General Poetry

I stumbled upon this link for a method of teaching a poem.  Could be fun:  https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/poetry-pre-reading-strategies
Place words in ABC order and have students make connections.
Collective memory game.
Teach Channel aligns these videos w/ CCSS

My Brother Sam Is Dead

For the most comprehesive information on the novel My Brother Sam Is Dead, click the following link:  History of Redding .  This site is awesome!  It even has an interactive map that shows students the places Tim Meeker (the novel's narrator) walked.  It does not get any more thorough than this site!

One of the things I love about this novel is the strong relgious overtones.  Students need to be reminded constantly when reading this historical fiction novel about placing themselves in the narrator's shoes--back in 1775.  The Narrator has such a strong sense of moral right and wrong and a strong command of biblical teaching, that it is the perfect novel to teach at a religious school.

Honor thy father and mother.  We talked about how our definition of this Commandment is very different than Tim Meeker's definition.

Daydreaming = sloth = sin.  This concept, too, brought up interesting conversation.

Remember to keep holy the Sabbath.

Interactive Notebook--The Writing Process

I have been trying to work with students on taking notes.  I've taught them outlines and Cornell notes.  I've used graphic organizers.  This past summer I tried to think of some things I could use an interactive note-taking device.  I found some information on different foldables.  Honestly, it is so much more work to plan; however, the students were engaged with the change-of-pace.  I used this one for the first chapter in our new grammar books.

This one was easy to make.  You take three sheets of paper and cut them down the center leaving six 4.25 X 11 inch strips.  You need to use three strips.  You lay the three papers on the table staggering them approximately 1/2 or so.  The bottom is the longest (it is the layer that says "Publishing/Presenting").  Lay the middle layer on top of that but leave the bottom layer sticking out a half inch (layer two says Editing & Proofreading").  Lay the third layer on top of the middle layer again allowing the middle layer to stick out 1/2 inch and bottom layer an inch away.  This third layer says "Revise."

Now you are going to fold the three layers, while staggered, basically in half.  The middle layer folds on itself, but leave another 1/2 tag.  So now that third layer is labeled both "Revising" and "Drafting."  The bottom layer is now both "Publishing/Presenting" and the cover "The Writing Process."  These can be stapled at the top or stapeled directly into student notebooks at the top.

Each layer now opens to to allow students to take notes.  Many of the students went all out creative (should have used their beautiful copies instead of my demo!).  Others just took notes in pen or pencil, but it was neat and organized.  I'm hoping to use these more.

My fellow science teacher used this foldable and wrote the steps of the scientific process.  One could use this in religion with sacraments, fruits of the spirit, etc.

Hope Was Here

Joan Bauer's Hope Was Here is a wonderful novel to read with junior high students.  This 2001 Newbery Honor book has a strong, teenage protagonist, but it is not a gender-exclusive novel.  It discusses issues of non-traditional families--nothing inconsistent with Catholic teaching is promoted.  It covers how doing what is right sometimes does not SEEM right or has negative repercussions.  It briefly introduces the topic of dying--but nothing too heavy.  The novel also addresses themes of hope, coming of age, friendships, etc.  I think I am going to teach this novel during April--National Poetry Month because this book is full of figurative language.

Bauer's website has some great resources including a teaching guide (click HERE) and a much thorough outline of a novel teaching plan (click HERE).