September 2025 Back in Class!!

Hi, everyone! I'm so happy to have you all back in class! As you know, when we begin a new school year, we have to form a baseline to see exactly what our starting point is! This helps to ensure we are heading in the right direction in the form of growth in our skills as well as in ourselves. Every time we pick up a new piece of knowledge, we are adding to who we are, and as you can guess, this process should never end!

We will begin the year with some fun activities to help us learn a bit about each other in a comfortable way. Our goal is to feel safe and respected in our classroom so that we can make mistakes (which is, by the way, the best way to know that learning is taking place!). But first . . . we will start with what I am calling a review, even though some of you may not have been with our class in previous years! Don't worry and just answer questions as best you can!

Part One
Idioms of the Day
Directions: Please read the following sentences in which an idiom (a twist of language) is shown in bold print. Write what you think the idiom means in the space that follows each one.

1. It is important to know that we are all in the same boat in this classroom, even if each of our plans is slightly different from the others!

My Meaning for the Idiom:

2. Jana stopped worrying about getting everything done on time. She had worked as hard as she could, and now it was time for her to let the chips fall where they may.

My Meaning for the Idiom:

Your Turn: Please select one of the idioms above and use it to describe a situation you had in which this idiom fits! Write your sentence in the space below.

My Use of the Idiom:

Do you feel you understand what an idiom is now (if you hadn't already known what it was previously)?
Yes           No (I need more examples)

Part Two
Grammar Challenge
Directions: Please circle or underline the mistakes in the following sentences. Errors could include spelling mistakes, lack of capital letters (or capitalization where it is not needed), punctuation problems, or the wrong form of a verb. The number in parenthesis tells how many errors each sentence has. Have fun!

1. can you beleve how fast Summer flu by. (5)

2. Jack and i gone swimming yesterday. (2)

​3. Where is my gloves? (1)

4. It is wonderful, to have all of you in class today. (1)

5. What is your favrite fall activity? (1)

6. Tomas and Deon lead the way for others when they created a new device for students to use in the classroom. (1)

7. Mary enjoy her days at the beach she wished they would never end (3)

Part Three
Vocabulary and Literary Terms
True or False
Directions: Please select either True or False for each statement below. 
1. An academy is a place of learning.  (True     False)
2. A protagonist is the villain/bad guy in the story.   (True     False)
3. The setting of a novel is where and when a story is taking place.    (True     False)
4. Fiction is another name for a true story.   (True     False)
5. The highest point of action in a story is called tone.  (True     False)
6. Something that is effective likely works well.   (True     False)
7. A selection can be a story or even part of a story.   (True     False)
8. Every fictional story must have a problem, which is known as a conflict.   (True     False)
9. Nonfiction books can include suspense novels and mysteries.   (True     False)
10. When you "close read" a story, you do not read for understanding.  (True     False)

Part Four
Question and Answer
Directions: The following statement needs a question! What could someone ask that would allow this sentence to be used correctly? Fill in the Question section now!

Answer: It will be the best school year ever!
Question: 

Can you create your own? Try it now!
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Part Five
Writing
Directions: This is a story starter, which is meant to give you a jump start into writing a nice piece! I have given you three sentences, and it is up to you to continue the story in whichever way you would like. It is important, however, to maintain the same verb tenses and the same point of view! Have fun! I can't wait to see the stories you come up with!

It was a quiet day in the middle of July. Manny stood outside his house and watched his new neighbors move into the house right next door. Everything seemed fine until Manny noticed something so unusual he couldn't believe his eyes!


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