It's the Most Wonderful Day of the Week...

I've always liked Thursdays. For years I've called it the best day of the week. At Warrensburg Middle School, where I taught in Missouri, we used to say, "Anybody can do a Friday," and with Thursday looking Friday in the eye, Thursdays have always looked pretty good to me. (Fridays are often frantic and, quite frankly, not such a great day.)

Today in LA, we reviewed transitions--why we need them (so we don't make our readers' thoughts plunge off a cliff;) where we need them (before moving on to a new idea in our writing;) and what words and phrases make great transitions (see students' notes in Writing Ideas and Exercises.)

In the middle school years, students need to bridge their ideas with transitions because it's a natural progression from the younger elementary years, when we just want students to write. Effective transitions make students' writing more sophisticated, more elegant, because they make writing more fluent.

Tomorrow, Friday, we will have Reader's Workshop. Students have ONE RRJ due, and it can be either Visualizing or Determining Important Ideas. 8TH GRADE CLASSES--Because we are in desperate need of writing time, tomorrow will be a CHOICE class--you may either read your self-selected book OR you may bring your LA binder and work on your memoir draft. No locker passes will be granted, however, so come prepared.

Fondly,
Mrs. V~