Interim Reports and other papers for the reading Department




Lesson plan for using Lyrics in the Classroom

1.  Use the attached sheet to help students stay focused on the task.

2.  The students have to bring in the song that they want to sing and then tell Mr. Mac the following…
Who sang it first?
What do the words mean?
What’s the main idea and what details support the main idea?

3.  This is an expanded notion of “reading” – but the singing leads to note-taking and discussion of the MAIN IDEA. 

Making predictions  LA.A.1.3.1
Analyzing  LA.A.1.3.2
Building vocabulary LA.A.1.3.3
Making notes and writing a report LA.A.1.3.4

Finding the main idea  LA.A.2.3.1
Discussing author’s point of view  LA.A.2.3.2
Identifying a logical or an emotional appeal  LA.A.2.3.3
Explore a variety of readings  LA.A.2.3.4
Learn how to interpret written information  LA.A.2.3.5
Using a variety of references  LA.A.2.3.6
Synthesize (pull together) information and make an outline  LA.A.2.3.7
Check on the truth (validity) of the information  LA.A.2.3.8


4.  To grab attention (as a starter to the lesson), the teacher quotes several lines from a song and then asks for interpretations.

5.  The sentences above are used to entice students to analyze, not just “experience” a song’s lyrics.

6.  Working in groups is okay.  Avoid the temptation for students to stomp or dance their way through a song.

7.  Close:  to ensure that there is a close to the lesson, students should take turns explaining the song to a small group or to the full class.


A Project using a song for the source material
Procedure (what you will do)

1. Choose a song.  If possible, write it down from memory or bring in your own song.  If you don’t have words to the song, ask the teacher and the teacher will give you a selection of 10 songs and you choose one to analyze.
Answer the following questions about the song: 
What do the words mean?
What’s the main idea and what details support the main idea?
Who is the singer singing to?  His mother?  His father?  His friend?
What will happen after the song is finished?
Is the singer happy?  Sad? 
What happened in the song?

What are difficult words in the song?  Write them on the back of this page and find synonyms (similar words) to explain the difficult words.

OPTION:  Draw a picture of a scene from the song.  Or write a report about what you feel will happen next after the song is over.

Discuss the author’s point of view – what is the writer of the song trying to say?
Is the writer very emotional or is he or she logical?
After you analyze this song, find another song and compare it.
Make an outline of the main events of the song.
Is the singer telling the whole truth?  What information is being left out?

2.  Look up the singer’s biography on the internet (home work extension of this project).  Try to guess why this singer wanted to sing this song.  Find evidence in his or her life to support your argument.

Sunshine State Standards

Making predictions  LA.A.1.3.1
Analyzing  LA.A.1.3.2
Building vocabulary LA.A.1.3.3
Making notes and writing a report LA.A.1.3.4

Finding the main idea  LA.A.2.3.1
Discussing author’s point of view  LA.A.2.3.2
Identifying a logical or an emotional appeal  LA.A.2.3.3
Explore a variety of readings  LA.A.2.3.4
Learn how to interpret written information  LA.A.2.3.5
Using a variety of references  LA.A.2.3.6
Synthesize (pull together) information and make an outline  LA.A.2.3.7
Check on the truth (validity) of the information  LA.A.2.3.8



Dear Parents and Guardians,
About this “checklist”
I’m the reading coach at DATA.  My main task is to serve the entire student body.  The main focus of the curriculum is on the computer and the reading program supports the main curriculum.
Most of the students need to improve basic reading skills.   Your child has many of these basic skills, so I want to develop an individual education plan that fits your child’s needs.

