November 14 - 18

Assignments listed here represent the "Plan" for the week.  Plans of course are subject to change as needed, so this should not be considered the last word on what will take place in class or will be assigned for homework.  When plans do change however, the changes will be reflected here (hopefully by the evening of the day in which they are known to exist).

Book Projects and Presentations are Due December 21.

Ott Class Help Pass
clip and use for the week of
11/14

Students who need extra assistance or need to discuss their projects may clip this pass and use it to see me Tuesday - Thursday in the morning before school.

Extra Help is available this week.

Students may use this pass to get help with assigned work
or to discuss Book Projects and Presentations.

Students without passes may not be permitted
to enter the
building before school.

All 7th Grade ELA Classes

Monday

  • Students will then be introduced to The Independent Reading Project that is due December 21st.  This is a project students will complete with their chosen and approved independent reading novel.  Students with a book in progress need to discuss the book with me prior to assuming that it will be appropriate for their project.  Students who begin new novels with this project in mind should also get approval from me for their selection.  This is not a project that can satisfactorily be completed at the last minute, so students who have difficulty managing long term projects should use their calendar to establish some target dates for the competion of the parts.  Students are encouraged to get feedback from Mr. Ott as they work on the development of their project as he will give them as much feedback as they request along the way.  Students who begin reading and planning for the completion of the project early will limit the amount of stress that can be experienced when one pushes a deadline to the limit.
  • WIN Time - Students will use WIN time to focus on targeted reading and writing weekly work.

Homework: Students should read their independent reading novel for 30 minutes tonight and document their reading on their reading log.  Progress on their book project book is essential. Students also have 2 Word Work words due by the end of the week.

Tuesday

  • Students will begin class with a review some of the writer's techniques they using to create an engaging version of their personal narrative. 

  • Students will then be given time to use the plan they created last week to begin the first draft of their stories.  Students will be encouraged to push for the 1/2 way point of the draft before moving on to finishing up their weekly work.  I will be drafting my story right along with the kids as they will see me struggle to get my own tale effectively told.

  • WIN Time - Students will use WIN time to focus on targeted reading and writing weekly work.

Homework: Students should read their independent reading novel for 30 minutes tonight and document their reading on their reading log.  Progress on their book project book is essential. Students also have 2 Word Work words due by the end of the week.

Wednesday

  • Students will begin class with a mini-lesson focusing on the positive attributes of a classmate's personal narrative.  We will examine the student work and discuss what this student is doing well. 
  • Students will then be given time to complete the first drafts of their personal narratives and attempt to integrate the noted strategies into their own work.  Students who have completed their narratives will be encouraged to look for opportunities to apply these strategies to improve their work.
Homework: Students should read their independent reading novel for 30 minutes tonight and document their reading on their reading log.  Progress on their book project book is essential. Students also have 2 Word Work words due by the end of the week.

Thursday

  • Students will begin the day with a look at the evaluation rubric and checklist for the personal narrative.

  • They will then use these tools to collaboratively evaluate Mr. Ott's 1st Draft and to give him feedback in an effort to help him improve his story.  They will be completing this same process with their own drafts tomorrow.  Results will be reviewed and discussed.

  • WIN Time - Students will use WIN time to focus on targeted reading and writing weekly work.

Homework: Students should read their independent reading novel for 30 minutes tonight and document their reading on their reading log.  Progress on their book project book is essential. Students also have 2 Word Work words due by the end of the week.

Friday

  • Students will begin class the Friday Funny Bone activity.  This is an inferential activity where students examine a Gary Larson cartoon, draw conclusions about it, and construct a possible caption that attempts to not only make sense out of the image, but also make it funny.

  • Students will then review the process for peer evaluation and feedback of the Personal Narrative.

  • Students will share a copy of their narrative and their evaluation rubric with two classmates, who will then collaboratively read, evaluate, and give constructive feedback to the writer.  Studets will discuss their interaction with each other's papers.  Students who wish to get additional feedback from a classmate from another team may do so once thie process has been completed within the team.

  • WIN Time - Students will use WIN time to focus on targeted reading and writing weekly work.

Homework: Students should read their independent reading novel for 30 minutes tonight and document their reading on their reading log.  Progress on their book project book is essential. Students also have 2 Word Work words due by the end of the week.