Grading Period 3: Week 3 Review

Hello all,

Below you will find a portion of this week's review.  The Horizons class's material can be found below.

Spelling Lesson 13

Horizons WOW Quiz Review

Personal Narrative

Way to Go Spike Band!

Grading Period 2: The End

Yikes!  Tomorrow is already the end of the second grading period!  Make sure that you study for your spelling and vocabulary quizzes tomorrow. Study guides are below.

Parents, please visit with your student about the latest major grades that they have earned.  Grades that have been returned are Scrapbook (Horizons), Checkpoint 2 and their Journal.  Both of these were major test grades.  I realize this grading period felt like there was a ton of work, but that is the fast and furious nature of a shortened grading period.  Now that they have the flow of things, it should come quite a bit more naturally. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.

Spelling Lesson 10

handcuffs

chefs

zeros

torpedoes

yourselves

bookshelves

brothers-in-law

series

bacteria

media

portfolios

avocados

cargoes

mottoes

calves

great-uncles

aircraft

alumni

data

oases

Horizons Vocab Lesson 9

Thanks!

Grading Period 2: Week 3 Review & Expository Writing

As you know, this year we will be taking the STAAR Writing test.  The students will be responsible for at least one expository composition and at least one personal narrative.  We jumped into the expository essay this week, and the mess above actually proved quite helpful with the use of a kernel writing format and gave us a good outline for the paper that was written yesterday in class (and is being finished in class today) and produced the introductory paragraph you see above.  There is great stuff going on in room A29 this year, and I find it very exciting to see students that are so hesitant to write coming alive in their writing.  We have some terrific writers this year.
While on the subject of my wonderful writers, students have a great opportunity at Peterson Middle School to participate in UIL competition.  I will be coaching the events of Ready Writing and Spelling in UIL competition this year and invite any of my eager writers and spellers to participate. This is a new endeavor for me as a teacher, so my students and I will learn the ins and outs of UIL together.
Okay, okay... Now for the part that you're here for- the review!

This week in Horizons...
acquit                      to declare not guilty of a charge of crime or other offense              
allocate                   to set aside for a specific purpose
administration          the group of people who manage or direct an organization
associate                 a coworker; friend; companion
consequence           a result of an earlier happening or action; outcome

Spelling Lesson 8 Review...

Crime

Criminal

Combine

Combination

Academy

Academic

Inspire

Inspiration

Except

Exception

Imitate

Imitation

Operate

Operation

Depart

Departure

Participate

Participation

Regulate

Regulation

CORRECTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you (your student) has earned a grade below 70 on a quiz, it is EXTREMELY important that they make corrections as soon as possible to bring that grade up to 70.  Progress reports will be posted this weekend, they will be sent home next Thursday, and the grading period will be over on the following Friday!  This is the shortest grading period of the year, so make sure your student is on the ball now!

Study study study!

Grading Period 2: Week 2 Review

Hey folks,
I'll make this quick since the parade is creeping up very quickly.
Horizons Vocabulary Review:

oologist		a collector of bird eggs
coleopterist		a collector of beetles
bibliophile		a lover of books
graphophile		a lover of writing
logophile		a lover of words

Spelling Review:
mathematics
really
audience
usually
diamond
favorite
memory
restaurant
recognize
disgusted
secretary
miniature
tournament
vacuum
Delaware
gratitude
elementary
juvenile
victim
category

Good Luck!

A New Grading Period: Week One

The first six weeks is already gone! I find that very hard to believe.  The time is flying by in room A29 this year.  We took our first short checkpoint this week and I'm very happy, in general, with the results on the tests.  I saw lots of 100's and 92's!  We need to continue working hard to ensure the success of our students.  To help, below you will find a review list for the quiz that was missed due to the incentive for horizons and regular classes.  Study this evening, and good luck tomorrow!
Horizons' Lesson 5:
excessive- more than necessary, reasonable, or usual; too much
expulsion- the act of forcing or driving out or the state of being forced to leave or driven out
forethought- thought, care, or planning for the future
maneuver- a skillful, clever, or cunning move or procedure; scheme; 2. to plan or perform skillfully
retaliate- to return or repay like for like, especially evil for evil or injury for injury

Spelling Lesson 5:
arguing
researched
horrifying
qualified
panicked
mimicking
controlled
horrified
committed
committing
mimicked
traveling
panicking
argued
traveled
receiving
qualifying
received
controlling

Study study study,
Good luck,

Last Chance!

