Welcome to 7B!

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/sport/the-coming-of-joseph/3039544.html

What a way to start your 7th grade year, with the Olympics in full swing in Rio, and Singapore winning her first gold medal. What's more, the gold medal story has such a compelling theme. Who didn't tear up to see the photo of 8-year-old swimmer Joseph Schooling with his hero and mentor, Michael Phelps, and then fastforward to 21 year-old Schooling side-by-side with Phelps again in Rio, proudly showing off his GOLD medal. And the genuine smile on Phelps face demonstrated the happiness of a proud mentor.  Headlines everywhere screamed out themes: "One can achieve the extraordinary if one follows one's passions." Kids everywhere realize dreams are worth pursuing, and that hard work pays off.

So 7B, here's to a great year of working hard, following passions, and achieving our dreams!

Eat Bugs, Save the Planet

We can't keep going on like this.   Juicy steak, crispy bacon, and KFC fried chicken will soon be memories of the past.  Wake up, people! Meat is no longer sustainable on our growing planet - it's time to start eating insects instead.  Like most people, you may cringe at the thought of chomping down on a crunchy locust or crickets, but get over it. Insects are the future.



The facts don't lie. In 2050, we will have one-third more mouths to feed on the planet, bringing out number to 9 billion.  Currently 70% of our agricultural land is used to raise livestock. If people continue to eat meat, we will have to cut down out forests (causing the extinction of plants and animals) in order to take precious land to grow more crops to feed more animals.  All for your dinner plate. This is not sustainable. Eventually we will run out of land for crops and land for animals.  Why fight the inevitable? Start being part of the solution by replacing meat with a better form of protein - INSECTS!

Eating bugs is not new. According to Marcel Dicke, a Dutch ecological entomologist, there are more than 1000 edible species of insects and many countries and cultures already eat these insect delicacies as part of a healthy diet. In fact, 80% of the world already eats insects.  In addition to variety and flavor,  they also have comparable amount of protein and vitamins as meat, but without the destructive impact on our planet.

Admittedly, it's hard to get your mind around to eating the same creatures we consider creepy crawly nuisances, but guess what - you're already eating bugs! Insect parts make up a small amount of all processed food. So no more excuses - replace that pork on your fork with a juicy cricket and help save the planet!

A great article to read and Marcel Dicke's TED talk Why Not Eat Insects?

VOTE on a best book of 2015, or add these titles to your "want to read" list!

Goodreads Choice Awards Best Childrens' Books 2015

Great sites for news

As we get ready for our non-fiction reading and writing units, I want to share a couple of news sites that I love. These sites provide articles which can be read at different lexile levels, meaning you can get the same content but at an easier or more challenging reading level. These sites are also fabulous when you're looking for ideas for your In The News for social studies!

Common Lit is a collection of poems, short stories, news articles, historical documents, and literature for classrooms

Smithsonian Tween Tribune Leave it to the Smithsonian to make it easy to differentiate reading levels within interesting informational articles for grades K-12. Take a look!

Newsela: Unlimited access to hundreds of levelled news articles and Common Core–aligned quizzes, with new articles every day.  Great for In The News preparation!

Real Readers React!

When I read news and articles online, there are times when I really want to react. I am outraged, shocked, saddened, inspired. Most of the time, I am learning something new, or forced to consider a new perspective on something I already knew a little about.  Sometimes, I connect to the story - because I have been to that place, or recognize the issue or struggle.

 In any of these situations, I feel like I need to respond, to react, to add my voice the the voices which have already filled the comments section.  Another way I react is to share the story on one of my social media, like Google +, Twitter, or FB. When I share it, I add my thoughts on the article, and copy and paste lines that really resonate with me and I explain my opinions. Often, I'll ask others if they agree or disagree, and then I reflect their responses to consider if my opinion has been altered as a result.

Today, I'm asking you to be a critical thinker, and do more than hit the "like" button. Read this article from NPR and REACT! This clever boy brought a homemade clock to school to show his teacher, and WAS ARRESTED!

After reading the article, REACT!   I’m only giving you 30 minutes to respond on your blog. Remember that bloggers often LINK the article, or add images, videos or other links. They also invite their readers to respond with their own opinion - so try that out!  (tags: rla, gr7, identity, +? your topics?) Don’t forget a title to your post - Readers React!!

What kind of mindset do you have?

We've talked a lot in class about identity - who we want to be, who others see, and how you can be the person you want to be.  This graphic can help you to understand which mindset you have now, and how to change your thinking to allow yourself to grow.  Choose one fixed mindset statement you can start to change today. Which one will did you choose?

2015 National Book Awards Longlist For Young People's Lit

Hey readers, here's the 2015 National Book Awards Longlist For Young People’s Literature. It's great to see new books from Gary Paulsen, M.T. Anderson, and Neal Shusterman. I've read The Thing About Jellyfish and recommend it highly. The most exciting title on this list, however, is Most Dangerous, by Steve Sheinkin who will be working with our 7th grade students in February. Exciting!

