WELCOME to MS. HOLT'S SEVENTH GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS CLASS! Please check back
often for upcoming assignments and events:
-The library closes on May 18, 2009, marking the end of AR testing. We will
now be reading excerpts from SOPHIE'S WORLD and doing study guide questions
IN CLASS in addition to studying selected works of English and American
Literature.
-We need copies of SOPHIE'S WORLD. Please purchase a used copy online
($2.75 - $5.00) for yourself or to donate to the classroom, so that we can
all benefit from this engaging text. Remember: we have 85 Seventh Grade GATE
Language Arts students this year, and yes, we do ALL need take-home copies
of the book, if we are to finish it in its entirety before the end of the
year.
-On May 15, 40 California Middle School Students attended U.C. Davis' "SAYS:
Amplifying Student Health, Leadership, and Literacy" Conference. Four of our
middle school poets performed that evening onstage at the Veteran'Memorial
Theatre...in front of an enthusiastic 375-person audience! Cal Poetry Jam
Alum and current C.K. McClatchy HISP student Ker Moua took fourth overall in
the regional finals. Congratulations, Ker! We're proud of you!
-Sacramento Area Youth Speaks (SAYS), the U.C. Davis CRESS Center, the SCUSD,
and the Mutual Assistance Network hosted their first slam at Cal on Friday,
April 17th, from 7:00 - 10:00 pm. Students participated in a poetry workshop
with members of Sacramento's National Slam Team, then performed in front of
an audience of 275 people with a live DJ and MC Intense! Check their website
at http://www.sacareayouthspeaks.org to see a video clip from the show!
-On Tuesday, March 17 and Wednesday, March 18, ALA-Award-winning author
Coert Voorhees visited our classroom, signed books, and discussed
his novel, THE BROTHERS TORRES, which was an ALA "Top Ten Book for Young
Adults of 2009." Thanks, Coert, for helping us really get into our
comparison/contrast essays about the common themes in Shakespeare's JULIUS
CAESAR and your novel (Literary Response and Analysis Standard 3.4:
comparing recurrent themes across time).
-The cast and director of Sac City Theatre's production of JULIUS CAESAR
visited our class, as well! We enjoyed learning more about the play, and also
had a great time at the matinee/field trip on Saturday, March 22nd!
