Favorite Things

My favorite part of Family Write Night last night was watching the kids come in my room after basketball practice, hot and sweaty, red in the face, and pick out a writing game to play, looping in their friends. "Hey! Remember this game? I LOVE this game; let's play it!" The top games were Mad Libs and Story Cubes, both games they're allowed to play during their Daily 5 writing rounds in my classroom. A handful of 7-8th graders banded together to play, scurrying off to grab a cookie in between.

I loved watching the parents making stories with their kids, or just sitting back to watch their kids and their friends create stories together. 

This morning, a 7th grader rushed into my room holding a thick book. "Miss H! Guess what! I read half this book last night. It's really good." After reading the back, I told her she needed to give me a spoiler when she finishes because it did sound really good. I love when my former students want to discuss books with me in their down time.

At noon recess, an 8th grader was bursting with excitement to tell me she had finished her NaNo last night. She had 2022 words! She is the first 7-8th grader to ever meet a NaNo goal. A few 7-8th graders have attempted the challenge over the years, but it's really hard to keep momentum going when you don't have a whole class going. This student wrote a book of poems with an intro poem telling what poetry is, four sections based on season of the year, and a conclusion summing up. I can't wait to read it!