What's Up! for 4/23 - 4/27

Hello again :)


This week, as always, is quite eventful.  Check it out!


Random:

William Shakespeare's birthday is this week!

(Monday, April 23rd---yay!) 

7th & 8th grade:

OAA testing will also be this week for both 7th and 8th graders (Tuesday, Thursday).  The 8th graders will have an additional OAA test next Tuesday (May 1st) but the 7th grade will not.

9th grade:

The 9th graders will be finishing the novel Anthem this week.  Watch out for a test over the novel sometime early next week (Tuesday is estimated date as of now)!

Utopia

The 9th graders are currently reading Ayn Rand's novel Anthem. This is a dystopian novel that focuses on people who have tried to create their own "perfect" utopia but, in reality, it is an imperfect dystopia.  I had the students create their OWN utopias, and below are the results...

BREAKING NEWS.....!!!!!

I have some VERY exciting news...


Last week, I sent out letters that the 9th graders wrote to the Nobel Peace Prize winner, and author of the novel Night, Elie Wiesel.  After reading his novel, the students wrote letters to Wiesel explaining how they felt about his novel (which gives life to his experience as a Jew in a concentration camp during the Holocaust).  


Just today, the students received a letter from THE Elie Wiesel (signature and all) expressing his gratitude to the students for their kind words and caring hearts.  I am SO proud of the students for taking the time to write the letters, and I am extremely appreciative that such a great, well-established man such as Elie Wiesel would take the time to write back to the students.  Great job 9th graders!  


Below is a picture of the letter so that all of you can see and share in our excitement!

What's Up for 4/16 - 4/20

The students are going to be very busy this week :)


7th Grade
7th graders will be prepping for the OAA tests which they will begin taking next week (I know, eeek....they've come so soon!).  The will be be reviewing literary terms and application of these terms.


8th Grade
8th graders will be finishing up their presentations and reviews of their persuasive speeches (which have been great, by the way!).  They will then, like the 7th grade, be prepping for the OAA tests through reviewing and applying literary terms.


9th Grade
9th graders will be presenting their utopian shadow boxes (which have looked amazing--pictures will come soon!).  They will then be continuing their reading and studying of the novel, Anthem.


I hope everyone has a great week!

What's Up for 4/10 - 4/13

Welcome back everyone!  I hope you all had a great spring break!
Below is a description of what each class will be working on this week:
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7th grade
This week, the 7th graders will be writing personal narratives (much different than their analytical essays from last week) about a place in America that has inspired them.  Then, they will be submitting them into a contest for a chance to win great prizes including a Nook or $10,000 savings bond!


8th grade 
This week, the 8th graders are going to polish their persuasive speeches through learning about and applying presentation skills.  These skills include aspects of body language, voice, eye contact, etc.  I am sure they will do great once they present their speeches at the end of the week!

9th grade
This week the 9th graders will be creating their own utopias (to aid in their understanding of dystopian literature, the genre of the novel they are reading).  They will be making shadow boxes that capture a glimpse of their utopia including rules, consequences, people and scenery.  I'll post pictures once they are finished!
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So, did anyone do anything really cool over spring break? If so, please share below in a comment! 

Keep Going...then have fun!

So, as we all are aware, Spring Break is almost here (Yes, only 2 days left!).  However, I want to encourage you all to keep pushing yourself until the final bell rings on Wednesday--just because it is almost break, doesn't mean you should almost break your grade by thinking you're on vacation already!


This week, all the students should be working very hard:

• 7th grades will be completing some practice OAA tests to prepare them for the actual OAA that they will take at the end of April.
• 8th graders will be continuing work on their persuasive speech, creating PowerPoint and notecards to aid in their speech.
• 9th graders will be continuing their Literature Circles--looking into themes, connection, character development, etc. over Ayn Rand's dystopian novel, Anthem.

Now, once that final bell on Wednesday does ring, consider the following inexpensive ideas for some great fun over Spring Break!...(sites where these ideas were found are listed at the end of this post)

• Get Artsy!  One of my new favorite sites is Pinterest!  This website will give you TONS of awesome ideas from how to make t-shirt scarves, to creating awesome artwork for your wall, to designing your own t-shirts.  Look up some ideas and try them with your friends!  (Seriously, they have the BEST ideas for artsy, fun crafts--I even tried making some t-shirt scarves with friends...so fun!)
• Dance Party--enjoy some great music and fun with having friends over, along with lots of snacks, and just dance!
• Cook!  Everyone loves trying great food so look up a random recipe and recruit friends or family to help you try to make it.  If it turns out well, you get a great treat, and if it doesn't then you at least get a fun experience.  
• Board Games!  Have a day/night where you get out all of your board games and play them with your friend or family.  To make it interesting, have a special prize for the person/team who wins the most games!
• Explore!  With friends or family, go on a walk or bike ride to somewhere you've never been.  Exploring new places will make you feel like you're taking a mini vacation, and it will be a little adventure as well!
• Volunteer!  Though most people think it won't be fun, it is surprising how most people enjoy volunteering when they actually do it!  Try working at a soup kitchen or an outdoor volunteer opportunity such as Habitat for Humanity.
• Bedroom Makeover!  Sometimes change makes us feel refreshed.  So, with the help of a friend, rearrange your bedroom--it will be fun and make you feel like you received a brand new room!

I hope everyone has a great break!

Sources:

• http://pinterest.com/
• http://teenadvice.about.com/od/entertainment/tp/things_to_do_during_high_school_spring_break.htm
• http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/814008/12-tv-free-ways-to-keep-your-kids-busy-over-spring-break-1