State Test Time

It's beginning to look a lot like test time; students will take the NYS English Language Arts assessment on May 3 and 4.

You can find some test-taking tips here.

Here are the test specifications for this year's grade 7 exam (by the Reading/Writing Workshop Project at Coluumbia University Teacher's College).
The test schedule for May 3 and 4 is as follows:
Tuesday, May 3: testing will be during periods 2,3. Students should report to the following classrooms based on the period that they have ELA: per.4-309, per.6-317, per.7-328.
Wednesday, May 4: the MS will operate on the following schedule: periods 1,8,9,4,5,6,7,2,3. Testing will occur during periods 1,8,9. Students will report to the same rooms as they were assigned on Tuesday.

Brandon

Before Spring vacation, grade 7 students presented original plays based on Adirondack history. The project was a partnership with Pendragon Theatre. We were very lucky to work with two members of Pendragon's company of actors: Donna Mosheck and Brandon Patterson. Brandon was recently profiled in a piece by Diane Chase for the Adirondack Daily Enterprise.

Reading Slump

I admit that I've been in a bit of a reading slump lately. In fact, the last two books that I started I ended up abandoning.

The books were: Ruined by Paula Morris and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and the Undead by Don Borchert. In fairness, these books were not total stinkers, they simply didn't hold my interest.

To get back on track, I have several non-fiction (my go-to genre) titles lined up: Bloody Times by James L. Swanson, The Secret Life of Houdini by William Kalush and Larry Sloman, and The Long Snapper by Jeffrey Marx.

Someone who has definitely NOT been in a reading slump is Ms. DeAngelo. Here's the list of books that she read over Spring break:

Rescue by Anita Shreve
The Uncoupling by Meg Wolitzer
Star Island by Carl Hiaasen
Once Upon a Time, There Was You by Elizabeth Berg
Georgia Bottoms by Mark Childress
Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult
Learning to Swim by Sara J. Henry
The White Queen by Phillipa Gregory
Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand

If you'd like to find reviews of Ms. Deangelo's books, try searching for them on Goodreads.

Looking for Book Suggestions?

Kate Messner is a middle school teacher at Stafford Middle School in Plattsburgh. She's also a National Board Certified Teacher and the author of YA books like The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z and Sugar and Ice. Her book blog is a great source of ideas when you're wondering what to read next; she makes great recommendations for YA readers. Check it out!

Adirondack History on the Middle School Stage

Grade 7 students are beginning to write scenes in "play" form that depict Adirondack history. We've been reading excerpts of Adirondack Stories II by Marty Poskoch and Sam Glanzman, and some of the these will form the basis of their work.
Brandon and Donna, from Pendragon, have been working with our students, and their enthusiasm for the theatre is contagious.
The students will present their Adirondack themed plays during the last week of March at the middle school.

More Book Suggestions

The staff at SLMS continues to send me great recommendations. Here's the latest batch:

Mrs. Kennedy suggests:
Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer Holm
The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant
Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus

Mrs. Sweet suggests:
The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
The Girls by Lois Lansens
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Mrs. Meimis suggests:
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers

Ms. Ordonez suggests:
Away by Amy Bloom

Ms. Varano suggests:
Backwater by Joan Bauer

Ms. Warden also sent me this great review that she wrote of The Snow Leopard by Peter Mathiassen.

School-Wide Read

March is here and this month seventh graders are being encouraged to read Firegirl by Tony Abbott. Many teachers are reading this book as well, and we are hoping to have some good discussions about the issues that this it raises.

Other books being read as part of school-wide read month are The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger (grade 6) and Lemonade Mouth by Mark Peter Hughes (grade 8).