Students are getting started on their choice WWII book readings. They are also able to write about their reading in their "reading blurbs" that are in their digital notebooks. These blurbs are for students to show their interaction with the texts and show evidence of critical thinking as they read!

This week, students are able to "sample" around 22 fiction and nonfiction titles related to WWII topics as a supplement to their SS unit! They will be able to read independently or with a group on a topic of their choice! We are also working on writing artist's statements to go with our Coming of Age projects. We're doing a peer feedback protocol to help each other clarify our pieces!

In this short week, students will put the finishing touches on their Coming of Age projects. They are also writing their reading blurbs (which is the final assignment for quarter 2 in Literacy). On Wed, we will do a funny activity of writing reviews for weird Amazon products! 

This week, students are having one more feedback circle to help each other work toward a final draft of their Coming of Age project. They will finalize their piece by Winter Break! I also introduced an assignment called "Reading Blurbs" which is in their reading/writing notebook. This assignment will help me peek into their thinking while they read their choice books.

This is a weird week, schedule-wise, because we have Sci field trips on Monday/Tues, and Career Day on Wed. So throughout this week, we will work on second drafts and have feedback circles in order to complete a second draft by Mon, 12/12.

We are completing our first rough drafts of our Coming of Age in 2022 project this week. Students will work in "writing circles" to give feedback to each other. Our goal is to have a completed first draft in one week.

During this short week, we are making a work schedule and list of materials needed to complete our chosen projects. Happy Thanksgiving!

We are embarking on an exciting new project called the Coming of Age in 2022 project! It is a seventh-grade-wide project that will allow students to show a side of teenage life that will educate the public about this generation. We will create an event to share our work in January! We are brainstorming project ideas this week.

We have selected our evidence and now are working to write our reasoning that shows how our evidence supports our claim. Students will have a full draft of their theme analysis essay complete by the end of this week!

This week, we are solidifying our claims about theme in The Outsiders and practicing digging up strong evidence. We will incorporate this into our literary analysis essays.

Now that we have finished reading the book AND watching the film, we are now using talking and writing as tools to help us determine the themes of the text. We will practice supporting ideas with evidence and reasoning via group discussions this week.

To complement our reading of The Outsiders, we're considering the case of Ethan Couch, a teen who avoided jail time for killing four people in a drunk driving accident by using the "affluenza" defense. We're talking about if affluence and lack of parental discipline could absolve teenagers' bad behavior. We are also going to look at building up ideas in a conversation and how to support our thinking (and encourage others to support theirs) with evidence.

As we continue our reading of The Outsiders, we consider identity and how we change how we express our identity depending upon our surroundings. We will also dig into the poem, "Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Robert Frost, which shows up in chapter 5 of the book!

We have started reading The Outsiders! You should see your students reading their book at home; they'll have reading assignments twice per week! Also, we're looking at revision based on feedback on our Portrait of Gen Z projects!

Students have participated in two peer feedback protocols to give them some insights on their images and writing choices for their Portrait of Gen Z project. The students are considering the feedback as they make their final revisions and turn it in! We're wrapping up this week by trying our hand at 100-word personal narratives and if eligible, submitting them to The New York Times contest for students!

We have started our first project for Literacy called "My Portrait of Gen Z." Students will be taking pictures that say something about teenage life that is different than the stereotypes society has about them. Students will be creating their images this week and beginning to write artists' statements that express the intention and meaning behind their work.

This week, I'm collecting some writing samples from the students to get an idea of where we are with paragraphing skills. We are also going to kickstart our Reader's Workshop, which requires that every student has a book to read independently in class every day. You should see your student reading independently at least 30 minutes every night!

We are beginning to explore one of our essential questions in 7th grade: "How do stereotypes influence the way we perceive ourselves and others?" We are discussing what stereotypes are and thinking about what stereotypes adults might have about teenagers by generating Top Ten Lists!

This week we will be building community through one of my all-time favorite assignments: the Take Care of Me List. We'll also become acquainted with the library (both Wydown's library and the classroom library)!