We have covered so much ground so far with our writing! The students are in a routine now and are starting to internalize the writing process and they show this to me by being able to tell what the five steps of the writing process is, and why we do each one. So far, I can't say that they are clear about the differences between the revision and the editing process, but I am sure they will have that down soon.
The books that we are reading, The Giver for sixth grade, and Breaking Through for seventh, will be finished before the holiday. Those were put aside for a short time while we finished the compare/contrast papers, but now that those are done, we are concentrating on finishing the books so that we can start something new when we return.
As the seventh graders learn more about Francisco Jimenez, they are finding many things to be thankful for in their lives. Francisco grew up with very little, except a set of parents who loved him and a work ethic that pushed him into working hard enough to make his dreams happen. They are seeing a different side of California than the one they are growing up in.
The sixth graders are learning to be thankful in a different way. The Giver is a look at a utopian society that seems perfect, at first glance, but the choices that the protagonist is forced to make are daunting. As the protagonist makes these choices, we discuss them as a class which gives the students a chance to "make" these choices as well.
Once they come back from the break, we will start a literature circles, which means that three to five students will read the same book and discuss it among themselves. I will be moving from group to group to facilitate the discussions.
