Step Up to Writing – Review what you’ve learned Please write your answers directly onto the slides provided. I’ll grade them/look over them after school today. Do the best you can --- I want to see how much you know and what I might need to teach again.

Questions 1. What is a “green”? 2. What is a yellow? 3. What is a red? 4. What is a pink?

Questions 5. How do a pink and red relate to each other? 6. In what order would you use the colors (generally speaking)? List from first to last.

Highlight the text in these colors: Green, Yellow, and Red --- as appropriate to the type of information Cats can protect themselves in two ways. First, they can get away quickly from their enemies. Cats are fast runners. Also, cats are able to climb trees as well. Next, cats are good fighters. Cats have sharp claws that can inflict pain and discourage attackers. They also use their pointed incisors to bite their enemies when necessary. Felines can take care of themselves.

Answer to CATS paragraph --- How did you do on the previous slide? Fix your mistakes. Cats can protect themselves in two ways. First, they can get away quickly from their enemies. Cats are fast runners. Also, cats are able to climb trees as well. Next, cats are good fighters. Cats have sharp claws that can inflict pain and discourage attackers. They also use their pointed incisors to bite their enemies when necessary. Felines can take care of themselves.

Please highlight the greens, yellows, and reds…. #1 While football is a great sport, basketball is the best activity for children to pursue. Basketball provides children with many athletic skills. Kids learn to dribble and shoot. Also, kids can develop their eye-hand coordination while playing the game. Along with athletic skills, basketball provides a wonderful opportunity for kids to learn cooperation. Through teamwork, children learn to share. They also learn that, sometimes, helping others will actually help everyone. Obviously, basketball is the sport that all children should join. #2 Family is the most important thing in the world for several reasons. First of all, family provides support to you always. Whenever I’m feeling upset, my family is there for me with kind words and hugs. In addition to providing emotional support, my family provides for me financially. My parents buy me food, clothes, and school supplies. Not only do they buy me those necessities, but they often buy me games and movies as well. Clearly, all kids should value their families tremendously. #3 While homework is sometimes annoying, it is a necessity for all middle school students. One reason homework is important is that it provides extra practice time for skills introduced in class. For example, a math teacher might teach fractions during class, but students need to practice more problems at home to excel at fractions. Or, an English teacher might talk about paragraph writing, but students need to practice writing their own paragraphs to become better writers. Another reason students must complete homework is that it affects their grades. If students don’t ever complete their homework, their grades will suffer a great deal. For these reasons and many others, all students should consider completing their homework each night.

Sample answers --- Greens, Yellows, Reds Answers to Sample Paragraphs *Answers should be very similar --- with some “wiggle room” for listing reds… Paragraph #1 G = basketball great sport for kids Y = athletic skills R = dribble R = shoot R = hand/eye coordination Y = cooperation R = share in teamwork R = helping others helps everyone G = all kids should join basketball Paragraph #2 G = Family important Y = support (emotional) R = kind words R = hugs Y = financial support R = food, clothes, school supplies R = games and movies G = Families should be valued Paragraph #3 G = middle school homework necessary Y = practice academic skills R = math fractions R = paragraph writing Y = affects grades R = no homework/low grades G = students should do homework each night

Highlight greens, yellows, reds, AND pinks... School dances are fun for three reasons. First of all, they have great music. Some dances have songs like “Just Lose It” which is my favorite. At one dance, the DJ played that song four times! Dances like the Jag Jam also have slow dance songs like “Let it Burn”. At the last dance, I was asked to dance by another student I liked so it was awesome. Second of all, there are lots of people. Most people are kids I know from my classes. Even if I don’t know them, I often introduce myself to kids so I can make more friends. In conclusion, school dances are great.

Answers --- how did you do? You do not need to go back and fix errors… School dances are fun for three reasons. First of all, they have great music. Some dances have songs like “Just Lose It” which is my favorite. At one dance, the DJ played that song four times! Dances like the Jag Jam also have slow dance songs like “Let it Burn”. At the last dance, I was asked to dance by another student I liked so it was awesome. Second of all, there are lots of people. Most people are kids I know from my classes. Even if I don’t know them, I often introduce myself to kids so I can make more friends. In conclusion, school dances are great.

Highlight greens, yellows, reds, and pinks…I’ll check answers… My dog is the best pet in the world. He’s a great friend. When, I’m feeling lonely or tired, he’ll cuddle next to me and make me feel better. Last night, he sat with me for an hour in my room. Also, he’s always happy to see me when I walk through the door. Usually, he jumps on me immediately. My dog can do tricks, too. He can stand on his back legs and spin in a circle. Not only can he complete that feat, but my dog can bark to the tune of Happy Birthday. On my grandma’s birthday, my dog really cracked her up by performing the trick. Finally, my dog protects my family each and every night. He keeps watch over our house by barking if someone or something comes into our yard. Obviously, my dog is the most wonderful animal on earth!

Highlight greens, yellows, reds, and pinks…I’ll check answers… On the Lewis and Clark expedition, Sacagawea was the most important person on the trip. She was important because she helped find food for the group. She uncovered roots and berries along the journey. She also worked as a translator. With her help, the expedition was given for horses, food, and shelter from local tribes. If Sacajawea had not been with them, the white explorers would not have known the local languages and customs so no trading would have occurred. Also, her communication with these tribes helped Lewis and Clark pass safely through Native American territory. Tribal members viewed Sacagawea’s presence in the group as a sign the group was peaceful and not violent. Therefore, the tribes did not fight with the visitors since they believed Lewis and Clark meant them no harm. Without the help of Sacagawea, the expedition would not have been nearly as successful.

Highlight greens, yellows, reds, and pinks…I’ll check answers… Portland is my favorite city for a number of reasons. First, Portland has beautiful parks. Some of the parks are very large such as Rose Garden. However, every neighborhood has a small park where children can play and families can picnic. My family usually goes to one of the small parks when we are in Portland. In addition, Portland has many nice neighborhoods. These neighborhoods have friendly shopping areas. I like looking at the pretty yards in many of the areas. My aunt, who lives in the city, has one of the prettiest yards I’ve ever seen. Finally, Portland has a great public transportation system. You can get anywhere on a train, trolley or bus. Obviously, Portland is a wonderful city.

Finally, make your own outline… just greens, yellows, reds…for this topic: “Good Student Traits” (I gave you one yellow) Green = several traits for good students Yellow = organization Red = Yellow = Red = Yellow = Red = Green =

HOMEWORK Whatever you did NOT finish today, please finish tonight at homework. Or, you can complete it after school or before school tomorrow. Also, please come see me if you have any questions.