The week of September 16 is Give a Good Read Week." The idea is to donate a book so others can read for free. I'm challenging students to donate books to library, used book stores, food pantries, etc sometime in the month of September. Bring me a picture of yourself making the donation and I'll post it here as inspiration to others! You are welcome to give more than 1 book.
An article by Goodreads connected with this event is linked below.
This has been a great school year. The students have been polite, kind, hard working, creative, and attentive. I've enjoyed working with them!
Please remember to do summer reading! See the assignments section for more details. Also, you may want to check out the local library opportunities I've posted on the class main page.
Have a great summer and thanks for a great year!
Looking for a new AR book? Try some of the Goodreads recommended books for April: https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/1537?rto=x_gr_e_nl_ya&utm_medium=email&utm_source=ya_newsletter&utm_campaign=Apr2019YA&utm_content=botm&ref_=pe_2620350_401447890
Also, check out the What Have You Been Reading boards, or let the Book Genre Bingo board and 2019 Reading Challenge page guide you.
Want something inspiring? Try one of the books quoted on the "We read to know that we are not alone" board.
Through graffiti walls, infographics, speed booking, tossing the book ball, journal prompts, and just general conversation, students have been connecting with the books they've been reading. A quote we'll be focusing on over the coming weeks is "We read to know we are not alone." See the classroom bulletin board and the infographic below to find inspiration from popular works of literature. There is a bonus opportunity connected with inspiring quote infographics--see Quarter 4 Bonus under the Assignments tab for details.
The students have been impressing me with their discussion skills and reading achievements this quarter. Their enthusiasm has been a great boost for morale in the long, cold months of January and February as well. This is such a kind and fun group of students to work with!
The 7th and 8th graders have been working on expository skills, with a focus on main idea and summarization. These are difficult skills to master, but I'm pleased with their progress. We'll keep working on those skills as we move into persuasive texts. We've also continued to build prefix and root word skills. Please see the assignments link for the prefix and root word lists if needed.
Grade 9 just wrapped up their unit on The Odyssey and is taking a brief break for grammar and writing skills, as well as some creative writing, before we move into our Romeo and Juliet unit. I'm so pleased that the students are eager to begin that unit and know we'll have a great time with it.
The debate class has been working on speaking skills and is now reviewing source evaluation and credibility. We'll jump back into some more debates again soon.
A few reminders as we are now 5/8 of the way through the year:
- Check the What You Missed board for makeup work. This can be done in homeroom, between classes, at the start of class, or even after school as you can see it through the window. If you need me to explain an assignment, homeroom or periods 4 or 8 are the best times to catch me.
- There are many bonus opportunities listed on the class website in the assignments section. Bonus, just like AR, is due March 25.
- If you haven't already taken an AR test this quarter, I recommend doing so soon. That way you'll have time for bonus AR and won't forget information read.
- Check MMS and the class website often and see me during homeroom, period 4, or period 8 if you have any questions.
- Do your homework! Missing little assignments frequently adds up. Homework completion develops time management, responsibility, and organization and enhances your learning--see me if you need any help.
- Keep up the positive attitudes and hard work!
As Quarter 2 comes to a close, I'd like to just give a few reminders.
1. There is ALWAYS bonus available. Please check the bonus section of the class website for details: http://www.northclarion.org/District/Class/33-Mrs-Kristen-Post/Assignments/7431-Quarter-2-Bonus.html. This is due by the last day of the quarter.
2. I try to update MMS a few times a week. Please check your grades often. A 0 with an M means work is missing and the student scored a zero. This is not the same as an empty grade spot, which just means nothing has been entered yet.
3. Please make sure you study once a day, every day. Everything in your notes should be studied, including (but not limited to) prefixes and root words.
4. Read your AR book daily and take the test early. DO NOT wait until the last minute! You can swap out poor scores with better tests, get bonus, etc. but you can't take advantage of those options if you wait until the end. You're also far more likely to forget what you read or to end up skimming if you wait, and those are not likely to lead to success.
5. See me if you need help. I have study hall 4th period and I plan/grade during 8th period. I also eat 2nd lunch. Any of those are times when I can help you. I'm also here around 7:15 each morning and usually stay a little late, and I am in my room during homeroom daily.
Goodreads has released a list of 32 Young Adult Literature books coming out this year. Many of these sound like exciting reads, and I'm sure a few will end up on the fall reading competition list. Check out the list below for book ideas:
https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/1470-32-big-books-that-ya-fans-can-t-wait-for-in-2019?rto=x_gr_e_nl_general&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=jan032019&utm_content=bookend2019ya&ref_=pe_3097180_377584570
The 7th grade students will be starting out the new year with a common resolution: Choose Kind. We are using Wonder quotes as inspiration for our own lives, focusing on two of this year's overarching questions: what does it mean to have courage and what kind of character do I want to be?
Every time I notice a student doing something especially kind, like letting someone borrow a pencil or helping someone pick up books they've dropped, I'll add a bean to the Kindness Jar. Once the jar is half full I'll bring in cookies for all the students in my 7th grade classes.
Students have a sheet with Wonder quotes as well as an optional kindness bingo game (they may use this as a list of possible ways to be kind to others or may actually play the game).
Together we can create a positive learning environment, prevent bullying, and show one another the kindness every needs and deserves in their lives.
Happy Holidays!
To get into the holiday spirit, the reading, English, and Creative Writing classes have been working on the following:
- Performance of "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens and comparison to various film version
- Writing survival tales involving Santa's crash landing
- Writing modern twists on Christmas carols
- Comprehension and analysis of "The Science of Being Santa"
- Analysis of "Nicholas Was"
- Various trivia and brain puzzles
- AR holiday book crafts
- AR ornaments
When we return from break the 7th and 8th graders will continue working on skills that will prepare them for the PSSA, as well as AR. The 9th graders will begin their Journey unit, including excerpts of The Odyssey. The Creative Writing class will wrap up the play they've been writing, then film it for the art class and perform for the high school autism support class.
Have a wonderful holiday season and please remember to be reading: AR is due January 18!
Students in the 9th grade English class created book crafts to showcase their AR books and spread holiday cheer. Some of the students decided to share their crafts with residents at the Snyder Memorial Nursing Home. Please enjoy the picture below of some of the festive creations from this year's class.
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