Monday, November 3, 2014

Week of November 3-7

This week, all classes are starting informational writing assignments. We will be working on these assignments for TWO WEEKS in class! All homework is working on/finishing those writing assignments. All classes have a calendar for what is due when, as well as some interim due dates just to keep on track with time management.

The final assignments are due MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17th. 

8th Grade has an additional assignment, the children's book, due this Friday the 7th. This is something we have worked on for a few weeks, but they should be finishing at home.

Thanks!! If you have any further questions, please let me know. All assignment sheets are posted under the 7th/8th tabs.

Mrs. Coburn

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Week of October 13-17

This week we are starting to wrap up our novels.

On Friday, October 17, ALL GRADES are starting an in-class final assessment for novels. This will be an open-book and open-ISN short answer test.

7th Grade Homework:
Monday: Ch 21
Tuesday: Ch 22
Wednesday: Ch 23
Thursday: Ch 24

8th Grade Homework:
Monday: Ch 29-31
Tuesday: Ch 32- 34
Wednesday: Ch 35- 37
Thursday: 38-39

Students may need to finish a Bio Poem from homework on Tuesday night, Oct 14.

Monday, October 6, 2014

Week of October 6-10

All students are working on persuasive essays this week. The essays are related to the the content in Touching Spirit Bear and Mockingbird. We will work on these essays Monday and Tuesday and the essays will be due on Friday.

7th grade is reading chapters 14-20 in TSB. As always, the reading and questions are due on Friday and students may read as much as they like, but these are my suggestions:
Monday: Chapters 14-15
Tuesday: 16-17
Wednesday:18-19
Thursday: 20

8th grade is reading chapters 19-28 in Mockingbird. As always, reading, questions, and booklets are due on Friday and students may read as much as they like, but these are my suggestions:
Monday: 19-21
Tuesday: 22-24
Wednesday: 25-27
Thursday: 28

8B (5th period) should also be working on the author study project. There will be a project work day on Wednesday, the early release day. We will also have work days next Monday (Oct 13) and presentations will be October 14-15.

Monday, September 29, 2014

Week of September 29-Oct 3

This week, all classes are getting into reading their novels independently. There should be lots of reading going on at home! All students have accompanying comprehension/guiding questions to be completed for each chapter of their reading.

7th Grade needs to read chapters 7-13 of Touching Spirit Bear. Students may break up reading however they want, but ALL QUESTIONS for 7-13 are due on Friday. My suggestion is as follows:

Monday: Ch. 7-8
Tuesday: Ch 9-10
Wednesday: Ch 11-12
Thursday: Ch 13

8th Grade needs to read chapters 7-18 of Mockingbird. Students may break up reading however they want, but ALL QUESTIONS and BOOKLET PAGES are due on Friday. My suggestion is as follows:

Monday: Ch 7-9
Tuesday: Ch 10-12
Wednesday: Ch 13-15
Thursday: Ch 16-18

As always, let me know if there are any questions or concerns. Students may see me during "warm up" time during class, homeroom, during Tiger Time, or if necessary, before or after school if they are having trouble understanding/completing homework.

Thanks,
Mrs. Coburn

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Week of Sept 22- 26 **Many important announcements**

Announcements:
All students received progress reports last Friday, they need to be signed by a parent and turned in ASAP.

The entire middle school is attending Shrek the Musical in October. This is the "kick off" event for the arts this year, so all students should be in attendance. The price to attend is $6, please let us know if you need financial assistance. All permission slips and money are due by Oct 6.

Read-A-Thon ends this week. All money is due by Friday.

If your student wants to participate in Pizza Fridays during the month of October, they need to turn in all forms and money by next Monday, Sept 29. THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS ON LATE PAYMENTS.

Homework and class work:
This week, all classes are getting into reading their novels. We are doing a lot of reading in class and students have been given some time to work on assignments that accompany their reading in class as well.

