Gretchen Buis - Language Arts

For now, there are no major changes in the English Middle School assignments.  The eights should be finishing up their term paper drafts. (Ideally, they have submitted approximately 4 or 5 drafts.)  Next week we will undertake the final leg: inserting footnotes and compiling the bibliography.  The sevens are solving The Hound of the Baskerviles along with Sherlock Holmes.  They are enthusiastic sleuths doing a great job!  The sixes are annotating Roll of Thunder which is not their favorite undertaking but seem to be truly involved in the story - and the history - itself. The  Barnes and Noble night benefitting St. Benedict is next Wednesday.  Both the school librarian and I have given Barnes and Noble  the school's summer reading list and I will give students a copy next week.  The list includes one required book for sixth and seventh grade history and two books for eighth grade history.  I will work with the history as well as the English books following exams and next fall.  The list consists of books that are favorites, classics, and ones that are highly recommended. Most of all, I hope they will be stepping stones to a happy summer that includes down time "with a good read."