Language Arts and Reading

Pack the Place

2012-02-17T08:35:00.000-08:00

Pack the Place was on Monday and Tuesday of this week. The leadership team set up activities for the pre-game show and sold raffles for pieing the teachers. On Monday Ms. Schwenkel, Ms. Cerney, Mrs. Mixon, and Mr. Windsor were pied, and the girls' basketball team won their game that night. Then on Tuesday Ms. Enzbigilis, Mr. Little, Dr. Tiede, and I were pied in the face before the boys' basketball game. It was a special game because it was Mr. Dodd's last Pack the Place. After 38 years of teaching at Center Cass School District, Mr. Dodd will be retiring. His family, friends, and past students attended the game, and he was given a framed jersey at half-time. Overall it was a terrific event!

Spirit Week

2012-02-07T10:05:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow marks the beginning of Spirit Week which leads up to our big Pack-the-Place events.

Spirit Week:
Wednesday- Ugly shirt or sweater day
Thursday- Pajama day
Friday- Twin day
Monday- Gold/Super-fan day for the girls' basketball team
Tuesday- Green/Super-fan day for the boys' basketball team

A Peek at Next Week

2012-02-03T12:16:00.000-08:00

We are starting our final unit in the orange Language! books. The students are very excited. We will be reading about the continents and geography during the final unit, unit 18.

Important Days:
Sunday- Super Bowl
Wednesday- Book Reports Due
Friday- 9 Week Progress Reports

Book Report

2012-01-26T08:41:00.000-08:00

Story Board Rubric 2012

A Peek at Next Week

2012-01-13T06:35:00.000-08:00

Next week we will finish up our unit on athletes. Students will be working on expository writing and will begin a short story unit.

Important Days:
Monday- No School, Martin Luther King Day
Wednesday- Newspaper Club
Thursday- Spelling Bee
Friday- Progress Reports

Athletes

2012-01-06T12:20:00.000-08:00

In Reading this week we started our unit on athletes and extreme sports. All of our reading will include stories and articles with this topic. While reading these stories we have been working on building our vocabulary, and reading with intonation.

In Language Arts we are reviewing prepositional phrases, and we will be working on letter writing. Next week students will be learning to distinguish between formal and in-formal writing. They will write an in-formal letter to a friend, and then a formal letter to a teacher, both letters explaining the same topic.

Enjoy Your Holiday!

2011-12-16T11:19:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-09T08:32:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-01T14:50:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-11-22T07:31:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-18T12:34:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-10T08:46:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-04T10:45:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-27T13:11:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-21T12:55:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-14T06:26:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-07T08:36:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-30T15:15:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-23T10:38:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-16T06:53:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-09T10:58:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-02T13:15:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-08-26T12:24:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-06-06T09:06:00.000-07:00

Have a terrific summer!

WOW

2011-06-03T11:42:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-27T07:15:00.000-07:00

Radio Show Rubric

Radio Show

2011-05-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-13T12:46:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-06T10:05:00.000-07:00

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!!

2011-04-26T14:37:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-04-18T16:27:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-08T10:47:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-07T07:29:00.000-07:00

Career Unit

Sunshine and Warmth!

2011-03-18T12:36:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-03-11T13:26:00.000-08:00

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

2011-03-03T11:43:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-02-25T10:03:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-02-24T13:20:00.000-08:00

'Sailing Along'

2011-02-18T08:07:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-02-11T07:56:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-21T11:24:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-14T07:37:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-07T07:50:00.000-08:00

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______

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-17T09:58:00.000-08:00

This week has been a week of holiday fun. Yesterday the DGS choir came to sing to us, and today our own Lakeview choir and bands performed for us. They did an excellent job. This afternoon while the 8th graders are ballroom dancing, the sixth and seventh graders will have a holiday movie and party in their rooms. I hope everyone enjoys their break!

A Peek at Next Week

2010-12-10T13:11:00.000-08:00

Next week in Language Arts we will finish our verb unit. We will have our second verb test at the end of the week. In Reading we will read a play from our literature book, The Serial Garden.

Important Days:
Monday-Cay Projects are due
Wednesday- Newspaper Club
Thursday- DGS Choir Assembly at 9:00
Friday- LV Concert at 9:15

Final Cay Project

2010-12-02T14:33:00.000-08:00

Choose ONE of the four book projects to do for the book, The Cay, by Theodore Taylor. Your project, whichever one you choose, must be done neatly and carefully.

