The Grade 8s are fundraising! Starting tomorrow we will be selling Bad Monkey Popcorn. Pick up a kosher, vegan, pareve and nut free snack at recess in the main lobby and after school outside the front doors. $2 for a snack bag & $5 for a big bag. We will also be selling at Back To School Night tomorrow.
This week Middle School English Students are getting back into the writing groove. Each class will have a series of various writing topics to choose from, each topic allowing students to showcase their creativity as both writers and thinkers. Stay tuned for our final products!
Welcome Back, Middle School English Language Arts Students!
I hope you had a wonderful summer and that you are just as excited as I am to start another school year. We have lots to look forward to this school year, the first one being our Middle School Retreat (which starts on Wednesday!). But until then, enjoy the beautiful weather today and do something you love.
Can’t wait to see you tomorrow!
Grade 7 finished reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. The students finished debating in class some very controversial topics that stemmed from the novel. are currently preparing their public speaking speeches. Topics are hot, fun, controversial, thought-provoking, and so much more. Students are encouraged to add their flair and finesse this year. We are moving away from the more formal approach and introducing ways to captivate and engage our audiences – gestures, body language, props, appropriate dress, and even a little acting are all welcome.
We are more than half way through the Outsiders and things have gotten intense. You are no longer a Grade 7 OJCS student. You have been hired by “The Times” to report and write on one of the main events that have taken place in our novel thus far. Check out your assignment sheet for precise direction and possible topics. All articles will be published in our classroom newspaper.
Hi Grade 7! Let’s do the time warp back to the 60s…Mr. P’s time. What was life like? What kind of music did teens listen to? What was the political climate like in the US? What did teens do in their spare time? What were some of their worries? Are they similar to our (teen) worries today? What about social class and gangs? Was there a division? Did this impact teens socially? Did they overcome it? How? Today you had an opportunity to do a digital scavenger hunt throughout the 60s and we listened to an epic 60s playlist to set the mood and get extra inspo. Tomorrow we will begin working on our group research project to be even more in the “60s know”.
A huge shout out and thank you to team OJCS and all of our extra special OJCS volunteers who showed up ready to help and ride today. You made us very proud! 
Welcome back! Today in class we will go over the routines and procedures for a successful year. I will remind you how to work and organize your Google drives, blogs and other necessities. If time allows we may even put the pedal to the metal with your very first writing assignment. This hasn’t been assigned yet, so stay tuned for the actual due date. I have utmost faith in each and every one of you. I know you will read the directions thoroughly, consider your writing and of course proofread. Show me what you’re made of….GO!
***Red, white and pink shirts are all acceptable!
Over the last number of weeks, the grade 7 students have been preparing to write their final narrative in Language Arts. The process has been a little different this time, as each element of the story arc has been really broken down and developed.
We started by creating story arcs for our narratives (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution). Then, we looked at various short stories as mentor texts to focus in on leads, point of view, setting, figurative language, transitions and endings. Students have even already written their leads and endings, so all that’s left to do is fill in the middle!
We will be spending the next week working on this in class, starting with the rough draft. Students will have 4 class periods (Dec 7, 8, 9 and 13) to finish up their rough draft. We will then spend 2 classes editing and peer-editing (Dec. 14 and 15), culminating with our publishing party on December 16!
These narratives can be anywhere between 2 – 5 pages long, and must include these elements, as outlined on the rubric:
Here is a quick 2 page example of what the narratives can look like.
We will also be using this student checklist to ensure we’re included everything, and will use the list below to check our work before submitting.
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I can’t wait to read the final products!
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