Week 3 - Gettin' In the Groove of Things

Another week over, and we're starting to finally get into the groove of things...finally! It's been interesting to watch the class dynamics change as we get familiar with each other.  We're no longer quite as polite at all times (sometimes they tease their friends and it sounds an awful lot like a challenge from the movie 8 Mile), but we're no longer quite as cautious with each other either.  The feedback in discussion is getting more real, which pleases me immensely.

In the 9th grade group, we've finally begun reading Romeo and Juliet.  Everyone is so intimidated by Shakespeare that there's no enjoyment in it, so I'm working on showing them that it's actually quite fun to not only read his texts, but to get up and move with the words.  So far the feedback has been fairly positive, so I expect great things from this unit.  They have completed a second week of literature circles with their independent reading, and now we're in the home stretch.  They should be finished with their books this coming week.

In the 11th grade group we're reading Beowulf.  My experience with this text is that they either love it or hate it.  I'm trying to incorporate some activities to get the words in their mouths instead of mine, and to get them up and moving.  One of the best things my classes did all week was to act out a few lines of the text.  Your kids were fabulous at abandoning their caution and jumping into the activity, and they definitely made us all laugh.  At one point we had the best dragon noises I've ever heard come out of a human body cracking us all up.  Lots of fun!  They also have completed their second week of literature circles with their independent reading and should be finished with their books this coming week.

Coming up next week (and the week following) we will be taking the NWEA tests.  It's different this year because they'll be in their classrooms, and only take one test a day.  Therefore the schedule this week is a little crazy for English.  Things we will accomplish for class will include finishing their books and doing a Type Three writing, and continuing to work out of the textbook. 

I wish I had a camera on your kids at all times, because they say and do the most amazing things.  Because I don't let me just give you a couple highlights:

• A student who hates to read asked me for sticky notes to mark places in his book that he finds interesting and meaningful.
• We stood in a circle, and kids who hate to be the center of attention not only read to the group, but acted out the lines.
• 9th Graders actually laughed while reading Romeo and Juliet...and at the appropriate spots.

And because I do sometimes have a camera on me, here are a couple of treats:

After our literature circles, it's silent reading time!

 

Movie - Literature Circles, September 19, 2013

 

If you click on this link, it will take you to a movie I made of my 3rd Hour.  I'm having trouble posting it here from my phone.  I'll have to have one of my students show me how. ;-)