January
10
January
10
Poetic Passion Project
Prior to our holiday break, I decided to ditch the traditional paper and pencil exam for a fun project. Students were given many choices in how they could demonstrate and apply reading and writing skills. For a little over a month, students dove deep into critical and creative thinking in an independent passion project. Below are two original poems written by Kate, and inspired by The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl and When Stars are Scattered.
Moving on for the Better
By Kate
Ever since lighting struck me
it also struck my life.
It changed.
From there I became a savant, a genius, in math
But little did I know I was drowning in loneliness
Numbers, online friends, and my alone time became my friends
Although, my grandma tells me that I’m lonely
I thought that deep down inside I had everything that I needed
It turns out that all I needed were friend
but I didn’t have what I needed.
I finally found my place.
Change is Good
By Kate
As I looked around the tents
Spread all around, my life
Stuttered as if I didn’t know its worth.
As I stared at the stars, I couldn’t help
But wonder what was really out there
Waiting for me.
Was the rumor true about my
Mother’s passing? Could I go to college in America and leave my friends behind?
But no, change is not good.
It is bad. I should stay here.
With Fatuma and my best friend.
My mother is alive and I know it.
Or should I change my perspective?
I know change will hurt, but I’ve realized here at the camp that change is good.
Do it for Fatuma, do it for my family,
do it for your friends.
do it for my brother,
but most of all do it for yourself.
Change is good.
December
8
Bookcreator
One of our favorite digital tools to use for publishing is Book Creator. It is user-friendly and a great way to share with a larger audience. Recently, we read the graphic novel Cardboard by Doug TenNapel and were inspired to write short graphic-style stories. We had too much fun creating characters and developing a short plot using Book Creator’s features. We hope you enjoy some of our stories on Book Creator.
December
8
Informative Essays
After learning how to use Noodle Tools, students researched a holiday of their choice and wrote an informative essay. We learned so much about many holidays that people have been celebrating for years. Please take a moment to read a few of our showcased essays below…..
Diwali
By Taj
Diwali, also known as Deepavali, is known as the Festival of Lights. The holiday is celebrated by Hindus across India. Diwali is the largest holiday in India that lasts five days. It was said that the holiday started from religious stories about the triumph of good over evil. Diwali is an ancient holiday that is full of traditions, culture, and celebrations.
Diwali is a very popular holiday in India that many people celebrate. The holiday dates back nearly 2,500 years ago. The festival is five days long and the date of the festival changes every year but is always in the fall. Diwali 2021 is very soon on November 4th. Diwali marks the start of the Hindu calendar. While Diwali is mainly celebrated by Hindus, other religions such as Buddhism, Jankism, and Sikhism use Diwali to mark special events in their history. Diwali is very popular with people all around India celebrating.
On each day of Diwali, families will do the special traditions each day. On the first day, the families will clean their homes and buy new kitchen appliances. On the second day, people will decorate their homes with clay lamps called Diya. On the third day, neighbors gather together and pray, called puma, and make a shrine to honor the gods and goddesses. On the fourth day, families will give gifts to each other. On the fifth and final day, brothers will visit their married sisters. Many families will gather and decorate their homes for the Festival of Lights.
Diwali may have started from a legend about Lord Rama and his wife Sita. Rama was the eldest of four boys, and he was destined to become king. Rama’s stepmother wanted her son, Bharata, to rule. Rama’s stepmother was promised two wishes she desired by her husband, the king. She demanded that Rama be banished for 14 years and Bharata be crowned. Rama agreed to show good faith to his father. Rama’s wife, Sita, begged to accompany him. After Bharata found out what his mother did, he pleaded with Rama to be crowned instead of him. Rama refused to go against his father and only would go after his sentence. Later, the evil 10-headed king, Ravana, kidnaps Sita. Rama builds an army to kill Ravana and succeeds. It is said that people celebrate his victory by lighting up their homes. Now people celebrate by launching large fireworks.
