IXL Learning/Test Prep

Students! Good news and great Test Practice Resource! IXL is a great program to review and practice for your Milestones and EOG! I will also be monitoring for potential grade point recovery (extra credit). #FLOYDIXL
* Please change your password so other's can't see or disturb your results.
* Please see the letter that is located in the Class Document Library. (Log into Office 365 before clicking link to get auto access to Sharepoint docs).

To access IXL:
On your home computer, please follow these easy steps.
1.  Go to http://www.ixl.com/signin/floyd
2.  Enter your user name and password, and click "Sign in."
      USERNAME: studentid#@floyd  For example: 0123456@floyd
      PASSWORD: happy
3.  Click on any skill to start learning.

To use IXL on mobile devices:
Download IXL's free tablet app and sign in using username and password

Post Spring Break Tutoring and Testing

After Spring Break, students return to classes with just six full weeks left in this school year, so please make note of the following to end it with your best work!
Tutoring Schedule Change
Beginning the week school is back in session, April 8, I will be offering tutoring to students on Wednesday mornings only from 8 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.

EOG, Milestones & Reading Inventory Tests
Spring Break ushers in the testing season, which is particularly important for 8th grade students. I encourage all students to use the IXL resource to practice and study for test. The link to IXL is on the "Links" list on the right side of the blog. I posted directions for logging into individual student accounts. Please search the hashtag FLOYDIXL on this blog, or see the letter posted in the Class Document Library. 

READING :20 MINUTES A DAY IS A MUST!!! 

Eighth-graders will take the following tests:

1. EOGs (End of Grade) exams before high school placement. 
2. Milestones state testing and
3. Reading Inventory (RI) to determine Lexile scores for placement in high school classes as well. Eighth-grade students must score minimum of 1010 to be promoted.

During testing season, it is especially important that students are well-rested, keeping healthy eating habits, and getting a full night's sleep in order to be their best to for these tests.
Taking care of your health and well-being step number one in preparing for success!

Grades and Assignments Before Spring Break

1.  3/18   Classwork  Allegory Project 1: Issue and Brainstorm
2.  3/19   Classwork  Allegory Project 2: Character Development
3.  3/20  Classwork  Allegory Project 3: Plot Diagram
4.  3/21   Classwork  Allegory Project 4: First Draft Narrative
5.  3/22   Summative Allegory Project : Final Project
6.  3/25   Quiz             Allegories & Terrible Things
7.  3/26   Classwork   SpringBoard 3.6 –Diction, Euphemism, Connotation
8.  3/27  Classwork  SpringBoard 3.11 –"Boy in the Striped Pajamas"
9.  3/28  Classwork   Part I: Finding the Theme in Film, Life is Beautiful 
10.  3/29  Classwork  Quarter 4: Reading Log #1 
11. 3/29  Classwork   Part II: Finding Theme (Light in the Darkness) in Life is Beautiful

Week of March 25-29

This week students will be reviewing ideas of social justice and considering the essential question, "Why is it important to study past social injustices and crimes against humanity? More importantly, why is it important that we never forget these past atrocities and injustices? How can the study, remembrance, and discussion of these issues and mistake help guide our decisions in the future? How can understanding and remembering our individual past mistakes help guide our decisions for our own future?
Monday: Students consider how language can be manipulated to disguise injustices:
Vocabulary: euphemism, connotation, denotation
Assessment: Quiz on Allegory and the short story "Terrible Things"
Tuesday: Students work in groups or pairs to understand the terminology used by the Nazi's during the Holocaust.
Vocabulary: propaganda, euphemism, concentration camp, antisemitism, concentration camp, death camp, genocide, persecution, the Final Solutions, etc.
Assessment: Complete all vocabulary in SpringBoard 3.6
Wednesday: Working with setting, character, plot, mood. Tone vs. Mood--What's the difference?
Reading excerpt from Boy in the Striped Pajamas. 
Assessment: Discussion questions, SpringBoard 3.11
Thursday: Literature Circles and Roles--Tracking setting, character, plot, and mood in preparation for film study: Life is Beautiful
Assessment: Being film study using packet provided in class
Friday: Continue film study of Life is Beautiful
Assessment: Part I of film study graphic organizer
Also Due Today: Quarter 4: Reading Log #1

Mid-Week Reminder for Project Due (3/22)

This is the work students should have completed so far this week. Please come in for tutoring tomorrow 8 a.m. if extra support is needed for this project!

Timeline: Progress on Allegorical Narrative

•So far you should have completed the following:

•Chosen you societal issue (3/18)

•Brainstormed 2-3 ideas for your allegorical children’s book (3/19)

•Made a personality profile for one or more of the major characters in your story (3/20)

•Plotted your storyline on the “Witch’s Hat” Diagram and have your narrative down (3/21)

Tomorrow IN CLASS YOU SHOULD BE: Writing Final Draft and constructing Allegorical Narrative book

PROJECT IS DUE FRIDAY 3/22

Week of March 18-22

Welcome to the last Quarter of the 2018-2019 School Year!

This week students will be working on an Societal Issue Allegorical Narrative Project for the majority of the week. They will be creating a narrative children's book that serves as an allegorical tale to explain important facts of an issue and the possible outcomes that result from the issue.

