If you lost your Reading Response duotang, you need to print out another one. All of the handouts can be found here. The next reading log check will happen on Dec 7.

Most things are exactly the same as last term:

• You still have to read for 20 minutes every night and have an adult sign your reading log.
• You still have to submit one reading response per week.
• Towards the end of December, you will have to select a reading response for me to mark.

New things for Term 2

• We will be counting Reading Responses by letters, instead of by numbers. So, Reading Response ”A” is due on Monday Nov 30, 2009.
• You are responsible for revising and editing your marked reading responses based on my feedback and the rubric. Once you have fixed your reading response, you need to log into iRead.LDHSS.ca and submit a post.
• You must publish your two marked reading responses from Term 1 by Monday Nov 30, 2009. (Students who joined our class at the end of September only have to submit one reading response.)
• Read the other reading responses in iRead and vote.

If you have any questions or concerns, please see me.

Many cultural holidays celebrate with the giving of gifts or money, including Christmas, Chinese New Year, Eid, and more. This year, as a literacy teacher, I have decided to give my students the gift of reading. As such, every student has received a $4.99 Scholastic Book Certificate. 

Students received their gift certificates this week. If your family celebrates Christmas, then please consider it an early Christmas gift. However, because many members in our community do not celebrate Christmas, I have handed out the gifts now (as opposed to December) so they are not necessarily associated with the Christmas season.

Students, if you know that you will not be using the scholastic gift certificate, please return it to me, or pass it on to a friend who can make use of it. It would be a shame to waste the money.

There are usually several books in the Teen Readers Club for $4.99. There are several choices in the November flyer: Peeled, Surviving the Applewhites, Searching for David’s Heart, Dickens’ Christmas Carol, Cut, More Bones, and The Breadwinner.

(Please note that not some books in the Teen Readers Club Scholastic Flyer contain subject matter more appropriate for older readers or language that may be deemed offensive. They are marked in the TRC flyer with “HS” for High School.)

Parents, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email or by phoning the school. Students, if you did not receive your Scholastic gift certificate, please come and see me.

Happy holidays!

As we go through our unit on narratives, inferencing, and critical thinking, you can download some of the handouts that we are using in class:  http://304.ldhss.ca/downloads/?category=11

(I’ve posted the story, Give, which is the example of the type of story we will be writing this term. I’ve also uploaded a blank Plot Diagram as well as examples of some of the shared writing we’ve done in class.)

Have a great four day weekend. (Friday and Monday are PD days for Grade 7/8 students.)

• Today is the dead date for Term 1 assignments as I am working on report cards this weekend. (There are a few specific individuals that have exceptions. Please have your work ready on Tuesday.) 
• Please complete your second ReadingRavens.ca story by Wednesday. (Answer the two questions, and respond to your peers. Please make sure you do your best work as anything we do can be assessed and evaluated for the report cards.)
• Scholastic Orders are due next Friday. I will explain the holiday gift that all of my students received next week.

Have a great weekend. See you on Tuesday.