Option 1 – Diorama

Using a shoebox or other small box without a lid or flaps, create ONE specific scene from the story. After creating the scene, write 2 paragraphs; the first explaining the significance of the chosen scene and the second paragraph describing how you created the scene. Glue these paragraphs to the back of the box.

Option 2 – Island Map

Draw a large map of the island on 12"x18" construction paper (see me for the paper) or larger. Be sure to include everything that you know about the island before the hurricane hit. Also include things that Timothy and Philip built, such as the hut, the line that Philip used to find his way around while blind, and the catchment.

This map should be colorful and well-labeled with a map key. After you have created the map, write a short paragraph about the map, and glue this paragraph to the back
of the map.

Option 3 – Research Paragraphs

Using an encyclopedia, book, or the Internet, research TWO of the following topics: U-boats, US Navy destroyers during World War II, hurricanes in the Caribbean Sea, Curacao (often listed under "Netherlands Antilles"), or causes of blindness after birth. You will take notes on each topic and then write a page for each topic explaining what you learned.

Option 4 – Survivor

Timothy and Phillip had to survive for many months on only a few things that they brought with them. Everything else, they "made do" from items that they found on the cay. Many people in Illinois have had to survive after a tornado destroyed their homes.

For this project, prepare a survival kit for your home of items that you already have. After you have finished, if there are items which you know you should have, but don't, make a list of those items for later purchase. After you have gathered the items together (and know which ones you need), write a 1 page about creating your Tornado Survival Kit.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-23T08:19:00.000-08:00

Today students had a surprise assembly as a reward for all their hard work with PBIS this school year. Students are remembering their "Cool Tools" and collecting Spartan Stars. Therefore this morning we had the Jessie White Tumblers as our surprise guests. They were fantastic and the students really enjoyed the event. Congratulations to the Lakeview students on all of their hard work!

Have a great weekend and Happy Thanksgiving!

A Peek at Next Week

2010-11-19T08:04:00.000-08:00

Next week in Language Arts students will be turning in their final drafts of their persuasive essay on Tuesday. We will also be previewing our unit on verbs. In Reading we will take a quiz on chapters 13-16. Students have questions, notes and vocabulary they can use to study.

A Peek at Next Week

2010-11-12T07:59:00.000-08:00

In Language Arts next week we will finish the rough drafts of our persuasive essays. We will be focusing on our transitions and making sure our paragraphs flow together. The final draft of the essay is due Tuesday, November 23rd.

In Reading we will continue to read The Cay. We will have a quiz on chapters 9-12 on Tuesday, along with some vocabulary words. Then we will go on to read chapters 13-16 by Thursday. On Friday our book reports are due.

Important Days:
Tuesday- Bowling Field Trip
Wednesday- Newspaper Club
Friday- Cay Book Reports are Due

Peek at Next Week

2010-11-05T07:46:00.000-07:00

Next week in Language Arts we will be working on our persuasive essay. Students will fill out a graphic organizer, write their hook and thesis, and finish their introductions. In Reading we will read chapters 9-11, in the Cay.

Important Days:
Thursday- No School, Veterans' Day
Friday- End of the First Trimester

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-29T09:49:00.000-07:00

Next week in Language Arts we will begin working on our persuasive essay. We will discuss writing to our audience, and working on thesis statements. In Reading we will continue to read the Cay and talk about survivor skills.

Important Days:
Tuesday: Teachers' Institute Day- No School
Thursday: 7th Grade Field Trip to see Alice in Wonderland
Friday: Fall Dance

Measure of Academic Progress (MAP)

2010-10-22T07:22:00.000-07:00

This coming up week students will be taking MAP tests in Language Arts and Reading. The MAP test is replacing the IOWA testing this year. Students will be taking a 40 question, multiple-choice test on the computer. They will be taking this test in the fall and spring, so we may track their progress throughout the year. Please remind students to eat breakfast and to get a good night's sleep!

Peek at Next Week

2010-10-15T10:09:00.000-07:00

In Language Arts next week we will be working on our noun unit. We will label nouns as abstract, concrete, collective, compound, singular, and plural. Students will also go over possessive nouns and using appositives in their writing.

