mr taylor's english class: Week of February 24th

Most students had an extremely good week of learning with various learning tools and strategies, and it is my hope that this week will be no exception!!

The 6th grade class is past the midpoint of their novel, Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen. Students are thoroughly entertained by the excellent writing of Mr. Paulsen and the various themes he conveys within the novel. Most students are elevating their high-order thinking skills as they try to draw conclusions and make predictions as to what Brian Robeson, the main character, will discover next about his predicament.

Students will continue to deepen their vocabularies with a new set of words for study, complete a vocabulary assignment, discuss the novels in Literature circles with student- driven questions, journal using various writing prompts, and reading. Students will conclude the week of a review of the themes from the various chapters and a vocabulary test.

The 7th grade class has used their time wisely to craft an issue to write about in a persuasive essay. Students will complete the rough draft of their essays on Monday night and on Tuesday, use the day to peer edit them. They will use the editing and ideas of their peers and use the Writing Process to rewrite their essays and peer edit and teacher edit them on Thursday. Students will make their presentations to their peers on Monday and Tuesday of next week.

The 8th grade is nearing the conclusion of their great novel, Bad Boy: A Memoir, by Walter Dean Myers. The class has enjoyed the novel thus far, enjoying the antics of their main character, and will possibly conclude it this week.

Students will continue to deepen their vocabularies with a new set of words for study, complete a vocabulary assignment, discuss the novels in Literature circles with student- driven questions, journal using various writing prompts, and reading. Students will conclude the week of a review of the themes from the various chapters and a vocabulary test.

Let's have a great week! Achieving is Believing!

Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true.