Gretchen Buis - Language Arts

Today's entry is a short one summarizing this week as one of review especially in terms of grammar and vocabulary.  The objective with the vocabulary is to  turn these "memory" words into every day words. Families can help a lot by checking the words and then using them with your son or daughter in every day conversation.  The goal in grammar is to write precise, grammatically correct sentences.  In literature, we continue to consider works in terms of character, plot, setting, theme.

In preparation for Parent's Night Tuesday, students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades posted in the classroom assignments related to a "Who Am I" theme.  The sixes chose both to walk in and not walk in someone's shoes (the theme of Walk Two Moons: not fair judging someone until one has walked in his shoes). The sevens compiled a list of fun, light questions that by answering would introduce themselves.

 The Middle Schoolers are doing a wonderful job!  Thank you to all.  Last week in English we were getting straight logistically: English notebook, paper, tabs, inkpens, composition book.  Books will include new vocabulary workbooks, sixth and seventh grade Terra Nova comprehension workbbooks, grammar texts, and literature texts.  This week's writing assignment will be "Who Am I" types of writing which will be posted in the classroom for Parent's Night.  We will also begin work with the first lesson in the vocabulary workbook, preview the "Approach to Writing"  in the gramma

Have a safe, happy, relaxing, wonderful time.  Remember: "Stay gold."

Now that exams are behind us, this week, at least from an English standpoint, is intended to be a relaxing week focusing on jumpstarting summer reading.  The rising eights will be reading The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Animal Farm, and the first part of A Midsummer's Night Dream.  Rising sevens will begin Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry.  Though there is no assigned written work for summer reading, please remember that class assignments the first few weeks of school in September will be predicated on summer reading.  If students wait until September to do the reading, catching up becomes difficult.

Now that exams are behind us, this last week of school, at least from an English standpoint, is intended to be a relaxed week focusing on jumpstarting summer reading.  The rising eights  will be reading The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Animal Farm and the beginning of A Midsummer's Night Dream..

During this last leg of the school year, the sixes will focus on reading some myths, short stories, and Steinbeck's The Red Pony.  The sevens will read Sherlock Holmes's The Hound of the Baskervilles and Shakespeare's  A Midsummer's Night Dream.

With Terra Novas scheduled for next week, sixth and seven grade English classes have focused on reviewing the mechanics of writing and grammar. Specific workbook and textbook assignments have been assigned daily.  We continue reading the first few minutes of each class as well as reading excerpts from Read magazine to nurture comprehension.  The eights should have completed Great Expectations by now as well as answering 5 sets of questions.

A quick update:  The sevens and sixes have continued working on grammar this week in conjunction with rethinking either Roll of Thunder (sevens) or rethinking history papers (sixes).   As  the sixes have already researched and written a paper for history, I am hoping to reinforce with them a taste of research procedures: citing sources (don't forget page numbers!), outlines (format, content, thesis), rewriting the paper heeding Mr.

Many thanks to the eights who did a great job presenting Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech following mass last Friday.  This week we are concentrating on Dickens's Great Expectations which is what we will be doing for the next 2 weeks. The sevens continue working on Roll of Thunder, a Read magazine focusing on the Holocaust's comparative prejudice, and grammar.