7th Grade Bible: We have been discussing WISDOM and are finishing up with the wonderful books of wisdom: Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes. Our current memory verses for this unit are Proverbs 3: 5-8. We previously memorized scripture from Ecclesiastes. My prayer is that the students store God's word up in their hearts and that He would speak His truth into them. I am so blessed to have the privilege of witnessing the spiritual fruit in their lives! Our next unit is on the prophets and focuses on bringing God's message to others and the call to repentance. Heavy stuff for seventh graders, but I am assured that they can handle it!
7th Grade English: Poetry is fun, but we're just about done! Along with daily writing and grammar, we are in the midst of an extensive poetry unit. The students have learned various forms (rhyme scheme, meter, literary devices, etc.) of a large variety of poetry! I can't wait to see the final outcome of their creativity in the form of their "poetry portfolios." The seventh graders have blown me away with their ability to interpret even the most difficult of Shakespearean Sonnets, Frost's Odes, and Hughes's Limericks. Next, we move on to writing speeches and reading a new novel, Tuck Everlasting, which I will be giving to the students next week.
8th Grade Bible: Who's ready for Church History?! (Hopefully my twenty-three eighth graders are!) The students are currently completing mini-research papers on topics that cover the Early New Testament Era in the church, spanning from 100-600 AD. They will be discussing their research this Friday, and then we will pick up on Monday with a lecture explaining Constantine's influence on the church. I am hoping to get from Constantine to Billy Graham by the end of the year! (Prayers appreciated!) Their current memory passage refers to the church as being a pillar of truth representing the living God (1 Tim. 3:15-16). We're praying this can be true for all our churches today as we dig into how it all began.
8th Grade English: We are in the midst of a wonderful Short Story unit. We have read numerous short stories from various genres, and we have learned all the elements of a short story. The students are currently writing short stories as well! In addition to literature, we have been learning new grammar rules and terminology. The students will display their knowledge (of coordinating conjunctions, subordinating ones, various clauses, etc.) this Friday on a combined grammar and vocabulary test. Next up is a new novel, The Hiding Place, along with a unit on Holocaust literature including Anne Frank and various poetry.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful kiddos with me! This is just a hint of the hard work they are succeeding in acheiving in my classes! They are the greatest students ever!
