Literacy Speaks Volumes

"We are not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic.  Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams." ~Jimmy Carter

Of course not.Well yes, we are doing a great many things this week.  The students will write the months correctly and in order. Be on the lookout for incorrect pronoun usage...Yes, those pesky subject pronouns are on the rampage again.  According to the Common Core State Standards for sixth grade English Language Arts, pronouns are a big deal.  It's also a difficult chapter for middle schoolers.  We're going to persevere through the chapter.  They may even take a pretest to see how far we need to go with them.  If my informal assessments are accurate, we have a great deal to learn. The students will test over "Over the Top of the World" and "Up and Over."  Both pieces address the concept of self-determination. Self-determination goes along with the movie I saw this weekend..."Captain Phillips."  The beginning of the movie was filled with great examples of foreshadowing. Thanks for the prayers for my dad...he's made some great recoveries t...

Dear Ms. Yellen, Congratulations on your appointment as Chair of the Federal Reserve.  As a middle school teacher, I offer you some advice. Be on time everyday.  There will be days when you just don't want to do it...be steadfast and show up.  Your punctuality and dependability will have its own rewards. Have a routine...creative chaos will wear you down fast.  Know the routine and stick to it. Folks might complain, but they really do want structure. Greet everyone with a smile and a "good morning."  Sometimes you won't feel like it. Sometimes you might want to forfeit the greetings and get right down to the issue at hand, but that small gesture will go great distances with all concerned. Begin every meeting on time.  I cannot stress the importance of this one; punctuality says that your audience is important and what you have to say is important. Let everyone know the agenda for the day up front.  No one likes surprises. Give everyone ti...

This week we are finishing the chapter on using verbs correctly.  We've been doing pretty good until today...the six confusing verbs are really confusing.  The kids did great with sit vs set and okay on rise vs raise but lie and lay really threw them for a loop.  I finally just had to stop and say that we would look at the lesson on another day.  Do you ever have days like that?  What are some of the strategies that you use when a lesson goes bad?

Go to any of my stores to purchase the February Writing Prompts. Lichtenstein Castle is situated on a cliff located near Honau on the Swabian Alb, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany. Writing Prompt: How would your life be different if you lived in a castle on a cliff? Choose a verb tense and stick with it! Share your responses in the comments below . Melissa Reese Etheridge

I love our language.  I love the nuances of the written word.  I appreciate a well-turned phrases.  I'm the sort of English teacher that becomes very passionate about my subject.  One of my favorite topics in grammar is the principal parts of Verbs.  I especially love irregular verbs. Irregular verbs are the misfits of the English language.  They just don't want to conform.  Irregular verbs March to the beat of their own drummer and they're still out of step. Today I taught irregular verbs and I'm sure that my nerdiness definitely showed today.  Repeating the conjugation of the verbs just makes me giddy. The unit of study specifically focused on using the different tenses of Verbs in our own writing and letting our verbs show small subtle differences in our writing.  Every year the students are shocked to discover that they really don't speak good English after all. I'm afraid and a bit dismayed though that we don't treat the English ...

Today, the students finished and tested over writer's craft.  Surprisingly, this unit was very difficult for my students.  They are still thinking too literally and having problems answering questions that require more abstract thought.  Our next unit is over the language of Poetry.  We are also finishing the writing unit on parts of Speech.  We'll be testing probably next week. Today's writing focus was on using correlative conjunctions in our writing.  Most of my students had never heard of them let alone used them in their writing.  Tomorrow, we cover interjections.  Then we'll spend the next few days on review.  Then finished with that unit.  Hopefully, we'll be able to test next week. You would think that with ninety minutes of class, I could get more done in class. We just finished reading Heart of a Chief  and tested yesterday.  I don't have those graded yet.  Unfortunately, I've got to administer a pretest fo...