Critical Thinking:  I will send home additional exercises and web pages for you to visit with your child.  Please start with www.snopes.com and do a google search on “underground legends” or “urban legends.”  Students should learn to question everything they hear on the news.  “There are more people in the hospital during the full moon” is one example of a “truth” or conventional wisdom that is not supported by evidence.  (Or is it?  I hope you didn’t take my word as an absolute truth!  Check it out with your student.)  The www.snopes.com web site should take you three months to examine completely.
At least one book per month – I give extra credit for each additional book report, or for each additional draft of a book report.  If you child creates 20 book reports or revises 10 book reports really well, I will award more extra credit for the revisions.  Writing is improved with re-writing and I will encourage students to be very focused.
It’s wonderful to find students who are eager readers.  Their next challenge is to develop the ability to analyze (patiently) one story or book.  Some students look at book reports in quantity (“I did four book reports last month”).  I ask you to encourage your student to work on improving a book report instead of rushing on to write the next report.  To help with the revision, please purchase Strunk and White’s Elements of Style.
Vocabulary building:  I enclose the first of several sheets about using “big words”… I urge parents to use these words in every day talking around the house.  Post the words in the kitchen and in the bathroom.  “This is Mr. Mac’s first year teaching sixth graders, but he’s not a novice.”   Point to the word list that includes “novice” and then say:  “This is Mr. Mac’s first year teaching sixth graders, but he’s not a tyro.”   If there is still a puzzled look on your child’s face, say:
“This is Mr. Mac’s first year teaching sixth graders, but he’s not a beginner.” 
A foreign language.  In addition to studying Spanish in school, your child could study other languages.  The list of words can be pasted around the home.  If your child already knows Spanish or wants to learn other languages, let me know and we’ll get another list for you to post around the home.  Putting labels on objects is tedious but can make a difference over time.  Make sure the labels are not ignored by moving the label to a new position every month or so.
Interview an older adult.  Use a tape recorder or a video camcorder.  If the interview is on video, then we can edit it in the school on our computers.  The idea is to find out “what’s the main idea” that the adult carries inside.  Can the child learn to ask questions that bring out the wisdom in older people? 
Jay Leno:  The Tonight Show host asks people, “Who was Napoleon?” and “What’s the capital of California?” and “Who said Give me liberty or give me death!”? and “Who was the third president of the United States?” and “What countries did we fight in World War One?”   Your child could know the answers.  A good book to start with is th Encyclopedia of Cultural Literacy.  I’ve enclosed a sample page.  Contact me with questions.  All of these suggestions are VOLUNTARY and OPTIONAL.  Your child is responsible only for one book report each month and for maintaining a reading journal in school and a journal at home.    I hope your child will reach higher.   Mr. Mac.



About the Reading Journal in the Home

Dear Guardians and Parents

Please read and sign the enclosed “criteria” sheets (one for Reading and one for Language Arts) with your child and ask your child to return the signed copies to Mr. Mac. 

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You can glue the second copy to the Reading Journal for the Home.   If your student doesn’t have a reading journal for the home, please start one by pasting the instruction sheet (it is 14 inches long) in a notebook.  (I passed out the notebooks at school but some students might be confused and they keep the HOME journal at school.  There is a CLASS journal, too.)
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The rules for the HOME Journal are simple:
a) the student needs to read something every day (pages in a book, an article in a magazine or newspaper)
b) the student writes “the main idea” in the journal.
c) Once a month the journal comes to school (please send the journal to the school during the first week of the next month).  The teacher counts the number of entries in the journal and that’s the number of extra credit points.  These points can be used to raise a grade.
d) If a student writes in the home journal twice a week, that’s only 8 points in the month.  If the student writes every day, the student gains 30 or 31 extra credit points.

The purpose of this exercise is to get the student to read with a pencil or pen.  Write the main idea after reading every two or three pages.  The student should NOT be moving lips while reading – it slows down the speed of the reading.  Look for the important words in the sentence.

Look for the important words in the sentence.  
Don’t read every word. 

If you have questions, please call me at 954 646 8246 and I will return your call.  It’s my cell phone, so I turn the phone off during school hours and between 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.  If I’m not on the phone, I can usually answer the phone between 4:30-6:30 and 8-11 pm at night.  Yes, you can reach me up to 11 pm at night.  If you get an answering machine, it’s because I’m on the phone.

