GOOD LUCK CLASS OF 2020!

Today was the last day of my first year of teaching. I have had mixed emotions all week leading up to this day. As the students left the school and I finished moving to my new classroom it really began to set in. I already miss those kids. I look forward to a new year and a new group of students, however Madison Middle School Team 6-1 2013-2014 students will always hold a special place in my heart.

As we went through the year together I learned as much, if not more, than the students. They helped me learn and grow as an educator. I gained experiences this year that will help shape me into a better teacher. I will always cherish this group of kids and hope to see them all progress and succeed in their lives.

I would like to thank all my students this year for putting up with me and helping me learn and grow. They were amazing, I truly do love each one of them! Also, a big thanks to the parents! I really appreciate all the work put in at home and all the years put in to raising such a fun group of kids.

Thanks for a great year! I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did. I am going to miss these kids!

Auri Willard

May Book Project (1st & 2nd hour)

Caldecott Winners

Due May 22, 2014

This month our genre is Caldecott Winners. We will provide the books in class for the students to read for their summaries. 

Read five (5) Caldecott Award winning picture books and write 

summaries for each book. 

Book Project: Choose one of the three projects to complete. 

Project 1: Create a picture book of your favorite fictional novel of 

your choice. 

Requirements: at least 10 pages, your own drawings in color, and 

text on each page. Picture book needs a beginning, middle and 

end.

Project 2: Create your own graphic novel of your favorite fictional 

novel. You may use a program such as Comic Life 3 http://

www.plasq.com/products/comiclife3/win 

You are able to download a free 30 day version of this program. 

This also has the same requirements as the hand drawn picture 

book but doesn’t need to be in color. 

Project 3: Create a skit of your favorite Caldecott book. You will 

create a video outside of classroom. The video will be presented 

to the class. This project can be done as a group project with up 

to three people from our team. 

If you choose to do Project 3(video), please sign up with your 

teacher for a time slot by May 8th

Project 1 and Project 2 will be due Thursday, May 22nd

Personal Narrative (3rd and 5th Hour)

April Writing Assignment 

Due May 2nd 

This month we will be writing Personal Narratives. Each student will need to select an actual event from their life they would like to write about. The students will need to bring a picture of this event / memory.

The paper needs to be 5 paragraphs with 5-7 sentences per paragraph.

1^st paragraph- Introduction: this will introduce the memory and catch the reader’s attention.

3 body paragraphs: Tell about the experience and what happened. Include vivid details so the reader feels like they were there.

5^th paragraph- Conclusion:  Tell the reader how everything worked out in the end.

 This needs to be written in first person, have a clear beginning, middle and end.  The student should also include how the student felt during the event and how they felt after.

I included a picture of a memory of my life that I would be able to write a personal narrative about. 

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Thanks, 

Auri Willard

April Reading Project (1st and 2nd Hr)

Book in a Box

Due April 30th 

This month our genre is Adventure.  The reading project is book in a box.  

The Project:

Decorate a box to represent your book and fill it with objects that represent different parts of your book. 

The Details:

You can use a shoebox, oatmeal canister, coffee can or other similarly sized container for this project 

Decorate your box to go with the book.  You can draw pictures yourself or use pictures from a magazine or the internet.  Be sure to include the title and author of your book on the box as well as your name. 

Find at least 8 different objects.  You can use pictures if the object you want to use is too big to fit in the box. 

For each object, make a note card that includes the name of the object at the top and a few sentences (3-5) about how the object is important to the book. 

Tips for Success

As you read your book, keep a list of ideas for objects that you might want to use for this project. 

If you use pictures, glue them onto cardboard backings, 

Try to find at least one object for each chapter of your book.  This makes it so you are sure to have plenty of objects to choose from when you're finished reading. 

Please let me know if there are any questions regarding the assignment. 

Remember the reading log and project are DUE APRIL 30th and the reading log needs to be signed!

Thanks, 

Auri

Research Paper (3rd & 5th Hour)

March Writing Assignment
Researching South American / Caribbean Countries

Due MARCH 25, 2014

     This month we will be doing a research paper for our BIG writing assignment. This is the biggest writing assignment the students have had this year and seems REALLY hard to the students.  However, most of this writing assignment will be done in class IF they use their time wisely they should be able to complete it all at school. 

     Each student picked a South American or Caribbean country today to research. Their paper will be 5 paragraphs and written in MLA format.  The first paragraph is their intro paragraph which will include a thesis statement.  The next three paragraphs are body paragraphs. One will be on the history of the country, one on economics and the third on their choice (I suggested culture).  Their final paragraph is their conclusion paragraph where they should restate their thesis statement. 

     Here is a link on MLA format:

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

This link has a citation builder as well as places for the students to research their topic (including WORLD BOOK ENCYCLOPEDIA) 

http://lili.org/

These two links should provide ways for the students to obtain all the information they need for their papers. 

If you have other helpful links or any questions let me know!

Thanks, 

Auri 

MARCH READING PROJECT (1st & 2nd)

NEWBERY HONOR AWARD

Due April 1, 2014

     This months genre is Newbery Honor.  Students need to choose a book that has won a Newbery award and they will make a Newbery Book Report on it. Here is a link to a list of all the Newbery Medal and Honor books from 1922-present.  

http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberyhonors/newberymedal

     I have provided a packet with everything they will need to make their books as well as detailed instructions and a rubric so they will know exactly what they will be graded on. Here is what I am expecting:

Cover- Use template 1 in the packet. In the center of the medal, write the name of the book and its author. At the bottom write YOUR NAME. Make it creative and colorful. 

Page 1- Use template 2 in the packet. Label it SUMMARY at the top. Write a 3-4 paragraph summary of the book (fill the page). This summary should include a brief description of the following: main characters, setting, major events, the problem in the story, the solution of how the problem gets solved and the ending of the story. 

Page 2- Use template 2 in the packet. Label it WHY THIS BOOK IS A WINNER.  There must have been a good reason your book was a Newbery Medal Winner.  What was it about your book that made it so outstanding? Write a complete and thoughtful paragraph. Cite specific examples from the book to support your feelings and include the page number. 

Page 3 - Use template 3 in the packet and label it FAVORITE SCENE.  Draw a picture of your favorite scene from the book.  Write a sentence describing the scene below it.  Fill up all the white space with a colorful, detailed picture. 

If you have any questions please let me know. This isn't hard, but it does take some time. So I advised students not to save it 'til the night before. 

They also got new reading logs today that need to be SIGNED and returned APRIL 1st. 

Thanks for all you do!

Mrs. Willard

February Writing Assignment (3rd & 5th)

This month I am having the students write metaphor poems. Most of the work on these is being done in class, however they will need to type their metaphor poem and print it. These are due February 11th.

 This is what I expect:
3 lines
3 stanzas
comparing an abstract noun to a concrete noun (This is their metaphor)

The first line of each stanza will be a metaphor the next two lines will be describing their metaphor. Each stanza will compare the same abstract noun to a different concrete noun.

For example:

Life
By: Auri Willard

Life is a highway (Metaphor)
Each person doing their own thing  (lines describing it)
Busily speeding through getting to where they need to go

Life is a rodeo (Metaphor)
Sometimes we fall off and get dirty (lines describing)
But we have to get up and keep going

Life is a roller coaster (Metaphor)
We all have our ups and downs  (lines describing)
There can be fun along the way

The final copy needs to be:
Typed in 12 pt. font that is legible
Have a title and the authors name
They can add a picture of clip art to it to make it more fun to look at if they would like!

Let me know if you have any questions!

Thanks!

Mrs. Willard