This is it- the eve of the end of the grading period!  For those of you that have been teetering this six weeks, it's time to step up and finish the grading period strong.  For those of you that have been fighting an uphill battle, this is your chance to stand victorious and proud that you have prevailed- evidence that you have the ability to be successful this school year.  Some of you, who I sent failure notices home with yesterday and did not receive them today, we will continue to work with you (kicking and screaming albeit) to make sure that you are successful.  Use this first grading period as wake-up call for the rest of the year.  There isn't a soul in any of my classes that can afford a sub-par grade on tomorrow's quizzes, so make sure you are studying your words this evening.  Below are the spelling words and Horizons vocabulary words that will be tested tomorrow.
Good luck!

Spelling List 4

herd: We saw a herd of cattle on the ranch.

heard: I heard birds singing at dawn.

capital: Austin is the capital of Texas.

capitol: The senate is in the capitol building.

principle: Honesty is an important principle.

principal: The school principal led the assembly.

there: It is easy to get there from here.

their: The boys carried their tennis rackets.

straight: The path is straight, not curved.

strait: A narrow strait connects the lakes.

compliment: I received a compliment on my poem.

complement: The red rug will complement the room.

stationery: I wrote a letter on my new stationery.

stationary: An exercise bicycle stays stationary.

idle: She remained idle instead of working.

idol: The artist was the young man's idol.

hostel: Young travelers can stay at a hostel.

hostile: The enemy soldiers were hostile.

sheer: Light comes through the sheer curtain.

shear: She will shear the poodle's long hair.

Horizons Vocabulary List 4

befall- to happen to; occur

bestow- to present, give, or grant as a gift or honor

confer- to give as a gift or honor; to award; to meet and discuss together

consolation- something that comforts

delegate- 1. a person chosen to act for or represent another; 2. to give or assign (responsibility, power, or authority) to another.

Study study study,

Week 5- Can You Believe It?!

Wow!  I can't believe we are already nearing the end of the first grading period.  Today I gave a Writer's Notebook-check quiz.  This is the MAJOR thing we have been working on all grading period.  If your child did not turn in or complete this assignment, they were probably issued a d-hall for next week.  Please ask to see what they made on this check quiz!  If their grade is below what you expect of them, check for these things that should be present and complete throughout the notebook:

1. Collection Page- magazine/picture/photo cutouts of things “about” you

2. Table of Contents- All pages should be recorded to reference their location

3. Table of Contents

4. Stickers for Sharing (Only a title on this page)

5. Pieces of Me (Puzzle of his face glue haphazardly, 6 puzzle pieces with 5 of each of the following under each topic: family, friends, likes, dislikes, teachers, pets/places/activities)

6. Writing Rule of the Week p.1

7. Writing Rule of the Week p. 2

8. Writing Rule of the Week p.3

9. Writing Rule of the Week p.4

10. Things from the Heart- heart foldable (left side: “Things I like,” middle: “Things I’m good at,” right: “Things I dislike”- NO PEOPLE under dislikes)- 10 things in each section

11. Memories Page- Pink table- 6 rows should be filled in

12. Noun Page

13. Verb Page

14. Adjective Page

15. Adverb Page

16. Pronoun Page

17. Preposition Page

18. Conjunction/Interjection Page (Horizons doesn’t have this one)

19. Fortune Page- You should have a cutout of a fortune cookie with a fortune written on it- “You will“                        -One page short story about the fortune coming true.

SPELLING/VOCAB Quizzes tomorrow!!!

Make sure you're studying for tomorrow's quiz.  Grades were generally better last Friday, but I hope to see them continue to improve tomorrow.  I'm sorry, Horizons, but I don't have a video review for you today, but below you will find the vocab word and the definition as it will appear on the test.  Spelling words can be found below as well!  Good luck to all of you tomorrow- this will be one of the last big assignments to boost your grades going into the last week.

