Students in ELA and math are working on an exiting project! Students are creating their own businesses, writing a business plan, and creating a shopping plaza presentation! See the attached images for more information. ​

This has been an exciting week in ELA on 8 Blue! Students worked on defining their interests and passions and they created their own personal blogs! Here is why students are blogging this year:

Students are blogging about things they are interested in. Some of the topics are dance,  book reviews, music, sports analysis, and more. I believe that teaching students to write for different purposes and audiences is an important skill. This unit also is teaching students about creating a positive digital footprint and gives them practice writing in the "real world."

The students are so enthusiastic about this assignment! I am so excited to see these amazing blogs as the year goes on. Ask your son or daughter to see their blogs! They should have the basic template set up, and the first post should be in progress. Their first two posts are due on Friday, so they should have a decent start! 

You can see the blogs by going to the ELA course materials page in Schoology. There is a link to the blogs at the bottom of that page. Happy reading!
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Things are off to a great start in ELA! The first two weeks, students have been completing getting to know you activities and we've been working on building a community of learners during class. Attached is the course overview for ELA. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns!

We are starting our final unit of the year, the Shakespeare unit! During this unit, students will be reading and performing A Midsummer Night's Dream. We kicked off the unit with a birthday party for Shakespeare! During the birthday party, students participated in activities to gain background knowledge about Shakespeare, The Globe Theater, and the play. The essential questions of the unit are:

• Why should we care about Shakespeare?
• How do people read and understand Shakespearean language?

I've attached the unit overview, and a link to a really great version of the text that has modern English translations. If your son or daughter is struggling during the unit, please encourage them to check in with me during project block or after school.

​www.sparknotes.com/nofear/shakespeare/msnd/

ELA MCAS is coming up. Students are not required to prepare for MCAS. Everything they have done all year has improved their skills; they're ready! If students choose to prepare, there are resources in Schoology, including literary terms flashcards and practice tests. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns! kmlewis@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us

During this unit, students are learning about the difference between "fake news," satire, propaganda, and media bias. Here are a couple resources that I've found to be helpful. 

The chart below shows where many news organizations fall on the bias spectrum. It's helpful to look for news sources that fall in the middle of the chart, or to use information from both sides of the spectrum for comparison purposes. For more information about the chart and how it was created, check out www.adfontesmedia.com/

Another helpful source is the website allsides.com. It labels news sources as Left, Center, or Right, and it shows many issues presented from all sides. It's a great tool to check for bias, as well as a great place to find information. 

As always, please contact me with any questions!

The new unit we started in ELA focuses on the concept of truth in the media. Specifically, the unit explores the essential question why does news matter for the health of our democracy? 

Students will be reading the novel Nothing But the Truth, by Avi. In this book, a student gets suspended for supposedly singing the National Anthem during class. The media gets ahold of the story, and the situation gets out of control. The novel brings up the idea of biased news, truth in the media, and first amendment rights.

I think the most exciting and meaningful part of this unit is the connections to the media in today's world. In addition to the novel, students will be reading and researching current events, in particular the current "fake news" phenomenon and the issue of media bias. During their research, students will answer the questions:

• Should "fake news" be challenged?
• Does "fake news" undermine our democratic way of life?
• Can we challenge "fake news" without encroaching on free speech?

At home, any discussion about fake news, truth in the news, and media bias would be great! If you see any fake stories shared on your social media, share them with your child. Check out the unit essential questions and goals below!

Students in ELA and math are working on an exiting project! Students are creating their own businesses, writing a business plan, and creating a shopping plaza presentation! See the attached images for more information. 

Check out the attached material about an essay contest sponsored by Central One Federal Credit Union. 

Students are blogging about things they are interested in. Some of the topics are dance,  book reviews, music, sports analysis, and more. I believe that teaching students to write for different purposes and audiences is an important skill. This unit also is teaching students about creating a positive digital footprint and gives them practice writing in the "real world."

The students are so enthusiastic about this assignment! I am so excited to see these amazing blogs as the year goes on. Ask your son or daughter to see their blogs! They should have the basic template set up, and the first post should be in progress. Their first two posts are due tomorrow, so they should have a decent start! 

You can see the blogs by going to the ELA course materials page in Schoology. There is a link to the blogs at the bottom of that page. Happy reading!