Important Assignment Due Dates & Assessment Dates
UPDATED 12:20pm, 11/30/09
Quarterly Nonsense ACE Weekly Quest Root
Assessment #2 Quiz Quiz Word #2 Quiz 2
Quiz
A Block: 2/1 Any Day Any Day Any Day 1/14 1/20
B Block: 2/2 Any Day Any Day Any Day 1/15 1/20
C Block: 2/2 Any Day Any Day Any Day 1/13 1/21
D Block: 2/3 Any Day Any Day Any Day 1/13 1/19
E Block: 2/1 Any Day Any Day Any Day 1/14 1/19
*Please Note: The above dates might be changed due to snow day school
cancellations. The great prognosticator Phineas Frogmorton has predicted this
to be a VERY snowy winter, so expect changes in due dates.
"Any Day" means that this quiz can happen unannounced (ie: pop quiz).
Students practice these skills weekly and should be prepared to demonstrate
their abilities at any time.
For more information on any of the above assignments or quizzes, please visit
the FAQ section of this website:
http://teacherweb.com/MD/FQMS/MrBatson/faq1.aspx
____________________________________________________________________
All Information below are from previous years. Please ignore.
A Block:
B Block:
C Block:
D Block:
E Block:
ALL STUDENTS: Please be advised that students are required to have a
fiction book to read in Reading Class EVERY DAY for DEAR Time.
About the Reading Quest...
The Reading Quest is an adventure game based on students' reading totals for
the month. It takes the place of the normal "reading log" and requires
students to read across many genres.
�Students now have a "yellow" colored Reading Quest Packet. Parents review
the
boxed "Questlist." These are the texts the students must read. Unlike a normal
scavenger hunt where it's okay to skip some items, the Quest requires students
to read EVERY ITEM ON THE QUESTLIST.
�Students must time their readings and record them (with all requested
details) on the Quest Chart.
�Parents must sign to verify that each reading has been completed. (Parents,
if you want to sign once and initial the others, that's fine.)
�Students must total all reading statistics at the end of the packet.
�Disclaimer: The Quest is designed to build a student's background knowledge
of ALL of their other subjects: math, social studies, science, english, art,
health, FACS, etc. Because of this, students cannot use their school textbooks
or teacher supplied handouts, articles, packets, or texts of any kind.
�Students must hunt each Questlist Item down and read them.
ROOT WORD VOCABULARY QUIZ#4 Words 1-100, INFO AND DUE DATES!
�Root words are word parts that came to the English language from other
"parent languages" like Greek, Latin, Hebrew, etc. These include prefixes,
base words, and suffixes. Learning root words will expand your child's
vocabulary and increase their performance on verbal test sections like the
MSAs, HSAs, and SATs.
�Students in my reading class are required to learn lists of 25 root words
at
a time, beginning with a drill called The Root Word Challenge in class. Ask
your child to explain.
�Students must memorize these root words, but also be able to recognize how
these words give meaning to other words in our language. Example: "chron" is a
root word meaning "time." Students must know that, but also be able to
recognize the meaning in words like chronic--something that occurs regularly
or repeatedly over time.
� To study, students must begin with memorization. Then, they should
practice
by looking up words that contain each root and analyzing the definition of
each from its root parts.
The 4th Root Word Quiz, covering words 1 thru 100 will be held:
B�block: Date 5/1
D�block: Date 5/2
E�block: Date 5/2
NOTE: You can download a .pdf file of all 100 Root Words. Just visit the
"Reading Document Download" page. To get there, click on the link above.
THE READING ROUND TABLE PROJECT **PARENTS PLEASE READ**
The Reading Round Table is a Long Term Project is a literature discussion
group made up of students who read and discuss a common text. Each student
completes a questionnaire to determine what role he/she will play in the
group. Example roles include: Swordbearer, Bard, Pathfinder, and Treasure
Hunter.
Your child should have a "role card" that explains everything he/she must do
to prepare a Task for each Round Table Meeting. A Swordbearer will turn in a
very different project from a Bard's project. In this way, a student's
individual talents can shine through the literature each reads for the
meeting.
Students have already selected the Round Table Novel they will read. Students
must:
� READ THE ENTIRE BOOK CAREFULLY (A 2nd Reading is Recommended)
� Complete all parts of his/her role task as outlined on Round Table Role
Card.
� Bring RRT Task on the date of the meeting.
� Participate in the Round Table Meeting as outlined on Round Table Role
Card.
Round Table Project #2 Due Dates:
B-Block: March 28th
D-Block: March 27th
E-Block: March 27th
Research Project: A Winning Hand
All Five Career Cards
and Self Grade Sheet Due:
A-Block: June
9, 2009
B-Block:
June 9, 2009
C-Block: June
10, 2009
D-Block: June
10, 2009
E-Block: June
11, 2009
Gandalf and the Roots of Research
Based on the movie clip we saw in class, answer questions 1-6 (page 2 and top
of page 3) in your Bat Guide to Research. Use complete sentences and be
detailed.
