Ms. Shilo's ELA Class

Yesterday we went to the Utah Museum of Fine Arts with our 9th-graders. It was a fun trip that will serve as a foundation for a unit long project. Check out the pictures below to see everyone in action.

Hi Language Arts Community,

Today we started something new, and I’m very excited. Instead of me picking out a book and asking everyone to read the same thing, we are trying out independent reading. You can pick the book you want to read and do your ELA classwork based on the book you selected.

But this new system comes with responsibilities on your part. I will expect you to genuinely read the book you pick out and return it in good condition if you borrowed it from the class library. We’ve worked hard to build up a class library, so please help us provide books for everyone by returning those your check out.

Beyond this, we have two different things going on with our 7th and 8th graders and then our 9th graders. See below based on your grade:

7th & 8th Grade

We are starting our job shadow unit now. We need ALL contracts returned asap- they were already due. So please get yours in now if you haven’t already. We’re also taking the next two classes (Monday-Thursday) to help you brainstorm and find your job shadow. If you can’t do it in this class provided time, it becomes homework. Ms. Wendy and I are here to help you, so please take this seriously and work during the time provided in class.

9th Grade

We are going to the UMFA on Wednesday and starting a cross-curricular project involving your Geography class and Art class (if you have it). Permission slips for this trip were due last week, so we need them in now. Once you go to the museum, you’ll undertake a study of the Forces of Culture in a specific country or region, inspired by an art piece in UMFA.

This cycle of Forces is going to be a fun and busy one. Please let me know if you have any questions. Have a great week!

Ms. Shilo

If you’re in 9th grade and need another copy of your permission slip, please grab it from below.

UMFA Field Trip

Also, we desperately need drivers for this trip. Please let me know if you can help.

Thank you!

Ms. Shilo

Hi class,

Here’s a copy of the job shadow packet for this coming unit. Inside, you’ll find all the due dates and information you’ll need to have a successful cycle.

Ms. Shilo

Hi everyone,

We have our first essay due next week, and I want to help if you need it. I’m holding an option writing workshop after school tomorrow. During this time, I will sit with each student individually and answer your questions, offer suggestions, and guide you in any way I can.

If attending, please bring your research notes and any work you’ve done so far. Then meet me in my class right after school.

Have a great day.

Phew!

We made it through the massive 3-week checklist, and you did great! Now we’re heading into the final weeks of this term. Hold on because it starts to speed up now.

The plan for our class is to spend the last few days focusing on writing- specifically the writing project you were assigned in Mr. Adrain’s class. For 7th and 8th graders, it’s a research paper comparing and contrasting the how fundamental needs of one early group (Anasazi or Fremont) and one later group of Native Americans (Ute, Paiute, Goshute, Shoshone, or Navajo) were met. For the 9th graders, you’re writing a research paper comparing and contrasting Patterns of Human Migration and Economic Development in two countries of Central & South America.

In our class, we’ll talk about using research sources in your paper, as well as how to go about editing your paper for the basic conventions of writing. My Adrian has given everyone several work cycles and access to the COW computers to work on the project and write a draft. To support you from here, Ms. Wendy and I need you to bring a draft of your paper to class either on Friday of this week or Monday of next week- depending on whether you have classes on A or B days. Doing so will allow us to edit and revise your paper and set you up for success.

Please note- a final copy of the paper will be turned in to both me and Mr. Adrain- that’s two copies of the same paper. You will receive assessment scores for standards in BOTH classes. Also, we will still start each class with silent reading, so please be prepared with a book of your choice if you’ve finished the assigned book.

Please let me know if you have any questions. I am always happy to help.

Have a great couple of weeks,

Ms. Shilo

Here’s what was going on in our class and around the school last week:

Peace Day Celebration- thank you for sharing the beautiful flowers, Ella. I often feel that I can’t make a difference because I’m just one person, but you showed me that’s just not true. Our school was covered in yellow sunflowers- everyone had at least one, and they brightened our overcast day. I was inspired seeing the impact you made- just one person– all because you took the time to pick them and share them with our community. Thank you!

Peace Day flags flying in the cloudy, fall sky.

These young ladies aren’t reading in class- they’re reading during their lunch! The book love is real, and I couldn’t be happier.

Zoe gifted our classroom a super comfy rocking chair. This chair has been in her family since she was a baby, and the first stories she ever heard as a wee tot were read to her on this chair. Now it’s time for our community to read many more stories on it. Thank you, Zoe!

In closing, I hope you all have an amazing week. Keep being kind to one another, and keep on reading!

Ms. Shilo

Hi ELA community,

Due to your feedback that all core teachers had their checklists due at the same time, I edited the current checklist to stagger the due dates. Now there’s an extra week on the current checklist. So instead of having it (and all work) due later this week (9/28 & 9/29), it’s now due a full week later on 10/4 & 10/5.

I handed out the new checklists on Friday and will do so for A-day classes on Monday. I also collected your previous version to help decrease the chance for confusion. If you were absent or do not get this new checklist for any reason, you can find it on the page dedicated to checklists on this blog.

Please let me know if you have questions,

Ms. Shilo

Thank you for the very best birthday ever!

First thing in the morning, you showered me with hugs and well wishes. Then at lunch, you spoiled me and gave me a surprise birthday celebration. I could NOT believe it.

It truly was my favorite birthday ever- so thank you all for making it wonderful.

I am so blessed to have been able to spend the day with you!

With love,

Ms. Shilo

Hi everyone!

Great work finishing the first checklist! We are starting to get into our groove, and the feedback I’m getting is that you’re enjoying the book and the journal prompts. That’s great news. You also gave me the feedback that you didn’t enjoy doing vocabulary the way we did it, so I removed that from our checklist. Instead, we’re going to look at the characters in more depth and talk about the theme, setting, and plot of the story. (Yes, I am listening to you and reading your self-assessments and feedback request forms!)

I’ve posted the new checklists under the checklist tab on this blog. I’ll hand them out in class, but as always, if you need another, you know where to find it. Oh, and we’re having our first literature circles this week, and I think you’re going to like them.

Have a fantastic week,

Ms. Shilo