The Adventures in Mrs. Ripp's Class

Throughout the year, students will work on 50 vocabulary words or roots to broaden their language skills.  In the chosen weeks of vocab work, we will

• Introduce 2 words on Monday
• Introduce 2 words on Tuesday
• Introduce final word Wednesday
• Review on Thursday
• Test on Friday

Your assignment is to do a MEL-Con on the text My Dog by Kevin O'Neall.  You may use the graphic organizer provided in class to gather your thoughts, but the final product should be written as one succinct paragraph.

Please interpret this: Why did the author end with Mrs. Barney saying “My dog.”?  (What does that mean?, where did she get the dog from?)
Due:  Monday, September 29th.  Time will be given in class Wednesday and Friday to work on this.
Length: One paragraph or more.
To Submit:  Paper copy, or submit your link to your Google doc here 
Assessment:  Student and teacher will assess using the rubric found here
Text used:  My Dog by Kevin O'Neall
Graphic Organizer:  Can be found here 
To see a sample:  Go here 

Tomorrow in English we will start  our work writing about reading in the MEL-Con (Main Idea, Evidence, Link, Conclusion) format.  I will work through this with students as they write their first one due this coming Monday.  We will use the shared text My Dog by Kevin O'Neill to construct our response and a sample MEL-Con will be modeled with the students tomorrow.  

• Shows evidence of making meaning from the text (Can you tell I read?)
• Responds to the question (Did I answer the question?)
• Provides text-based evidence to support the response (Did I include proof from the text that relates to the question?)
• Provides extension or clarification in relationship to the question to show enhanced understanding of the text (Did I make an interpretation?)

• Introduction (List title and author)
• What is your main idea? (1 sentence)
• What is your evidence? (3-5 sentences)
• Conclusion (1-2 sentences)

I am excited to announce that the students have written their first blog posts today introducing themselves and their blogs to the world!  We would love for you to come by and leave us a comment as this is what makes blogging so special.

There are two different blog sites, one for the morning classes (Hours 1, 3, and 4) and one for the afternoon classes (Hours 5 and 7).  We will do blogging challenges every other week with time provided here in school, however, if a student does not use their time wisely in class it may be considered homework.

Morning classes, click here 
Afternoon classes, click here 

If at any time you have questions about our blogs, please ask.  This is a wonderful way for the students to develop as writers writing for an authentic audience, while displaying safe internet behavior.

One-Time Class Activation Code: GXJ8R To order books either send in a check or do it online:

•  VISIT scholastic.com/readingclub

•  ENTER the one-time Class Activation Code (top of this letter)

•  SHOP from a carefully curated selection of the best books, value packs, and Storia eBooks

•  SUBMIT your order and earn FREE Books for our classroom

•  All book orders will be shipped to our classroom so we can celebrate the joy of reading together!

Some recommendations for this month are:

• The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare 

• Sisters by Raina Teglmeier

• The Giver by Lois Lowry

• Wonder by R.J. Palacio

• Doll Bones by Holly Black

• Four by Veronica Roth

• The Selction by Kiera Cass

• The Eye of Minds by James Dashner 

• Legend by Marie Lu

• The Summer of Letting Go by Gae Pollisner

• Lunar Chronicles Pack by Marissa Meyer

• See You At Harry's by Jo Knowles

As you know, we have been working on our paper blogs as we get ready to discuss commenting and how engage others in conversation.  Safe internet behavior is something I take very seriously and something we discuss throughout the year, but particularly here in the beginning.  So far we have discussed the rules for staying safe on the internet using the analogy of how the internet is like the mall.  We have also discussed how a public blog is different from a private journal and the types of posts someone may write.



Throughout the entire year as we blog, I am also a line of defense.  All posts have to be approved by me (there is no way around this) and all comments have to be approved by me (also with no way around it).  All links that get to a student through a post have been clicked on by me and viewed.  In the 4 years of blogging with students, I have never had an unsafe situation, nor any type of cyber-bullying.  The most we have ever gotten are spam comments, which I simply delete before they reach students.  I feel that Kidblog is an incredibly safe way for students to write for an authentic audience and engage in a  global conversation.

