Greetings!
We had a wonderful day in class today. A lot of the hard work of the semester is over, so we our "work" today was a little more fun.
Quick Write
We had 3 options for today: 1) Favorite family Christmas traditions; 2) Invent a new tradition; and 3) what toy/item have you always wanted?
Words of the Day
natal -- fr. Latin natus, "pertaining to one's birth" -- often this word is used to describe the star that appeared over Bethlehem, i.e. Jesus' natal star [Note: nativity also comes from the same root.]
epiphany -- fr. Greek epiphainein, "to reveal" -- a festival, manifestation, or commemoration; traditionally, Epiphany is on January 6 and is a celebration of the the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi (Matthew 2:1–12).
poinsettia -- fr. John Poinsett, an ambassador to Mexico who brought this plant to the attention of botanists -- a plant of large green leaves and large red blossoms that is used to decorate at Christmas.
wassail -- fr. Old Norse, ves heill, "be well/healthy" -- a greeting of good cheer; also hot mulled cider, drunk traditionally as an integral part of wassailing, a Medieval Christmastide
swaddling -- fr. Middle English, swathlen, to bind with clothes -- longs strips of cloth used to wrap or bind. Jesus was "laid in swaddling clothes."
Writing
I handed back the rough drafts of their Comparison/Contrast Essays. I really enjoyed reading these; they've chosen some fascinating topics, and they're becoming better writers. The final drafts are due next week. They MUST bring their rough drafts back to class next week so that I can use them to correct the final drafts.
Grammar
The class was given a Fall Grammar Test about parts of speech and verbal phrases. We had some time in class to work on it, but they could take it home to finish it. I explained to the class that the best way of learning grammar is through lots of reading and writing. Direct instruction of grammar is important and helpful, and combined with literature and writing it can be pretty potent. Next semester we'll be working on commas!
Literature
We had some more presentations today. Each one of them showed not only that the students had a good grasp on the details of our book, My Antonia, but they also had a strong understanding of the themes and motifs of the book. We saw some new book covers, an ABC book, and a stop motion video. The students have done a great job with their book projects. The final ones will take place next week.
Next Week
Our last week of the semester is next week, December 16. All work should be handed in by that date. That said, I've given them until Sunday, December 19 to get any last work in. They should not wait until then to do their work and hand it in. Next week we will have our "Classy Classmas Party." I will bring treats, and students can bring goodies if they like. We will have a contest, play a Jeopardy Game, and sing some songs.
This Week's Class Notes
Assignments for Next Week:
Have a great weekend!
Be Blessed!
Mrs. Prichard
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