It is crazy to me that November is upon us! I was working in my planner and realized that we have just six and a half weeks of school left before Winter Break. That’s crazy. The Language Arts classes have been rolling along; we’ve been busy with a wide variety of tasks. I’ll share with you a quick overview and a few exciting highlights.

6th Grade

• We’ve been concentrating on deepening our understanding of the structure of story. Plot, conflict, characterization, point of view: each of these pieces help us make connections between texts and develop greater understanding of what we are reading.
• Students have been doing all kinds of writing from journaling to polishing autobiographies. Most recently, we wrapped up poems that call upon metaphors to show what our thoughts are like. The students are working on silhouettes in art to go along with their poems. Keep an eye out in the lobby; I’m planning on displaying their work when it all gets finished.

7th Grade

• With our emphasis on non-fiction, we are currently reading Irena’s Children, Young Reader Edition. We have been exploring the framework of story through the lense of non-fiction. Even true events can hold the markers of a good story.
• In LA Skills, where students team up with 8th grade, the students are finalizing their persuasive campaign to market an idea for the new building. The students are working to convince not only their peers, but teachers and administration utilizing persuasive techniques and research-supported arguments.

8th Grade

• While the book has been challenging, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks has been an intriguing and thought-provoking read. The book shares information about HeLa cells, how they were discovered, and the life of the woman who the cells belonged to before the discovery of their scientific value. Racism, poverty, scientific and intellectual property, medical advancements, and ethics: this just scratches the surface of the concepts and ideas this book provides.
• In LA Skills, where students team up with 7th grade, the students are finalizing their persuasive campaign to market an idea for the new building. The students are working to convince not only their peers, but teachers and administration utilizing persuasive techniques and research-supported arguments.

High School

• We are starting A Separate Peace this week; as we read, we will work to make connections with other works we have read this year, as well as strengthen our understanding of theme, motif, and symbol.
• Just before fall break, we took the short week to make sure we were all were using the same definitions and terminology for literary structures. We had fun playing Jeopardy together to practice and review those skills.
• We do a wide variety of reading and writing; over the next month, I will be introducing and reviewing literary devices to enhance students ability to understand what they read and enhance what they write.

I found this info-graphic the other day and thought it would be appropriate to share. It is so important for students to spend time reading, especially books of their own choice. 

Last weekend, Lexi W. represented our Speech and Debate team at Republic’s Tournament of the Tiger, and she brought home 1st place in original oratory. She’s hard at work preparing for the Nixa tournament. Congrats, Lexi!

Each week, my sixth graders spend time leading reader’s or writer’s workshop for the pre-k students. This is a great opportunity for the sixth graders to share their love of reading and writing with younger students. We’ve done a broad range of activities: reading books for our pre-k friends, going outside to write descriptively about the clouds, playing a Kahoot about a new book. Each week is something new, but each week it is so cool to see these two groups of students come together to read and write.

Over fall break, I read The Girl Who Drank the Moon, and it was phenomenal! I’ve already got a class set ordered; my plan is to read it with each of the middle school classes, one grade level at a time. It’s been an awesome year so far, and we’re just getting started!

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Mrs. Brandie Maddox

Language Arts Teacher