If a child does not have permission to have their blog open to the public, they will still blog.  Their posts will only be seen by me and not widely published.  That way no one sticks out and everyone still has the same chance at reflecting.

If you would like to see students blogs from previous years and where your child will be blogging this year, please go to www.kidblog.org/mrsrippsclass/

I introduced the students to blogging today as we started to discuss the safety as well as the purpose for our blogs.  Blogs provide the students with a safe way to communicate with people around the world and will be used extensively thought out the year.  All posts and comments are approved by me, which ensures the safety of the students, as well as the appropriateness of what they post and the comments they get.  This should be a very positive experience for the students as it is something I value.

While class time will be provided for blogging, students are able to blog outside of school.  Many students want to blog about their interests and I encourage them to do so.  Our blog is used is a model for student blogging globally so we discussed today how to best represent ourselves to the world.  Spelling, conventions, as well as the ideas we present matter, and they will used to assess the writing journey for the year.  Therefore, students are expected to only put their best out there.

Next week, we will continue our blogging introduction, as well as head to the library.

To see what blogs looks like, please go here

Our first posts will be up by the end of next week.

If you have any questions regarding this, please contact me.

In our independent reading class, hour 8, we have the opportunity to do 20% time for the quarter.  20% time is an opportunity for students to explore their interests, learn something new, and take their curiosity to a new level.

• Books with more than 300 pages count as 2 books, books with more than 500 pages count as 3 books.  More than 800 - see Mrs. Ripp
• Graphic novels count as 1/4 of a book.
• Picture books count as 1/10 of a book - so 10 picture books are needed to count as 1 book.
• Magazines/Comics - check with Mrs. Ripp for fraction value
• You pick the books you want to read.
• You have until the end of the year
• You are only competing against yourself as a reader (and Mrs. Ripp if you want)
• 15 of the books must be actual chapter books
• This is meant to push you as a reader, if 25 is too little of a goal for you, please set a higher goal. My goal will be 80 books.

• On your "My Reading List" - this would be the easiest place to do it

• Book buddy discussion
• Blog a review on Kidblog of each book.
• Share your best reviews on Mrs. Ripp Reads blog
• Film a review.
• Stick the cover of your finished books up in your locker
• Recommend the book to a friend and have them write whether they would like to read it.
• Skype book recommendation call
• Your idea?

Welcome to Seventh Grade English.  My name is Mrs. Ripp, and I am looking forward to a positive and productive school year.  In this class, students will have the opportunity to explore and practice their reading, writing, listening and speaking skills.  To stay up-to-date on homework or current projects, please check our class blog www.mrsripp.com

1. 1 pocket folder
2. 1 spiral notebook
3. Pencil/pen
4. Loose leaf paper
5. Device if you have one
6. Reading book - or something to read
7. *on a given day, students may be asked to bring supplies such as scissors, glue/glue stick, markers, or color pencils.

1. Formative Assignments—the purpose of formative assignments is to practice new skills and concepts.  Formative assignments will not count toward a student’s final grade.  However, these assignments will appear on Infinite Campus—with a weight of zero—so that parents and students can keep track of progress.

2. Summative Assignments—summative assignments allow students to show mastery of a skill or concept.  This work will be the basis for a student’s overall English grade. Examples of summative work include, but are not limited to, projects, written work, quizzes, and tests.

1. write informative texts to convey ideas; select, organize, and analyze content.
2. write narratives to share real events, using vivid detail and ordered sequence.
3. use technology to produce writing, interact with others, and cite sources.
4. draw evidence from texts to support written analysis.
5. command the conventions of standard English grammar, usage, and vocabulary.
6. determine and analyze the development of central ideas/themes in a text; summarize.
7. evaluate claims in a text; assess and express the soundness and relevance of reasoning.
8. analyze how story elements interact.
9. express ideas clearly in collaborative discussions; build on others’ ideas.
10. present focused claims with support, using eye contact, volume, and elocution.