People will celebrate Diwali by cleaning, giving gifts, and honoring gods and goddesses. All across India people will decorate and set off large fireworks. This ancient foreign holiday is celebrated all across India.
October
8
Descriptive Companion Essays
After reading the novel and viewing the movie, The Call of the Wild, students followed that with a short story titled “Dirk the Protector”. The similar themes students found were companionship, survival, and friendship. These stories helped us make connections to personal people and pets in our lives that we consider true companions. These stories inspired us to write descriptive companion essays. Below you can read two of the essays that are being showcased on our classroom blog.
Cosmo
by Nicole
A furry beast walks, he is white with grey tips and has gorgeous green eyes. He watches over the house thinking he is the boss of everyone, and he sort of is.
This furry beast I speak of is my adorable little cat, Cosmo. He is fluffier than you could ever imagine. He snuggles up with me at night and he truly is my little protector. When there is a bug in the house, Cosmo will not hesitate to kill it. Cosmo is the sweetest cat but he has a big ego and thinks he is as big as an elephant.
I have had Cosmo for almost three years and he has been so good to me. He is a great cuddle buddy and is there for me when I need a shoulder to lean on. He loves attention but gets scared around people he has never met before, and sometimes hides. He is my best friend, the one I can always count on and I am forever grateful for him.
My Dog Penny
By Mac
Penny is a puppy with a huge heart. She is one year old and will turn two in January. Our family got her on a camping trip in North Carolina on St. Patrick’s Day. She is an Irish Doodle which is a mix between an Irish Setter and a Poodle. She is big weighing almost 90 pounds and can rest her head on the table. Penny is always there for me and she makes me smile when I am feeling sad. I like that when I go to the pool she comes with me and we swim together all day. We love being together and she always shows me how a dog is a man’s best friend.
I can not imagine life without Penny. Her fur is soft and warm like a blanket. She seems like she always has a smile and is always happy to stand up and give a hug. And when she does, she is as tall as I am. Without Penny, I think I would be less joyful and a little less responsible. Penny makes me happy and I am responsible for taking care of her. For example, I make sure that she has food and water every day, I take her on nice walks and play with her outside all the time. I think Penny would choose me out of anyone in my family because she is always wagging her tail around me. Her tail is so big and strong that it has broken things. Penny will never win the award for the most graceful or calm dog, but I think she would win the award for best spirit and happiest.
September
12
2021 Sunshine State Book Reviews
Over the summer, my middle school students read When Stars are Scattered by Omar Mohamed and Victoria Jamieson, and were encouraged to read novels from the Sunshine State middle school list. After reading Omar Mohamed’s true story, my students created time capsules that included details from the story.
It’s going to be a great year @lhpsnews Summer reading time capsule presentations are underway. My 7th graders loved this beautiful true story by @JamiesonV and #Omar Looking forward to collaboration with @JenWilliamsEdu @GlobalGoalsUN pic.twitter.com/EQL09m3quv
— Rosita Darden (@teacherdarden) August 18, 2021
In the last two weeks, the students worked on a two-paragraph review of their chosen Sunshine State novel. Below are a couple of honest reviews by my students.
Invasion of the Black Plants
By Luddy
In the book, Bloom, Kenneth Oppel tells us a story about what happens to three teens when the world is invaded by aliens. Three teens named Anaya, Petra, and Seth have unusual problems. Anaya has severe allergies, Petra is allergic to water, and Seth was born with an unusual bone growth that looks like wings. In Bloom, random black plants start showing up everywhere and growing multiple feet in just a few hours. These plants start mutating into human-eating plants. The teens have to go save Anaya’s dad who is stuck on an island that has soil that can kill the mysterious murder plants.
This book was entertaining for me, but the pacing was a bit off. For example, they did not go to the island that her dad was at until the last quarter of the book and once they got there everything went so quick. Overall, this novel had good action and a unique idea of killer alien plants. So, I would recommend this book to people who like action, but if you do not like action then I would not recommend this book.