• Becky Albertalli, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins Children's Books)
• M.T. Anderson, Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad (Candlewick Press)
• Ali Benjamin, The Thing About Jellyfish (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
• Rae Carson, Walk on Earth a Stranger (Greenwillow/HarperCollins Children's Books)
• Gary Paulsen, This Side of Wild (Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing)
• Laura Ruby, Bone Gap (Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins Children's Books)
• Ilyasah Shabazz, with Kekla Magoon, X: A Novel (Candlewick Press)
• Steve Sheinkin, Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War (Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan Children's Publishing Group)
• Neal Shusterman, Challenger Deep (HarperCollins Children's Books)
• Noelle Stevenson, Nimona (HarperTeen/HarperCollins Children's Books)

http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2015_ypl_ll.html#.Vfex1p2qqkq

To my little global nomads

For the past month, we've been exploring your identity - your strengths and your unique situation as a "global nomad." Take a look at the Humans of SAS posting from the high school yesterday. It sums up our discussions perfectly. You belong to a special club, my little global nomads. And membership has its privileges, I just hope you learn to appreciate them! :)

What Would YOUR Verse Be?

I was thinking about you today. We've been asking the questions all year, "Who are you?" and "What hope is there for me?" And you explored the answers to those questions in your personal memoirs, and your argument essay, in your realistic fiction stories and in your poetry. We've talked about your writing being a Time Capsule of who you were in 7th grade - your passions and pet peeves, your dreams and frustrations. I saw this video today, and as I said, I thought of you. If you and your friends made a video "On Being 12 (or 11 or 13)" I wonder what YOU would say. What do you think of the comments from these kids? Why don't you make your own version?

Realistic Fiction - Lucky

What are YOUR strengths?

Try out this website Mr. Swarstad found. In the free report, you will receive a list of your 24 strengths, in order. Try it, post your top 5 strengths in your blog, and let me know if you agree or disagree and why.   Is there something significant which you believe is missing?

 1. Appreciation Of Beauty & Excellence You notice and appreciate beauty, excellence, and/or skilled performance in all domains of life, from nature to art to mathematics to science to everyday experience.

 2. Love You value close relations with others, in particular those in which sharing and caring are reciprocated. The people to whom you feel most close are the same people who feel most close to you.

 3. Gratitude You are aware of the good things that happen to you, and you never take them for granted. Your friends and family members know that you are a grateful person because you always take the time to express your thanks.

 4. Humor You like to laugh and tease. Bringing smiles to other people is important to you. You try to see the light side of all situations.

 5. Prudence You are a careful person, and your choices are consistently prudent ones. You do not say or do things that you might later regret.

 6.Social Intelligence You are aware of the motives and feelings of other people. You know what to do to fit in to different social situations, and you know what to do to put others at ease.

I believe these are strong qualities for me. I am always struck by beauty in patterns, colors, views, human expression - which is why I love taking photos.  I adore my family and friends, and tell them so with great frequency. I am grateful each and every day for my many blessings as an overseas teacher, as a mom, wife, sister, daughter, friend.   I approach every situation with humor, and am acutely aware of the feelings of others.   And yes, I'm not a risk taker. I calculate advantages and disadvantages of every situation before making a decision.   What's missing from my list? I love learning and improving myself continually.

Team RLA7 2014

Never before in history, has there been such a professional and passionate (not to mention gorgeous) group of 7th grade RLA teachers. Do you know how LUCKY you are? :)

Back to School photos!

Click on this link to check out some great back-to-school photos.

And one more for Hogwarts fans...

Imagine how awesome Disney princesses would have been if they'd gone to Hogwarts like Hermione and Ginny!  Disney sends those ladies back to school!

MUGGLES rejoice! Hogwarts is Here!

© 2005 Warner Bros. Ent. Harry Potter Publishing Rights J.K.R.

A group of intrepid Harry Potter fans have made my childhood wish come true, creating a website called Hogwarts Is Here, where you can take free, online classes in the same subjects studied by Harry, Ron, and Hermione.  Read this article for more information. 

Photos from our Poetry Week

Click on this link to see fabulous photos of our week with Sara Holbrook and Michael Salinger
Poetry Week with Sara and Michael

Looking for a New Book? Try this!

Psychic book selector

Punctuation Matters

We've been spending time making sure our punctuation enhances our work. Take the extra time to revise and edit so you don't look like a psycho!

Stories are around us, everywhere

Everytime you hear a great story on the news, try asking yourself what makes it so good? It is the qualities of a good story, or just good storytelling? Is it a character or theme which resonates with us? I just read this story and and was profoundly moved. It's beautiful. I hope it will inspire your storywriting this weekend.

Finding Theme

We've been talking a lot recently about finding themes in the books we're reading. I came across this one which seems like a great one. Have you found this theme in any of your book club books? :)