Thursday

Today students gathered data for their end-of-quarter reading reports. (Yes, we used CALCULATORS in LA!) Students are required to track all of the books that they read throughout the quarter so that they can calculate the number of pages they read on average per day.

The standing homework assignment in language arts is to read 30 minutes every day that we meet--5 days a week. If students complete this "assignment," they should have several hundred pages read per quarter. It is evident when students cut corners or don't read at all. And it has to have a negative impact on their reading participation grade. (More importantly, it has a negative impact on their ability to improve their reading skills!)

Tomorrow we are in the computer lab, word processing and assembling our writing portfolios. I like these days because we are all busy, all productive. There is a metaphorical light at the end of the first quarter tunnel (metaphor alert! :c)

I'll see you all in the lab tomorrow. Don't forget your drafts, something to write with (for revising/proofreading,) and your 3-ring portfolio binder IF you haven't already stashed it in the class crate.

Fondly,
Mrs. V~

P.S. As for the BONUS work, you may type one or two of your finest RRJ entries and include them in your writing portfolio after the memoir and poem. They should be revised and edited thoroughly, and you should label each entry as Visualizing, Determining Important Ideas, or Questioning. You can earn up to 5 bonus points for the extra effort.