November Lesson Plans: It’s National Novel Writing Month!

NaNoWriMo Workbook Link

November Lesson Plans Link

Did you know it is National Novel Writing Month? The entire month of November will be devoted to novel writing, and we will use the NaNoWriMo workbook to generate ideas, establish focus, and develop writing skills. Students will be given a workbook, and the due dates for each section are listed on the lesson plan calendar. If a student loses their workbook, they will be responsible for accessing the extra copy via the link. They can either print it or complete the task on notebook paper using the digital copy as a guide.

As students work through the strategies designed to help them create a novel, students will then spend the majority of class time writing their novels. Depending on how the editing and revision process goes, we will have a showcase at the end of December or early January inviting parents to see and hear their creations!

Coming Soon: Guest Bloggers!

This may look like a messy shelf to many, but to me, this is a shelf full of the beginnings of masterpieces: humorous narratives, tear-jerking memories, emotional poems, and thoughtful reflections. These works need a platform to be heard, so I opened up a Guest Blogging opportunity on Google Classroom. Any student who would like to complete a piece they started during Write Time or anytime, can submit it and could be chosen as a guest blogger. I look forward to posting my first Guest Blogger soon! Prepare to be amazed.

RACE Paragraph, Melody’s POV Grade Explanation

Parents,

You may be concerned to see a “0” in the grade book for “RACE Paragraph, Melody’s POV.” Do not be alarmed! I am waiting on corrections in Googe Classroom before I post the grade on Skyward.

Your child has a grade for this assignment in Google Classroom, they can show it to you. Yesterday, we went over their grades, how it was scored and how to make a 100. Today I gave them instructions in class and on Google Classroom for how to correct this if they want to improve their grade. ALL kids have this option! If a student failed, they can get up to a 100 on their corrections. If a child made a 99, they can get up to a 100 with the corrections. These corrections must be resubmitted by Wednesday.

Since this is a heavily weighted assignment this 9 weeks, I strongly encourage students to make the corrections a priority. I will put the corrected grade in Skyward no later than Thursday!

Thank you,

Chesley Kelley

6 Word Memoirs

This is the first year I’ve included 6-word memoirs, and your kids have made this one of my favorite projects! In order to write about a meaningful memory in such a concise manner, students had to participate in the brainstorming and drafting process. They learned how to quickly generate ideas and identify the ideas that were most significant to them. After doing a quick free write about the topic they chose, they had to find the heart of what they were trying to express and consolidate it into 6 words. They got to learn a bit about water colors to create the perfect backdrop for their final products. As you can see from the pictures, the experiences expressed in these memoirs range in emotion; some are light-hearted, while others are heartbreaking. I am so proud of what your kids have created and wanted to share them with you. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!