Mrs. Frank's Class Update!
All the News that's Fit to Click!
Winter Warmth
Our Winter of warm days has finally given way to rain. Although we have been feeling some early Spring Fever, students are getting focused again and working hard through many exciting projects.
Top News
- Quarter 3 Progress Grades Quarter 3 is already at the mid-way point. Today, I am emailing out an update of your child's current grade. A reminder: this grade is a "moment-in-time" and can change quickly with added or missing assignments.
- Catching Up Some students have fallen behind, and I encourage them to seek additional help from me if they are struggling with writing, or any of our assignments. I can write a pass to help students during Workshop, and am often available at lunch for more one-on-one time.
- Character Essays I am currently grading these on Google Drive. An "N/A" on the grade report with the Status "Received, Not Yet Graded" indicates that your child has turned it in. I have marked it "N/A" so that I can mark that students have turned it in, while those who have not will see a red square. This is the only way that I can help students who are missing this assignment see the red, and the impact the missing essay has on their grade. Once I have graded them, a score will take the place of the "N/A" mark.
- Presidents' Day Week There is no school from February 17-21.
- Restock Binders It's time to restock binder paper, pencils, pens & highlighters!
- Parents: Keep Checking Edmodo & Aeries These are both important tools for monitoring your child's progress. Edmodo will show assignments and other class information. Aeries is the official gradebook.
Writing & Reading
The Giver We have been reading The Giver, and will finish it just after the break. The section of the book we are reading right now, specifically Ch. 19, is a very intense chapter. We will discuss it at length in class, and I encourage you to ask your child about what it is that Jonas discovers about his father and this community. The Giver is a dystopian fantasy and does compel readers to think about what works and what doesn't in our own world. It has been a very interesting book for us to experience together.
Letter to the Chief Elder As part of the The Giver, we had our own Ceremony of Twelve. All students were "Assigned" a job for life. In response, students wrote a business letter to the Chief Elder either accepting the job, or politely requesting one that is a better fit. They often end up being quite humorous letters!
Coming Up
In February, we will extend our thinking about The Giver and the questions it raises in our own society. We will read several articles about current research and new drugs which make erasing bad memories possible. We will ask the question, "Should we erase bad memories?"
In March, we will invite parents to join us in Literature Circles. We will be reading a variety of historical fiction novels set in Asia. These will connect with history, while students learn about Imperial China and Medieval Japan. I will be letting parents know about this in the near future!
April 9th: Open House
Late April Smarter Balanced test. This will be a first-time test so that students, teachers and schools can experience what these more rigorous, Common Core tests will be like. I have revamped much of what we do throughout the year to help students prepare for this kind of reading, writing, and testing. I will continue to help them feel ready!
I encourage parents to take a Practice Test, accessible through this link:
http://www.smarterbalanced.org/practice-test/
The Outsiders will be the last novel we read, and it is a great way to wrap up the year. I have some engaging activities planned for this novel, some requiring that we get outside. :)
May 14th: Renaissance Day Grab your Renaissance garb and join us if you can! An event not to be missed!
We love our new classroom! We can't wait for you to see it and our Puffle Chairs!
White Hill Middle School Seventh Grade English
Email: kfrank@rossvalleyschools.org
Website: franksclasswebsite.org
Location: 101 Glen Drive Fairfax, CA 94930
Phone: 415)454-8390 304
Twitter: @mrsfrank