7th grade is reading Touching Spirit Bear. Their homework is to work on the "What would you do?" assignment that is a short reading passage with 4 open ended questions. This is due on Friday.

8th grade is reading Mockingbird. Homework is to answer all comprehension questions, and fill out the Mockingbird booklet for chapters 1-6. This is due Friday. 

As always, if students have any questions or concerns about homework or any other assignment, they may address them with me during class time, Tiger Time study hall, or if necessary, before school or after school.

--Mrs. Coburn

Monday, September 15, 2014

Week of 9/15-9/19

Homework: 

7th grade needs to read "Stand Tall and Try Not to Fall" and answer accompanying questions.

8th grade needs to read "Three Questions" and answer accompanying questions.

All students have a writing assignment due THIS FRIDAY. I must receive the brainstorm, rough draft, and hard copy of final draft. Wednesday during class will be the only time this week we have to work on this. Students had every class period last week to work on this assignment and conference with me.

Announcements:

Wednesday is an early release day.

Keep reading and logging minutes for the Read-A-Thon

Monday, September 8, 2014

7th and 8th Grade Homework 9/8-9/12 and New Writing Assignment

This week students have a nonfiction text practice. They should have a piece of text about Rachel Carson as well as a half sheet with the assignments to go with it. This is due Friday, 9/12. I have told them they are welcome to do all 4 mini assignments at once if they want, or they may pace them throughout the week. I have given my suggested sequence. See assignment below:

Nonfiction Homework Practice
Directions: This homework is to be turned in by turned in by Friday, September 12.
You may do it all at once or space it out over the course of the week.  Mrs. Coburn’s suggested sequence:
Monday: Read the article, make any notes to help you understand and underline important facts/details.
Tuesday: Reread or scan the article and answer the multiple choice questions.
Wednesday: Do the “Bonus” assignment.
Thursday: Create a graphic organizer for the article and review all your work!
Friday: Turn it in!

**All students were given a narrative writing assignment today in class. This includes an assignment sheet and a rubric. We started brainstorming today. We will be working on this predominantly in class, but students may work outside of school if they need extra time or fall behind.



Tuesday, September 2, 2014

7th and 8th Grade Homework 9/2-9/5

For Tuesday-Wednesday (9/2-9/3) all students are working on ISN pages 9-10. Finish Mind Map and written descriptions.

Thursday (9/4) there will be reading practice. A short passage and comprehension questions.

Monday, August 25, 2014

Aug 25-29

No home work for 7th or 8th grade this week... expect first homework to come next week.

Please continue to turn in all paper work, including the parent questionnaire for my class.

Monday in class we talked about classroom space, got to know each other a bit and made some goals on how we can launch beyond our limits this school year. I encourage you to ask your child about their goals and check in with them as the year goes on!

As always, any questions or concerns please e-mail me!

Mrs. Coburn




Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Open House

Reminder: Open house is this Thursday, August 21st from 5-7 pm. I look forward to meeting with you all!

Mrs. Coburn

Monday, August 4, 2014

Launch Beyond Your Limits-- Classroom Update

I have been busy busy busy organizing and setting up our classroom! I cannot wait to share it with both students and parents! Our classroom theme this year is "Launch Beyond Your Limits" because not only do I want us to all launch the new school year with success, but I want us to really focus on going above and beyond our limits academically and personally. I hope that this will be a year of growth for all.

As you all begin thinking about coming back to school, I urge you to consider what you can do to launch beyond your limits during this academic year. I also hope you think about "launching" on August 25th with a positive start to the school year!

See you all in a couple of weeks at open house! Check out the supply list under "Classroom Info" and email me at acoburn@orangecharterschool.org with any questions you might have before then!

-Mrs. Coburn

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Welcome!

Welcome to Mrs. Coburn's classroom website for the 2014-2015 school year! Please refer to the homepage blog for classroom updates and homework information. Check out the pages above for other information about my class, including an updated supply list and long range plan.

-Mrs. Coburn