Mr. Mac   954 646 8246




Work together to find the main idea of this article.  Circle important details that support the main idea.  You can work with another student or alone.  GLUE this article in your Reading Journal.  If you can’t find your reading journal, ask Mr. Mac and he’ll start a new one. 


Work together to find the main idea of this article.  Circle important details that support the main idea.  You can work with another student or alone.  GLUE this article in your Reading Journal.  If you can’t find your reading journal, ask Mr. Mac and he’ll start a new one. 
Work together to find the main idea of this article.  Circle important details that support the main idea.  You can work with another student or alone.  GLUE this article in your Reading Journal.  If you can’t find your reading journal, ask Mr. Mac and he’ll start a new one. 



Work together to find the main idea of this article.  Circle important details that support the main idea.  You can work with another student or alone.  GLUE this article in your Reading Journal.  If you can’t find your reading journal, ask Mr. Mac and he’ll start a new one. 


Work together to find the main idea of this article.  Circle important details that support the main idea.  You can work with another student or alone.  GLUE this article in your Reading Journal.  If you can’t find your reading journal, ask Mr. Mac and he’ll start a new one. 

Work together to find the main idea of this article.  Circle important details that support the main idea.  You can work with another student or alone.  GLUE this article in your Reading Journal.  If you can’t find your reading journal, ask Mr. Mac and he’ll start a new one. 



Work together to find the main idea of this article.  Circle important details that support the main idea.  You can work with another student or alone.  GLUE this article in your Reading Journal.  If you can’t find your reading journal, ask Mr. Mac and he’ll start a new one. 


Work together to find the main idea of this article.  Circle important details that support the main idea.  You can work with another student or alone.  GLUE this article in your Reading Journal.  If you can’t find your reading journal, ask Mr. Mac and he’ll start a new one. 








Work together to find the best puzzle or riddle on this page.  Circle important details that help you solve the riddle.   You can work with another student or alone.  GLUE this page in your Reading Journal.  If you can’t find your reading journal, ask Mr. Mac and he’ll start a new one for you.


Puzzle page number: ______________









NEWSLETTER – From DATA to HOME September 2004
Topics:  Books on CDs, Web sites, Powerpoint, and Penpals


CDs -- One way to stimulate students into doing more reading is to create web sites.  I will create web sites and I will collect books on CDs to send home.  If your home does not have a computer, please contact me.  I can arrange for a donated computer to be placed in your home as part of a short-term arrangement.  After your child graduates from DATA, we will ask for the computer to be returned for use by another family.

COMPUTERS:  The school has received six computers recently and these will be set up to allow “off network” exchange of files and editing of videos.  The school is looking for a NON-functioning computer to take apart so we can examine the inner workings of a computer.  Additional working computers are also needed, especially with CD-ROM drives.
Donations are tax-deductible, since the school is organized as a non-profit educational institution.

Web sites – Parents should ask questions when they hear, “my teacher is creating a web site for me!”  No personal information will appear on any web site.  I place information that the student gives me on a web page and then other students can visit the site.  Eventually your child will be able to improve his/her own site.  Easy web-making locations are www.angelfire.com and oocities.com.   Feel free to work with your child to learn to use these programs. 

A PUZZLE:  Three large men were walking under one regular-sized umbrella.  Why didn’t they get wet?

ANOTHER PUZZLE:  How can you make 30 cents with only two coins if one of the coins is not a nickel?

Power point – your child is invited to start learning more about Power point.  The program is standard on most computers and it can be practiced at DATA school.  Students who are interested in making powerpoint presentations may ask the Reading teacher to expand and improve their presentations.  Recent Powerpoint that caught attention were about Jamaica and the Carolina Jaguars.