In Reading we will continue to read our novel, The Cay. So far we have discovered our story takes place during World War II, and have been working on our vocabulary words. Next week we will continue to work on our vocabulary and we will read chapters 2-4.

Important Days:
Monday- Math MAPS testing
Wednesday-Early Dismissal Day
Thursday- Parent/Teacher Conferences

A Peek at Next Week

2010-10-08T07:37:00.000-07:00

Next week in Language Arts we will finish up our unit on sentences and take the unit test on Friday. In Reading we are going to start our first novel of the year, The Cay. We will be previewing the story and working on the vocabulary.

Important Days:
Monday- No School- Columbus Day
Wednesday- Go to IMC for Book Checkout
Friday- Sentence Test

Twin Day

2010-10-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

Today was Twin Day! People were wearing the same shirts, skirts, socks, eye-wear, and hair styles. The seventh grade teachers wore all of their Chicago Bears shirts. Mrs. Bergmann and I were identical twins in our Robbie Gould jereys. It was great to see so many people participate in our Spirit Day. Have a great weekend, and remember to Bear Down!

Short Story Study Guide

2010-09-23T06:50:00.000-07:00

Study Guide

Review the basic story elements and order of events for the following stories:

“7th Grade”
“Thank You Ma'am”
“Names/Nombres”
“Zebra”
“Rikki-Tikki-Tavi”

You will be tested on the following vocabulary – use your literature book to look up the definitions:

scowl -
linger -
presentable -
suede -
initial -
chaotic -
wince -
intricate -
scuttle -
cower -

A Peek at Next Week

2010-09-17T09:19:00.001-07:00

Next week in Language Arts we will be finishing our narratives. We will be adding sensory detail to our stories, and revising them. Starting on Thursday we will begin typing our final drafts.

In Reading we will read "Rikki-tikki-tavi" in our literature books. Students will also be presenting their book reports on Thursday.

Important Days:
Tuesday- Magazine Turn-in Day
Wednesday- 7th Grade Golf Field Trip
Thursday- Book Reports due
Friday- No School, Teacher's Institute

Origin of Names

2010-09-10T07:45:00.000-07:00

Use the following websites to generate 10 facts regarding your first and last name:

http://www.ancestry.com

Go to Learning Center
On the lower right side of the page – type your name
Do this for your surname (last name) and first name

www.behindthename.com

Use this website to find additional facts about your name.

Story Board Book Report

2010-09-03T10:10:00.000-07:00

POSTER BOARD - STORY BOARD BOOK REPORT FICTION
Due – September 23, 2010

1. PLOT EXPLANATION – (minimum 5 squares, including a detailed explanation underneath each picture. At least 2-3 sentences)

10pts _____

2. DELIVERY – (eye contact, voice level, smoothness, demonstrates knowledge of book)

10pts _________

3. STORY BOARD ( effort, color, neatness, 5 squares minimum, title and author, your name and class period)

10pts _________

Total points = _________/30

Welcome Back!!!

2010-08-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

Dear Families,

Welcome to Seventh Grade! My name is Mrs. Mastny and I will be teaching language arts and reading. This is my fourth 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.

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: 630-783-5002. I am available to meet with parents and or students by appointment.
Sincerely,

Lauren Mastny

Last Full Week of School!

2010-05-28T09:07:00.000-07:00

We finished our fairy tale unit, and our last novel. All the books have been collected, lockers have been cleaned out, and the last grades have been entered. The school year is winding to an end. I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did. Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend!

Field Day

2010-05-21T11:12:00.001-07:00

Since the seventh graders raised so much money for Ride Janie Ride, they were rewarded with a pancake breakfast and field day. On Wednesday students will receive their breakfast, and on Friday they will have their field day. On Friday, Students will have all 20 minute classes before lunch. Then they will eat lunch early and head outside for the games. After an afternoon full of fun activities we will all come inside and watch the 6th grade Lip Zinc. What an exciting day to look forward to!

Career Fair

2010-05-07T10:07:00.001-07:00

Today was the seventh grade Career Fair. We had twenty presenters give students 8 minute speeches on their careers. Our presenters were a mixture of seventh and eighth grade parents, and friends and family of our staff. The seventh graders were actively engaged and our guests did an excellent job. I would like to thank everyone involved that made this event so successful.

Important Days:
Tuesday- Progress Reports
Thursday- Oklahoma Performance
Friday- Oklahoma Performance

Ride Janie Ride!

