Targeted Skills Middle Schools 2005-2006 Grades 6-7-8

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Skill: Persuasive Writing Effective Strategies that can be used to promote student achievement in:

ELA (Persuasive) Social Studies PE/health Electives counseling/ social work

Read Aloud examples Editing & Revising Mini-lessons craft & skill Book Talks Literary letters Conferencing about

reading & writing organizational skills Read state graded

samples of persuasive writing (GEPA)

Use student work to see how to turn a “3” paper into a 4,5 or 6.

All test using open-ended questions are weighed more than other tests

Media Reviews Personal response Using text to support

argument Organization of

thoughts Fact v. Opinion Reasons & Evidence Letter Format Analyzing Editorials Applying and

Identifying Advertising

Read Aloud persuasive pieces & editorials

study skills organizational ideas counter arguments revising work debating topics compare & contrast conferencing about

writing & reading current events use film Current Events – use

real-life situations to create persuasive tasks

Read editorials and look for emotional words & facts (examine the craft of writing)

All test using open-ended questions are weighed more than other tests

Mock debates Analyzing &

Critiquing the Bill of Rights

Reading News reaction, information,fact vs. Opinion

controversial topics – forming an opinion

pros & cons of topics connecting curriculum

to real world listening skills using reasons to

support your ideas during class discussion

comparing & contrasting

conferencing about writing

note-taking/organization

All test using open-ended questions are weighed more than other tests

Persuasive poster project (Smoking, safe sex, drugs)

Importance of a healthy diet

study skills pros & cons of things counter arguments using technology to

learn new things opinion on current

event articles comparing &

contrasting critique work for

strengths & weaknesses

conferencing about writing

note-taking debates and role-

playing differentiate between

fact & opinion All test using open-

ended questions are weighed more than other tests

Revise & editing of drafts on computer

ART – as communication, picture analysis SPANISH * persuasive letter advantages of knowing diff. language * should language be taught

pros & cons of decisions

counter arguments * how to see other points of view

*being specific about why the other person is wrong

Personal diaries with reflections

Using reasons to support your ideas

Choosing careers What grade do you

deserve? Self-esteem

Character Education Skill Development

• interviewing skills • interpersonal

communication • conflict resolution

Targeted Skills Middle Schools 2005-2006 Grades 6-7-8

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ELA (Persuasive) Social Studies PE/health Electives counseling/ social work

techniques Propaganda DEBATES Repetition Pre-writing Position papers Letters to characters

advising them how to act , make a decitsion or take a course of action

Verbal discussion of an argument, counter argument

Creating own rubric Writing a persuasive

essay Develop a uniform

document across the board

Transitional writing words across the curriculum

Book Reviews Using evidence to

support ideas Describing vs. telling

a story Pros, Cons –Debate Use of Editorial

Articles (Soc. Stud.) Make a comic strip

for a procedure or to illustrate time or an event (Soc. Stud.)

Writing an editorial *Analyzing & interpreting political cartoons *Rivalries *Compare/contrast cultures Where do you want to live and why? *Debates- responding to school problems *Day in the life as a member of society – status, station in life *What grade do you deserve in my class? Back up answer with evidence. *Writing piece in SS goes to ELA for revising and editing *Students held accountable for the elements of persuasive writing *Letters to government officials, principal about pressing issues *Modeling how to work with difficult vocabulary words *Lobbying of government

in public school? TECHNOLOGY *evaluating website for point of view, hidden agendas *Create persuasive presentations using varied media PERFORMING ARTS- writing reviews Production of How-to books Reproduction of various art works (compare & contrast) Production of travel brochure Plan with SS to write persuasive essay

Targeted Skills Middle Schools 2005-2006 Grades 6-7-8

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ELA (Persuasive) Social Studies PE/health Electives counseling/ social work

Resources Novels Write Source Readers’ Handbook Newspapers, magazines Chart Paper Internet Library Original images Textbooks Magazines/ newspaper Internet Personal photos Release GEPA tasks Read 180 Program

newspapers historical fiction, non-fiction chart paper graphs “Real” people to talk to class

newspapers non-fiction books Google “graphic organizers” Scholastic Action Star Ledger- Student Opinions

MATH- Students will write paragraphs to persuade/convince others their method/strategy is most effective in problem-solving process.

SCIENCE – Students will use to scientific method to persuade that their hypothesis will most likely be correct by the end of the experiment.

