As Mrs. Post said in her last post – “Wow!"
How time flies when having fun.
I'm already halfway through my student teaching experience. I've learned so much so far and I still have a lot of learn. The students are awesome and it’s a joy to see them grow and learn.
Currently, the students in the creative writing class are writing sonnets! It's so much fun seeing their minds work as they try to figure out iambic pentameter, which words to use, and in what order. They're having a great time!
The debate class just finished a project in which they had to create propaganda posters. There were two teams - the boys versus the girls. They had to use several propaganda techniques that promoted North Clarion High School. The girls knocked it out of the park when they used an image of Steve Irwin as their testimonial celebrity! But the boys hand drew a wolf’s head that blew me away!
The 8th graders are at the tail end of their informational text unit. Currently, the theme is: “What is the value of knowledge?” Thus far, we’ve read an article about 3D printed homes for the homeless and a chapter from Neal deGrasse Tyson’s book, Space Chronicles, which discusses humanity’s dream and achievement of flight. The students are learning a lot about how to find the author’s purpose, the structure of a text, and figuring out the main idea.
Wow--it's already the middle of quarter 3! I can't believe we are 5/8 through the school year already! Time flies when I'm working with great students, and this year's classes have been amazing!
In Debate, Mr. Foreman is working with students on propaganda, logical fallacies, and the difference between persuading and just arguing. He's got some great learning experiences prepared for students--I'm looking forward to what they accomplish.
The Contemporary Young Adult Literature and Creative Writing students have been working on poetry with Mr. Foreman, and just finished their last book activity for the required texts in the class. I'm impressed with the work they've been completing. These kids are fantastic writers!
8th grade students are working on nonfiction reading skills such as author's purpose, main idea, and text features. When they finish that unit with Mr. Foreman, they'll transition to a persuasion unit with me.
Finally, the 7th grade students just finished their poetry unit and are starting their nonfiction reading skills unit with me. We'll spend a few weeks on this before they start working on persuasion with Mr. Foreman.
Overall, I've been very impressed with my students this quarter and look forward to working with them for the rest of the year.
As always, please feel free to email me with any questions or concerns. Have a great rest of quarter 3!
Hello,
This past week has been very exciting.
This week, the 8th graders begin a unit on nonfiction reading. This past Thursday, the classes played a scavenger hunt game. The students formed groups and had to figure out an author's purpose (to inform, to entertain, to persuade) in magazines, textbooks, and newspapers. All of us had a lot of fun.
The 7th graders continue their poetry unit. They got to read and study some poems.
The students in the debate class just learned about logical fallacies and several propaganda techniques. Now they have a new assignment - to create a poster that propagates how wonderful North Clarion High School is.
The creative writing class just finished a week long assignment called "Inspired Poetry." Each student had to find a published poem from the library and then use the poem as an inspiration to write his/her own poem. The results were fantastic! I was so impressed by the quality of the students' work, that I decided to create a bulletin board to showcase the poetry created by the class.
Mr. Foreman
The following books are on the Goodreads YA February Must Read book list. They may be good ideas for AR books or just books for pleasure.
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We're a couple weeks into quarter 3 and the students are doing great!
Recently Mr. Foreman, a student teacher from Clarion University, has started working with students in my classes. They seem to enjoy working with him and I know he will do an excellent job teaching these classes! Mr. Foreman sent a letter home with all students last week--I hope all of the letters made it home to parents! If you have any questions, feel free to email Mr. Foreman or me at kpost@nccsd.org. If you'd like me to pass the email along to Mr. Foreman, simply address it to him and I'll be sure to forward it.
The Young Adult Literature and Creative Writing students have recently begun their Introduction to Poetry unit with Mr. Foreman. They are exploring classic and contemporary poetry, including pop songs. They will also be writing poems of their own.
The Debate class is exploring rhetoric, fallacies, and propaganda. Mr. Foreman has a lot of thought-provoking activities planned that will challenge and engage the students in this class.
Both 7th and 8th grade are working on poetry skills right now and will soon move on to exploring informative passages.
All students are encouraged to see Mr. Foreman or me if they need extra help with anything. As always, I'm available before and after school most days as long as I know in advance a student needs to work with me. I'm also free period 7 and sometimes even during period 3 or lunch if necessary.
