Please write a reaction to the following quote:

What do you think the author meant?

RFotD: The human eye is able to detect over10,000,000 different colors. Here is a short article that explains how.

Homework: Check Infinite Campus and Google Classroom for any missing assignments and complete them.  Read for 30 minutes.

Please write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will be looking at an article about streaming music. You will decide what your position is and prepare for a debate.

RFotD: Honey is made from nectar and bee vomit. Here are all of the details.

Homework: Check Google Classroom for any incomplete assignments and complete anything that is unfinished.  Read for 30 minutes.

Welcome back!  I hope that your week off was restful and fun.  We only have 14 days of school before the end of the semester!

Please read independently while I take attendance.

Today, we will have our first seminar debating the topic of kids and extreme sports.

RFotD: Humans share 60% of their DNA with bananas.  Find out what other things we share DNA with here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

We made it to Friday!  Please read independently while I take attendance.

Today we will begin taking sides on an argument!

RFotD: Here is a list to make you an expert on all things thanksgiving! 20 Thanksgiving Facts.

Homework: Relax and enjoy time with your family.  Also, try to find some time to read. ;)

Please come in and begin reading independently.

Today we are taking a break from our work with argument and doing some creative writing!

RFotD: Snow is translucent, not white.  This article explains why.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Happy Wednesday! It is good to be back to our normal schedule!  In your journal, please respond to the following:
You wake up to find that wings have grown on your ankles. What would you do?

Today we will finish our work on standard 6.5, and do a little independent reading.

RFotD: Culinary historians believe that much of the first Thanksgiving meal consisted of seafood! Read about what was likely on the table here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Please read independently while I take attendance.

Today we will practice the skills we worked on yesterday.

RFotD: The citrus soda 7-UP was created in 1929; it was originally caramel colored and contained a mood stabilizing substance.  Read about it here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

I hope that you all enjoyed your 3-day weekend!  Please write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will begin working on understanding a challenging new standard:
RI.6.5 Analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph, chapter, or section fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the ideas.

I can't wait to see how well we all do on it!

RFotD: The average person eats about 35 tons of food during a lifetime.  That's 70,000 pounds!  Read more about what we eat here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Please read independently while I take attendance.

Today we will learn to trace arguments and claims in text.

RFotD: Honey never spoils. You can eat 32,000-year-old honey. Learn why here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Please read independently while I take attendance.

Today we will be looking at evidence and reasons that authors provide to support a claim.

RFotD: A strawberry isn’t a berry but a banana is. Here's the info.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Please respond to the the following prompt:
What would you want to be most remembered for? Explain why.

Today we will look at claims and whether they are supported by reasons and evidence.

TFotD: During the 1872 election, presidential incumbent Ulysses S. Grant ran against a corpse. His opponent, Horace Greeley, died before the election was finalized. Grant won the election. More interesting facts about presidential elections can be found here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Please read independently while I take attendance.

Today we will look for claims in argumentative texts.

RFotD: Daylight Saving Time can change birth order in twins. Read more Daylight Saving Time facts here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes

Please free-write in your journals while I take attendance.

Today we will look at the differences between opinion writing, persuasive writing, and argumentative writing.

RFotD: At a spending rate of $1 million a day, it would take Bill Gates  (founder of Microsoft) 218 years to spend all his money. Here are some more interesting facts about Mr. Gates.

Homework: Finish your unit 2 assessment (it is now late).  Read for 30 minutes.

Please read independently while I take attendance.  

Today we look at what a claim is and define it.

RFotD: When you rub an eraser across a pencil mark, the abrasives in the eraser gently scratch the surface fibers of the paper to loosen the graphite particles. Here's more on the subject.

Homework: Finish the Unit 2 Assessment and read for 30 minutes.

Please respond to the following quote: 

What do you think Frank Zappa means by this?  How can this impact how you live your life?

Today we will be headed to the library! We will also have time to get started on your new books.

RFotD: The smell of freshly cut grass is actually the scent that plants release when in distress. Read more here.

Homework: Finish your Unit 2 assessment and read for 30 minutes.

Please continue to work on your Unit 2 assessment.  If you have already finished you may either read or write independently.

Today we will begin work on Unit 3: The Power of Argument.  

RFotD: Benjamin Franklin designed one of the first American coins, and instead of saying “In God we Trust,” it said “Mind your Business.”  Here is the story.

Homework: Finish your Unit 2 Assessment and read for 30 minutes.