Friday, May 9, 2008

Content Objective: 1.02 Analyze expressive materials that are read by monitoring comprehension for understanding. 1.03 Interact in group activities and/or seminars in which the student shares personal reactions to questions raised and gives reasons and cites examples from text in support of expressed opinions.

Language Objective: Join small group discussion about a reading passage and corresponding questions.

Essential Question: Are my reading comprehension skills improving?

Today we continued our discussion of the origins and uses of idioms. Students shared their illustrated idioms; the best were added to the bulletin board. Next, I introduced some new idioms. Following a reading comprehension quiz, we played Idiom Bingo using an episode of The Andy Griffith Show. From the dozen idioms I had written on the board, students selected nine to fill in their bingo grid; we then watched "The Great Filling Station Robbery" and students listened for the idioms. The first with a complete card was the winner. It was educational and entertaining: the perfect combination!

Homework: SSR.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Content Objective: 1.02 Analyze expressive materials that are read by monitoring comprehension for understanding. 1.03 Interact in group activities and/or seminars in which the student shares personal reactions to questions raised and gives reasons and cites examples from text in support of expressed opinions.

Language Objective: Join small group discussion about a reading passage and corresponding questions.

Essential Question: Are my reading comprehension skills improving?

Today we continued to practice and refine our reading comprehension skills. We also discussed the use of idioms through the use of the CPS. Students used context clues to select the idiom that would take the place of an indicated phrase. Next, students worked in pairs to decipher the meanings of commonly used idioms. Next, each student selected one to illustrate. Selected students began writing the origin of their idiom; this will be polished and recorded for a podcast to be linked from this site.

Homework: SSR; illustrated idioms.

Wednesday, March 7, 2008

Content Objective: 1.02 Analyze expressive materials that are read by monitoring comprehension for understanding. 1.03 Interact in group activities and/or seminars in which the student shares personal reactions to questions raised and gives reasons and cites examples from text in support of expressed opinions.

Language Objective: Join small group discussion about a reading passage and corresponding questions.

Essential Question: Are my reading comprehension skills improving?

Yesterday, after being first in line at the polls, taking pictures at the pep rally for the news show, attending a faculty meeting, and working on a smartboard lesson, I forgot to add to my classroom blog for only the second time since its inception. Today we will continue to practice and refine our reading comprehension skills. We will also discuss the use of idioms through the use of the aforementioned SmartBoard lesson.

Homework: Reading Comprehension practice #24; SSR; illustrated idioms; signed interim reports.

Monday, May 5, 2008

Content Objective: 1.02 Analyze expressive materials that are read by monitoring comprehension for understanding. 1.03 Interact in group activities and/or seminars in which the student shares personal reactions to questions raised and gives reasons and cites examples from text in support of expressed opinions.

Language Objective: Join small group discussion about a reading passage and corresponding questions.

Essential Question: Are my reading comprehension skills improving?

Today, after a trip to the Media Center for checkout, we had time to read for pleasure. One class, by virtue of their exemplary behavior for a recent substitute, took their books to the football field. We posed and answered questions concerning such topics as main idea, summary, conflict, prediction, etc. The first two classes took advantage of computer lab access and worked on finalizing their propaganda commercials. The best will continue to show up here; selected ones will also be shown on our weekly news show which is to be taped tomorrow.

Homework: Reading Comprehension practice #28; SSR.