Hello VHS Scholars and Families!
It has been a whirlwind start to the school year, and the new STEMM magnet at Venice is a vibrant place to be. We are sowing seeds, forming roots, and stretching toward the stars. See the bottom of the post for a brief summary of what we have done before.
Breaking News:
November is National Novel Writing Month, so students will be writing their own novels all month, with lots of mini-lessons on craft and support along the way. This is my fifth year guiding students through this heroic challenge, and I can already tell our young scholars will rise to the occasion.
Students will not need to complete Personal Dictionaries for the month, UNLESS they are behind on past weeks. Period 1, 2, and 6 should have five weeks by now, Periods 3 and 5 have four weeks. Reading Records are also suspended for the month, as we will be devoting all our efforts to novel writing. Independent reading is still expected, however, as apprentice novelists learn best from master novelists.
Stay tuned for more about National Novel Writing Month...and please visit the amazing people at ywp.nanowrimo.org to learn more about this heroic endeavor.
**Students should set up an account as soon as possible, using the following name format: JaneD5Gondo [First name+Last Initial+Period in Ms. W's class+Gondo] (ex. JaneD5Gondo)]
Please search for HWitham and join my virtual classroom.
In the meantime, check out my Pinterest for some inspiration for NaNoWriMo and honoring the art in English Language Arts: http://www.pinterest.com/MsWitham/
**Students should set up an account as soon as possible, using the following name format: JaneD5Gondo [First name+Last Initial+Period in Ms. W's class+Gondo] (ex. JaneD5Gondo)]
Please search for HWitham and join my virtual classroom.
In the meantime, check out my Pinterest for some inspiration for NaNoWriMo and honoring the art in English Language Arts: http://www.pinterest.com/MsWitham/
- Created Writer's Notebooks (WNB) with reflections on who they are as writers/readers, goal-setting activities, response to poems, journal entries, Ad Analysis (Identifying the appeals of Ethos, Pathos, Logos), notes on Rhetorical Devices, and practice creating a "Rhetorical Precis"~ a short, precise, analytical summary
- Memorized 3-4 poems, the 5th is Shakespeare's Sonnet 30
- Read at least two novels (2 hour reading goals each week, most of which is to be completed at home)
- Created Personal Dictionaries with 4-5 weeks worth of words
- Written "This I Believe" essays about a personal belief that is tied to specific experiences
- Begun the process of figuring out what story will be born during National Novel Writing Month
Personal Dictionary Format:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzLIU4p4nvszTk54ajhKQ0I0ZWM/edit?usp=sharing
