I'm getting used to my schedule, especially since it's so different from last year. Adding 7th graders to my mindset, a team plan and last lunch. The last lunch thing is pretty killer, especially since I used to eat almost 2 hours earlier. But, I'm managing, that four pound container of twizzlers has been a lifesaver.
The 7th graders are full speed ahead in The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan. If you know anything about the Percy Jackson series then you might get this book. The kids are loving it and are actively enjoying reading it. Many of them read the Percy Jackson series so they're enjoying this next series. We're maybe a hundred pages in and they are already asking me about the second book. Some have even taken it home and read ahead. I love to see how enthusiastic they are about reading, especially the couple that have said, "I don't like reading, but I like reading this book". Those are the kinds of things you want to hear.
We've been working on text evidence and supporting our answers by backing it up with what the text says, they seem to be getting the hang out it. One of their articles of the week was about plagiarism and now they're trying to make sure they don't plagiarize. Today, they were introduced to Theme. The universal message or lesson learned. This is a hard concept to grasp, so we will continue working on this as the year progresses.
My 8th graders are a little less convinced on the book they're reading. The Giver is a little harder to get into and trickier to understand. They're realizing that this community is way different from our own and they are starting to grasp what's going on. I'm excited to move forward with this book and the ideas I have for them once it's finished.
This year I have the opportunity to work with our lovely social studies teacher. The 8th graders are going to end up creating their own dystopian or utopian society which they will be learning about the systems of government in social studies. 7th graders are going to have the opportunity to decide who did it better, the Grrek Gods or the Romans and then argue their point. They lean about Greek and Roman mythology in social studies and the The Lost Hero is all about the Gods.
It's an awesome opportunity to work closely with a college and create interdisciplinary lessons.
I've had a few hiccups with some students but I think I have a much better handle on the classroom management and discipline this year.
Still in bed by 9 and feel like I don't get any sleep. Will that feeling ever end?
