A Few Things...

A few things...

1. For my seventh graders, the votes are in!  The Hobbit wins!  I am very excited to read The Hobbit with this group, and I look forward to the deep discussion and higher level thinking that this piece evokes.  However, for those also interested in reading Frankenstein, let's do it!  The mission, should you choose to accept it, is to read Frankenstein (on your own) by Thursday, March 12th, and we will meet and discuss it together.  (I'll even bring snacks!) I look forward to talking about the amazing themes of this classic piece in light of our Christian worldview, such as: technology, ego, creation, responsibility, morality, and more.  Eighth graders are welcome to join in on this challenge, AND Frankenstein can count toward The Triquetra Reading Challenge!

2. If you have not read The Wednesday Wars for The Triquetra Reading Challenge, do it ASAP! We will be meeting sometime in February to discuss. (I am awaiting Mr. Hommes's announcement which will provide more details.) This is an AMAZING novel and is in my top twenty favorite books of all time. Parents, I believe you will love this book, too. I hear that the audiobook is excellent if you prefer to listening to books.

3. The Work-A-Thon Logo contest is due Tuesday, January 28th! See the board in my classroom or the Trillium for more details.

4. Random mention....  The other day we read I Love the Look of Words by Maya Angelou. While we did indeed have a deep discussion about this wonderful poem and did great literary exercises along with the poem, I randomly (but sincerely) mentioned "a newborn's poopy diapers" in light of Angelou's imagery of the scent of buttery popcorn.  You see, I asked the students to describe the smell of popcorn, which for me, weirdly reminds me of an infant's fecal matter. Well, the kids all thought I was crazy, especially when I specified that the baby has to be nursed for his/her diaper to smell like popcorn. This two-minute conversation in class has been all the rage in the middle school. Apparently kids went home and asked their mothers, grandparents, neighbors, pastors?! Oh, dear! Hopefully no one was scarred by this awkward mention!  Anyway, I told the kids that I am not taking time to explain this further in class, but I will just leave this here to put the conversation to rest and to also say, "TOLD YA SO!"  https://www.healthline.com/health/parenting/breastfed-poop#smell :"In fact, it may smell slightly sweet or have a smell resembling popcorn." 

5. Use this weekend to memorize your Speech Meet piece! :)

6. Lastly, check out our new Falcon Fray board! (Go Agate's Avengers!) Aren't those avatars adorable?! We are kicking Falcon Fray up a notch, so look forward to some exciting plans and events!  I will enjoy watching The Watermelons, The Badgers, and The Avengers battle it out!

The End of an Era (or at least a first semester of middle school)

Good Day!

I have much to report!

1. Thank you so much for the generous Christmas and birthday gifts!  My heart is still bursting with gratitude!  I am ever so thankful for your love and support and feel encouraged daily by all the parents and students.  Thank you for being such a tremendous blessing to me! (I have not completed my thank-you notes due to having surgery on my right hand. I hope to finish them when I can write again!)

2. Our collaborative unit, "Making Our Mark on History," was a great success!  I will post photos of your amazing children at the end of this blog.  I am so proud of how hard many of the students worked on their projects.  The added bonus was that they were able to bless the elementary students with highly educational presentations and activities.

3. Yes, there is a lock-in coming up, and I have received many emails about it. Unfortunately, I cannot answer any questions because I did not plan it, nor am I chaperoning it. I do hope the kids have fun!

4. Our school-wide Speech Meet is on February 27th!  All students should be memorizing their chosen pieces.  I approved them on December 20th to provide ample time for memorization. Please don't procrastinate with this!

5. THANK YOU for contributing to the winter coat drive!  You donated 49 coats to bless those in need! Stayed tuned for our next middle school service project!

6. Cool Opportunity Alert!! My middle schoolers have so much to say, and I might even be interested in listening to a pod cast from one of them.  Well, I might be in luck because NPR is having a student pod cast competition.  I am not making this an assignment, but I would be happy to help any student who is interested!  Click this link for the details, and look specifically at the student resources.  https://www.npr.org/2018/11/15/650500116/npr-student-podcast-challenge-home

Finally, here is what is happening in my classroom!

English 7: We are smack-dab in the middle of our poetry unit! Students are learning poetic devices, practicing different forms of poetry, and reading a wide variety of poems from amazing authors! Students' writing often improves greatly during this exciting unit as we focus on format AND creativity and literary techniques. Within this unit, I have also sprinkled in grammar activities so that we stay on top of it!

English 8: We just began a new unit on poetry which includes lots of writing AND reading of poetry. Students have a culminating project wi
th this unit, and they will enjoy creating poetry portfolios with their own writing and coinciding art.  Please see the detailed rubric for more information. We have also been working in our grammar books to keep it fresh!

Bible 8: We just began a new unit on Church History: Constantine's Influence. The new memory passage is 1 Corinthians 13:4-13, ESV. Along with studying church history and seeing how the Holy Spirit moved through history, we will be also be in discussion (and in prayer!) about how the Lord is working in our lives .  Please continue to be in prayer over our awesome middle schoolers!