Last week, our Grade 7 class received a letter from a student named Blake, inviting us to join the Great Canadian Mail Race. Blake’s letter was sent all the way from Conne River, Newfoundland!

The purpose of the Great Canadian Mail Race is to connect our students with Grade 7 students from all around Canada! We will also be using this activity as a chance to learn and practice our formal letter writing skills.

Students are being asked to write a letter to a Grade 7 class somewhere in Canada. Please do not choose a school in Montreal, Ottawa, or Toronto. I encourage you to do some research and choose a school in a community that interests you.

Please follow the formal address guidelines that are outlined in the Letter Writing Presentation. 

Click the link below to view the instructions, tips, and template:

Letter Writing Presentation

Each letter must include the following information: 

• A brief introduction to ourselves (name, age, school).
  • Please only include your first name and if you choose to do so your last initial.

• Some of our hobbies and activities (sports, clubs, instruments, volunteering, etc.)
• Some of our favourite things (pets, subjects, places to visit, etc.)
• Why we chose to send a letter to this person/school
• Some questions we would like the other person to answer so that we can learn more about him/her

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This past week students have spent time in class working on their creative writing assignments. The final copy of their writing assignment will be due in class next Friday (October 18th).

Students are expected to employ the editing strategies discussed in class:

1. Read the paper once searching for a particular type of error… then re-read the paper looking for another type of error

Ex: The first time you read the paper focus only on looking for spelling errors. The next time you read the paper search for run-on sentences

2. Ask others for feedback (parent, peers, teachers, siblings, etc.)

3. Print out the paper and use a hard copy when editing.

4. Don’t rely solely on the computer to edit your paper for you. The computer will miss mistakes.

5. Read the paper aloud. When you actually hear your paper out loud it can help you catch grammatical and organizational errors.

6. Re-read the rubric to ensure that your paper has met all of the required elements.

Use this editing checklist as a tool:

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Below you will find the rubric that will be used to grade your creative writing piece:

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The next short story we will analyze will be The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street. Students are being asked to read the short story attached below and complete the ten after reading questions.

Highlight any unfamiliar vocabulary terms.

Audibook link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMTtASgizeY

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Students will spend time in class responding  to one of the following prompts. You must include a minimum of three paragraphs.

After you have completed this assignment, take time to edit your work. Check for: spelling, capitalization, grammar, and sentence structure. Students are encouraged to read all of their assignments out loud prior to submission.

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Check out this editing checklist:

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Last week we discussed the importance of using descriptive language when creating the setting of a short story. We talked about using language that paints a picture in the mind of the reader. Students were encouraged to incorporate the five senses into their writing.

Task: A film crew has decided to film a movie about OJCS! You have been tasked with describing the environment of OJCS to the director before he arrives on site. 

Step 1: Set the scene of the Ottawa Jewish Community School. Write a paragraph that uses the five senses and descriptive adjectives to describe the environment of OJCS as YOU see it.

Step 2: Edit your paragraph. Check for spelling, grammar, and capitalization mistakes. Tip-Read your paragraph out loud. 

Ensure that you followed the directions and included the five senses as well!

Last week at this time we were all packing for the OJCS Middle School Retreat. The students and staff had a fantastic time filled with ruach, learning, and team building activities.

The Grade 8 class started a new tradition this year! They
“owned their own learning” and created an incredible Amazing Race challenge for the entire middle school. Each year the Grade 8 class will be responsible for planning a team building activity for their peers. Check out the video below to see some of the activities they planned.

This week we have begun our Short Story Unit. Students will be studying: literary devices, setting, plot diagrams, characterization, mood, theme, conflict, and other key concepts. We will be reading and analyzing short stories along with creating our own. Please click the link below to review our notes/activities Google Slides presentation. (Please note: This presentation is a living document –> It will be updated daily)

Grade 7 English Unit 1: Short Stories

Homework-Choose one of the following short stories to read. Answer the following question by commenting your response below:

After reading the short story, explain your interpretation of the author’s central message. What lesson can the reader learn from the story? Be specific and refer back to the text  (Min. 3 sentences)

Amigo Brothers

Click Clack the Rattlebag

Eleven

Charles

Lamb to the Slaughter

I hope everyone had a fantastic summer! I am looking forward to teaching, challenging, and encouraging our middle school students this year in Language Arts. Yesterday we reviewed the Seven Habits, North Stars, behavior expectations, homework policy, and uniform policy. Our goal is for each student and parent to clearly understand these policies. There are a lot of exciting upcoming events in the middle school!

If you have not turned in the retreat and JCC permission slips, please do so by tomorrow.

Please feel free to check out and review the presentation that we shared with the students yesterday. Additionally, you will find a link to my own classroom policies for the year.

Mr. Washerstein’s Classroom Policies

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Question: Why do we need to make connections while reading?

Student challenge: As you complete your creating connections activity with your literature circle groups today, discuss the question above. Reply to this blog post with your group’s thoughts and feelings about this topic.

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