Learning, Laughter, and Love in Middle School English

As you probably know, I have three boys.  They are seventeen, thirteen, and eleven.  They are absolutely nothing alike.  The oldest is self-motivated, driven, and somewhat introverted.  Good grades come easily for him. He plays on the golf team. My middle son is motivated (by ME), driven (by ME), and is the Pied Piper when it comes to friends.  He gets good grades but isn't willing to work as hard as his brother. He plays competitive basketball.  My youngest is self-motivated, wants to do well, and is definitely an extrovert.  However, he has to work hard for his grades.  He plays baseball and basketball.   Having three boys who are so different has also helped me appreciate my students unique personalities and strengths.   Over the years I have had many siblings in my classes, and I make a point to NEVER compare them!   Because my oldest son is a junior, we have started to talk about college.  Although he claims he is goin...

Unrelated to teaching, I have been enjoying the joys of spring at my house.  A hummingbird built a nest under our satellite dish!  I adore hummingbirds.  The nest looks big in the pictures, but it is actually about the size of a golf ball.  The two eggs are the size of Jelly Bellies.  I can't wait until the hatch! Isn't it amazing that the nest is built on a WIRE? I read that hummingbirds use spiderwebs to hold their nests together!  We also have a dove nesting on our fence.  She also has two eggs in her nest! Sweet Mama Dove!

English 7 Honors finished Tom Sawyer this week!  I think most of the kids enjoyed it, even though many found it challenging.  I really wanted my students to experience the humor of Twain and the joy of reading a classic!  This week English 7H  will be working on a performance task.  It will prepare the students for what they will see on the state test in May.   Students will read three non-fiction texts, answer a few questions about each text, and then write an informational essay synthesizing the information from all three texts.  I had the opportunity to administer the performance task to my first period a few weeks ago.  Last week I attended a day long training learning how they will be scored. I scored my first period students' essays and have decided to use the results as a learning opportunity.  After I give students their scores, we will go through the task a second time with my guidance.  They will rewrite their essays, and...