2010-04-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

I have had a fantastic week of teaching. I am so proud of our students here at Lakeview. The eighth graders are putting on a fund-raiser for Ride Janie Ride, an organization that raises money for cancer patients. This organization splits all the money between three cancer recipients to help pay for their medical bills. This year the money will be going to two people many of us know. One person is Anthony Nino, Mrs. Nino's brother-in-law, and the other is Kayla O'Leary, a third grader at Prairieview. The kids have done a fabulous job showing their support. They have donated their own money, raised money in their neighborhoods, churches and local businesses. They have sold many things including: muffins, lemonade, and duct-tape flower pens. Our students have decided that they are going to accomplish a goal and they have come up with strategies and plans for being successful. There are rare moments in teaching where your students go above and beyond your expectations and take things to the next level, and this is one of them. I am very proud of them all. I would like to say thank you to them and their families for supporting such a worthy cause. Thanks!

A Peek at Next Week

2010-04-16T08:15:00.000-07:00

Everyone should be done with their research for their careers. Next week we are going to organize all of our notes and create a final outline with our information. In Reading we are going to continue to read The Wanderer.

Important Days:
Today- Spring Dance
Saturday- ISU Band Invitational
Tuesday- Mid-terms, Swim Meet
Thursday- Early Dismissal

Career Research

2010-04-09T07:54:00.000-07:00

Students will begin researching their careers next week in the IMC. They need to bring note-cards to class so that they may begin their research as soon as possible. Ms. Hagensee will be reviewing research skills and where students may find resources in the library. Then students will have all week to read about their careers and take notes. The seventh graders will be able to define their careers, explain what their work environments will be like, what education they will need, and what their starting salaries will look like.

Important Days:
Thursday- Newspaper Club
Friday- Spring Dance

Spring Break

2010-03-25T07:54:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone has a great week off! Go outside and enjoy the weather. When you come back from spring break we will begin our career unit. Students will choose a career to research and give an informational speech about their topic. Then in Reading we will begin our next novel, The Wanderer, by Sharon Creech.

Have a great break!!!

A Peek at Next Week

2010-03-19T12:43:00.001-07:00

Next week we will have a test on prepositions, and we will have our final quiz on Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie. Students will also be presenting their collage book reports.

Important Days:
Saturday- Snowflake
Monday- Roller Skating Party
Tuesday- 3 Week Progress Reports
Wednesday- Book Fair
Thursday- Book Fair
Friday- Spring Break begins at 3pm

Prepositions

2010-03-11T11:13:00.000-08:00

Next week we will start our unit on prepositions. Students will learn about prepositional phrases, and how they can sometimes be adjective or adverb phrases. In reading we will continue to read Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie.

Important Days:
Wednesday- Juggler in PE
Thursday- Newspaper Club
Saturday- Snowflake

A Peek at Next Week

2010-03-05T07:34:00.000-08:00

In Reading we will take a quiz on the second part of Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie. We will then start the third and final section of the book. Then in Language Arts we will review our lessons on adjectives and adverbs, and take a modifier test on Thursday.

Important Days:
Monday- Encore Classes Switch, Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie Quiz
Tuesday- Second Trimester Report Cards
Thursday- Parent Teacher Conferences, Modifier Test
Friday- No School

ISAT

2010-02-26T08:03:00.000-08:00

ISAT testing is happening all next week. On Tuesday students will take the first two Reading tests, and on Wednesday they will take their third Reading test and first Math test. Then on Thursday students will finish the Math tests, and on Friday they will take their two Science tests. Students are allowed to use calculators on all of the Math tests this year. To prepare your children for these tests please make sure they get plenty of sleep and that they eat a healthy breakfast in the morning.

Important Days:
Friday- LV Girls' Basketball Finals at Jefferson at 6pm
Monday- Pulaski Day, No School
Thursday- Newspaper Club
Friday- Last Day of the Trimester

Have a great weekend!

ISAT prep

2010-02-19T10:05:00.000-08:00

This week we will continue to practice multiple choice testing, and writing extended reading responses. We will also finish our Extensions in Reading book. In Reading we will continue to read Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie.