A Block: Pending
B Block: Pending
C Block: 5/11/09
D Block: Pending
E Block: 5/8/09
Assignment Sheet Check #2
Certainly TeacherEase makes this job much easier, but don't delay. All Reading
students should update their assigment sheet for 3rd Marking Period no
later than Thursday, March 26th. An update includes all available
grades to this point, all subtotals, etc.
THE READING ROUND TABLE PROJECT **PARENTS PLEASE READ**
The Reading Round Table is a Long Term Project, as well as, a literature
discussion group made up of students who read and discuss a common text. Each
student completes a questionnaire to determine what role he/she will play in
the group. Example roles include: Swordbearer, Bard, Pathfinder, and Treasure
Hunter.
Your child should have a "role card" that explains everything he/she must do
to prepare a Task for each Round Table Meeting. A Swordbearer will turn in a
very different project from a Bard's project. In this way, a student's
individual talents can shine through the literature each reads for the
meeting.
Students have already selected the Round Table Novel they will read. Students
must:
#1 READ THE ENTIRE BOOK CAREFULLY (A 2nd Reading is Recommended)
#2 Complete all parts of his/her role task as outlined on Round Table Role
Card.
#3 Bring RRT Task on the date of the meeting.
#4 Participate in the Round Table Meeting as outlined on Round Table Role
Card.
Round Table Project #3 Due Dates:
A-Block: April 16th
B-Block: April 15th
C-Block: April 15th
D-Block: April 14th
E-Block: April 14th
Note 1: The due date would have been earlier, but MSA Testing and Spring Break
pushed it back. SO, I've asked the FQMS Media Center to allow students to keep
the books for that long.
Note 2: Of course, snow days could still happen and change the due dates.
About Content Check Quizzes...
Students know this, but may not communicate it clearly to parents. I give two
types of quizzes: announced quizzes and check quizzes.
Announced Quizzes are those that require substantial home study
time--Root Word Quizzes, Quarterly Assessments, etc.
Check Quizzes (Pop quizzes) are not announced ahead of time. I like to
give this type of quiz after we've worked on a skill for several days, and I
feel the students are ready to prove their new skills have been learned. So,
if your child ever smugly replies, "I've finished all my reading homework,"
you can always remind them to study whatever we've been learning most recently
in class.
Reading Quest #4: *See below for more info on Reading Quest
A Block: Reading Quest Due 5/18
B Block: Reading Quest Due 5/21
C Block: Reading Quest Due 5/19
D Block: Reading Quest Due 5/22
E Block: Reading Quest Due 5/20
Final Root Word Quiz!
Study Words 1 thru 100!
A-Block: June 3, 2009
B-Block: June 3, 2009
C-Block: June 4, 2009
D-Block: June 4, 2009
E-Block: June
2, 2009
Note: The Entire List of Root Words for the Year is available on the
Reading Document Downloads Page. See the Link Bar up top!
Special Announcement
ALL STUDENTS: Having trouble memorizing your Root Words? Flash cards to the
rescue. Check out this cool site that has flash cards with your first two sets
of root words already created.
Here's the web address: http://www.flashcardmachine.com
1. You have to Register first (It's free).
2. Once registered, click on FlashCardDB (Flash card Database).
3. Then, under "Subject" drop down menu choose "English."
4. Type in "Batson" in the "Title" field.
5. Finally, click "Search" and you should get both sets: 1-25 and 26-50.
Special Thanks to Mrs. Nack for setting this up for us!
Here's an example of what a Root Word Quiz question might look like:
1. What's the best definition of: epicenter?
a) time of an earthquake, measured in number of hours, minutes, and seconds
b) the middle of the a machine that flies above the earth
c) located under or beneath
d) the point on the earth's surface directly above an earthquake's origin
e) a DVD rental place known for its selection of Kung Fu movies
What's the answer? How do you know? Search for the root(s) in the unknown
word: epicenter. See it? "epi" is a root word that means "above, over,
or beyond." Armed with this knowledge, you must know the answer is: D.
Always read ALL choices before you pick. Why are the others incorrect?
a) has nothing to do with epi AND it mentions "time" so the root "Chron"
should be in "epicenter." But it's not.
b) Oooh, this is tricky. Epi means above, so why isn't b) correct? Again,
notice that epicenter does not include the root "mech" for machine.
c) sub means under or beneath.
d) DING DING! Correct answer.
e) Is just as goofy as can be. I like to include a silly tension breaker
answer here and there for those kids who get tense during tests.
Here's another example:
1. What's the best definition of: biosubchronofer?
a) an underground animal that searches for clocks
b) the sound of a living creature scribbling on a chalkboard
c) the sound that a person makes after eating too many bean burritos
d)a person who writes letters to little animals who live above the clouds
e)a living creature that likes to carry off one of your shoes and hides it
under the sink
If you said e) was the best answer, you're right. It's the only answer that
uses bio+sub+chron+fer in its definition.
Finally, I like to include a comparison section where students must be able to
tell if two root words are similar in their definitions.
sub _____ epi (these are nearly opposites)
trans_____ epi (these two are nearly the same)
