Distance Learning Info and Class Update!

Hello!

I miss you all and pray for each of you, daily. Thank you for your continued patience and grace as we discover, and perhaps master, this new form of education together!

You have received many emails from me, you have seen me on Zoom, and you may have watched a YouTube video or two from me at this point! That being said, I also wanted to post information on my blog since some of you are accustomed to finding resources and class-happenings on here. Here is what you NEED to know right now...

1. Be checking the LESSON PLANS and HOMEWORK fields in your FACTS account daily. Additionally, check DOCUMENTS and RESOURCES for more information when the lesson plan or homework fields indicate to do so.

2. Be on time for our Zoom meetings. The links to get into the meetings are under Lesson Plans AND Homework in FACTS.  I will not post them on here because I do not want them to be available to the public. My English classes meet Mondays and Thursdays, and my Bible class meets Wednesdays on Zoom. On the other days, you have videos, assignments, and more to take care of, which, again, are posted under Lesson Plans and Homework in FACTS. Scroll down to see the Zoom schedule for 7th and 8th grades. (Scroll further to see some photos!)

3. To turn in your assignments to me, simply email or text me your work. You can also email or text me any time with questions or concerns. I'm here for you!


And here is what is happening in my classes...

7th English: We are finishing up with a vocabulary unit, and we will be starting a new novel (Breaking Through by Francisco Jimenez) unit this week! Always be prepared for "in class" discussion on the novel via Zoom.  Check lesson plans on FACTS for more details.

8th English: We just began our new novel (Lord of the Flies by William Golding) unit, and we will be having reading, writing, vocabulary, etc. assignments revolving around this work. Always be prepared for "in class" discussion on the novel via Zoom. Check lesson plans on FACTS for more details.

8th Bible: We are in the middle of our church history unit. You also have a new Bible memory passage due this month! Check lesson plans on FACTS for more details.

CURRENT ZOOM SCHEDULE FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLERS; SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Remember a few weeks back, when we didn't have to be isolated? Those were the days! Well, I took some photos of our 8th graders quizzing the 2nd graders on Christian Apologetics. I also snapped some shots at a 7th grade impromptu recess. You will also see some 7th graders giving "Speech Meet Prizes" out to their first grade friends.  I am already missing sweet moments such as these! Enjoy the photos. :)

Halfway Through Quarter Three!

Things to know:

1. The TCS Annual Speech Meet is this Thursday during 2nd and 3rd periods. Middle school orators are Tobey, Tristan, Luke D., Keira, Eva, and Alana! May the best oration win! Congratulations to all contestants!

2. This Friday is our next Falcon Fray Battle Day! Students need to wear their homeroom t-shirts. May the best homeroom win!

3. Our Pennies for Patients Fundraiser has begun! Students were sent home with packets to explain how to raise money for Children's Cancer (patients and research).

4. Scholastic Book Orders are due Wednesday, March 4th. Click the link on this site to order.

5. There is only 1.5 quarters left! Let's goooooooooo!  We got this!

What's going on in my classes:

7th English: We are almost finished with The Hobbit. Our assessments, discussions, debates, socratic seminars, and readings have been wonderful! Students have done a great job with reflective writing in this unit as well. Hobbit Projects are due March 12th, and an explanatory handout was given last week.

8th English: Students finished Poetry Portfolios, Speech Meet Pieces, Bell-Work Writing Assessments, and more in the last week. Now we are deep into a grammar unit, and we have a grammar test on Friday. After grammar, we move on to a vocabulary and writing unit (still implementing grammar, of course), and then we will get into William Golding's Lord of the Flies. Can't wait!

8th Bible: Students memorized a lengthy passage AND finished another unit in Bible class last week.  The class average for the test was a 91%, and I am super proud of the hard work that these students are putting in! It's important that they know church history, and even more crucial that they know God's Word. Our new unit continues with Church History, and our current memory passage is Psalm 46. Continue to pray for us as we work through this material and continue to build one another up in prayer and deed.

And here are some fun photos. Enjoy! (Man, I love these awesome middle schoolers!)

Eighth graders taking a break from indoor work to enjoy a few minutes outdoors on this beautiful day! 

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!