Examining the Holocaust

Next week in Language Arts the students will be beginning to read The Diary of Anne Frank.  In connections class we are doing some work to give them some background knowledge on the Holocaust so they are better prepared for reading about Anne Frank.  This is a sensitive topic and I approach it that way.  We've only just begun and the students are very interested and have been asking some really great questions.  Here are a few things that we will be working on during this unit:

- Watching a United Streaming video on the Holocaust.
- Reading and analyzing survivor stories.
- Learning about how the Holocaust affected children.
- Reviewing maps of concentration camps and charting numbers of those lost.
- Reading and responding to articles about modern day genocide, righteous gentiles, and overcoming hatred.

This is a unit that you children may want to talk about with you and it's a great opportunity to discuss many of the above items. 

In Leah's Wake - adult book review

In Leah's Wake

By Terri Giuliano Long

This was another inexpensive Kindle buy and it was interesting for me to read for a few reasons.  It's about a teenage girl who is successful in school and in soccer but at some point she stops caring about everything, falls in with the wrong crowd, and finds her life in a downward spiral.  I thought this was interesting because it shows that kids who get involved with drugs or end up down a dangerous path don't always come from a dysfunctional family.  For the last 9 1/2 years I've taught teenagers and it was interesting to read a book about a "good kid gone bad" because once or twice I've seen it happen and wondered how it could.  As a Mom to little kids it really makes me think about the trying times that are inevitably waiting for us.  This was a decent book and I did find it interesting. 

 

Chasing Rainbows - adult book review

Chasing Rainbows

By Kathleen Long

This book was less than $5.00 for my Kindle and it was a pretty good read.  I'd call it a beach book!  It examines the life of a woman who is dealing with divorce, loss of her job, and grieving for both her father and her baby daughter that she lost soon after she was born.  It's a story of how people deal with grief and how they find a way to move on.  It was a quick read and I liked it!

Coming soon....

Coming Soon.. to a connections class near you....

-Holocaust background study (this links with the reading of Anne Frank in LA)

- Studying the stories of Holocaust survivors and righteous Gentiles

-Modern day Holocausts - do they exist?

-Poetry, comparative, and children's books writing

Then in March be ready for....

RESTAURANT WARS!!!

Research paper deadline is approaching!

The Multi-Genre research papers are due on Wednesday, February 1st!   The kids are starting to get nervous and feel pressure to get the paper done.  This makes me a little upset because they have had three weeks to work on this in class and their homework each night was to spend 15 minutes working on some aspect of their paper.  For weeks I've warned them about the importance of spending some time at home working on this assignment but unfortunately many kids don't take my advice.

What they don't understand is that if they don't spend small amounts of time throughout the process then they will be crunched to get it done at the last minute.  I know that in 8th grade there is A LOT going on but time management has to come into play at some point to prepare them for high school and to avoid the night before, up all night, writing marathon.

That being said this week will be spent continuing to work on their rough drafts and I will meet with each student daily to review their rough drafts with them and to sign their checklists.  What I have seen so far looks great and I'm excited to read the final products!

Teen Book Review - Speak

Speak

By Laurie Halse Anderson

What a great book! Told from the view point of a freshman in high school who takes us through her miserable first year of high school.  She has a secret that she hasn't told anyone and because of this her friends have all deserted her and she's an outcast in every way.  This book has some mature topics but is well done, interesting, and touches on feelings that many high school students feel.  I would recommend this book for mature 7th and 8th graders and high school students.

Teen Book Review - The Hunger Games Series

The Hunger Games

Catching Fire

MockingJay

 By Suzanne Collins

This series of books is AWESOME!  Once you start reading the first one you won't be able to put them down!  The stories take place in "PanAm" and revolve around a girl named Katniss.  Each year the capitol of PanAm has a drawing and chooses two children from each district to compete in the games. They train and then go to fight to the death!  These books are action packed, interesting, and fun to read!  I would recommend them to boys and girls 7th grade and up!