3/3/14 - 3/7/14

Monday:
Classwork: We will take a brief benchmark assessment. We will grade it ourselves and track what skills we need to focus on improving.
Homework: Read independent reading book for 30 minutes. Parents, please make sure your child is actually doing this. Silent sustained reading will help our students with vocabulary and comprehension. Your child should always be able to tell you the title of the his/her book and details from the book.

Tuesday:
Classwork: Another short day due to inclement weather…
We will purge our binders and clear out all dated items in the Language Arts section. We will begin our rotations.
Rotation #1 - Grammar: Read information about active and passive voice and complete the activity links: active vs. passive. Log in on Noredink.com and complete the assigned grammar activities.

Rotation #2 - (Optional b/c of snow day) Reading Literature and Reading Informational texts: Reader the CDC's Preparedness 101: Zombie Pandemic graphic novel. When finished explore the CDC website and answer the following questions:
1) Describe the responsibilities of the CDC.
2) Why would such a serious government organization create a zombie graphic novel? What relevance does it have to society?
3) Did Todd have a good emergency plan set up? Use details from the text to support your answer.
4) Describe the interdependence of the characters in the graphic novel. Was teamwork at play? Describe the connectedness and its benefits or detriments.

Homework: Read 30 minutes.

Wednesday:
Part of our curriculum is learning about using transitional phrases, domain-specific language, and verb moods in our writing. In order to make these topics a bit more engaging, I've tied them in with a 3-day zombie unit. See the Zombie project below. I've also given an example of an appropriate response to Task #1. For this task, make sure to highlight your domain-specific vocabulary and underline your transitional phrases.

Need more background knowledge about zombies? Watch these video clips:  What is a Modern Zombie? and How do zombies attack

Don't remember what a transitional phrase is? Click on the following link for a list: transitional phrases/words

Domain specific vocabulary contains words that are relevant to a specific skill set or topic. For example, a layup is a domain specific word that is relevant to the sport of basketball.

Here are the project guidelines: Zombie project
Look at this model for help with Task #1, Wednesday's homework: Model response for zombie task #1

Homework: Complete Task #1 of the zombie project. See guidelines sheet and follow the 3 step process for completing the task.