Second Nine Weeks Benchmark

You will take the second nine weeks benchmark for English class today. Do your best and read every question thoroughly. The test is set up for you to progressively do well as you learn material throughout the year. This means, you have not yet learned some of the material covered on the test. That's ok! You should still do your best on every question.

We have covered information for questions 1-16 already this year. 

• Once you are finished with the test, it will give you a chance to review answers before you make the final submission.  
• The next page will show you a Certificate of Achievement. You will need to use this page to complete your Target Tracker/Reflection. DO NOT close this page until you have completely finished your Target Tracker/Reflection. 
• While the benchmark itself is not for a grade, you will get a grade for the reflection sheet.  
• Use the information on the Grade Report page to see which questions you got correct and incorrect. Then, complete the reflection questions on the board on the back of your sheet. 

Once you click on the link below, you will enter in your correct name first and last. No nicknames.

English Benchmark

Creative Writing-Grinch

We have spent a couple of weeks on grammar, prepositions, direct objects, and predicate words. It's time to revisit some creative writing to keep up those skills! Students will need to rewrite the story with the Grinch as the hero throughout the plot (instead of the villain). Your narrative should be about two pages long, and it should include characters, a good plot, and avoid "dead" verbs whenever possible. You may be able to use some suspense strategies, too! There is a document on Google Classroom for you to brainstorm and draft your story. There is also a link on the document where you can view a reading of the original book by Dr. Seuss "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" as an inspiration if you have your own headphones.

This is going to be a practice of "low-stakes" writing. Students should be more concerned with creativity and a cohesive plot than mechanical mistakes or grammar. 

Here is a timeline for the writing process with this piece:

• Tuesday- Inspiration/brainstorm
• After the test, use your head phones to listen to the video below as inspiration. 
• Once you finish, you will brainstorm an idea for your narrative where the Grinch is not the villain. Once you are finished brainstorming, you can begin your rough draft. The story should be about 2 pages long. 
• There is a document on Google Classroom for you to brainstorm and draft your story. 
• Wednesday- Brainstorm/Rough Draft
• If you didn't get to it yesterday, begin by brainstorming a way to make the Grinch the hero of the story instead of the villain. 
• As you write your rough draft
• Add dialogue and good descriptive details to your story. 
• Make sure you are "showing" the reader what is happening through details and description rather than "telling" them. Add details and description whenever possible
• Remove the "dead" verbs from the story. The dead verbs tombstone is in a previous post on the blog. 
• Characters, details, description, dialogue, and a good plot. 
• Thursday
• Finish Rough Draft
• Read your rough draft and make revisions if necessary
• Make sure you have the creative/narrative requirements above

Verbs, DO/IO, PA/PN Review

We will have a test on the recent grammar work we have been doing on Tuesday, 12/12/17.

In order to prepare, students will review in class on Wednesday with a Quizizz. Students may take the quiz on Quizizz at home as a study tool as many times as they'd like.
Here are the instructions to take the Quizizz:
1. Open Quizizz in your browser
2. Enter the 6-digit game code 322140  , and click "Proceed"
3. Now enter your name and click "Join Game!"
4. You will get an avatar, and then see a "Start Game" button. Click it to begin!


On Thursday, students will complete a practice test in class. We will go over the answers together on Monday. If you have misplaced the copy given to you, you may print a new one here:

Verbs, DO/IO, PA/PN Practice Test

Reading Tests

There are a few upcoming tests in reading class.

Roots Test (Roots 7-15) on Friday 12/8/17. We will have a review day in class on Thursday, 12/7/17.
Roots Test Quizlet

Wonder Summative Assessment on Monday 12/11/17
Wonder Quizlet

Character Summative Assessment on Tuesday 12/12/17


Students should not have to study for the tests on Monday or Tuesday, but they can bring their books home to review.