Week of 1/19-1/23

Parents and Guardians, I received the following letter from the University of Virginia. I do not have any affiliations with this camp. However, this may be a valuable learning experience and I wanted to pass this information on to those of you who are interested.
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January 2009

The University of Virginia Curry School of Education is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Summer Enrichment Program (SEP) for rising fifth through rising eleventh grade students. This summer residential program aims to provide academic enrichment for gifted and/or high ability students and a stimulating atmosphere within which these students can interact with each other.

The camp is offered in three 2-week sessions on June 21, July 5, and July 19, 2009 on Grounds of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. Students stay in University dorms and attend a morning class and an afternoon seminar in fields of their choice. Subjects include Math, Science, Literature and Writing, Fine and Performing Arts and Social Science. The students are supervised 24 hours a day by undergraduate-age residential counselors many of whom were former SEP campers. Students explore the UVA Grounds and engage in many recreational activities throughout the camp.

Admission to SEP is by application and the deadline is February 15, 2009. Candidates must submit responses to two writing prompts and ask a teacher to complete and send in a recommendation. All application forms and writing prompts are found on our web site at http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/sep under “Summer Program.” Tuition for 2009 is $1100 and there is $25 application fee. Financial aid is available based on need. The financial aid form should be submitted no later than March 1, 2009 to be considered. The selection process is competitive and blind to both previous attendance and request for financial assistance. Applications are judged against students in each age grouping based on the quality of the responses to writing prompts and teacher recommendation. Test scores may be considered in cases of close decisions.

For the upcoming summer we are piloting an on-line application available now through our web site at http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/sep . Of course, we also welcome paper applications from those who prefer that process. The paper applications are available to download from the web site as well as more information about the program including a description of our classes in the Junior and Senior programs and the goals of the program.

Programs in past years have been judged to be exciting and beneficial by participants and we hope to provide an equally stimulating program in 2009. We welcome and encourage students from outside Virginia to apply. If you have any questions please email us at curry-sep@virginia.edu, or call us at 434-924-3182.


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In an effort to "Support our Troops," our team will be creating a care package for a former teacher of Julia Landon. Ms. Franklin is an active member of the National Guard and was called out of the classroom and into the field during the last school year. She is currently serving our country in Iraq. We would like to send her warm wishes to let her know that we appreciate her work and to remind her that we are thinking about her. Due to the length of time it takes for a package to arrive in Iraq we would like to send the package out at the end of January and anticipate its arrival around Valentines Day. Therefore, we have decided to create a Valentines theme in hopes to send her lots of "love." Some of the items you might consider sending her include a home made Valentines card, a current magazine (reading material), small non-perishable snacks/treats, word game books, sudoku books, and just about anything that you think one would miss. In addition, we will be collecting small monetary donations to purchase an International Calling Card so she can call her loved ones. Please consider contributing to the care package.

This week in ELA:

Monday 1/19: No School-Martin Luther King's Birthday Observed

Tuesday 1/20: Introduction to the Poetry Unit; pgs. IN8-IN9, homework: Using an outline format take notes on the different aspects of poetry from pgs. IN8 & 9

Wednesday 1/21: Early Dismissal--Pg. 700-703, read aloud in class and reviewed the requirements for the poetry poster, brochure, or foldable. Homework: study key words/vocabulary from pgs. IN8 & 9 and pgs. 700-703 to prepare for the word wall game.

Thursday 1/22: Reviewed the poetry poster, brochure, or foldable rubric and started assignment in class. See below.

Standards

LA.6.2.1.1
The students will identify the characteristics of various genres, form, and style.

LA.6.1.7.2
The student will analyze the author’s purpose.

LA.6.1.7.3
The student will determine the main idea or essential message.


Task

Create a poster, brochure, or foldable that highlights the following aspects of poetry:

Introduce the different types, styles, and characteristics of poetry: What is Poetry? (pg. IN8 on the left you will see the types of poetry, pg. IN8 on the right you will see the different styles of poetry, and pg. IN9 you will see the characteristics of poetry)
Why we read poetry? (pg. 702)
Poetry Reading Strategies (pg. 703)


Poetry Poster, Brochure, or Foldable Rubric

The title is appropriate and aligned with
the standard (Poetry) 1 2 3 4 5

The different types, styles, and
characteristics of poetry are present 1 2 3 4 5
and defined

The three reasons to read
poetry are present 1 2 3 4 5

A minimum of four reading strategies
are present and clearly described 1 2 3 4 5

The poster is neat and error free. 1 2 3 4 5


Total points: /25 x4= /100


This assignment is due Wednesday 1/28/09


Friday 1/23: Field Trip to MOSH & Challenger Space Center, Jacksonville, FL. Those who did not attend the field trip worked on the assignment above.