Mrs. Kim Barnett's Reading/Language Arts Class

 
~*~Week of November 17th-21st~*~

Writing~ The students rough draft of “Special Dinner/Thanksgiving Dinner 
Guest” is due Tuesday, November 18th.   Students are to write about a guest 
that they would invite to dinner.  I want to know who your inviting and why.  
Use lots of details.  Let me know what you and your special guest will be 
eating.  

Reading~ This week we are going to finish My Louisiana Sky.  

English~ We are working on Possessive Nouns/Plural Possessive and Pronouns.

Monday Night’s Homework~ P2 and P3 complete illustration from My Louisiana 
Sky.  You must write a summary on the back of your illustration of what we 
read in class today (pages 91-132).  The summary must be at least 2 
paragraphs with 8 sentences in each paragraph.


~*~Week of November 10th-14th~*~

This Week we are focusing on Reading and English skills for the UNIT TEST 
that will be on Friday, November 14, 2008.  I'm breaking up the study guide 
into 3 days.  We will not be reading a selection from the text this week due 
to reviewing.  However, we will be trying to finish "My Louisiana Sky."

Monday~ We worked on Vocabulary Terms and your child should have 15 terms 
with flashcards.  They need to start studying these terms!  We also made a 
Literary Genre Chart.  They should have put a checkmark or stars beside the 
following Genre's: Biography, Autobiography, Realistic Fiction, Historical 
Fiction, and Fantasy.  They must know each of these!  The Literary Genre 
chart should be colored, cut, and pasted.  It is due Wednesday.  

Monday Night's Homework~ Study Vocab. Flash Cards and the different types of 
Literary Genre's listed above.  

Tuesday~ This is our Computer Lab Day.  Students will be working on Study 
Island.  I have made assignments specifically for the Unit Test that is on 
Friday.  Students may work on this at home as well.  We will be on a shorter 
schedule today due to the Veteran's Day Parade and the Veteran's Day Program.

Wednesday Night's Homework~ Students are bringing home a reading 
comprehension packet with two reading selections and several questions.  We 
started these in class.  However, students are to complete it at home and 
have you review over the answers that they have selected.  Please sign the 
packet and send it back tomorrow.  This will be a grade in the gradebook.  
Students also used the reading textbooks to complete a list of reading 
comprehension skills that they will be tested on.  The skill and page number 
should be listed on a sheet of notebook paper.  Along with a summarized 
description of each skill.  We will be focusing on the English skills that 
will be tested on Friday.

Thursday Night's Homework~ We reviewed a lot of English material in class 
today.  Students will be tested on the following skills tomorrow: Run-on 
Sentences, Singular and Plural Nouns, Singular Possessive Nouns, and Plural 
Possessive Nouns.  We spent the entire classtime working on the following 
items from the textbook (your child is responsible for finishing these items):
~Run-on Sentences (pg. 48-49) #'s 1-5
~Singular and Plural Nouns (pgs. 70-71) #'s 1-27
~More Plural Nouns (pgs. 72-73) #'s 1-21
~Singular Possessive Nouns (pg. 74) #'s 1-6  **Excluding P3**
~Plural Possessive Nouns (pg. 76) #'s 1-6   **Excluding P3**

Students should have most of this completed already.  We did several examples 
on the board.  Don't forget that the UNIT TEST is tomorrow!




~*~Week of November 3rd-7th~*~

Writing~ Students were assigned a new Writing Prompt on Thursday, October 
30th.  They can choose from two prompts.  The first writing promt is "Giving 
Thanks."  They are to write about what they are thankful for and why.  I 
don't want a list of things saying "I'm thankful for..."  They need to go 
into detail about what they are thankful for and why.  The second prompt is "A
Turkey's Last Plea."  They are to write from a Turkey's Point of View.  It is 
November and getting close to Thanksgiving and at almost every dinner table 
thier will be a Turkey!!!  What is your last plea?  What are they planning to 
do with you on Thanksgiving?  Are you being saved by a family that is 
vegitarian?  Be creative and try not to be gorry! 

October 31st Homework~  You are to complete your rough draft of either 
prompt.  Make sure that you also have your brainstorming notes.  The rough 
draft and brainstorming notes are due on Monday, November 3rd.

READING~ This week we are reading "I Want to Vote." pages 448-464
Skill~ Setting (pages 446-447)
Comprehension Check~ page 465 #'s 1-5
Vocabulary Terms~ banners, stockings, trolley, headlines, splattered, parlor, 
pavement.
Selection Test~ The test is on Friday, November 7th.  Students need to know 
the vocabulary terms and also need to understand the story.

Propaganda (This is not in our reading text book, we are taking notes in 
class.  We are also discussing the different types of Propaganda.)  Below are 
notes about propaganda.)

Propaganda
Candidates naturally want the strongest, most effective advertising they can 
buy.  However, political advertisements often use Propaganda.  Propaganda is 
information that promotes a certain set of beliefs and opinions.  In 
propaganda, opinions are often presented as facts.  Propaganda is usually one-
sided and does not tell the whole story.  We will be discussing and analyzing 
several types of Propaganda.

Name Calling~ Giving an idea or opponent a bad name. 

Plain Folks~ Showing viewers that the candidate is "one of us," just an 
ordinary person.

Card Stacking~ Using facts and figures that favor on position while leaving 
out the facts and figures that support the other side.

Bandwagon~ Convincing us to vote for a candidate because he or she is the 
MOST POPULAR.

Testimonial~ Having some well-known person voice thier support for a 
candidate.

Empty Phrases~ Using broad statements which mean little but which create 
positive feelings, such as: "I believe in freedom, peace, and the American 
way."

MONDAY NIGHT'S HOMEWORK~ Read this week's story to someone at home tonight.  
TUESDAY NIGHT'S HOMEWORK~ Reading: complete Reading workbook packet pages 
201, 202, and 203.


Thank you sooooooooo much for all that you do with your child at home!  It 
truly makes a difference.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me here at 
school by phone or email.  

Thank you for your support.

~MS. KIM~