What's happening in class?

The week of May 12th-May 16th..............

There are DEFINITELY some mighty fine poets in my reading classes!

Currently, in reading class, we are reading and discussing a variety of poems. We are looking at authors' styles, formats, use of rhyme, and the moods they create. Students are emulating several of the poems we are focusing on, putting their own unique spin on them. The week of May 12th-May 16th we will continue this trend.....

***After reading Ralph Waldo Emerson's poem entitled, "What is Success?" students were asked to use Emerson's format, and write about their own interpretaion of success. There are several example student poems below. Enjoy!

What is success?
To live freely without guilt or lies;
To raise a family that will always be there for you;
To live every day to its fullest;
To own a house on a beach with a big sail boat;
To have a red Ferrari in your garage;
To retire young;
To have a good influence on children;
To have a wife to help you get through hard times;
To make a difference in someone’s life;
To be remembered;
This is to have succeeded.
-By Sam K.

What is success?
To appreciate a family that loves and cares
for you every day;
To make new friends everyday and have them
beside you time after time;
To live in a nice, warm place where
you can call home;
To have your parents be proud of
who you are;
To have had a sibling to be with
and care for you;
To go on a vacation with the ones you love;
To go skydiving out of a plane and
see the world from that point;
To have a good career;
To have your own, healthy family that you can love;
This is to have succeeded.
-Jen L.

What is success?
To have many good friends whom
you can trust;
To not care what other people think;
To have a family that loves
and cares for you;
To enjoy being akid while you can;
To be satisfied with what you have;
To do what you love and
love what you have;
To not let others get in the way
of your dreams;
To make the world a better
place to live;
This is to have succeeded.
-Kristin D.

What is success?
To know you only live life once;
To have paid attention in school;
To have a happy family;
To listen to others;
To own a house on the water;
To have no regrets;
To have fun every day you live;
To never take things too seriously;
To laugh every day;
To make someone else laugh every day;
To make an impact on someone's life;
This is to have suceeded.
-Dominic P.

What is success?
To face all your fears;
To achieve goals you didn't
think you could;
To never let loved ones go;
To do the right thing
even if it's hard to do;
To gain the respect of ones
you respect;
To always try a little bit harder;
To be there for my friends
and family;
To have no regrets;
This is to have succeeded.
-Mark O.

What is success?
To own a car and house you love;
To try your hardest to achieve;
To laugh your hardest with your friends;
To love your job and appreciate it;
To have a family close at heart;
To help others fight through the rough;
To buy pets you love and care about;
To go to college and graduate proudly;
To have your friends close by;
To live your life the way you love;
This is to have succeeded.
-Lori P.

What is success?
To accept change with a willing heart;
To support my own family;
To become what I once dreamed;
To not let anyone or anything
change what I truly believe;
To play softball until I can't anymore;
To be happy and to
never let that change;
To never give up when things get hard;
To never back down when I'm scared;
To fight for what I want
and let no one get in my way;
To be able to look back
on my life and smile, because
I know I lived out my dreams.
This is to have succeded.
-Alyssa A.

In L.A. this week, students will be writing letters to themselves that I will be mailing to them next year. The assignment is a combination of implementing the correct friendly letter format, setting goals for the end of 8th grade year, the summer, and freshmen year, and having something to look forward to next May! :)

Here's to a good week!!!!!!!!!!!