We have recently completed the novel The Lord of the Flies. Themes such as good versus
evil, civilization and symbolism and allegory regarding World War II were discussed.
Students were also able to respond analytically to the question, “What was the author’s
purpose in writing The Lord of the Flies?” We have been focusing on thesis statements
and introductory paragraphs.
In October we are reading the novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.
We will be focusing on thesis statements (again!) and the analytical writing of a five
paragraph essay. They will be creating a suspenseful short story with Gothic elements.
We will be continuing with vocabulary and grammar. They will also be presenting their
book reports at the end of the month.
We have recently completed the play The Miracle Worker which was read during the
month of September. It was a well-liked play read by the 7th grade, as they were able to
be interactive with one another during the reading aloud in class. Analytical questions
fostered great discussion and insight into the minds of the characters. The students are
working on their ‘small moment’ which is being completed at school and will be due this
marking period.
In October we will be reading selected short stories/poems from Edgar Allan Poe.
We will complete short stories by Edgar Allan Poe: The Fall of the House of Usher, MS
Found in a Bottle, The Masque of the Red Death, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of
Amontillado, The Pit and the Pendulum, and The Oval Portrait along with poem “The
Raven”. We will also be reading the short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by
Washington Irving. Although difficult, I feel as though the students enjoy Poe’s gothic
and mysterious persona. Analytical questions fostered great discussion and insight into
the minds of the characters. Students will be presenting their book reports at the end of
October.
We have recently the Mixed Up Files from Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, which we
discussed the injustice the characters faced, and injustices present in the world.
In October we are reading The Egypt Game, and discussing various parts of Egyptian
history. This is a great way to build a cross curricular unit between Language Arts and
Social Studies. Students are finishing their descriptive writing pieces.
Students will be presenting their book reports at the beginning of November.