More Time on Drums

Some classes will need a little longer to finish the novel. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week we will be working on the computers. Students will be practicing iMovie and Garageband on the laptops. These two programs will be valuable in creating multimedia projects in the future. Once you become familiar with the programs, you should visit the computer lab after school to get more practice and create your own projects.

We need pictures and video of any Kimbrough events for our team 7-3 "Night at the Movies." Please contact Ms. McDaniels if you have any pictures or video clips we could use.

Finish Drums, Girls, & Dangerous Pie & Turn in Robinson Questions

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, we will finish reading the novel Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie. We will also turn in the questions done from Read XL on Jackie Robinson. Make sure to use the OER strategy discussed in class to answer number one on the comprehension check questions. It is very important to practice this strategy, so make sure to use it when answering this question.

Week 8 SAT Words

Allay (a lā′) to soothe; to make more bearable
· The teacher allayed the student’s fears of failure by providing him with extra help in math.
· The malodorous odors coming from the closet did not allay the potential homeowner’s anxiety about purchasing the home.

Epitome (i pit′ ə mē) something that perfectly represents an entire class of things
· Jason Witten is the epitome of a committed, classy professional football player.
· The Fonz was the epitome of cool!

Pedestrian (pi des′ trē ən) commonplace (another meaning: traveling on foot)
· Richard was in a quandary about changing his rather pedestrian job to something more tempestuous and exciting.
· The MISD employees’ vocabulary could never be described as pedestrian due to their extensive use of SAT words in everyday conversation!

On Wednesday, we reviewed how to answer open ended response questions like we discussed on #14 of "Baby Stephen" on the last Milestone test. After a brief review, we read Jackie Robinson from the Read XL p. 78. We briefly discussed the photo essay as we listened to the reading. We pointed out that this essay is non-fiction. As a piece of non-fiction writing, it is based on facts, the text is divided into sections with subheadings, and there are pictures with captions describing the pictures. We also discussed point-of-view as we read this essay. The essay is written from the voice of Jackie Robinson, making it first person point of view. Read the first page and see if you can tell the difference in the speaker on the second page. This is a good example of first person point of view.

On Thursday, we read from Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie for most of the period. In most classes, we made it up to the chapter titled "I'm a Man Now," but some classes might be a little ahead or behind.

Friday was AR day. We read our library books all period and took AR tests. You must have your five points by next Friday, which is the 30th of October. Please come and talk to me if you are going to have a problem meeting this requirement. We did receive a grade in class Friday for AR participation.

7-3 Night At The Movies

Team 7-3 is tentatively scheduling a movie night for Tuesday, November 17, 2009. We will meet in the cafeteria from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. Popcorn and cokes will be served while parents and students watch our feature presentation. The presentation will consist of various pictures and video clips from 7-3 extra curricular activities and some academic content as well. If you are a parent or student on team 7-3, please plan to attend this event. Additional posts will confirm the time and date, so please check back soon for details.

Week 7 SAT Words

Descry (di skri′) to discern; to catch sight of something that is difficult to see
· Through the mist they could descry the form of the hungry, one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater munching on a bag of purple Skittles.
· Can you descry the ghostly form through the trees?

Malign (mə līn′) to say bad things about; slander
· Flozel is often maligned for his plethora of penalties (grrrrr).
· The angry student unjustly maligned the principal.

Vacillate (vac′ il lāt) to waver from one side to the other
· While the skier vacillated about whether to use Vaseline or Chapstick, his lips got chapped.
· Laura loves chocolate and vacillates between Snickers and Milky Way as her favorite.

OER Questions for the TAKS Test

We covered open ended response questions in class today. We talked about the questions on the test "Baby Stephen." We specifically discussed question #14, which asks about a conflict Victor faces in the story.

All open ended response answers must include a statement that directly answers the question. The statement should be followed by some specific piece of evidence (quote) from the passage. Then, the next sentence should explain the importance of the quote.

Next, the writer must include a second piece of evidence (another quote) that supports the original statement. The following sentence should explain the importance of the quote, just as done with the first quote.

