We chatted a little more today about Wonder and how it connects to our next book, Fish in a Tree. I showed you a book trailer for Fish in a Tree and we made some predictions. Today is Ms. Scott's last "official" day, though she may try to stop in tomorrow. We spent some time saying goodbye and then got caught on the news. You will get your materials for Fish in a Tree tomorrow and our first meeting will be on Monday!
Today was a library day, so we didn't have as much time as usual. Ms. Scott led the classes through a discussion of Wonder and a very important quote interpretation. Even though we were short on time, we were not short on big ideas! Great work today. She also had you sign her graduation cap. That is a great honor.
We started our next (and final) unit on Monday. This unit focuses on how people are influenced by others. You will get your literature circle materials on Friday. Until then, though, we are going to start thinking about the topic. We watched Wonder on both Monday and Tuesday. This was not a new story for many of you, but it's a powerful one. It will be a great reference point for us as we read our next book, Fish In a Tree.
Our middle school students had a few busy days!
On Thursday we had dress rehearsals for the big performances. Some of you also joined me, Ms. Scott, and Ms. DeRonda at Buffalo State College all evening to share your This I Believe essays. It was such a great event. I am so proud of you! Friday was the Middle School Play Showcase! It was such a great day. Everyone worked so hard and did an excellent job to put on a spectacular show for our audience. You set positive examples for all the other students in this school. Way to go! We've had a busy several days at EVCS! We had a different schedule on Wednesday and Thursday due to math testing. You had a little bit of time to work on your close reading in the afternoon, but we didn't do too much ELA. On Friday, Ms. Scott revealed your roles and you did some character analysis. We also talked about mood, tone, and how your character plays a part in setting the stage for your performance. This week is focusing on putting it all together! I wasn't here on Monday, but you did a first read-through of your parts and your stage crew jobs were set out. Today (Tuesday) you spent time during Enrichment working on sets, costumes, and advertising. In ELA, you got up and got acting! Things looked pretty good for your first time. Let's rock this!
Today was Day 2 of our mini-unit. It looked very similar to your lesson yesterday, but we had new stories. Both groups were able to do some voting about their preferred plays. 7A students chose between Frankenstein and The Monkey's Paw. 7B had the choice between The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Julius Caesar (complete with corny video - below). We will do a little work with the plays during testing days, but you will have that odd afternoon schedule. By Friday you will know your play, your role, and your stage crew job. Exciting!
Today we kicked off our mini-unit focusing on our play performances. As I mentioned in class, 7A and 7B will be doing different things for the first time this year. When all is said and done, the 7th graders will perform four different plays. Today Ms. Scott and I unveiled the first two choices. 7A learned about Frankenstein, while 7B learned about The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Both of these plays are spooky. Tomorrow you will read the last two plays and make a very important decision about which one you like the most! Note: We have moved on from you This I Believe essays, but not forgotten about those of you who wanted to go to the next step. I will begin meeting with those going to Youth Voices tomorrow or Wednesday this week. Some of you wanted to record and submit to the This I Believe website. We will do this once our plays are complete. We have a busy couple of weeks!
These classes have really had two main goals. The first is to get into our free read books! I don't know about you, but I am in a place in my book that makes it hard to put down!
The second thing that we have focused on is our essay writing. Final drafts of This I Believe essays will likely be worked on AFTER break. I am going to focus on helping those people auditioning to edit their work before we leave. We will announce Youth Voices Speaker Series presenters by Friday at the latest! We started both Friday's and Monday's class by free reading. Everyone seems to be settled into a book. Let's keep this going! On Friday you continued outlining your work. We spent a little time talking about the Youth Voices Speaker Series. I put permission slips in your mailboxes. Remember, you need them in order to even audition. Auditions will begin on Tuesday. Ideally, presenters will be announced before we leave for Spring Break. Monday's class focused on outlining and then beginning first drafts. A teacher will jump onto your Google Doc in the coming days to offer feedback. The enthusiasm and ideas are excellent and we are all looking forward to seeing what you come up with!
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