Each of these novel studies will have a specific focus on how the development of the characters within the story directly impact the novel or short story’s plot and the readers’ connections to the narrative. Junior High Language Arts is reading the first of The Guardians of Ga’Hoole series, The Capture. This middle grade fantasy series follows the story of Soren, a Barn Owl who is captured and, along with other owlets, has to find a way to escape and get home to his family. Also in the fantasy genre, Tuck Everlasting, a modern classic that poses the question, is eternal life a blessing or a curse, is the focus in 3rd hour Language Arts. Third hour Literary Strategies class has dove into Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes the story of two friends who share stories of hardship growing up and their journey into young adulthood. This novel addresses some tough issues and always sparks strong discussions in my classes. Meanwhile, 7th hour Modern Literature has turned its attention to Roald Dahl’s lesser known works of fiction: his short horror and suspense stories. This will segue into a collection of Ghost Fiction that was compiled by Roald Dahl himself.

Creative Writing has spent the last week working on stories using Rory’s Story Cubes. Each set contains nine six-sided dice that have a character and or action on them. Students roll the dice in their set and then arrange the cubes to organize the action in their own original story based on their roll. I have several different sets of these dice including those that are Harry Potter, Looney Tune, Star Wars, Adventure Time, and Batman themed along with the original one like what is pictured above. This exercise allows the students to learn to take a risk with a topic or action they not usually include in the story or build on an already established character arc to continue their journey. I like to do a couple of these before we move into our unit on the Story Arc which will help them in developing more structure to their writing while keeping in mind the “looseness” of these story cube pieces.

If you would like to read more about the novels we are reading in your student’s class please see the links below:

Guardians of Ga’Hoole: The Capture—

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35805.The_Capture?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=1gwhwhsYgA&rank=1

Tuck Everlasting:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/84981.Tuck_Everlasting?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=m5uN8QHEWB&rank=1

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51740.Staying_Fat_for_Sarah_Byrnes? from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=cFq0RJHr0O&rank=1

Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23792.Roald_Dahl_s_Book_of_Ghost_Stories? ac=1&from_search=true&qid=mjcj5yDbi5&rank=1

For more about Rory’s Story Cubes: https://www.storycubes.com/en/

Across my English Language Arts classes, it is important that I strike a balance between students doing the “WORK” of reading and students experiencing the “JOY” of reading. Unfortunately, for many of our students, we know that the “work” and “joy” often do not intersect as students contend with various learning differences that can impair their abilities to take in the written word smoothly and fluently. One way I strike a balance is to read aloud novels to students outside of the regular curriculum on which we work. The students’ only responsibility is to step through the sliding door and relax into a world that is not their own. This month, I am reading Charlie Hernandez & the League of Shadows by Ryan Calejo.

At the end of the week, students take a quiz to demonstrate their understanding of the word parts’ definitions and the way to use words made of these building blocks in novel sentences. Depending on the class the students are in, they have begun to start a novel study, an excerpt study, a short story unit, or a short writing activity from which we can jump into the next stage of our learning. These readings coupled with the writing extension activities and our read aloud, gives each student multiple ways to access the mirrors, windows, and sliding doors that make up the literature and reading experience.

Depending on the class the students are in, they have begun to start a novel study, an excerpt study, a short story unit, or a short writing activity from which we can jump into the next stage of our learning. These readings coupled with the writing extension activities and our read aloud, gives each student multiple ways to access the mirrors, windows, and sliding doors that make up the literature and reading experience.

If you would like to read more about how reading how reading aloud to high school students supports language acquisition, higher order comprehension and can develop a life-long love of storytelling go to this link: https://hechingerreport.org/opinion-heres-way-teachers-can-helpbreak- equity-barriers-high-school-reading-aloud-students/

She laughs at the irony of trying to avoid the illness in the first place, gets a little teary-eyed from the stress of knowing that her whole family is probably going to catch it now (and they have) and then feels the stress of realizing that she has just gotten all the routines established and has started the process of connecting with her students only to now have it come to a screeching, COVID-filled, halt. So, she does the only thing she can do:

My main desire for the first few weeks of school is to establish routines and make connections and I think that I still have been able to do that. All while trying to trick your kids into thinking I am really living it up on a beach somewhere and not wrapped up in a blanket in my bedroom trying not to infect my dog. 🙂 Even with this circumstance, I think the routines and connections are still being made. And I hope they have all had a little bit of fun, too.

Even so, I was very happy to get back to them on Friday.

Even if it wasn’t with a tan.