Thursday, October 24, 2024

More Seventh Grade

Wednesday. I was covering seventh grade English. (This was a different school than where I did the science long-term, so no familiar faces this day.) 

The kiddos had read a piece in their books by Maya Angelou called "New Directions", and their assignment for the day was to answer two questions about it. 

Only two questions? Yes. First, that was not the plan for the whole period (this was to take them about twenty minutes). And second, they were to answer the questions in a specific way, using textual evidence.

They had done something similar in sixth grade (the sixth and seventh grade teachers meet once a year to coordinate things), but not to this extent. But this is the natural progression as each year the English teachers have them build their writing skills by taking them to the next level.

Ms. L left me slides to go over, and we did the first question (of three, they did two on their own) together.

Oh, the whining...

It's nice when the teachers leave me something to do where I get to teach as opposed to giving the kiddos independent work. Instead of dealing with bored students not wanting to work, I got to do something with them. 

But still, seventh grade. Keeping their focus is a challenge.

Somehow, this has become a year of seventh grade for me. So far, anyway. Funny how these themes find me, depending on the year. 

(Want to feel old? This year's seventh graders are the class of 2030.)

19 comments:

  1. 2030! yeah, and it will be here before we know it!

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  2. 7th grade … interesting age. But you know how to keep them on task.

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    1. I don't know about that. They have to be willing. They're not all willing.

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  3. I feel old sometimes without extra help...

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    1. I don't need the help, either. But to hear "class of 2030"... It's rather jarring.

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  4. 2030 doesn't seem so far off to me. 7th grade was my area's first year of middle school (or junior high, as we called it). Not fun.

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    1. It was junior high when I was there, too. But now I find myself calling my 7th and 8th grade "middle school".

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  5. Wow, 2030? I can't even think so far ahead at this moment.

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    1. I know, right? That's after the Los Angeles Olympics. Sigh.

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  6. I'm just trying not to think about them being born in the middle of the Obama administration. That shouldn't be that long ago.

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  7. OMG 2030.....that does make me feel super old. That might be because I am. Geesh going to be 74 next month and well, I used to think that was super old....now, I'm not so sure, lol. As a kid I thought that was ancient.

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    1. I know what you mean. I now know people in their 80s, and that no longer seems as ancient as it once did.

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  8. Yeah 7th graders would be a challenge to keep their attention on what they're supposed to be doing.

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    1. Yup. This is why I dreaded that long term I started the year in. But it wasn't as bad as I feared.

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  9. Time seems to move faster as I age, a normal thing I'm told, so 2030 should be here in the blink of an eye. lol Be well!

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    1. Yup, this is true. Still, it doesn't seem like a real year number, does it?

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