Ms. Woods’s Blog Site

We will be working on creating scary stories throughout the month of October. Students will come to understand and follow a plot map, create suspense, use dialogue, onomatopoeia, and details. Even though we’ll be working on scary stories, students will be expected to justify any violence included (as the focus is suspense, not violence).

Return to this site in November so you can see the stellar examples of some of our students!  I’m sure you’ll enjoy the products of their creative minds.

During the month of October, students will come to understand the history of Islam. This includes the beginnings, foundations, major concepts, and accomplishments of its followers. This is part of the seventh grade standards.

You, Orange

Are superior to all fruits

With you’re bright splashes

Of deep orange, yellow and

Dark green

With your soft, bumpy texture

and perfect roundness

You are the sun

To the fruits

Perfect in every way

And your taste,

Oh, your taste!

Juicy with the perfect

combination of sweet and sour

Sending a delicious burst of flavor with each bite

Without your majestic presence,

the world would be plain and

boring. I enjoy you like a

child enjoys candy. Your taste is

the medicine to my hunger.

Once while peeling you,

you betrayed me

Squirting me with your juice

Your squirts in my eye

is like alcohol on a wound

How I came to get

you is simple: you

walked over to me

and said “Hey, pick me!”

And so I did.

Oh Orange

You are great,

You are unique

with your taste and appearance,

You are the Queen of all Fruits.

The pointy symbol

My necklace

Yells at me

To be put on

Rich and Bright

A golden man

Stands alone

Over a letter

Used a lot

Smooth

As a waterslide

A historical symbol and event

Look it up

A small figure

You talk to him when you need help

Sometimes

He will respond

When you put him on

Acts like a star

It was a reward

Like a grand prize

He makes you feel good

When you get to know him

He’s just like a son to you

Take him anywhere

Especially where he lives

People visit him often

On Saturdays or Sundays

When he has a full house

He stands on my necklace

The novel our class is reading for the second quarter is called Any Small Goodness. This book is about a boy, his family, and friends. The boy’s name is Arturo and he used to live in Mexico, but then moves to L.A. Any Small Goodness highlights the love of L.A. and how it feels to grow up there. The author is Tony Johnston.

We will be incorporating many standards into our study of this novel.  The culminating activity will be to put together a classroom cookbook, wherein each student has a representative recipe!  This is always an exciting activity for students.

Middle school students all over the United States are reading! OF COURSE THEY ARE! It is expected of students in 8th grade to read 1,000,000 words by the end of the year. Students in 7th grade should be reading slightly less than that. EVERY Lakeview student should be reading at school every day AND AT HOME every night (including weekends and holidays).

The truth is….it is one of the biggest indicators of success. Like any skill–the more you read, the better you get.

Since it is the mission of Lakeview to give “all our students the skills and abilities necessary to make positive choices and succeed as independent learners and conscientious, caring adults,” it is a great desire of ours to have families help support our reading policy.

We CAN achieve greatly if we work together to make sure our students are reading 1,000,000 words a year!

Welcome…bienvenidos…aloha…dobar dan!!! This is our chance to have a phenomenal year–you and me. I’m looking forward to helping you open the doors to your future. I hope you’ll find that working hard will lead to greater opportunities. In my opinion, life is all about seeking opportunities to enhance yourself. I’m hoping this year will be a catalyst to help you seek out opportunities to enrich and enhance your life. Join me in creating a year to remember — filled with intrigue, challenges, wonder, and excitement!