What are we up to in middle school?

Dear Students and Parents,

What a crazy last couple of weeks!  Even though lesson plans are a bit out of wack due to cancellations and delays, we continue to be very productive in the middle school. :)  Here is a brief note to give you an idea of what we are up to in each class.

7th Bible: We are in unit five of our textbooks, and we are continuing with our studies of the prophets.  It is so awesome to see how God calls His people to himself throughout history to this very day! 

7th English: This week we will be finishing our novel, The Giver.  The students have been SO excited about this literature unit.  The majority of the class read ahead and is finished with the book.  (I can't be upset that they couldn't put it down!)  The students will be writing a descriptive essay on their very own "utopia," and tomorrow we are holding a Lincoln/Douglas debate on issues from our novel.  For vocabulary, we are in units 9 and 10.  In grammar, we are on track and half way through the Shurley text books. 

8th Bible: What does God's Word tell us about church?  What should our churches do, look like, be about...?  We are in unit 4.2 on church history, and we are exploring some very interesting events and ideas.  Students will be reporting to the class on various aspects of their own churches throughout this unit.  This is an excellent unit to discover and grow in our understanding of the beautiful unity we have in Christ as believers. 

8th English:  Expository essays are on the menu this week!  Proofreading and editing our written work is also happening in and outside our classroom!  We are learning about writing and recognizing various types of essays.  We are cruising along in our grammar lessons, and vocabulary is underway as well.  The students are also in the middle of a classic literature project.  Everyone is reading an amazing literary work and learning about the author.  Each student was given a concise and specific rubric and instructional sheet for this project. 

Thanks for all your prayers and support for our middle school!
-Mrs. Agate