7th and 8th grade have been working through some short stories and working on their comprehension and reasoning as they explore classic texts like “The Lottery,” “The Fun They Had,” and just finished their work on “Harrison Bergeron.” These stories have presented different challenges to the students, but they have risen to the occasion and overcome any confusion and gained a deeper understanding of each text. They have done several activities including group projects and discussion and compare / contrast of text in different media. They have explored more advanced literary devices such as irony and satire and have proven their ability to work with each among other concepts.

As one class ends a unit, another class begins one. 6th grade began their short story with the famous story that teaches readers to “be careful what they wish for;” “The Monkey’s Paw.” They reviewed some literary terms present in the text as a refresher and added more to their repertoire such as characterization, tone, and more specific concepts of plot charts and symbolism. They’ve enjoyed dipping their toes in the water and I look forward to working with them on the rest of the unit.