Horizons:

LESSON	3	inflation	noun	an increase in the price of goods and services
		inventory	noun/verb	1. all of the goods in stock available for selling; a detailed list of all goods in stock; the act of making such a list; 2. to make a detailed list of all the items in stock
		investor	noun	a person who puts money into something, such as property, a business, or stocks, in order to make a profit.
		overhead	noun	the general expenses of running a business, such as rent, taxes, electricity, and heating
		subsidize	verb	to aid, assist, or support with a grant of money

Spelling Lesson 3:

mayonnaise

Halloween

abbreviation

confetti

cinnamon

graffiti

Connecticut

parallel

accomplishment

possession

recommend

harass

interruption

necessary

successfully

approximately

commitment

embarrass

accommodate

different

Last, I would like to mention parent conferences.  If you have any concerns, we are happy to sit down with you as a team, with or without your child, to discuss how we can work together to make sure they are successful.  Again, our TEAM conference time is from 10:30 to 11:10 every day.

Thanks!

Vocab/Spelling Lesson 2 Review

Hello all,
I just wanted to make sure that you all had the proper material to study for tomorrow's quiz.  Parents, make sure that you ask to see progress reports that went home today during 7th period.  Anyway, Horizons, you need to review the video below to prepare for your quiz tomorrow.  Everyone else, I expect to see much higher grades on tomorrow's spelling quiz.  You can find your words below.

Spelling Lesson 2

executive

brochure

exotic

chandelier

Michigan

meanwhile

chauffeur

parachute

penguin

language

examination

exhibit

exempt

exhausted

overwhelming

extinguish

guacamole

exertion

whirlpool

distinguished

Study study study,

Vocabulary/Spelling List 1 Review

Hello everyone!
Make sure you are prepared for your spelling or vocabulary quiz tomorrow, depending on whether you're in Horizons or not.  For most of you, you need to study your spelling words below and make sure you know how to spell them correctly.  We have discussed in class how important a high quiz grade is this week.  This will be the only quiz grade on the progress report and that will make up 60% of your grade.

Spelling Lesson One

completely

believe

weirdest

beige

through

thirtieth

experiment

perfume

doesn't

decision

politely

fierce

briefcase

sleigh

lieutenant

maneuver

recruit

biscuit

gauge

preserve

HORIZONS- Watch the video below.  When the definition pops up, press the pause button, answer with the correct vocab word, then press play to reveal the answer.  Watch the video as many times as necessary. You are responsible for spelling and matching the word to its defintion!

Good luck to all of you,

Mid-Week 3 Recap

             Wow! It's hard to believe a quick three weeks has already passed us by, students are almost locker-independent, learning the routines, and are well-acquainted with Accelerated Math. It was nice seeing all the parents that stopped in for open house last night.  If there are any questions that we can answer for you, please send us an email for the quickest response.  If you missed open house, you can download a copy of our handout here. If you feel like you would like a parent conference, please don't hesitate to make that request.
             This brings up the topics of progress reports and incentives.  Progress reports will be going home next week so keep your eye out for those.  We have posted the criteria to meet our TEAM incentive in each of our classrooms.  Please notice that, since our students are 7th graders, the qualification of just passing is not enough to meet the incentive criteria.  Also, they must not receive any d-halls, office referrals, or be sent to alternative school.  Please make sure that if your child has been absent that they have turned in an excuse note either from you or from their doctor to excuse the absence.
If you feel like something may be missing from English class, here is a brief recap of what we have done in the first three weeks. Again, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email.
Thanks,

Day One: Complete!

It was a great first day at Peterson today!  I really enjoyed all of my classes today and I look forward to working with the students in my classes to make great writers.  We started each class today talking about dress code from the handbook, then played Back to School Black Jack to learn about each student.  This was a lot of fun.  It's always interesting to hear the information students choose to share.  The homework I gave my students tonight is to get their Welcome Letter signed and ready to turn in first thing in class tomorrow.  Tomorrow we will start writing in our journals- a practice my students will be VERY familiar with throughout the year.
This is going to be a great year!

