Month: June 2015

Helen Keller Day

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So buried am I in the work of online classes that I have been late in opening my “Daily Poem” emails.  (Reminder to Self:  Do not let the work obscure the beauty!)  Yesterday’s poem, a wonderful villanelle by J. Patrick Lewis, honors the extraordinary Helen Keller.  Kelly Fineman includes the poem, one of Keller’s profound quotes (Reminder to Self:  PUT THIS ON THE CLASSROOM WALL!  It is truly wall-worthy!), and a bit of background about the history of this day and this extraordinary human.

Follow the link.  You won’t regret it!

Summer Reading: Don’t Miss ECHO!

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Echo

Image provided by the publisher.

Your soon-to-be eighth grader will be reading at least three books of his or her choice over the summer.  One title is required, so we can have a lively conversation among the entire class when September arrives.  This book, Echo, by Pam Munoz Ryan, is a gem.  I hope you will enjoy it, too.  (Then you can join our conversation!)

I have included a copy of the chart your child is to complete.  One main character per “section” of the novel is fine.  As your child will discover, these “sections” provide story threads that are beautifully interwoven as the novel resolves.

During our first days, as your children know for I have spoken to each seventh grade class, having specific text to speak from gives everyone something to say.  In that spirit, look at this as a conversation-starter!

This link should take you to the Google document.  HAPPY READING!

While I Was Away

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During two of the days I was away, I asked the students to write two different blog posts.  The first was to discuss a text that they were reading, or had just finished reading.  The requirements were to include at least two hyperlinks that expanded the readers’ knowledge about the book in some way.  In addition, students were to speak about SIGNIFICANCE, so if they included a re-telling of an event, they had to discuss why it was important.  Significance should have been at the heart of the writing!  The second post was to tell, “The Story of My Speech.”  It was a reflection at its heart and had several goals, among them to introduce the context, to share research resources, and to discuss rhetorical strategies that they used successfully.

After reading many of the posts, I urge you to check out a few in particular.  First  is Maddie’s Marvelous Blog.  She uses such great language in both posts.  I particularly love how specific she is in referring to Mr. Jahnson’s visit and her use of “Grand Entrance” to explain her opening.  The post about her text connects to a real-world problem, another terrific piece of writing.  Jenna’s blog is another example of terrific writing and following directions.  I love how she refers to the speeches we listened to in class as being helpful to her process.  These are only two you may discover as you peruse the blogs.  Happy READING!