Mrs. Frank's Class Update
The Latest News That's Fit to Click!
Spring is Near!
Several important dates are coming up. Here is a quick look at them:
Wednesday, March 20: Last Day for Late Work!
Friday, March 22: Field Trip to see White Hill's Musical, "West Side Story"
Friday, March 22: End of Quarter 3
Thursday, April 4: Open House!
Friday, April 5: Spring Break Begins
Saturday, April 27: Margie Burke Speech Tournament in Ross.
**Renaissance Day Planning is beginning and we need your help!**
Renaissance Day will be Friday, May 24!
**Also, please contact the office if you do not have the login information to access the Aeries Portal. Parents can check their child's grades at any time by logging in.
**Also, please be sure you are connected with your child's Edmodo account. I recommend viewing Edmodo both as a parent and looking at your child's view when he or she is logged in (which is much more comprehensive).
More details about what we've been up to are below. Read on!
As always, please let me know if you have questions, at any time,
Katie Frank
Poets in the Classroom
We've been writing poetry, exploring personification, duality, and voice. Some students are continuing their poetic endeavors with See during Poetry Club.
Imperial China
In History, we are continuing our studies of this era of China. Through complex political organization and the development of new inventions, Imperial China inspired the Medieval World and contributed to the Renaissance in Europe.
The Giver
On March 12, we will begin our next novel, The Giver. This is a dystopian story about a society which strives to eliminate pain and suffering by instituting "Sameness".
English
Last week, students took the STAR Writing Test. The prompt was to write a response to a fable. This falls under the Response to Literature category, and is similar to the Character Analysis Essay that students wrote in December. We also have been very busy practicing summary, persuasive and narrative fiction writing.
Pen Pals! You may have heard about our Pen Pal Project, affectionately named by students the "Best of Both Worlds Project" because we are corresponding with our pals using paper and digital media. Our new friends are located in Illinois, Scotland and Ontario, Canada. We are writing friendly letters to pen pals as well as connecting with them on Edmodo. We may even have a Skype session!
Reading
We are starting The Giver this week. As stated above, this book is a dystopian fantasy and leads to many rich discussions about the structure of society, freedom, and the power of knowledge. For students who have read The Giver already, I will give the option to read one or more of Lois Lowry's companion novels. An exciting addition to this option is the final book in the quartet, The Son.
Students need to keep reading their own free-choice books! We are recording these books in our Reading Records and giving Book Talks in class to inspire more reading! We are posting our book talks on KidBlog. Students have the login information on their Login Guides. One exciting feature of KidBlog is that students can actually create their own blogs--some are taking advantage of this, and I will continue to encourage it.
Poetry We are wrapping up our six-week long series with the poet, See. He is a dynamic poet who also runs the Poetry Club, and the students have very much enjoyed working with him. We are very fortunate that the Yes Foundation has provided us with this opportunity, and we are looking forward to creating finished products of our poetry. Students will print a compilation of their poems and also complete a video performance of their spoken poetry.
History
We are currently studying Imperial China. In particular, we are studying the political developments of this era, a model for world governments to follow. We are learning about: bureaucracy, meritocracy, dynasties, and aristocracy.
Next, we will look at the agricultural developments which allowed Chinese culture to flourish. The inventions of this time had a huge impact on Europe and contributed to the European Renaissance.
Before we "leave" Asia, we will study Medieval Japan. Students always love this unit because we get to study samurai! The many parallels between Medieval Europe and Medieval Japan are very interesting, and we will be busy comparing and contrasting these two societies.
This will prepare us for learning all about the Renaissance! Renaissance Day will be late in the year, Friday, May 24th. We welcome and need parents! Typically, we have 75 parent volunteers who help us make Renaissance Day happen. It is an exciting, day-long culminating event for students, and you won't want to miss it! More information will soon follow!
Mrs. Katie Frank
Seventh Grade English & History
Room 304
Email: mrsfrank@mac.com
Website: www.franksclasswebsite.org
Location: 101 Glen Drive, Fairfax, CA
Phone: 415454-8390
Twitter: @mrsfrank