Sorry this post is so late in the week - the good news is that there have not been any big tests or projects due this week. For the most part we are working in class out of the literature book (this is why you don't see assigned reading at home) although during times like this, the students should continue to do choice reading outside of class. We are working on the Big Question from Unit One of the lit book - "Is truth the same for everyone" - we are also looking at elements of plot (ask them to show you the hand motions for Conflict, Complications, etc...) --- Today we also jumped over to Civics to look briefly at juveniles in the justice system - we looked at the sad case of the boy who was set on fire by classmates in Florida yesterday and we read in our Civics text about legal policies regarding juvenile offenders. I asked them to talk with adults at home regarding their opinions on juvenile justice. They were very engaged and I'm sure have many more questions and ideas. We will occasionally make these jumps in curriculum when a current event fits with something we will cover later in the year - it keeps it so much more "real" for the kids rather than just listening to me drone or doing assigned text book reading. early best wishes for a good weekend :) kw