Mrs. Garrity's Blog

The Yellow Group is reading The Girl Who Threw Butterflies by Mick Cochrane as an independent study.

Summary of Plot: Eighth-grader Molly's ability to throw a knuckleball earns her a spot on the baseball team, which not only helps her feel connected to her recently deceased father, who loved baseball, it helps in other aspects of her life, as well.

As they read, students should determine the point of view, look for the inciting incident, various literary techniques, and also think of some quiz questions to challenge their classmates.

8th Grade students are currently reading The Call of the Wild by Jack London. This novel takes place in the Yukon Territory during the late 1800's shortly after gold was discovered in Bonanza Creek. The story begins when Buck, a magnificently handsome 140-pound dog, is kidnapped from his California home and sold as a sled dog in the North. Now that Buck has been ripped from civilization and thrown into the primitive, he must learn how to adapt and survive. But this novel is much more than a story of survival. Jack London, a brilliant American author, wrote the following about Buck: At first, Buck does not understand his restlessness. Something is calling him . . . a sound, a feeling, a desire . . . too compelling to ignore. Day after day it grows more urgent, until finally the magnificent dog understands and obeys. Buck has to leave the world of human beings and campfires to answer "the call of the wild."

The Yellow Group is reading Heart of a Shepherdby Rosanne Parry as an independent study.

Summary of Plot: This novel reveals the heart of today's ranching communities and the values that keep those communities together: the importance of family, the church, love of and service to our country, and neighbors pulling together during times of crisis. Along the way the main character, "Brother," finds out what's most important to him, and how to find his own path while honoring his family members' commitments.

As they read, students should determine the point of view, look for the inciting incident, various literary techniques, and also think of some quiz questions to challenge their classmates.

This delightful story begins with Homer Smith, a black Baptist who is exploring the country after his tour of duty in the army is over. In his travels he encounters a group of East German Catholic nuns working on a farm in a Rocky Mountain valley. The head nun, Mother Maria Marthe, is immediately convinced that Homer Smith has been sent by God to help the nuns and her fulfill their dreams. Homer is intrigued and amused by her insistent attitude. He says to her: "God didn't say anything to me about sending me some place." But Mother Marie Marthe continues to insist that Homer is a gift from God.

Although he doesn't really believe that God sent a black Baptist to work for a group of nuns living on a farm in a Rocky Mountain valley, Homer nevertheless makes the decision to stay . . . at least for a brief time. From that moment on, Homer's life is changed forever. This is a beautiful story about modern day miracles. This novel also offers the reader the opportunity to explore the differences, and more importantly, the similarities of the various Christian faiths.

Each 7th and 8th Grade student must read an equivalent of 5 books per trimester. To receive credit for these books, students are required to take the corresponding Accelerated Reading tests. Longer books with 250+ pages count as two books. If a book is not on the Accelerated Reading list, Mrs. Funk will provide a form for students to complete. This form must be signed by a parent and also Mrs. Funk. All students must pass at least 3 Accelerated Reading tests each trimester. The deadlines for the 2nd Trimester are:

Friday January 6, 2012 (first 3 books)
Friday February 17, 2012 (2 more books)

Last spring I announced someI exciting news! My nephew, Eric Roberts, is the assembly test operation manager at Lockheed Martin. He was involved in designing the Juno spacecraft that was scheduled to blast off on August 5th. It will take five years for the craft to reach Jupiter, where it will investigate the giant planet's polar regions for the first time.

I'm happy to announce that the launch was successful and took place on August 5, as planned. My brother (Eric's father) and several family members were there to witness the special event.

Juno was designed and built at Lockheed Martin in Colorado and was shipped to NASA's Kennedy Space center in Florida. Eric was featured in the news coverage of this transport because he was the space engineer that supervised the delivery.

I showed these videos to the junior high students last spring to help demonstrate what they can accomplish if they work hard to follow their dreams:

http://video.denver.cbslocal.com/global/video/popup/pop_playerLaunch.asp?vt1=v&clipFormat=flv&clipId1=5797489&at1=News&h1=Lockheed

http://video.denver.cbslocal.com/global/video/flash/popupplayer.asp?vt1=v&clipFormat=flv&clipId1=5801851&at1=News&h1=Take%20Exclusive%20Ride%20As%20Juno%20Is%20Delivered%20To%20Space%20Center&flvUri=&partnerclipid=&rnd=58158282

In the fall of 2008, I was selected to be one of the SJF teachers to use a Smart Classroom. This consists of a Think Pad (laptop computer) and ceiling mounted projector. Since that time, I have been busy working on Power Point slide shows that will enhance the presentation of my reading materials.

Welcome to Junior High Reading. Students in 7th Grade are now beginning a two-year-in-depth study of classic literature that includes short stories, legends, essays, novels, plays, poetry, song lyrics, and other literary works. Each selection has been carefully chosen to illustrate important elements in understanding and appreciating the development of plot, point of view, character development, vocabulary, sound devices, and a variety of literary techniques.

When I first began teaching at St. John Fisher in 1991, I found that the material provided in the textbooks didn't delve deeply enough into the subject area to suit the needs of my students. As a result, I decided to create my own supplementary materials designed to stimulate and challenge the minds of my Junior High students. I developed sessions and units of study that contain in-depth background information on a work, analysis of plot development, discussion of the author's literary elements, a complete vocabulary study, numerous activities and discussion ideas, study questions and review sheets, and assessment materials. This material has been assembled together in what I call "study packets." Students will receive a new study packet whenever they begin a new unit of study.