SHOJ - English Language Arts

7th graders today acted out some deleted scenes from The Outsiders . They've been working hard and having fun! We'll take a break from reading chapters over the long weekend. 

Both classes spent the week building background knowledge for the books we will start reading next week. I was so impressed with 8th graders' analysis of MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech as we studied the Civil Rights Movement, the time period in which Harper Lee wrote our novel. The seventh graders had all kinds of great info about the 60s from their people that they interviewed. If you'd like to read along with The Outsiders or To Kill a Mockingbird , let me know. I have extra copies I can send home. Thanks! 

Heads up that 7th and 8th grade students are bringing $7 to get their co py of  To Kill a Mockingbird a nd The Outsiders for the quarter. We are all using the same version, but if you have a copy of the book your child needs at home and you're OK with them writing in it, that's OK too! Please talk to me if money is an issue.  Students will be allowed to write in their books and keep them after we finish the unit, which will take us into March. If you would like to read along, I have extra used copies you can borrow. Parents who have done this often say it creates great discussion with their son or daughter! We're excited to get started with both novels.  We also will be doing some SCOPE magazine and state assessment test prep too.  We will be doing some pre-reading activities and looking at the different time periods that the books are set in. 7th graders will be looking at the 1960s, and 8th graders will be looking at the 1930s. Both are wonderful books. ...

Congrats to the readers for quarter two! These students read 50, 100, or 200 pages overnight. Impressive! Students whose names are the largest read the most.  50-page readers 100-page readers 200-page readers

I challenged any students who wanted to participate in the genre challenge. Feel free to read along! If they complete this some time in 2018, my desk is their desk for the day. It's a great way to help them step outside of the genres where they feel the most comfortable. 

Link you need today: http://linoit.com/users/rajewski/canvases/Christmas%20Carol%20Vocab%2C%203%20staves

Christmas Present Jacob Marley Christmas Future Emily Grey made these fantastic representations of the Christmas ghosts! 

The show was wonderful, and the students really enjoyed it! Thanks to all the parents for driving. This day is always a highlight!

Today was a great day! I loved hearing quotes like this from your students: "Excuse me, I'm off to change the world!" " I learned that everything is a gift, and I can't take anything for granted." I encourage you to talk to your students. Many left feeling inspired, but there were also some pieces of her story that were tough to hear. Your child might want to externally process. Thanks to all who drove! The filmmakers surprised us and showed up for a Q&A! They also brought Sonia's animal print chair as a prop.  Thanks to the Brady family for sharing their connection with Sonia! To think it all started with a fourth grade specialty project.  If you'd like to see the movie, it will be at Glenwood Arts for the rest of the week. 

Students have been busy, busy, busy this week and the couple weeks before break! As the quarter comes to a close, there are upcoming tests and dates coming up:  - 8th grade:  Christmas Carol Test: WED 12/6 Field Trip: THURS 12/7 Essay: TUES 12/12 - 7th grade:  Field Trip: MON 12/4 Test 12/12 Notebook checks will also be in the next two weeks. Any extra credit and book talks for the quarter are due on THURS 12/14. It's been wonderful to see the students feel excited about what we're reading.  7th grade girls are getting very passionate about characters in the books we're reading, so much so that they're decorating my entire board! 

We had a blast today! Thanks to Mrs. Hess and Mrs. Kelly for organizing. 

Thanks to Mrs. O'Dowd for organizing a great speaker this morning. The testimony of these two veterans tied right into what the 7th graders are reading. I loved this quote. Inspirational! "The secret is kindness and love. You learn that behind barbed wire and you don’t forget it." - Roy Shenkel

I told the 8th graders today that this year's magazine is the best yet! Reminder, students can bring in a check or cash for $22 or sign up at Brown Bottle. I'm hoping to have the final numbers next week. The students did a wonderful job!

7th grade students and families, A reminder that the WWI Museum is half-priced this weekend for Veteran's Day, if you are wanting to do the extra credit (due in December)! Your student should have all the instructions. Thanks!

7th graders have been finishing up their Scope magazine plays. They wrote tweet conversations to summarize either Hercules' 12 Trials (7R) and Life in Sleepy Hallow (7W). They were so creative! Next week, we'll finish SCOPE and start WWII.  8th graders are working on compound sentences. They made the FANBOYS, which are the conjunctions. They will have a test in a week. We'll be starting SCOPE next week. 

I loved watching the 7th grade skits today! They did a wonderful job. I loved seeing all their personalities shine. 

Andrew  Emily C. Jesse  Jesus  Sophia  Camden  Isabella  Colin Elizabeth G. Emily G.   Liya  Karis  Margaret  John Henry   Aidan  Ella  Kaci  Aaron  Elizabeth K.  Jack Abby  Zachary  Nicole  Chloe  Maxwell Owen  Wendy  Emma  Colby  Cameron  Bennett  Jackson  Charles  Abigail  Mackenzie  Matthew  Mary  Rowen  Madison Juliana  Daniel  Ashlyn

The 8th graders did a great job last week with Blackout Poetry as part of our narrative unit! They were working so hard to find the words they wanted in the newspaper.