Penpals --  Mr. Mac taught international visitors to the USA how to improve their English.  He knows four people (Maysam from Iran, Michael from Germany, Daniela from Venezuela and Mitsui from Japan) who are waiting for letters from middle school students.  Writing to a pen pal is a fun way to learn about another culture.  This is an OPTIONAL activity and each letter will earn your team a point.  (We’ll discuss in future newsletters the interesting workings of “academic teams”).  The best part of writing to a penpal comes when the penpal visits the USA or you visit the penpal’s country… you get to meet and talk face to face.  If you are interested, submit your letter to Mr. Mac (by email, please:  talkinternational@yahoo.com) and he’ll forward it to the penpal.

Here is an interesting problem… 
1. It occurs once in a minute, twice in a week and once in a year.  What is it?

2. An interesting situation:  can you name all of the “stans”?  Afghanistan, Pakistan…

3. Can you name all of the countries that touch France?  That touch Afghanistan?  That touch Iraq?

Web site of the month:  www.snopes.com   Is it okay to throw rice on the ground after a wedding?  Or will the birds eat the rice and get bloated?  Hmmm… this web site gives the answer.
Questions:  call 954 646 8246 and leave a message.  I’ll get back with you if I don’t answer. 
It wasn’t raining.  The other coin is a nickel.   The letter “e”.
Describe what you see in the drawing.                   

Write at least three sentences in your Reading Journal.   “It looks like a duck but it turns into a fish.  This reminds me of one of Escher’s drawings with a boat that turns into a fish.  It looks like a six-sided figure, like a hexagon.”


DATA Middle School   Keep one copy for your records
Downtown Academy of Technology and Arts, Inc., a non-profit charter school.

Steve McCrea, Reading Teacher

Grading Criteria for READING

Odyssey Ware (the computer in the classroom)
Quizzes     25 points  (usually at least once a week)
Tests   50 points  (usually at least twice a month)
Exercises    5 points (usually one per day)
Projects  20 points  (usually one per month)

Classroom Work
Book Reviews  30 points (short, one-page, at least once a month)
Reading Journal 30 points
Participation  20 points
Projects  20 points  (a longer book report)

TOTAL POINTS       200 points

Extra credit: up to 10 points added to the TOTAL points.

Final Grade = Total of Odyssey and Class work is divided by 2 to get the final grade.

A = 90-100
B = 80-89.99
C = 70-79.99
D = 60-69.99
F =  below 60

Please read all of the above and print the student’s and parent’s/guardian’s names on the first line followed by the signatures on the second line.  When completed, return this form to the school.  Keep one copy for yourself.

PRINT:

___________________________   ____________________________
Student     Parent/Guardian

SIGN:

___________________________   ____________________________
Student     Parent/Guardian

DATA Middle School    Keep one copy for your records
Downtown Academy of Technology and Arts, Inc., a non-profit charter school.

Doreen Mytryshyn, Teacher

Grading Criteria for LANGUAGE ARTS

Odyssey Ware (the computer in the classroom)
Quizzes     25 points  (usually at least once a week)
Tests   50 points  (usually at least twice a month)
Exercises    5 points (usually one per day)
Projects  20 points  (usually one per month)

Classroom Work
Quizzes   10 points
Tests   20 points
Writing Portfolio 30 points
Participation  20 points
Projects  20 points

TOTAL POINTS       200 points

Extra credit: up to 10 points added to the TOTAL points.

Final Grade = Total of Odyssey and Class work is divided by 2 to get the final grade.

A = 90-100
B = 80-89.99
C = 70-79.99
D = 60-69.99
F =  below 60

Please read all of the above and print the student’s and parent’s/guardian’s names on the first line followed by the signatures on the second line.  When completed, return this form to the school.  Keep one copy for yourself.

PRINT:

___________________________   ____________________________
Student     Parent/Guardian

SIGN:

___________________________   ____________________________
Student     Parent/Guardian
READING for 30 minutes
1. Match the headline to the story. 
2. Write a summary of each article.  You can work with a partner.
3. Find the place on a map.    Write all of this in your Reading Journal.








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