Weekly Update

English
Over the past week, the eighth graders have been learning to write a persuasive paper in Nestorian form. After either participating in or viewing the debate in History class, they have now formed and researched their opinion on reinstating the death penalty in Wisconsin. I guided them in organizing their information using a fill-in sheet, which then became the basis for their rough draft. I held individual conferences with them at both the fill-in and the rough draft stages. The students also engaged in peer revision to help each other refine their writing. This paper will be due next Tuesday and will be graded by both Mrs. V. and me. I will look for the organizational elements, and she will grade for the arguments and support.

Religion
The students have begun studying Saints Peter and Paul and the spread of Christianity after Pentecost. To aid us in studying the scripture of this time, we are watching the movie Peter and Paul. Additionally this week, the students read articles from The Compass to investigate contemporary Catholic issues.

Literature
For the past several years, my students have read the short story, “The War of the Wall.” The story tells the tale of a community that has a wall that is full of graffiti, gum, etchings, and various marks that hold memories for the youth. One day, an artist comes in and starts painting over the wall. The kids of the community are irate, but after watching and waiting, they are surprised with a beautiful mural that depicts all of the important people, places, and events of their community. As a pre-reading activity, the kids created their own mural that depicts what makes Kaukauna special. Then earlier in the week we walked down to the Catherine Street mural and they compared their murals with the beautifully painted wall. They took note of what the two murals had in common and also observed what special parts of Kaukauna could still be added to the wall. It was a great community tie-in with the literature curriculum. Check out some of the students' drawings as well as our field trip in the picture below.