Graded Assignments

QUARTER 1
Parent Letter (10 points)- Due 8-28 Students were required to take home the letter, get it signed by a parent/guardian, and return it. Full points were awarded for on time returns and points taken off according to the late policy for late returns. Tuk the Hunter Imagery (5 points)- Due 8-28 I read a nature adventure story about an Inuit boy named Tuk to the students from a modern folktales collection. The students created imagery to go along with the story as a comprehension check for understanding. Nature Adventure Stories (10 points) Due 8-29 Students wrote their own nature adventure stories in line with the Tuk the Hunter story. Million Word March Math Practice (15 points) Due 9-9 In preparation for the million word campaign and in line with our district math goal for this school year, students learned how to calculate the average words in books they read, how many words they would need to read per school night to reach a million words this year, and how many minutes per night they need to read personally. My Name Vignette (10 points)- Due 9-18 After reading a vignette by Sandra Cisneros from A House on Mango Street, students learned about the way Cisneros uses her given name and the name she wishes she had to describe her true self, the person she wants to be. Then, students answered a series of questions to help them start writing their own name vignette, choosing a new name to capture their best or true future self, including a mini-story exemplifying their character traits as well as vivid descriptions. Scramble Stories (10 points) Due 10-14 Choosing from a brainstormed class list of genres (types of story i.e. romance, drama, action) and a list of settings (where the story happens), students developed their own short fictional story that also had to include two random nouns/verbs they were given on index cards (also developed by the class). They were also required to dress up their nouns and verbs with adjectives and adverbs and use complete sentences! Afterwards, many students shared their stories out loud with the class. PB & J Story (10 points) - Due 10-15 In this fun assignment, students practiced sequence by creating a piece of instructional writing, a howto story explaining in great detail how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. They practiced

using complete sentences that are grammatically correct and with vivid descriptions, using adjectives and adverbs to dress up their nouns and verbs. With student help, I narrated the sandwich making process live in class.

QUARTER 2
How-To Stories (100 points)- Due 10-28 Students researched and created their own how-to stories explaining how to do something like groom a horse or survive the bus after a volleyball game. The goal was to use great detail, vivid descriptions with dressed up nouns and verbs, and complete sentences. They were also asked to use paragraph form. The stories were written in second person. Their grade was based partly on improvement from the rough draft and the final. The rough draft was improved by using a self-editing checklist and making corrections that were to be incorporated into the final draft. The final draft was either typed or rewritten. The final stories were also performed in front of the class. Woodsong Paragraph & Essay Practice (5 and 10 points)- Due 11-12 We are reading the non-fiction book Woodsong by Gary Paulsen in class. This story of wilderness adventures provides ample opportunity to build vocabulary and practice reading comprehension. We practiced summarizing through the writing process of creating a paragraph in true form with five sentences, topic, details (3), and concluding. We also used a web brainstorming technique to create an outline for an essay with five paragraphs: introductory, three main ideas with details, and concluding. Students are practicing writing a proper essay, linking personal experience to the literature we read. Field Trip Word Painting (10 points) Due 11-19 After returning from our service learning field trip to Elk Creek where we planted trees and removed invasive species to help restore the riparian ecosystem, students used their five senses to describe their experiences using words, painting a picture with word images. Final ROW Poem (20 points) Due 11-25 Using the word paintings from the field trip as a basis, students added and applied two new poetry techniques (out of five total) to their writing to create nature poetry about the watershed we visited and live in. They had the option of submitting their final typed product to the River of Words Poetry Contest with the grand prize being a trip to San Francisco. Questioning Poetry I (11 points) Due 11-26 Students learned to analyze a poem of their choosing, answering questions about the authors techniques, tone, and audience. Questioning Poetry II (10 points) Due 12-4

Students practiced analyzing a piece of writing with a new poem of their choice, answering the same questions as with the first Questioning Poetry handout. The Man Who Planted Trees (14 points) Due 12-5 We read aloud while students followed along on their copy a story about a man who planted thousands of trees in a barren place, transforming it form a wasteland to an oasis. Not only did he bring the water back, but also uplifted the lives of the villagers. Students answered questions about the story, including the main message, theme, and analyzing the main character. Wangari Maathai Character Questions (12 points) Due 12-10 Students read three short passages about the Nobel Peace prize winner Wangari Maathai whose leadership led to the planting of millions of trees in Kenya and other parts of Africa, not only transforming lives for rural women but empowering a nation to choose better leaders. Students answered questions about her character, her actions, and the result of her lifes work. The goal was of this assignment is reading comprehension. Tree Planter Venn Diagram (6 points) Due 12-10 Students compared the tree planting characters we read about in the last two assignments using a graphic organizer that assists students in finding similarities and differences visually. Purposeful Poem (Haiku) (10 points) Due 12-17 Students applied their new knowledge of author purpose and audience as learned in the previous reading comprehension activities by writing their own poetry with a specific and designated audience and purpose. The students also learned a poetic technique called haiku with a set number of syllables in each line of the poem.