Mr. Moshé’s Critically Thinking . . . Are You?

BEFORE YOU START YOUR HOMEWORK, READ THIS ARTICLE –

BREATHE . . .BREATHE . . .RELEASE: How to relax test-stressed kids.

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So, you have all the notes, and you are ready to make preparation fruitful.In class, we are doing focused Standardized Test Practice Passages. At home, we are strengthening our weakest areas based on what turns up in the practice.

How Classwork Works

You had 30 minutes to:

• Preview the Question (only the question)
• Read the Passage (the entire passage)
• Answer the Questions (look at each answer item)
• Check your Work

Then we:

• Went over each question and answer.
  • We identified each question’s type (i.e. context clue, contrast, main idea, inference . . .).
  • We shared some incorrect answers, and the correct answer.
    • You were supposed to:
    • Identify what you got wrong to make a plan for HW.
      • For instance, you could come up with a plan like this:
        • “I got #2 wrong. #2 was a cause/effect question. I also got #5 wrong. #5 was an inference question.
        • I have to do HW on cause/effect and inference.”
• Write down your HW plan in your JOURNAL and your TRACKER.

How Homework Works

For homework you have to:

• Spend only 15-30 minutes doing homework each night.
• For each question item you get wrong for a practice passage you must:
  • Go to Know the Lingo
  • Find the term/concept you got wrong
  • Go to the links associated with the term
    • Watch the presentation
      • Take notes IN YOUR JOURNAL
        • minimum one note/slide
      • Reflect on it IN YOUR JOURNAL
    • Play the Game
      • Take notes IN YOUR JOURNAL
        • instructions of the game
        • about how the game went
        • the outcome,
        • what you get out of it.
      • Reflect on it IN YOUR JOURNAL
    • Do the Exercise(s)
      • Print your results (if possible)
      • Take notes IN YOUR JOURNAL
      • Reflect on it IN YOUR JOURNAL

And as if that wasn’t enough . . . Come back tomorrow for more.

THis plan will remain in place until we are completely through all of the school adopted Standardized Test Practice Passages.

ONLY SPEND FIFTEEN MINUTES TAKING NOTES

EACH NIGHT OVER THE WEEKEND.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 25

SATURDAY, JANUARY 26

SUNDAY, JANUARY 27

Go to the links below, and take as thorough a set of notes as you can from each resource.

1. Follow the link
2. Take notes while you do what is expected of you
   1. Read the page
   2. View the presentation
   3. Listen to the audio file
3. Review your notes

It’s that simple. Now go young grasshopper!

• Link 1 – FCAT Reading Short & Extended Response Scoring
  • General Scoring Guidelines for Short and Extended Response Questions
• Link 2 – All FCAT Tests Content Notes
  • PowerPoint Presentation presented by Palm Beach County School District
    • Take notes on Reading and Science
    • Notes on Math will be extra credit (+5 Points)
• Link 3 CHOICES
  • FCAT Terms and Phrases List from Tequesta Trace Middle School (Weston, FL)
  • Middle – High School Standardized Test Preparation Terms with Practice Links (under construction)

You DO NOT have to post anything here for this assignment.

All work related to this post/assignment should be done on your own paper.

All NOTES are due in class on FRIDAY, January 25th, 2008. When you walk in.

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I’m trying something here. Bear with me. I’m trying to embed a video here. Let’s see if it works. OK it worked. i can view it from my office, but what about at school? We’ll see tomorrow. See ya’ in class. Don’t overwork yourselves. Take notes for a bit, say 15 – 30 minutes, then STOP. You will have time in class tomorrow, and tomorrow night too. Don’t panic . . . yet.Download Video: Posted by moshej at TeacherTube.com.


The Book Without Words leaves a lot to the reader’s imagination. Here’s where you get to use yours to fill in a blank. You’ve been asked to write a short narrative, a story. Your story should be between 500 and 750 words. Anywhere you can, I want you to incorporate the five senses (to Show not Tell, more examples, and more examples -LoginID:student1000/Password:student).

Refer to any one (or more) of these rubrics to self-assess your story when you think it’s done: Rubric 1, Rubric 2, Rubric 3.

You must be able to show me

• (1) a rough draft that you wrote,
• (2) the fact that someone (other than yourself) proofread it
• (3) a final draft (posted below)

What does every short fiction story have?

• A plot (help on plot 1, help on plot 2, help on plot 3)
  • Exposition
  • Rising Action
  • Climax
  • Resolution
• conflict(s)
  • internal
  • external
• setting(s) [help with setting 1, help with setting 2],
  • Mood is delivered through the Setting
• character(s)[help with characters 1, help with characters 2]
  • Tone is delivered through the Characters

In class you were asked to:

Re-read the monk’s tale (in Chapter 3 Section 16) about The Book Without Words and how the book came to be in Thorston’s possession.

Where do you think Brother Wilfrid spent the intervening years? Imagine.

• Imagine . . . how he must have searched for Thorston,
• Imagine . . . where he must have gone and
• Imagine . . . what he must have had to endure.

Post your story below . . .

You do not have to post comments/discussion on this one.

THIS ASSIGNMENT IS CLOSED. IF YOU HAVE NOT POSTED THIS ON TIME, BUT WOULDLIKE TO SHARE YOUR WORK WITH THE CLASS ANYHOW, POST IT TO THE STUDY HALL.

The Final Discussion (CLOSED_CLOSED)

AVI – An Author Talk (CLOSING SOON_CLOSING SOON)

Also, Avi has been to the discussion, and he has offered some very intriguing comments for you all to consider. Remember that your questions answered generate more questions, so if you see womething that makes you go, “hmmmm . . . ,” then you may have a question brewing.

You can still post questions for Avi:  A Talk With Avi