A few things . . .

Spring Break Independent Reading Projects

A handful of you still have not turned in all parts of the Spring Break Independent Reading project: the reading log, reader's response, and artistic representation of your book. Remember that you lose points on this project every day that it is late. Additionally, if you do not turn it in, you cannot pass 4th quarter.

For those of you who did turn the project in on time, you will be getting your work back soon.

Executive Summary Update

We are now well into our Executive Summary unit. We began writing our polling reports late last week and will finish those up this week. Your interview notes are due tomorrow. We will finish up the interview write up next week, and should begin writing the Executive Summary iteself by the end of next week. Remember that the Executive Summary is the persuasive piece of this unit, when you finally get to express your opinion about the issue you have chosen and champion a solution to the problem.

What are you reading?

I feel that many of my students need to step it up a notch when it comes to their independent reading. We only have 9 weeks left of school and in that time, you all should complete the 25 Book Campaign! Everyone should be reading at least 30 minutes each night. I also want to encourage everyone to share what they are reading on this blog. So, I'll start . . .

I am reading a book called M.C. Higgins, the Great by Virginia Hamilton. I'm not very far into it, but so far, so good. Many of you will read this book yourselves during our upcoming author study.

Have a good night, everyone.

Spring Break Updates

Trackstar: I have added several more links to the Trackstar page. Specifically, I have added links to sites on the issues of crowded schools, dirty schools, and bike racks. Remember that you can use the link and track numbers listed in the post below to access this useful resource.

Independent Reading Task: Remember that you all should be working on the independent reading task that is due when you return to school next week. When you come back to class on April 11th, you should be prepared to:

• Hand in a reading log, Reader's Response, and artistic representation of the book you finished over the break
• Give your 2-3 minute presentation in which you summarize your book, explain which task you chose, and tell your classmates about how you artistically represented the important ideas of the book

I hope you all are having a wonderful break! I know I am. Take care and see you next week!