New School, New Beginning

There is a certain smell to the air when it's time for school to start once again.  It's that time again, ladies and gentlemen, to set your alarms, pack your backpack with all your supplies, and get yourselves to school by 7:45 Monday morning.  It's a new school year!  It's a new school (for me too)!  I'm looking forward to sharing the upcoming year with you in my English class on the Missions Team.  We are going to have a terrific year.  I look forward to meeting all of you very soon!

I'll see you all on Monday,

Get a sneak peak at my Welcome Letter here.

Happy Summer!

I hope you are all having a wonderful summer so far. I figured some of you might get to feeling nostalgic (missing my class) so I'd send you a quick post.  First of all, Joe went to summer camp on Sunday after school was out and he had a great time. That kept him busy while I was training teachers on how to use the SMART Board over at Peterson. Thanks to the help of my awesome homeroom class, I got all moved in to my new classroom the day after school was out.  I have an entire wall of chalkboard paint! Pretty awesome!  Anyway, I'll be hanging around Kerrville for most of the summer, except for the week in mid-July when I go to Calgary, Canada. I've noticed some of you are still posting to edmodo so I figure I'll leave it up until I have to set up classes for next year.  For those of you taking horizons classes, that might be a good place for you to collaborate on your summer reading assignments.  If you have any questions, you can email me or message me on edmodo. That is all for now. Rest up, get outside and play, and have a great summer! It was an absolute pleasure teaching all of you this school year.
-Mr. Mein

6 Traits of Writing

Grading Period 5: Week 6 Vocab Review

Grading Period 5- Week 4 Vocab Review

Android App for Mr Mein's Classroom!

I did some dabbling in app creation this weekend. I've created one for Android devices. It's not in the Android Market because I'm too cheap to pay the $25 to put it on there. You can download it to your Android device here. Check it out and let me know what you think.
Come to school ready to work hard in this last week before spring break!
-Mr. Mein

Grading Period 4: Week 7 Vocab Review

STUDY STUDY STUDY!!!! 28 words on tomorrow's test!!!!
Good luck,
Mr. Mein

Grading Period 4: Week 5 Vocab Review

20 words this will be on this week's Word of the Week Quiz!  Study the video, study your flashcards, study your tests that I gave you back last week!  A lot of you need to make up for a poor performance last week!!!  Good Luck!
Thanks,
Mr. Mein

Grading Period 4- Week 4 Vocabulary Review

Remember, I won't be there to administer the quiz because I'm taking a test of my own!  I wish you luck on your quiz, and hope you wish me luck on mine!  I hope to see lots of hundreds!  Have a terrific weekend.
Thanks,
Mr. Mein

Watsons Quiz

Because of technical error I was unable to post the review video for tomorrow's quiz. Study your notes, use your head, stop to think before you start writing your answers. Good luck!
Mr. Mein

Get Tebowed!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD TEBOW FOLDABLE!!!

Grading Period 4: Week 2 Vocabulary Review

We're up to 8 words this week for our Word of the Week Quiz that we will take tomorrow.  I am very pleased that EVERY SINGLE STUDENT earned a 100 last week for the WOW Quiz.  Study the words to make sure you have them memorized throughout this long grading period.

My classes started back after Christmas with a discussion on respect.  They were asked "What Does Respect Look Like?"  The video below shows their answers.  Enjoy!



Study Study Study!!
Thanks,
Mr. Mein

Word of Week Quiz Sneak Peek

Here is a sneak peek at tomorrow's Word of the Week Quiz.  Start off on the right foot!

-Mr. Mein

Grading Period 4: Week 1 Vocabulary Review

Remember- there are only 4 matching questions on this test.  That means your grade will be 100, 50, 25, or 0. STUDY STUDY STUDY!!!!
If you have any questions, email me.
Thanks,
Mr. Mein

Happy New Year!

I hope you all have had a fantastic break and I look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday, ready to work. I'm in a giving mood, so if you print out this blog post, I will give you a FREE 100 for extra credit to start out the grading period. It must be turned in by Wednesday, January 4th!
Happy New Year!
-Mr. Mein