Students will be graded progressively on this project, meaning that they will work on the project in class, and each day will receive a Classwork grade for that day's component toward completing the project. The Final Project will be a Summative grade.

Monday, March 18: Planning the narrative
Tuesday, March 19: Developing the story
Wednesday, March 20: First Draft of Narrative Due
Thursday, March 21: Final Draft
Friday, March 22: Completed Children's Book

The students should be creative as well as thoughtful in developing their projects!

To Access Elements of Poetry PPT:
1.  On the right side of the blog above the picture, CLICK ON "CLASS DOCUMENT LIBRARY"
2.  You will see "Document & Presentations: Sharepoint,"  CLICK ON THOSE WORDS
3.  You will be taken to a list of documents and presentations from class. 
4.  The "Elements of Poetry" is pinned to the top of the page.
5.  Click to open and review terms.

March 11-15

Activities and Assessments for the Week: 
*subject to change based on student needs and pacing

Monday
Major Individual Summative Grade (60%) of overall grade) This has been pushed to Tuesday due to ELA meeting.
Instead students will annotate the poem "Invictus" in their Literature Circles and turn in at the end of class. 
Students will receive a project assignment on allegories.

Brief Constructed Response: 

• Paired reading analysis of two poems the students studied last week.
• Identify and compare/contrast the themes of the poems
• Constructed Writing Prompt:

1. Write a response covering the poetic devices and themes of the "cold reading" poem to that of the poem we read last week—"An Obstacle." 
2. Compare similarities of the themes in both poems; identify the differences between the poems using academic language.

Tuesday
Allegories: Characteristics of allegories.
Understand the narratives of the Holocaust
Read excerpt of "Night" in SpringBoard class textbook
Begin reading and analyzing of short story "Terrible Things," and identify the elements of allegories
Teacher will work with each group individually to check and guide their understanding.

Wednesday
Continue to read "Terrible Things"—Work in Literature Circles to identify allegorical elements of this short story as it relates to real world issues. Identify its significance to the theme "Finding Light in Darkness."
Teacher will work with each group individually to check and guide their understanding.

Thursday
Literature Circle presents its inital discussions about "Terrible Things"
Review of poetic elements and allegorical characteristics

Friday
Summative Test (60% of overall grade)
Major Test covering:

• Poetic Devices
• Characteristics of Allegories
• Purpose of Literature Circles
• Identify elements of Unit 3 Embedded Assessment 3.1
• Brief Constructed Response over two poems—cold reading—compare and contrast the poems' themes and poetic devices.

Final Date Summative Essay from Unit 2

The Argumentative Essay the students did in the last unit was due on February 15. Students were told that if they didn't like the grade they earned, they could revise their essay, and the final deadline was today, March 8. The students had an opportunity to work on the essay two more times after the due date in the computer lab and submit the essay through SpringBoard Revision Assistant. They have until midnight tonight (March 8) to submit their final essays, along with their in-text citations, and annotated bibliography. All these requirements and the rubric were provide to students three weeks ago, along with a checklist.

March 4—8, 2019

Monday:
Computer Lab for opportunity to work on Revisions of E.A. 2.2 (Argumentative Essay)
Write your own example of one of the poetic elements
Prepare for Elements of Poetry Quiz

Tuesday:
Literature Circles and Member Roles: SpringBoard
Practice Literature Circle Participation with Paired Poetry
Analyze "The Obstacle" poem (due today)
Elements of Poetry Quiz (Moved to Friday, March 8)

Wednesday:
Business Lab: Opportunity to Revision Embedded Assessment:
E.A. 2.2--Argumentative Essay on Debatable Topic
**Last day to turn in or make final revisions 3/8/2019

Thursday:
Review "An Obstacle"--poem assigned Tuesday
Work in Literature Groups to review poem

Paired poem "Invictus" will be use on Monday's Brief Constructed Essay which a SUMMATIVE GRADE (60% of total grade).

Friday:
Students finished annotating "An Obstacle." That assignment was turned in today for a Classwork grade. Students were informed, as they were Thursday, that Monday was going to be a SUMMATIVE GRADE for a paired poem analysis with "An Obstacle" and another poem.

Summative Assessment Week of March 4 (60% of overall grade!)

REMEMBER: Students have been working on Elements of Poetry this week. They have read the poem "Mother to Son," by Langston Hughes. Last week they were analyzing this poem in preparation for a reading of a "paired reading" summative assessment next week. They will be analyzing two new poems next week and writing a response to the poem using the elements and homework they should have been practicing in their poetry packets the week of February 24.
*Quiz: Elements of Poetry, Theme, and Literature Circles with Construction Response upcoming! Please study the elements of poetic devices PPT, which is pinned at the top of the "Class Document Libraray" page.

ALSO: Friday, March 8, is the last day to submit or resubmit your EA 2.2 essay through Revision Assistant in SpringBoard Digital. See the "Links" list on the right column to login to Clever and SpringBoard Digital. 
***Come in for tutoring on Tues. or Thurs. from 8—8:45 a.m. for help if you need it.

*This assessment has been postponed until Monday, March 11.