Important Days:
Monday- DGS Presentation during Study Hall
Tuesday- Girls Play-off Basketball Game at Lakeview
Thursday- Scholastic Bowl
Friday- Basketball Finals

A Peek at This Week

2010-02-11T10:11:00.000-08:00

In Language Arts we will be working on ISAT prep. We will be working out of our Extensions in Reading book, writing extended responses and working on multiple choice questions. In Reading we will continue to read our novel Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie.

Important Days:
Sunday- Valentine's Day
Monday-President's Day- No School

"Pie the Teacher"

2010-02-05T08:10:00.000-08:00

Today is the last day of spirit week. On Wednesday and Thursday raffles tickets were on sale to pie teachers in the pre-basketball game shows. All the proceeds from the raffle went to the American Red Cross to help Haitians in their time of need. This is a great picture of Mr. Windsor being pied by Principal Shultz. Overall everyone had a great time and the Spartans played some mean basketball. If they keep this up, they are bound to have an excellent end to their seasons.

Important Days:

Saturday- Solo Festival

Sunday- Super Bowl

Monday- Scholastic Bowl

Tuesday- Progress Reports

Pack the Place

2010-01-29T09:54:00.000-08:00

We are in the middle of the spirit week leading up to Pack the Place. Pack the Place is an event held to support our athletes.The goal is to pack the gym with as many fans as possible to cheer our basketball teams on. Wednesday, February 3rd, is the girls' basketball game and on Thursday, February, 4th is the boys' basketball game. Before each game there will be a pre-game show with games, contests, and the choir and pep band performances. At the pre-game shows certain teachers will be pied in the face by students. On Wednesday, Mrs. Myers, Mr. Little, Ms. Enzbigilis, Ms. Payne, Ms. Cerney, and Ms. Coppoletta will be pied. On Thursday Mrs. Mesker, Mrs. Mixon, Mr. Safranski, Mr. Windsor, and I will be pied. "Pie in the Face" tickets are being sold during lunch for one dollar. Students' names will be pulled the day of the event to see who will get to pie the teachers. They should be fun days, so come out and support the teams!

Spirit Days:
Monday- Ugly Shirt Day
Tuesday- No School, Teachers' Institute
Wednesday- Green Day
Thursday- Gold Day

A Peek at Next Week

2010-01-22T08:01:00.000-08:00

Next week in Language Arts we will be taking a verb test on Lessons 1-8 in the verb unit. Students are welcome to use a note-card of notes on the test. The test will cover action verbs, linking verbs, and helping verbs. It will also cover present and past participles, the perfect tenses for regular and irregular verbs, and the progressive forms of verbs.

In Reading we will continue to read Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie. We hope to read chapters 1-6, and to continue going over our new vocabulary.

Important Days:
Thursday: Verb Test, Twin Day
Friday: AR book report due, Snuggie/PJ Day

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie

2010-01-15T10:12:00.000-08:00

Next week we will begin our new novel, Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie, by Jordan Sonnenblick. It is a great story about a kid named Steven who is trying to make it through his eighth grade year. While Steven is trying to survive junior high school, his younger brother is diagnosed with leukemia. Between drums, girls and dangerous pie, Steven finds ways to cope with his problems. We will begin the novel by discussing stresses that teenagers face on a daily basis, going over vocabulary, and making predictions.

Important Days:
Monday- No School, Martin Luther King's Day
Tuesday- Mid-terms

Poetry

2010-01-08T08:07:00.000-08:00

Next week we will begin a short poetry unit. We will go over different poetry terms, and analyze poems we read in class. We will be reading "Casey at the Bat," and the dramatic "Highwayman." We will also be working on drawing inferences, and will review our punctuation unit.

Important Days:
Tuesday- IOWA Testing
Wednesday- IOWA Testing
Thursday- IOWA Testing

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T06:07:00.000-08:00

Welcome back! I hope everyone enjoyed their breaks and stayed warm. This week we will be working on our punctuation unit and extended responses in Reading. .

Pajama Day

2009-12-11T10:02:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-03T16:49:00.000-08:00

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!!!

2009-11-24T13:00:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-20T08:53:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-16T05:29:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-06T07:42:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-02T05:30:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-23T10:03:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-16T10:16:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-09T11:05:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-02T10:04:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-18T07:50:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-11T12:59:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-04T07:51:00.001-07:00

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!!

2009-08-28T07:44:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-06-04T09:01:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-28T08:36:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-22T08:03:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-15T07:59:00.000-07:00

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