the book project.

During Reading Class we will continue the novel, Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie. Students will complete comprehension questions and vocabulary as homework for each chapter.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs. Froats

Book Project Rubric

Career Unit

Career Unit

Sunshine and Warmth!

We surely missed the hour of sleep on Sunday, but the warmth and sunshine we have seen this week have made it all worth it!

Taking a look at the week ahead... We will begin preparing for the Career Unit which will begin the week after spring break. This preparation will focus on outlining research and completing note cards. The students will be reading an article about leukemia to practice these important steps in the research process.

During Reading we will continue Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie, a novel about the life of a twelve year old whose brother is diagnosed with leukemia. Discussion, vocabulary, and classroom activities dealing with the stresses of the character's year will be the focus of next week. Ask your child about the novel, we have had wonderful discussions in class and many students have made connections with the character.

Enjoy your weekend!

Mrs. Froats

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

This coming week will bring us to the end of the Pronoun unit in Language Arts. We will review the unit on Monday and use a picture prompt activity to assess the students' understanding of pronouns on Tuesday. We will finish out the week writing a Fairy Tale using the ABC's as our guide. Information and two class periods will be given to the students to complete the requirements for this Fairy Tale. Your child may take the assignments home as homework for extra work time if needed.

We will begin a new novel, Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie, during Reading next week. Students will be presented with new vocabulary and comprehension activities throughout the week. Discussing the book at home will add to your child's comprehension of the text.

Don't forget the final book project for The Wanderer is due on Monday!
AR Book Report is due on Friday, March 18th!

If you have any questions please contact me.
Enjoy the sunshine!

Mrs. Froats

Swinging into March

During Language Arts, students will begin a pronoun unit in which they will create a poem using the subject or theme of water. Students will also work on a proofreading activity to practice correct pronoun use. Reviewing Unit 6 in our English textbook and completing a few workbook pages will also be part of next week's lessons.

In Reading, we have completed reading our classroom novel The Wanderer, and will end the unit with a final book project. The project will be explained in full detail to the students on Tuesday. I have also attached the assignment details and rubric below. Please let me know if you have any questions regarding the project.

Mrs. Froats

Important Dates:
No School- Friday, March 4
No School- Monday, March 7
AR Book Report Due- March 18
Wanderer Final Project

Wanderer Final Project Rubric

ISAT Week!

Goal setting and talking about doing our best on the ISAT tests which begin on Monday has been our focus this week! We discussed the importance of the tests and why each student must put forth their best effort. Eating a healthy breakfast and being well rested is important for success. Testing will take place Monday through Thursday, throughout the first 3 periods. Seventh grade students should report to their 4th period class each day to begin testing. (No homebase next week)

In Language Arts we will be working on a few writing components. These components include using commas correctly and using direct/indirect quotations. Students will demonstrate their understanding of these grammatical components through a writing prompt at the end of the week. Students may or may not have LA homework depending on what happens during
class time.

During Reading we will finish reading the novel, The Wanderer. Students will complete comprehension questions to demonstrate their understanding of the chapters. Students should also be reading their independent book for their next book report, which will be an
Accelerated Reading quiz. Students were given class time today to choose a fiction/nonfiction book of their choice for this selection. (Book must be an AR book)

Enjoy your weekend!

Important Dates: Friday, March 4 -No School
Monday, March 7 -No School Casimir Pulaski Day
Friday, March 18 -AR Book Report Due!

'Sailing Along'

During Language Arts we will use class time to prepare for the ISAT tests which begin next Monday.

The students have been doing a great job discussing and reading The Wanderer in Reading class. We will continue the novel and take a quiz over Chapters 23-60 on Wednesday!

A reminder about the book report, due next Friday.
Greeting Card Project
1) Create a card to send from one character to another in your novel.
2) On a separate sheet of paper, include 2 paragraphs.
* Explain why you created the card you did.
* Explain the importance of this choice and how the novel would be different if the card had actually been sent.

Enjoy the long weekend, and the spring-like weather!


Important Dates:
Monday, Feb. 21 No School- Presidents Day
Friday, Feb. 25 Book Report due
Monday, Feb.28- Thursday, March 3 ISAT Testing

Welcome, Baby Jonathan Mastny!

Congratulations to Mrs. Mastny and her husband on the birth of

Jonathan George

Friday, January 28th
2:10pm
8 lbs. 1 oz.
21 inches

Hello, I would like to introduce myself and let you know I am excited to be working with your child in Language Arts and Reading. Mrs. Mastny and I spent a few days together in class, prior to the birth of Jonathan, and the transition has been quite smooth. I am eager to work with your child and encourage your child to be successful in Reading and LA.

Language Arts: Your child has been working in class this week on an expository writing assignment. Rough drafts will be due on Monday and the final, typed assignment will be due next Friday, Feb. 18th. Please ask your child if they can share their drafts with you. We will take time next week in class to prepare for the ISATS.

Reading: We will continue reading the novel, The Wanderer, written by Sharon Creech. Ask your child about the novel, they are really enjoying the book and the discussions in class have been very rewarding.
Book Report Project- due Feb. 25th.
(50 points; a greeting card and 2 paragraph report)

Have a wonderful weekend, and please contact me if you should have any questions.

Mrs. Froats
kfroats@ccsd66.org

Maternity Leave

As next week draws near, so does my maternity leave. My last day will be Wednesday, and I will be out until the first week of May. The wonderful Mrs. Froats will be here subbing for me. She will do an excellent job. I'm very excited about embarking on my new journey in life, and am glad that I will be able to do that, and be able to finish out the school year with my students. Have a great spring!

A Peek at Next Week

Next week in Language Arts we will practice ISAT extended responses. Students will need to bring their yellow Buckle Down books to class. In Reading next week, we will continue to read our new novel, The Wanderer.

Important Days:
Monday- No School, Martin Luther King Day
Wednesday- Newspaper Club
Friday- Open Gym

January Book Report

Character Significance Book Report
Due January 31st

1.After you complete your book think about the main character(s).
2.Select 4-5 pictures that would have special significance to your character(s).
3.Pictures may be hand drawn, actual photographs and from a magazine or newspaper.
4.Arrange the pictures on a sheet of construction paper, poster board or white paper (no lined paper allowed).
5.Under each picture write 3-4 sentences explaining why the picture is important to your character.
6.At the top of your board have your heading in the right hand corner. Also, at the top of the page include the books title, author and amount of pages.
7.Once you are done with your book report please turn it in with your rubric. You can turn in your book report before the due date!


Character Significance Book Report Rubric:

4-5 pictures neatly on board -5 points

Picture 1 Significance: 3-4 complete sentences using evidence from text to support picture

-5 points

Picture 2 Significance: 3-4 complete sentences using evidence from text to support picture
-5 points

Picture 3 Significance: 3-4 complete sentences using evidence from text to support picture
-5 points

Picture 4 Significance: 3-4 complete sentences using evidence from text to support picture
-5 points

Spelling, grammar and punctuation are all correct
-3 points

Book title, author, number of pages and heading appropriately included on board
-2 points

Total____/30 Grade______