Yeah!!!

Happy Spring Break my dear students!  Please be safe, relax a little, have loads of fun... oh yeah, and look over your TCAP study sheet every now and then {sorry I had to put that in there}.  


Love, =)
Ms. Dawn


P.S.: Remember if you bring your TCAP review sheet back with a parent signature confirming that you did, in fact, study some you'll get extra credit in writing class!

To You...

My students are...

TCAP Testing Tips

What to do now...
1. have good attendance (we will be preparing each day for the big test, so don't miss out and do your best to not be tardy)
2. review at home
3. ask questions if you are still having a challenge with something covered in class (remember our class is a safe zone to share ideas and form questions)
4. be on your best behavior and stay focused during class time (even if you feel like you've got it together academically, the person next to you may not and it's unfair to take away from his/her education by being distracting)
5. take study notes on a topic that is challenging you so you can review them later

What to do on the test days...
1. get a good night's sleep each night
2. eat a healthy breakfast to jumpstart your brain daily
3. come to school on time (don't be tardy)
4. eliminate incorrect answers
5. underline key information in the questions
6. bubble in your answers completely (with a #2 pencil), making sure you are in the correct spot on your answer sheet
7. triple check your answers if you finish early
8. check the time periodically and pace yourself (if time is almost up and you have unanswered questions go ahead and bubble in an answer for each question, so you at least have a chance, and then if there's more time go back over them)
9. take deep breathes and stretch your hands/arms to relieve tension
10. believe in yourself and know that I believe in you, too   

Remember these tips!  I think you're going to do GREAT!

Love,
Ms. Dawn

William Shakespeare in the House!

AKA: Bard of Avon * 1564-1616

Some say, "William Shakespeare in elementary school?  What?!" However, in Ms. Dawn's writing class, we say, "Yes!" and work to prove naysayers wrong.


Fabulous quotes from the famous Stratford-Upon-Avon playwright:


"All the world 's a stage, and all the men and women merely players."
-As You Like It

"This above all: to thine own self be true."
-Hamlet 

"Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt."
-Measure for Measure (This is one of my favorite quotes! -Ms. Dawn) 

"Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn, and cauldron bubble."
-Macbeth (Cauldron is one of our million $ words of the day!  A trio of creepy witches chant this quote in the bloody play of Macbeth.)

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
-Romeo & Juliet

"It is the east, and Juliet is the sun." (That's a metaphor!)
-Romeo & Juliet

Click HERE to watch the video we watched in class!
Click HERE for more Shakespeare fun!

Writing students, what else have you learned about old William Shakespeare?  Leave me a comment! =)

"Parting is such sweet sorrow..." (That's another quote from Romeo & Juliet.)
Ms. Dawn

(Image Source: Getty Images)

I Heart Poetry {Do You?}

There's something magical about written verse...  Here's a poem for ya... 
Think you don't like poetry?
Can't understand - the dancing words
Somersaulting, over and over,
White fields.
Looking crazy?
Spinning brain, let out that sigh.
It's okay.  You know poetry,
But you don't -
It's in that music that's booming 
That rap that's rhyming -
It's in the breeze that's blowing
Sweet zephyrs flowing -
In flowers blooming -
Fast crimson rides zooming -
It's in waterfalls, the moon, a simple tune -
In everyday life - azure skies - delight -
Poetry, my friend, is not so uptight.
Poetry, instead, is giving breath to life.

                                    -Ms. Dawn

It's Rather A-MUSE-ing!

During our poetry study we learned a new billion dollar word: muse (click the word to learn its meaning - it's definition #2).  Now that you know the word's meaning, let me introduce our class muse board...

We learned how pretty much anything could inspire us... art, music, quotes, nature, everyday life, food, photographs, everyday objects, travel, sports, books, paint chips, candy wrappers, words, animals, architecture...

Students can use the muse board to find an idea that will spark a story!

What's one of your muses that's helped you create?

Love,

Ms. D.