So, all open ended responses should include:

1. a statement that answers the question
2. evidence that supports the answer
3. an explanation of the evidence
4. more evidence that supports the answer
5. another explanation (of the second piece of evidence)

SAT Words -- Week 6

Amity n. (am′ ə tē) peaceful relations; friendship
· The amity between the rival football teams creates a strangely noncompetitive atmosphere.
· The learning atmosphere was enhanced by the perfect amity in the classroom between the teacher and students.

Garrulous adj. (gar′ â lous) very talkative; loquacious
· My garrulous seat mate on the plane drove me crazy with his constant talking.
· A garrulous student often has trouble complying with classroom discipline rules.

Vehement adj. (vē′ ə ment) with ardor; energetically or violently forceful
· Rather than showing any contrition, the crook vehemently denied any wrongdoing.
· Tony suffered vehement criticism due to his mediocre play against Denver.

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie

As we continue to read from the novel Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie in class, most classes made it to the chapter titled "Trouble." In the previous chapters, "Take Me" and "Fever," we saw Steven's mother helping him get ready for the school dance and telling him how handsome he was, while he was thinking he looked like the original "dorkmaster." We come to the conclusion that Steven's opinion ("Dorkmaster") is probably a more accurate description as his mother reminds him to zip up his fly and Steven throws on a black band (geek) t-shirt. The chapter ends with Steven asking God to please "Take Me" (instead of Jeffrey) because his mother rushes in to the dance wearing her sweat pants. She asks the DJ to stop the music and call Steven Alper to the front. Steven is so embarrassed, but his mother is in a total panic because Jeffrey has.... you guessed it.... "Fever."

In the next chapter, "Fever," we get an inside look at exactly what Jeffrey has been going through in the hospital. It is ironic because in earlier chapters Steven had sarcastically referred to Jeffrey's hospital stays as "Vacation." Once Steven spends a little time with Jeffrey in the hospital and watches as Jeffrey is poked with needles and exposed to cold, scary machines, he realizes that it is no vacation to be in Jeffrey's shoes. Steven does a good job comforting his brother in the hospital and pretends to be one of Jeffrey's favorite toys, Matt Medic. Jeffrey is glad that Steven is there with him in the hospital.

Many of the chapters in this book seem to end in suspense. This is a good way to keep the reader involved and eager to keep reading. We are still in the rising action of the plot. All of the action in the plot is focused around the conflict (Jeffrey's cancer).

WeeK 5 SAT Words

Demur v. (dē mur′) to object mildly
· She politely demurred when the stranger asked her to dinner.
· When the discussion turned anti Cowboys, she had to demur with a smile.

Indolence n. (in′ də ləntz) laziness
· If you study with indolence, it will definitely be reflected by poor grades.
· Indolent behavior is not conducive to a successful career.











Philanthropy n. (fə lan′ thrə pē) improvement of the world through charity
· The philanthropy of our students during times of crisis is an inspiration to all.
· Rather than purchase homecoming mums, the students decided to find a philanthropic way to spend their money that would benefit children in other countries.

9/29 - 10/2

In reading class this week, we have gone over the answers to the first benchmark test that was taken on 9/9/09. This test included the passages on "Allison's Gift," "Mikhail's List," and the newspaper article on Luis Jimenez's alligator sculpture in El Paso. Make sure you understand all of the correct answers on this benchmark. It is very important.

Today (Thursday 10/1) we will begin discussing non-fiction, which is based on fact. We will review some common factors that characterize non-fiction, such as subheadings, pictures, and captions. Next we will read a passage from the Read XL book on page 166 titled, "Doctors Without Borders." After reading the passage aloud and silently reading pages 170 - 171, students will complete the questions on pages 172-173, Talk About It, Comprehension Check, and Vocabulary Check.

Tomorrow we will go to the computer lab to begin learning how to use the program iMovie. Bring your flash drive with pictures on it!!!

You will receive 50 points on Friday for bringing your library book to the computer lab. You will receive another 50 points for having your KMS book completely filled out for this six weeks. These two grades will be combined together for 100 points.

Please continue to read your library book and work on your AR goal.