Research Sites and 5 Paragraph Writes

English time has been very focused, and the students have put forth much effort writing 5 paragraph stories. The students have used many strategies to prepare them for communicating through written expression. The use of visual organizers, posters, word walls, and many other mapping tools to accomplish independent writing habits have been practiced daily. These practices will continue throughout the second quarter as we focus on specific subjects and charting our writing fluency.

Iowa Test of Basic Skills, Character Traits, and Words Per Story (WPS)

The 8th Graders have been working on the ITBS tests for the past two weeks. They have completed the Language Arts portions and will focus on the math areas until November 12. Please remind your child that it is important to eat a good breakfast, get plenty of sleep, and to try to do their best during the test.

In grades 7, 8, and 9 we have been focusing on character traits and using various adjectives to describe our main characters. The students have been increasing their understanding of words through the use of various web-sites. They have been defining words, learning the correct pronunciations, and identifying both synonyms and antonyms. A site that can be used to enrich their vocabulary would be www.dictionary.com.

During the 2nd quarter the students will be doing many practice writes and using webs and organizers to plan out their stories. Please encourage your child to think about stories that are meaningful to them as they express their ideas. We have been focusing on "weekly words per story" and discussing the importance of trying to meet or beat the word count from their prior write. The students will begin charting their progress and reflecting on how to improve their scores. The goal of self-regulating their own work is one that we will continue to learn about throughout the year.

Hope To See You At Conferences!

Behavioral Skills Program
340 N 56th Street
Lincoln, NE 68504


Dear Parents/Guardians:


The Behavioral Skills Program will be hosting our parent/teacher conferences for grades 6-9 on Thursday, September 30, 2010 from 4-7pm.
We would like to take this opportunity to share with you the academic and behavioral progress that your child is making in our program. We would also like to hear from you about any issues or concerns you may have about your child’s progress.

Lincoln Public Schools has implemented a new online grade book called “Pinnacle” for middle and high school students. If you would like help accessing or navigating this system we will have staff available during conferences to assist you.

During the conferences, we will provide food and beverages for those that attend. If you have any questions regarding conferences, please call the office at (402) 436-1924. We will put you in touch with the appropriate personnel.

We hope to see you on September 30th!

Sincerely,
BSP teachers and staff

Parent Conferences - September 30th

Bellringers? Objectives? Agendas?

Each day your child focuses on achieving goals that will guide them into being a successful learner and a productive citizen. As the students enter the English classroom they realize that "productivity" is the focus we are wanting to achieve. On the board a learning plan for the day directs them through what is expected.

For Example:

Bellringer - what the students are expected to do as soon as the bell rings - usually the activity is a review or an extension from the day before.
Objective - what we are wanting to accomplish learning during the class period.
Agenda - the order that we will be accomplishing our activities.

FUN, FUN, FUN
The students are creating T-shirts that display their names and a picture that reflects something they enjoy. They have been exploring various fonts, research sites, and images. Then they apply their findings by painting and illustrating the ideas on t-shirts. The shirts will be sent home in about a week.

August 2010 - Welcome Back!

All of the BSP staff members are excited to begin a new year and share many wonderful learning activities. We are encouraging the students to be prepared to try new avenues of learning and join us on a journey which enables them to discover their strengths and focus on developing their academic and social skills. Throughout the year I will be contacting you to discuss what we are focusing on in the classroom. I hope that you take time to visit this site because we try to document various learning activities every week or two. If you have any questions for me or any other staff member, please contact us either between 8-9 a.m. or 2-3 p.m. daily. We would appreciate establishing open communication which is the most important link of all in your child's education!