ELA 10: Dec. 14-18

We had a great time at the DIA last week! Thank you again to the parents who chaperoned. I heard lots of high praise from the students--everything from “That was amazing!” to “That wasn’t as awful as I expected.”  Though I’d prefer that they all feel like the first comment, I’ll count the second as a win, too. Not all the students loved it; I had a few tell me that they still think art is “boring.”  I understand; the world would be a pretty boring world if we all loved the same things. However, if your student was one of those, I hope you can help me remind them that there is always benefit in pushing outside of your comfort zone a little.  
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​Two major assignments were updated in MiStar over the weekend:

• Informational Text Reading Assessment. We will go over these tests in class early in the week. If your student struggled with a portion of the test (there were five separate skills assessed), please encourage him or her to see me about some additional practice and a chance to try again.

• Lit Circle Book Discussion. Students will receive individual written feedback, but they are welcome to come see me for more if they’d like. These discussions were videotaped, so it is easy for me to sit down with your student and go over the discussion one-on-one. For students struggling with discussion participation, this can be a good way to see what they need to do to improve.

Our work this week will be focused on writing, revising, and editing the Informational Art Essays that students began last week.  As of Friday, all students have had a chance to discuss their thesis and outline with me; most are right on track and working hard. Students have a sample outline, a sample intro and a sample conclusion to help them guide their writing. In class, they will have opportunities every day to conference with me and ask specific questions about their essays. Please encourage your students to ask for feedback!! I’m available everyday before school except Monday as well. Final essays will be due on Friday.

Finally, the big New Year’s Reading Resolutions Party is on Wednesday! If you’d still like to sign up to contribute something, check the link here. We have lots of fun planned, but the most important thing is that students should walk away on Wednesday with a clear reading goal for the second semester. Please ask your students about their resolutions, and perhaps you could make some yourself!! I plan to send out an end of the week blog post this week to share some pictures of our party and some suggestions for supporting reading at home over the break and into the new year.

Have a great week!
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