Welcome to Mrs. Brandt’s Blog

Hello.  This blog is intended for use by students and parents in an effort to communicate the happenings within our classroom.  It is usually updated 2-3 times per week depending on the events of the week and the assignments due.  Extended due dates are always available under the Project Due Dates Category.  I hope you find this blog helpful.  Enjoy your day.

5/16/12

We just came back from the ONE assembly where we had the opportunity to skype with both the author, Blue Balliett, and the illustrator, Brett Helquist, of Chasing Vermeer.  It is so cool that our students get to speak directly with the author and ask questions about the book, the writing process and their paths to success.  Thank you to everyone who contributed towards this project…we have been blessed by your generosity.

This week we are publishing our magazines.  We will be hosting a magazine celebration and reception on June 5th.  Invitations will be coming home soon.  In the meantime, please hold the date and plan on coming in to check out your student’s hard work as well as the work of his/her peers.  We have done our best and are excited to share these magazines with you.

5/9/12

Hello.  Time sure does fly when you are having fun.  I can’t believe that we are down to 21 days of school left for the year.  Your students have been great and are quickly turning into eighth graders.  We are currently reading the novel, The Great Wide Sea, by MH Herlong.  The students are enjoying this fabulous book about three boys who find themselves without parents and lost at sea.  The adventures happen on every page…one boy almost drowned, one almost went crazy and one fell off a cliff.  Ask your child about this story…they love it. So do I.

This is the last vocab week for the year.   The words are:  vengeance, prescribe, prominent, anonymous, quaint, and marginal.  Please help your student review  these words at home in order to prepare for the quiz on Friday.  I am impressed by how much vocabulary my students have mastered this year.  Keep up the good work.

4/25/12

Students will need a plastic report cover for their published magazine.  I have purchased some and students may purchase one from me for 25¢ or they may purchase their own and bring it in to school.  Every student must have one by publishing on May 12th.

Reading logs are due on June 1st.

4/25/12

Tomorrow is the third and final large review quiz for the vocabulary words we have learned this year.  I have been so pleased with the students and their scores. We have obviously learned some new vocab this year and they are not afraid to use it.  Congratulations.  Keep studying.

We are currently reading a novel titled, The Great Wide Sea.  This fantastic novel is written by MH Herlong and features three boys and their father who are embarking on a year long sailing adventure.  We are enjoying reading this book together and will use this book as the basis for our final book report projects.

Have a great evening.

4/11/12

Good afternoon.  It has been a while since I last posted so I thought I should give a little update of our classroom.  We are currently creating our Editor’s page for our magazine projects and will be finishing them today.  (Well, that is the plan.)  We will then spend some time working on punctuating dialogue and finalizing our interviews.  Most students remember this with a brief mini lesson refresher. The tricky part is remembering that every time a new speaker begins talking, we must indent.

Our ONE book program is off and running.  Students really seem to be enjoying the mystery and the puzzles associated with Chasing Vermeer.  This book is intended to be read as a pleasure read and will not have grades or requirements associated with it.  Please encourage your student to read for the fun and escape of reading.  Enjoy!!  A big thank you to all who contributed time and money for this program.

3/20/12

Just a quick reminder that reading logs are due in 2 days.  Six books should be recorded for the marking period.  Remember to write thorough responses (in complete sentences) in order to receive the maximum points.

In class, we are finishing up our unit on propaganda and advertising techniques by creating our own advertisements for our magazines.  We are also continuing to work on our creative stories.  We have had several workshop days in class and all students should be finished with these assignments by the end of the day today.  This week we are having flexible IE time and anyone who has not completed their work may do so at that time.  Keep working towards a successful third marking period.

Next week we will begin reviewing our word-a day words from the entire year.  Students can expect three review tests of twenty words each.  Synonyms and antonyms will not be retested.

3/7/12

With PSSA tests just around the corner, we have been reviewing story elements and figurative language.  Our vocabulary study continues and this week’s words are:  fluster, amiss, brawl, detest, nurture, and momentum.  Please study these words and keep refreshing your memory of the old words.  There will be a large vocabulary review before the end of the year.  Remember our motto…Live em, Learn em, Love em!! An expanded vocabulary is a tool to success.

I am in the process of grading biography projects.  Please be patient…you had four weeks to complete them and I will need a bit of time to grade them.

2/13/12

The students received all the vocabulary words for this week today.  This week we have 12 words (all homonyms or homophones) but there are no synonyms, antonyms or parts of speech.  Please begin practicing these words today.  You can expect homework practice sheets this week as well as some limited practice in class.  Remember the helpful hints we discussed in class.

The words for this week are:

homonym, homophone, accept, except, capital, capitol, the Capitol, desert, desert, dessert, principal, and principle 

Biography projects are due in 8 days! 

2/13/12

Biography projects are due in 8 days…4 of those days are school days.  Please continue working towards a successful project.  Due-2/21/12

2/10/12

Happy Friday,

I was very disappointed by the overall  scores  on this week’s vocab quizzes.  I think our students are beginning to experience the third marking period slip.  It is usually about this time, each year, that students begin to slack in their study habits.  Please encourage your student to continue to work hard and to study for every quiz.  Good grades don’t just happen, they take commitment and effort.