Classroom Update!

Here is what is happening in Room 120!

7th English: The students did an excellent job with The Giver unit.  The students honed their higher level thinking skills and worldview application as we discussed how the absence of God in the novel actually points to His existence and our need of Him.  We also discussed the value of life and what the author was trying to say in writing The Giver.  We discussed how differently Christians understand our lives than how our current culture values life.  I am thankful that we can discuss the themes of a "secular" novel and apply what we have learned to our world and understanding.  We are now in the middle of a grammar unit and will soon be starting a short story unit to finish off the first quarter.  The only homework that the students have in English currently is to work on their Giver projects which they will present on October 3rd. 

8th English: We are more than halfway through The Hiding Place.  Class time has been made up of discussion, reading comprehension assessments, writing prompts, and more.  I have appreciated how the students are staying on top of the reading for this amazing novel. Students have been saddened over what has happened in the book, and certainly some tears have been shed in class.  They are coming to class prepared to discuss, and I am enjoying every moment with them and this book.  Last Friday we read that Betsie ten Boom felt sorry for the Nazi soldiers (WHAT?!) and we talked about what Jesus said on the cross about forgiveness (OH!).  In addition to reading, the students are also in the middle of writing research papers on various Holocaust-related topics.  Class time has also been spent teaching them how to research, paraphrase, cite, and conquer MLA Format. 

8th Bible: The current memory passage is Ephesians 5:1-4, ESV. In light of this passage, we will continue to discuss what it means to "be imitators of God" as we learn more about Jesus' life on Earth.  Parents, if you want to generate some dinner discussion, ask your student what the core truth needs to be as Christians (circle diagram), what our lives mean in the eternal scope of things (line drawing), and how we are called to be fishers of men (comparison chart).  If they are really listening in class, maybe they can tell you what areas Jesus exhibits power over (with examples from each) and what ICHTHUS means!  We will be finished with the first unit in two weeks and will have a culminating test on these concepts and more.  I am so blessed by my students in this Biblical Worldview class each day!

Bonding at the recent TCS Pep Rally! :) I love these sweet faces! 

We went outside for part of Bible class last week!  Sometimes ya need a little recess!
These awesome kids loved spending time together enjoying the beautiful weather.

Several weeks in! :)

Here is a little glimpse into what is happening in Room 120! 

7th English: We finished our first vocabulary unit which included several writing prompts and other vocabulary activities.  The students did a great job with this unit and its 40 words!  The culminating test showed how much they learned and understood the Greek and Latin roots and the English words. We are now in the middle of a literature unit, reading and discussing the dystopian fiction novel, The Giver.  This unit includes various writing assignments, quizzes on reading comprehension, a final test, and a creative project at the end of the unit. The best part of the unit is the Christian Worldview application and deep discussions that we will have and are already having.  Students need to keep up with the reading in order to be engaged and involved in class throughout the next two weeks.

8th English: We completed our first vocabulary unit from our Classic Vocabulary from Greek and Latin Roots curriculum. This unit included several writing prompts and other vocabulary activities.  Due to the challenging nature of our vocabulary curriculum, students were permitted to use their books for a portion of the unit test.  This "crutch" will be removed in the third quarter.  Currently, we are in the midst of a grammar unit, reviewing sentence types, parts of speech, and classifications.  We are also about to begin our Holocaust/WWII literature unit that includes the novel, The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom.  I am looking forward to reading this masterpiece with my students! It is a beautiful, historical non-fiction story of forgiveness, God's faithfulness, and our call to be witnesses.  We will also be reading poetry written by concentration camp sufferers and watching the Italian film, Life is Beautiful. Students will be writing MLA research papers on an assigned topic that coincides with our unit. This unit also provides excellent preparation for our trip to The Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC.

8th Bible: There are six units in our Bible curriculum, and we are in the first unit which is an overview of the New Testament.  Our current memory passage is Acts 1:8, ESV.  In class we have worked on a Bible Timeline Group Project, highlighting the main events from Scripture.  While some of our students are very knowledgable when it comes to God's Word, some will need to put forth a bit more effort to understand, which would include taking extra notes and asking questions on unfamiliar topics.  It's an honor to discuss The Word of God with these wonderful image bearers.  Please continue to keep us in prayer as we grow in our walks with Christ together.

REMINDER: All students have been given planners / assignment notebooks.  Please help your student to keep track of assignments by checking planners.  Homework is written on the assignment board in each teacher's room.  See example below:

Love in Jesus,
Mrs. Katie Agate