Contact Information
Email: Matthew.Streit@mpls.k12.mn.us

The week of May 20th - 24th
Only a couple weeks left in the school year.  The Quarter #4 Reading Log is due next Tuesday, May 28th.  The Q4 Journal will be graded next Thursday, May 30th.  Please make sure you are caught up on these two major assignments.

My 6th and 7th grade classes have their end-of-the-quarter Vocabulary/spelling quiz this Friday.  They can study their Quarter #4 vocabulary/spelling homework (and their Word of the Day warmups) in preparation for this quiz.  My 6th grade classes have the last study guide for their novel (Study Guide #3) due this Wednesday; this study guide includes a creative writing final project.  My 7th graders have the final project for their novel due this Thursday; this project can be turned in a day early (May 22nd) for 4 bonus points.

I published the 28th episode of my Book Talk podcast last week.  In this episode, I talk to Talia, Claire, and Ginger about Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks.

There are also a couple field trips coming up.  6th graders are going to the Minnesota History Museum on May 28th.  Grades 6, 7, and 8 are going to Valleyfair on the last day of school, June 4th.  Make sure you turn in your signed permission slips and money to your Advisory teacher for these field trips.
 

6th Grade Language Arts this week
Monday: Work on Significant Moments in Study Guide #3.  6th hour has their Vocabulary/spelling quiz from last week during this class.
Tuesday: Work on creative writing final project (part of Study Guide #3).
Wednesday: Study Guide #3 due.  DEAR.  Share creative writing projects.
Thursday: Journal writing.  Work on Reading Log and/or Journal.
Friday: End-of-Q4 Vocabulary/spelling quiz.  DEAR.  TED Talk.
** Q4 Reading Log due on May 28th.
** Q4 Journal graded on May 30th.
 

7th Grade Language Arts this week
Monday: Work on your final project for your novel.
Tuesday: Work on your final project for your novel.
Wednesday: DEAR.  Work on final project and fill out reflection sheet.
Thursday: Final Project for your novel due.  Journal writing.  Share final projects.
Friday: End-of-Q4 Vocabulary/spelling quiz.  DEAR.  TED Talk.
** Q4 Reading Log due May 28th.
** Q4 Journal graded on May 30th.
 

Journal Writing
My 6th and 7th grade students are expected to write 2-3 pages (that's 4-6 single sides) in their journal every week.  We will have time for journal writing on Thursdays in Language Arts, but students will likely have to do most of their journal writing at home.  Students can write about any subject they choose, and in any genre (poetry and illustrations are encouraged; just write some extra pages to make up the difference).  Near the end of each quarter, students will have their journals graded by the amount they wrote.  Students who fill up 25% of their journal notebook per quarter will receive the full 50 writing points for this project.  By the way, your journal is private - I will not read it unless given permission first.  And don't lose sight of the overall goal for journal writing: to improve your writing skills and to feel more comfortable writing.
* The Quarter #4 portion of your journal will be graded on Thursday, May 30th.

For Quarter #4, my 7th grade students will have the option of doing a formal writing "practice course" OR an online literary blog, in place of a regular journal.  These two options must be approved by me in advance, and students doing these options will meet with me every two weeks so that I can check their progress.  The workload for any of these three options (formal writing, literary blog, regular journal) will be similar, and reflected in the Quarter #4 grade.

DEAR: Drop Everything And Read!
My 6th and 7th grade students are expected to read 30 minutes every day from a book of their choosing.  Parents will verify this independent reading by signing a reading log.  You can find a copy of the Quarter #4 Reading Log here.  Find a book that you enjoy reading, and bring it to Language Arts class every day (and bring it home every day).  My 6th and 7th grade classes will have blocks of DEAR time almost every Wednesday and Friday in Language Arts.
* The Quarter #4 Reading Log is due Tuesday, May 28th.

The Minds of 213: Middle School News for You!
Every month, we publish a new issue of "The Minds of 213: Middle School News for You!"  Any middle school student is welcome to submit articles, stories, poems, or anything they think would be interesting for our newspaper.  Submissions can be emailed to ask.the.minds@gmail.com

PDFs of our back issues can be found here.  Check out themindsof213.weebly.com for the online version of our newspaper.

My Daily Class Schedule
1st hour/9:40-10:50: 7th grade Language Arts
2nd hour/10:50-11:45: 7th grade Language Arts
3rd hour/11:45-12:40: 6th grade Language Arts
Lunch: 12:40-1:15
4th hour/1:15-2:10: 6th grade Language Arts
5th hour/2:10-3:10: Preparation time
6th hour/3:10-4:07: 6th grade Language Arts
 

About Me
This is my second year teaching at Lake Harriet Upper, and my ninth year teaching overall.  I have teaching licenses in 5-12 Language Arts, 5-12 Social Studies, and 5-8 Mathematics.  I received my Master of Education degree from the University of Idaho, and I received a Bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota.