Sixth and Seventh Grade: November 11-15, 2024
Dear Sixth and Seventh Grade Families,
It was such a pleasure to see everyone for the Thanksgiving Luncheon - thank you for joining us! The students did a wonderful job presenting in the Grades musical celebration before heading home for Thanksgiving break.
Before the break, we wrapped up our creative writing block as part of the Main Lesson. Through the lens of Surprise and Wonder, the class heard about the travels of Marco Polo to China and the court of Kublai Kahn. They read passages from Polo’s journal about the places he visited, as well as the poem Kubla Kahn by Samuel Coleridge, both of which helped students to imagine the fantastic summer palace and surrounding lands. While drawing this imagery in their Main Lesson books, the class listened to stories from the various countries along the Silk Road. Charting the Silk Road onto a map, the class overlaid the travels of Marco Polo as well to see the many places he traveled. The class was astounded by the sheer amount of mileage he trekked, as well as by his descriptions of animals, items, and locations he had never encountered before. Ask them to tell you how Polo described a rhinoceros!
The class worked this week on a memory creative writing piece. This was a challenge for many students, as it is easier to simply tell a story listing a sequence of events. Referencing the poems, journal entries, and stories heard in this block, the students were able to slowly expand upon their writing to include more imagery. Students spent time sharing their work in the writer's workshop and helped each other to improve the clarity of their pieces. We closed the week with a bit of fun - writing limericks! We had a whole bunch of laughs listening to limericks, as well as having a go at writing our own. It’s a wonderful way to meet the Middle Schoolers where they are developmentally, as writing limericks really taps into their need to be a little silly (or maybe a lot silly!).
Announcements and Reminders:
12/19: Pajama Day and Silly Sock Exchange: The class is welcome to come to school in pajamas! Please send a wrapped pair of silly socks for a gift exchange game. Children are also invited to bring a stuffed animal on this day.
12/20: Grades Assembly - 11:15 a.m. (All families are welcome to attend)
12/20: Last Day of Fall Semester (Half Day dismissal)
12/23 - 01/06: Winter Break (No School)
01/07: Spring semester begins
Thank you for the honor of teaching your children,
Ki Lesley
