ACCELERATED SEVENTH GRADE LESSON PLAN LOG
For the Week of April 8, 2013
Mrs. Schacher
Class: ELA-5, 6 Accelerated Seventh Grade
Monday
April 8, 2013
Tuesday
April 9, 2013
Wednesday
April 10, 2013
PLAN
(Remember that the “Assignments” page on the web site has more
information about assignments mentioned in the lesson plans.)
The overhead screen reminded students about turning in their project for The Pearl if they took an extension. The
brushstrokes handout wasn’t mentioned directly on the screen, but it was due, too. I will not be grading the essays
that were turned in today, but I will go through the done basket to verify that I received an assignment. If someone
didn’t turn in his or her project, then I will make a zero on the grade if he or she was present today. Students have
two days from the due date to hand in their project, but each day of delay encounters a late score. However, several
people were absent today, and their project is due on their first day back at school and will be scored up to the full
value.
I reviewed the handout that will start the student-directed discussion. Tomorrow, students will have some time in
class to complete Parts A and B of this handout. The paragraph responses will be due later in the week. Students
need to read Lois Lowry’s “Newbery Acceptance Speech,” which is in the novel directly after chapter twenty-two.
Lowry explains her decision to use an ambiguous ending for her writing. I encouraged students who like her writing
to pursue the other companion novels: Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son, which is her most recent and final book
in the groupings of stories.
We discussed the overview for the week. I reminded fifth hour that they may not have much lab time on April 15,
because we have a fire drill planned for that day. I encouraged them to plan to have their essay finished prior to the
Monday. They could use the time (if we have some) for extra peer edits.
We read some mentor texts for student written essays for The Pearl. If you were absent today, then you may borrow
the student examples. We discussed the positives for the papers. Several students invested significant efforts to
write their paper.
During sixth hour, a letter went out to families. I will have a copy of that letter for each person who was absent.
We continue to review and discuss The Giver by using a sequence chart and plot line element series for the ten major
events in the novel. Students thought on their own about ordering the events, and then we discussed the order. I
encouraged students who had any incorrect order points to reread those sections of the novel.
I reminded students about their essay for Lowry’s novel that is due on Monday. In addition, I stressed the expectations
for notes from their reading. Students were given the choice as far as a note format; however, without notes, it is
difficult to develop a solid literary analysis.
Students had a student-led discussion about matching examples from Lowry’s novel to six sets of themes for the novel.
Students had to defend their position. If other students had the same choice, then they said “agree.” If a student had a
different perspective, then he or she could present with examples their alternative idea. The purpose of this discussion
was to reinforce the essential reasoning of using text to solidify their understanding of the possible themes from The
Giver.
I passed out a thesis handout for creating a thesis in a four step process. I reviewed the two ways: based on a novel or
based on a subject. On the other side of the handout was a writing tool for scribing a quality paragraph: FODP: Focus,
Organization, Development, Purpose. This handout will help students continue to think about and plan for quality
paragraph construction.
We met in the media lab. We had only thirty-five minutes of class due to EXPLORE testing this morning.
Unfortunately, several students have procrastinated thinking about the essay for The Giver. Though I am not going to
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“slow” the work pace, I am going to allow students to hand in their essay on Wednesday, April 17 for up to full credit.
Several students admitted that they hadn’t read the directions, which were given with the reading calendar on March
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18 . At that time, I encouraged students to take notes with the purpose for writing this analytical essay. I decided to
highlight key parts of the directions and talk about the expectations, because I felt as if students were making it into a
more complicated assignment than it was. I had extra copies for students who misplaced the one sided handout. I
reminded students about their literary essay checklist handout that they received with “The Dinner Party” example. I
encouraged students to email me if they had further questions.
We discussed the Part C essay part of The Giver handout that we used to start our discussion in class yesterday. We
talked about the expectations of each paragraph. Students need to email me and include an attachment with those
three paragraphs by Thursday at midnight. They will have all of the class period to word process, which I emphasized
today. Other than starting a new reading log tomorrow, they will have the chunk of time to work on their projects.
Students received a manila folder for the Holocaust unit, their KWL chart, and Holocaust vocabulary.
Students need to fill out the K and W portions of the KWL chart. We discussed how they may use bullets to list what
they know (K) about the Holocaust and what they would (W) like to know about the Holocaust. Students have to
complete this as homework. It is due tomorrow at the beginning of class.
I handed out their first third trimester academic vocabulary packet: appositive phrase, prepositional phrase, internal
conflict, and external conflict for seventh grade words and audience, bibliography, works cited, evidence, extraneous
information, mood, business letter, friendly letter for eighth grade words. Some of the words are review from other
trimesters. This list of words is used in all classes across the ELA department. Sometimes, words will overlap. I have
taught all of these words except a few have been mention or briefly visited but I need to show some examples and
Thursday
April 11, 2013
Friday
April 12, 2013
discuss the words with an opportunity to ask questions: extraneous information, mood, business letter and friendly
letter. I will visit these four vocabulary words next week. Students need to work with this packet, but it won’t be due
until the end of next week.
I reminded students that today was the last day to turn in their late Reading Log #1.
Students received their Holocaust Web Hunt. I briefly discussed the format for the project. Students will visit the United
States Holocaust Museum website to read articles and answer questions about those articles. I reminded students that
the map illustrations and their captions were part of the article information. In fact, a few of the answers can only be
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found in those captions. The Holocaust Web Hunt is due by Friday, April 12 . If students are absent on Friday, then it
will be due on Monday.
Meet in the media lab.
Word processing time for the three paragraph Part C essay responses and The Giver essay.
Holocaust Web Hunt work time, too.
Reading Log #2 starts today.
Send your paragraph writings for PART C of the handout as an attachment to an email to me. If you need help with this
then ask me.
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MacAirs for 5 and 6 hours
The Holocaust Web Hunt is due today. You must turn it in with your Holocaust manila folder.
Remember we will be in the media lab on Monday.
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Homework
Due Dates
Reading Log #1 was due on March 28, 2013. You may still turn in a late reading log until Wednesday, April 10 . After
that date the zero will stay.
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Reading Log #2 will start on April 11 and it is due on April 18 .
Paragraphs responses to PART C of the handout is due as an email attachment to me by midnight on Thursday, April
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11 . KWL chart is due at the beginning of the hour on Thursday.
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The Holocaust Web Hunt is due on Friday, April 12 .
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The essay for The Giver is due on Wednesday, April 17 .