Accelerated Reader is due March 20, but I'm encouraging students to finish their initial book by Valentine's Day so they then have time to read additional books. Students should try to read books that challenge them so that they can grow as readers. The minimum level is 3.5 and minimum page length is 100, but working within that zone recommended by the STAR test at the beginning of the year is really optimal for maximizing the benefits of reading--students will enjoy books that are challenging and accessible, will develop a stronger working vocabulary, can connect and empathize with characters from a variety of cultures and backgrounds, and can learn important life lessons. If concerned about the maturity or reading level of an AR book, please check commonsensemedia.org or arbookfind.com.
Parents, feel free to email with any questions or concerns: kpost@nccsd.org
In August through January, the students and staff of room 9 have challenged ourselves to travel as much of the world as possible through our reading. We succeeded in visiting every continent! Congratulations!
Take a look at this infographic to see how it all MAPPED out!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UMJqVSI-ui1OdIcNuRYmvrXRxEEq-IlgFwF0wul4iKk/edit?usp=sharing
Wow, this quarter has really gone fast, hasn't it? It seems like those holiday breaks should be slowing things down, not speeding it up.
Here's what we're up to right now:
The Young Adult Literature and Creative Writing class is wrapping up the focus on short stories. Students are currently working on writing their own short stories, to be shared with the class by the end of Christmas break. These may end up in the class Literary Magazine that we'll create at the end of the year. Students are also finishing up Main Course book activities with tomorrow's Playlist assignment. They will then move on to their dessert books.
Debate students have selected The Wall as the focus of their next debate. We are currently focusing on evaluating source credibility, a skill that will enhance not only future debates but also any academic research students complete in high school and college. It could also help them break the fake news trend on social media!
7th and 8th grade reading classes are both focused on drama between now and Christmas break. I hope they'll enjoy performing, but we'll of course also be analyzing the passages and working on some compare/contrast skills. We'll also take time for some holiday book crafts (the 7th graders already made book ornaments) and for prefix/root review.
As always, please contact me with any questions. Have a great holiday season!
This is a review of pass use rules/expectations, as I think some students have been getting a little lax in following the guidelines set at the start of the year. Please read carefully. Failure to follow these guidelines will result in you (and possibly your entire class) not being allowed to take the pass anymore.
1. Try to use the restroom and go to your locker between classes, during homeroom, during study hall, during lunch, etc. If you really must go, it should be at the very start or end of class, not in the middle of everything. Pass use should be a last resort, not a habit.
2. The school has a locked, closed door policy for safety reasons. You MUST close the locked door behind you when you take the pass! Unfortunately, this makes it necessary for someone to get up and let you in every time you take the pass somewhere. This disrupts the learning of your fellow students. Please be courteous and wait to use the restroom during more convenient times, such as lunch and class change times.
3. When you take the pass you are missing whatever discussion, assignment, reading, etc. is taking place at that time. This means that by using the restroom or running to your locker you are interfering with your own learning. Gaps in your education will eventually build up. For that reason, please do not take the pass unless you have finished whatever task your classmates are completing.
4. You must leave your cell phone in the classroom when you take the pass. It may go on my desk, the filing cabinets, or your desk. You are NOT permitted to take the phone with you to your locker, the bathroom, etc.
5. You must fill out the form on the pass if you take it. Before leaving my room you should complete your name, grade, time out, and destination. As soon as you return you should fill in the Time In section. There is a clock on one of my filing cabinets, or you may use the time on the Promethean board.
6. Please keep in mind that others need to use the pass after you. After using the restroom, please wash your hands and dry them completely before picking the pass back up so that your classmates don't have to carry a wet, germy pass around.
7. You should ONLY be going to the destination you filled in on the pass and should go and return as quickly as possible.
8. Never throw pass pages away. These go to the office at the end of the day so the secretaries know where you were.
9. There is a list outside my door of materials you should bring to class each day. The same list is also posted on the class website. Please come prepared to class. Coming unprepared results in loss of participation points and in strikes. If this becomes a habit, I will stop letting you return to your locker for materials you left behind. Bring everything you need with you before the bell rings.
10. You do NOT need to get up in the middle of the class to get water. You are permitted to bring clear water bottles to class with you. If you don't have one, please drink water between classes. There are water fountains conveniently placed throughout the school so that you can do this quickly during class change. If you have a cold, bring cough drops or a water bottle with you.
Looking for a new book to read? Check out these books listed as Top Trending Books for Teens right now:
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On November 7 there will be an opportunity for parents to tour the school and meet with teachers. I welcome any parents who wish to meet with me! If you would like a private meeting during which we can discuss your child's grades, work, etc, please schedule one with me ahead of time. I can be reached at kpost@nccsd.org or by calling the school at 814-744-8544. Thank you!
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