Midterms were sent home this week to all teams.

Genesis: This week, we practiced our written Idea Cluster (Idea-Evidence-Interpretation) skills through our memoir study, and we compared/contrasted events from the book with the subjects of McCarthyism, the modern Chinese justice system, and the Hitler Youth through differentiated readings/jigsaw discussions.  We discussed the responses that we would give the author of Red Scarf Girl and continued our independent reading and conferences.  In writing workshop, students continued their narrative drafting and revising.  I led a minilesson on thoughts/feelings in narrative writing/(skill: focused notetaking) using James Howe’s “Everything Will Be Okay.”

Legacy: We practiced our comma rules during reading/writing workshop.  Gifted/enrichment students were tested for NWEA Reading and Language Usage.  To begin our lessons on the drama genre, we read Lorraine Hansberry’s own words on being young, gifted, and black (various topics that provided the foundation for her writing), and performed a cold reading of a scene from her play, “A Raisin In the Sun.”

Explorers: Please see this week’s newsletter for more on the phenomenal presentations of Greek Mythology projects.  Gifted/enrichment students were tested for NWEA Reading and Language Usage.  Students will be drafting their Middle East persuasive essays in language arts next week.