October was full of character for the 9, 10 grade literature class! Whether round or flat, static or dynamic, sympathetic or unsympathetic, normative or a foil, the stories presented them all. We also analyzed character motivation-why the character behaved the way he did, making the story and characters more real. Why do we act the way we do?  (hmmm...not always clear!) The readings included Neighbor Rosicky, selections from DonQuixote, and My Last Duchess. After finishing Unit II, we have changed gears and are learning different types of phrases. It's hard at first, but then patterns within the sentences become clearer. It takes patience and perseverence...they are all getting it and will become stronger writers.
     The 7, 8 grade grammar class has finished chapters on pronouns and adjectives of all kinds. They wrote persuasive paragraphs and made audio recordings to "publish" them. We hope to "persuade" everyone to attend the KA auction after students hear them read their writing during our "morning announcements." Kendra already read hers to "persuade" listeners to attend the Global Missionary Event.
     The Nature and Man Unit in 7, 8 grade literature wrapped up before Fall Break. the students really have fun reading the poetry selections in front of the class-a great way to share poetry. They read fables, too, in this unit. It's great to have students asking to write...and this class does! Each of them wrote a fable of their own-each with a good moral. If you come into school, you can read them-they're posted on our back wall.
     How to reveal a character in creative writing is tricky and has many angles. Specifically, time was spent creating an empathetic lead well. To see an example of how this can be done, we watched parts of Wall-E, then practiced doing it in a longer writing assignment. Silas Marner and The Last Book of the Universe are good examples of how a writer shows character motivation. We are now focusing on creating an antagonist-and looking at how it was done in God's Not Dead and parts of It's a Wonderful Life. Writing journal entries from "an antagonist" will give opportunities to practice this skill. Writing is so much like painting, just with words...lots of them. This student is doing an excellent job of it!

Again, thanks for all your support at home. It's an honor to teach these students.
Blessings,
Mrs. Lemmen