The students have been reading memoirs and working to recreate their own memories. I loved hearing heartwarming and heartbreaking stories from their lives. Welcoming a new member of their family, saying goodbye to a loved one, taking their first plane ride, being in a car accident, starting school,...so many memories have been relived. I continue to be awed by these young people, and their ability to find a deeper meaning in the moments they live and the stories that we tell.
It is hard to believe that we only have 3 weeks left in Quarter 1. I finally know my students' names, and I have started to create deeper relationships. In our final weeks before trackout, we are going to dig deeper into our Who am I? unit. We will delve into complicated topics including genetic engineering, cloning, and microchips. It takes a lifetime to form our identity, but by the end of our study, I believe we will better understand what makes each of us tick.
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This week during Smartblock, we used a famous painting to inspire our writing. The Scream, created by Edvard Munch, had the students thinking about character, mood, and setting. Here a couple of student examples: The Scream As my face turns sorrow glum, I see the shadows overcome, As pain comes from other realms, I only SCREAM. -Anonymous The Scream Walking on a bridge to another town I stopped myself because of the sound The creaking, slowly breaking bridge Under my feet...under another's wish I scream for my life, but no one comes It is not the time It is only mine -Lauren 1892 I'm on the pier in the year of 1892 I have bad news of a fuse that burnt down my house The sun is setting I am sitting on the bench of the pier I'm on a pier in the year of 1892 I have bad news of a fuse that burnt down my house My wife is dead and so it my head All I can do is scream The roaring tears of my ears I cannot breathe All I can do is scream On the pier of the year 1892 -Eliza Reading two personal narratives from the point of view of 6th graders, resonated with students this week. We were able to discuss how it feels when we are judged for our outward appearance, using our voices to communicate, and embracing what makes each of us unique. Students attempted to elaborate on their own personal and unique stories.
We have started reading our novels, and will begin literature discussion groups next week. Some of my favorite moments in class occur when we have our heads buried in books. I cannot wait to hear more about each and every young person as they practice writing their own memoirs. There is much to do, and never enough time in the day. I think that I know only about 75% of the names of my students, but I have enjoyed getting to know each and every one of them better. Personalities shined this week, as formerly anxious young people started to come out of their shells. Over the past two weeks, all of the 6-4 teachers have been reviewing how to show Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Dedication, and Excellence as a WLMS student. We created paper tweets filled with ideas of how we could practice PRIDE in every area of our school. The mural stands in our hallway as an example of the first product we created as a team.
Students might not appreciate the high expectations that we have for each of them this school year, but we have to prepare them for the challenges in Middle School, High School, and beyond. All four of the 6-4 teachers are not only dedicated to imparting subject area knowledge, but we are also focused on creating lifelong learners. Over the next months, there will certainly be ups and downs...but we are on this journey together. Week one was filled with new faces, loads of questions, and sighs of relief. I am so proud of the students for not giving up and working so hard to learn the new schedule. I spent the weekend reading the friendly letters written by the 6-4 students, and smiled at the unique perspective that can only be captured by a 6th grader.
Now it is time to roll up our sleeves and get to work. My focus for week 2 is to get the students excited and motivated to begin reading. Spending three days in the library surrounded by all the books is enough to make this Language Arts teacher a bit giddy. No turning back...we are in this together. Ms. V |