Listen to Kenneth Oppel do a read-aloud of the first chapter to decide if this is a book for you.
Wildfire by Rodrick Philbrick: Book Review
By Jameson
The book Wildfire written by Rodrick Philbrick is about a forest fire. The book starts with a boy named Sam who was at a summer camp in Maine. It was very humid in Maine and a forest fire broke out. Sam was going to head towards the buses to evacuate, but he forgot his phone and went back to get it. After he got it, there was so much smoke and he had no idea where he was going, so he got lost in the forest. Later in the story, he found a girl named Delphy. They worked together to try and get out of the forest fire. He found a jeep to help them move quicker but ran into the people who started the fire. They would have to go quickly before the fire also catches them.
This book was really interesting with all the problems Sam and Delphy were trying to avoid. This book reminds me of the forest fire in Australia, where people would get lost in the forest. I would recommend this book because it shows how forest fires are so dangerous and hard to get out of. This story is also like a survival book if you ever are in a forest fire. I really enjoyed this book because I think forest fires are interesting.
View the short book trailer to see if Wildfire is the book for you!
May
10
Greek Gods and Goddesses Mini Project
We’ve been reading some Greek Mythology in class: Icarus & Daedalus, Echo, and Narcissus to deepen our connection to the world, other stories, and vocabulary words. After embarking on a some research, my students designed modern-day business cards that showcased unique qualities for their God or Goddess choice. Here are a few for you to consider!
Designed by Caroline
Designed by Liberty
Designed by Gabriella
Designed by Sinthya
April
22
A Student Review of Matilda Jr.
Last week, our school had a performance of Matilda Jr. at the LHPS Harriett Coleman Center for the Arts. Some of my students attended the event and wrote reviews of the show. We all agreed that every aspect of the performance was excellent! Read the following review to hear more about it……
Teagan
Mrs. Darden
English 7 College Prep
19 April 2021
Matilda Review
This week I had the opportunity to watch Matilda Jr. I was originally going to be in the production but lost the opportunity because I was digital. In the production Matilda, based on the book by Roald Dahl, the main character Matilda falls in love with books and knowledge. Her parents the Wormwoods, however, treat her horridly and like she was dirt. They call her “a book worm” and try to stop her from reading her books. She is then sent to a terrible school where the Principal, Miss Trunchbull, tortures her students. Miss Trunchbull believes that the way to educate children is by harsh discipline and labor. The only person Matilda can count on is her sweet teacher, Ms. Honey. Matilda decides to fight up for the injustices that she experiences in her life by revenge, and revolting. She then gets her peers to join in with her.
The music in this musical is the best part of the experience. You can feel the passion. The music moves the story along and keeps you attentive. It’s a whole experience. The first song is comical. Mr. Wormwood interacts with the audience, and then he goes on to tell how books are dumb and that the television is much better. A favorite song by most is probably “Revolting Children” where they fight for their rights and go against Ms. Trunchbull. Everyone has a song in them, either what they’re feeling eternally or what’s going on around them. Songs are arguably the most powerful things of all. This musical has songs that connect with the audience so well that your heart beats in sync with theirs and you’re dying to leap out of your chair onto the stage and sing with them.
The set helps you to be in the scene with the characters. Behind the bridge, there was a screen that showed different pictures in each scene to help the audience visualize what is happening. In the center hanging down from the bridge was another screen where they used shadows to help the audience visualize. They had boxes that they would use to sit or stand upon. The set ultimately was amazing along with proper use of props.
The lighting was ever-changing. If it was raining it dimmed a little. “Blackouts” would go dark, but you could still see the characters. If they were in school or at home they would keep the lighting up.
Matilda is an amazing musical with a great storyline, songs, and visually nice. I would highly recommend this play.