"You've got this!" "Take a breath and try again." and "No don't give up, we want to hear it!" could be heard pouring out from the seventh grade hall. It was performance day and the students were ready to share their spoken word poems. As students struggled to share authentic writing with one another, their peers were there for them. No one was made to stand in front of the class nervous while the class stayed silent. Seventh grade is about learning how to become the kind of person you want to be, and our students are doing just that. They have a passion for learning new things and they are committed to approaching challenges with positivity and creativity.
Panthers come to class ready to have fun!
Our seventh grade students love laughing and creating joy in the classroom. We study social justice topics and debate what equality could look like in our world. Our students are problem-solvers that look critically at the world around them and challenge the idea of remaining complacent.
My Project
James Patterson says, "There's no such thing as a kid who hates reading. There are kids who love reading, and kids who are reading the wrong books." This is so true, especially in the seventh grade! Middle school is a great time for kids because they start to recognize that there is a great big world around them. To capitalize on this, we study social justice work through our nation's history. This unit is most beneficial if we can engage student interest by giving choice on what topic they would like to study.
My students crave learning that is authentic and matters.
As we learn about social justice history, such as the Civil Rights Movement or how a group of Native Americans played a critical part in WWII, it is important that students feel immersed in the topic they choose. Historical fiction is a great way to bring history to life and to apply the lessons learned from the past to our world today.
As students read nonfiction articles about their respective topics, they will choose a chapter book to read to further their understanding. We will then dig deep to understand the history of the people group they're studying and reading about. This format takes articles that could be overlooked and makes them critical to understand the novel they chose to read! Your donation/vote allows learning to become exciting and personal.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Vaughn and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
