Mrs. Jonynas' Website

Background Information:

Hello and welcome,

My name is Sharon Jonynas (pronounced "Jo-Knee-Nas" - my husband is of Lithuanian origin), and I teach seventh grade language arts. This school year, 2021-2022, will be my fifteenth year here at Green Mountain Union High/Middle School, and I enjoy working with the middle school students very much. I live in Chester with my wonderful husband, Arne, a helpful and funny son, Adrian, a very handsome cat named Peter and a lovable black Labrador Retriever named Bella.

We have four “children,” and all of them went through Chester’s public school system. I feel that this experience offered me a unique perspective on homework, school climate, and all things related to our wonderful learning community. Our oldest son, Samuel, graduated from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, with a degree in mathematics, and he is now working at Choate-Rosemary Hall, a private school in Wallingford, Connecticut. Our second son, Adrian, works with my husband in his plumbing and heating business, and he got his license through coursework at Vermont Technical College. Our oldest daughter, Anna, attended Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts, and she received a degree in criminology and sociology. She is now modeling for a living and has built a tiny house in the Catskill region of New York. Our youngest daughter, Emily, graduated from Bentley University, and she is now working on Madison Avenue and living in Gramercy Park in Manhattan. My husband and I are very proud of their accomplishments.

I grew up in Guilford, Connecticut, and my husband and I moved to Vermont shortly after we got married. My Bachelor’s Degree in Writing and Literature is from Norwich University, and I spent several years as a teaching assistant at Chester-Andover Elementary School before getting my own classroom. My husband, Arne (his real name is Arunas) is on the Chester Selectboard, and he volunteers for many of the outdoor organizations in our town.

I love being immersed in a learning community, and I have found that my students teach me things everyday. I think that you have to connect with students and to respect who they are as learners and as individuals in order for learning to take place, and I am always a willing listener when a student wants to share something about themselves with me.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you need anything - I check my email throughout the day, and this is probably the easiest way to get a hold of me.

In the Classroom:

Seventh grade students spend their language arts time immersed in reading, writing, and critical thinking. We use an integrated approach focusing on reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The students learn about themselves and others and test their assumptions and beliefs via reading, discussing, and writing about literature through narrative, argumentative/persuasive, and informational writing. The writing process of prewriting, drafting, revising, and publishing is employed with all writing pieces. The seventh grade curriculum also includes the study of word roots and prefixes, the structure of essays, and work with grammar, usage, and punctuation. In order to meet state requirements for reading, we use several class books and supplement those with independent reading books. Outside reading book reports (ORBRs) are due four times per year for seventh grade students.

The students read a broad spectrum of literature covering universal themes in the genres of the novel, short story, poetry, drama, fiction, non-fiction, myth, and folktale. Depending on the year, class books include The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan, The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden, The Seventh Wish by Kate Messner, Woodsong by Gary Paulsen, Deathwatch by Robb White, Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech, The Giver by Lois Lowry, and Woodsong by Gary Paulsen, among others.

Expectations and Responsibilities for 7th Grade Language Arts Students:

* Arrive to class on time with all necessary materials (example: something to write with, class novel)

* Follow any and all directions by adult(s) in the room

* Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself and follow all safety rules

* Cursing, yelling, arguing, putdowns, and harassment are not allowed

We use a school-wide discipline system, with each teacher using the same set of consequences