Targeted Skills Middle Schools 2005-2006 Grades 6-7-8

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Skill: Interpreting Text - Guess age-appropriate vocabulary word meanings with adequate context Effective Strategies that can be used to promote student achievement in:

ELA (Vocabulary) Social Studies PE/health Electives counseling/ social work

word wall using sophisticated

language discussion

Read Aloud/Think Aloud

Isolating words Using context clues Word wall for

different things (novel, discussion…)

Graphic organizers Morphology –

prefixes, suffixes, & roots

Making crossword puzzles

Discussion Use Source book as a

place to jot down confusing words that will later be used for

discussion. Accountable talk/

vocabulary Etymology Note card/bookmark

glossary Bingo Lingo Word Board Games Synonyms/Antonyms Word Cemetery Reading for a

Online games (mrfi.net)

Read newspapers Word Wall on unit Context clues Vocabulary

exercises Making crossword

puzzles Skits Discussion Use vocab. Words

in multiple choice questions

Utilizing 7 habits of a good reader

Read aloud to students

Utilizing peer editing – checking for punctuation, sentence structure & transition, position on the

topic, referring to text, novel or media to support topic.

Root Words (suffix, prefix)

Visual

Word Wall Vocabulary

exercises Exposure to new

words Skits Word Collages Discussion Evidence to

support topic Students are to

write instructional piece

Students are expected to use vocabulary daily & in writing pieces.

WORD WALL current events word wall pre-assessment expressing ideas student generated

work discussion daily vocabulary concept maps for

vocabulary/ syntax SPANISH * looking at roots of words common to English and Spanish Excel Words – function, formula, etc. Word Walls specific to subject area and used during class.

RESOURCES (for all) Students need different methods to learn vocabulary – visual, auditory, and tactile. Dictionary Thesaurus Word of the Day newspapers textbooks Reader’s Handbook Release GEPA tasks Bulletin boards Photographs Short stories /paragraphs Anthologies

Targeted Skills Middle Schools 2005-2006 Grades 6-7-8

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Purpose Create an historical

scenario Comic strip with

dialogue Read aloud within text

Use student developed/created questions

representations of new words

Definition defining sheet

Evaluation of texts, origin of words

Targeted Skills Middle Schools 2005-2006 Grades 6-7-8

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Skill: Interpreting Meaning, Drawing ConclusionsEffective Strategies that can be used to promote student achievement in:

ELA (interpreting meaning) Social Studies PE/health Electives counseling/ social work

Facts to Conclusion Implied Meanings reflecting context clues Note Taking Literary letters Personal responses Inference sheets Open-ended

responses Compare/contrast Riddles, Mysteries,

character analysis Predicting Asking questions Determining

importance Finding evidence to

support/arrive at a conclusion

Mental maps (visualization)

snapshot strategy (focus on a small area of a picture – development of a single focus)

forming questions from text

character analysis identifying author’s

use of literary

Maps Interpreting Graphs Time Lines Note Taking Setting Purposes Open-ended

questions Cultures study,

tendencies Compare/contrast Venn diagram Predicting Asking questions Determining

importance Finding evidence to

support/arrive at a conclusion

*Reflection questions *If-Them Questions *Group Juggle – cause & effect *Analysis of cause & effect of disease or health related conditions *Predicting outcome of choices SCIENCE *drawing conclusions during experimentation, based on hypothesis, observation, analyzing & gathering data *drawing conclusions must be supported by testing the hypothesis several times nad coming up with the final conclusion

Picture Prompts: • Identify • Create stories

ART • interpret “meaning”

from paintings SPANISH

• inferences from text with pictures

• context clues Artistic interpretation of characters, settings & events

• Organization • Time Management • Study Skills • Behavior

modification • Interpreting or using

non-verbal communication (facial expression, gestures, body language)

MATH *making predictions/drawing conclusions based on analyzed data (i.e. tables, graphs, equations, written paragraphs) *math reflections/ summaries

Targeted Skills Middle Schools 2005-2006 Grades 6-7-8

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ELA (interpreting meaning) Social Studies PE/health Electives counseling/ social work

devices within text identifying themes

Resources Comprehension skills books Reader’s handbook Write Source Graphic Organizers Games Schillinger hand-outs GEPA style picture prompts Magazines Release GEPA tasks Sharing a packet of examples and GEPA rubrics in order to assess the work Personal photos Read 180 Program

Comprehension Skills books