Literature Circle Response #2

March 25th



What is the setting of your book? How do you know?

Literature Circle Response #1

March 24th

Describe the beginning of your book so far. Is it good? Why?

Literature Circle Unit

Over the next three weeks, our 7th grade ELA class will be taking part in a group reading unit called Literature Circles. The goal of literature circles is to have students select a text that they will read as a group, and then undertake roles that provide for discussion points. The roles are director, literary luminary, connector, and vocabulary enricher. Students will be expected to complete role sheets that chart their progress at their specific task, and then they will write at home in their personal response journal.

St. Baldricks Thanks!

Thank you to everyone that donated! I surpassed my goal by raising $1100. Again, thanks to the entire Ed Smith community!

Culminating Event - Poetry Blog

Mr. Spanfelner and I have created a new blog page devoted to our final poetry project: creating social/political poetry in response to the earthquake in Haiti. Students are writing poetry in response to this event, and those poems will be posted to the blog link below. We hope you like it.

http://poetryofhaiti.blogspot.com/

Slam/Lyrical Poems due Monday

On Monday, we will be collecting and presenting our second part of the poetry unit, slam poetry and visual poetry based on a social or political theme. Students received their rubric yesterday, and have seen many clear models of the assignments, so they should be clear on what is expected. If they have any questions over the weekend, email me at jsmith49@scsd.us .

REMINDER - SHAMROCK SALES!

Shamrock sales end tomorrow! This is a school-wide fundraiser for Muscular Dystrophy. The 7th grade could use some support!

Slam Poetry

In class this week, we will focus on rhyme and rhythm as they pertain to poetry. Ultimately, students will take part in rhythmical "Slam" poetry and performance.

Ed Smith Community - WE NEED YOUR HELP!

On March 21st, I will be shaving my head as part of the St. Baldrick's fundraiser for pediatric cancer research. The event has raised over $69 million dollars to date for kids with cancer. Please cut and paste the link into your browser, read some stories, donate, and pass it along. Thank you.

https://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/jimmysmith

Poetry time!

With the beginning of the new comes a new unit! We are starting our poetry unit that will span several weeks and encompass several forms. Also, my student teacher, Mr. Spanfelner, from Syracuse University will be taking over for the 4th period and 5th period ELA classes. We are very excited to have Mr. Spanfelner here. If you have any questions about the unit, feel free to ask.

Mr. Smith