May 14

We began our week with a chapel led by Pastor Dan Jongsma of DCF.  He talked to us about farms, and specifically about fences:  how they keep animals safe and protected, keep them close by so the farmer can care for them, yet provide lots of freedom within the enclosed space for the animals to roam around.  God provides "fences" for us, too:  the 10 commandments.  These commandments are given to us by a loving God who cares for us and protects us and gives us lots of freedom within the boundaries he sets for us.  God wants us to stay within the "Law of Love"--to love God above all else, and to love our neightbors as ourselves.  If you have a chance, ask your child about this lesson on fences!

Today was a working day in class.  Our book clubs met again, and students worked together to discuss their books and complete their assignments.  Most of the students are keeping up with their reading and doing a good job working with others in their group.  All students will be finishing their books and completing their last assignments for our next book club meeting on FRIDAY.  (Field Day is Wednesday, so students have a little longer to wait till their next meeting.)

We also continued researching our topics.  I've asked students to do some at-home researching this week and to make, if possible, a trip to the library to try to find some print sources to use for research.  Students are expected to come to class on Friday with at least 15 research notecards completed, and they should also bring with them two print sources (books, magazine articles, etc.)  If finding a print source is a problem, please let me know in writing.

May 11

Our devotions today were based on a passage from Romans and used a neat analogy:  just as a glove isn't capable of much on its own, but can do amazing things when filled with a hand, so we are--not capable on our own of living according to God's standards, but when filled with the Holy Spirit, capable of great things!  We prayed together for God to fill each one of us and help us to live in the way he desires!

We are well into our books for our Book Clubs, and each group has met three times now.  Students are reading, quizzing each other, discussing, and sharing their work with one another.  It's great to see the students collaborating as they talk about their books and share their observations!  Clubs will continue to meet and read for two more sessions.

We began working on research papers today.  Students will be writing a 750-1000 word (3-4 page typed) research paper on a significant person or event.  Students came today with their topics and began doing research online.  We talked about notetaking and avoiding plagiarism, and students learned how to create a source card and take notes from that source.  We'll continue to research next week, and students will be required to consult print sources as well, so if you have a trip to the library planned, have your child check for books related to his or her topic.  

We praised God today for the beautiful weather and the opportunities we have to delight in his marvelous creation.  Enjoy today and the weekend ahead!     

May 2

Today we worked on essays based on The Hiding Place.  The students are writing five paragraph essays in which they discuss a theme (message) of the book and use examples from the story to show how this theme is conveyed.  We looked today at the structure of an essay--introduction, body, and conclusion--and what is included in each of the parts.  I also gave the students a writing guide for their essays; it's designed to help them think about each sentence they write and how it is related to the essay as a whole.  We spent some time writing in class, we will have a little more time to work in class on Friday.  The essays will then be due next week Wednesday.

We also prepared today to move on to our next reading assignment.  The students will be working in groups called Book Clubs to read novels together.  Each club will be assigned a different novel.  Groups will have reading assignments each day, and each member of each club will have a job to do related to that reading.  The clubs will meet during class and members will work together to present and complete the assigned jobs.  Today we talked about book clubs and learned about the jobs, and on Friday students will receive their club assignments and we'll get started reading! 

April 30

During our chapel this morning we praised God through song, and we practiced for Sunday, when the DCS students will lead the praise singing at Dearborn Christian Fellowship. I hope that almost all of the students will be able to be there!  It's great to see all those young people on stage, and I think seeing our school family together will be inspiring to others at the church--and hopefully other families will want to be a part of our school family next year!  If your child is able to be there, he or she should plan to come at 9:15 if possible to do a little warming up for our worship.

We're wrapping up our study of The Hiding Place.  Today we discussed the ways in which we were impacted by the book and what we learned from it.  The students recogized that the book is not only a good story; it's also an encouragement to give thanks in all circumstances, to keep your faith in God and dependence on Him strong, and to share His love with others around you.  There is so much we can learn, and it really is an inspiring story!  After our discussion, we talked about possible themes in the book.  Students each came up with at least one theme, and we shared them with one another.  Students were then asked to choose a theme and to think of at least three ways in which this theme was demonstrated in the book.  This is in preparation for an essay we will begin writing on Wednesday.

Today we also worked on choosing the right word for the sentence.  We looked at about 20 word pairs (such as altogether and all together) and discussed their uses.  Students then completed some exercises in which they needed to choose the word or words that were needed in sentences.  I believe everyone finished this assignment in class, so the students' only homework today is to read (as always!) and to be prepared with a theme and three examples for our essay on Wednesday.

In closing, let me just say how much I enjoyed Grandparents' Day on Friday.  We had a great turnout of grandparents and special friends, and it was so neat to see students working with and interacting with their grandparents.  I'm so thankful that these special people are a part of our students' lives!

April 23

We began our day with an inspiring chapel!  We sang several praise songs together, and the kindergarteners joined the praise team today with their own instruments.  They played drums, tambourines, guitars, and a keyboard and led us in singing.  What joy they brought to our chapel! It was exciting to see these little ones' devotion to God and to think about the ways in which God leads us and works through us even when we are young.

The last couple chapters we've read in The Hiding Place have talked about Corrie and Betsie's experiences in prisoner camps in the war.  We talked today about their stay in Ravensbruck, the notorious German concentration camp.  We were amazed at how poorly they were treated and yet how thankful and grateful they could be each day.  The sisters used their time in Ravensbruck to witness to others about God's love, and they even prayed for their persecutors.  Corrie wrote that, on the one hand, their physical lives grew ever more difficult, but on the other hand, their lives in Christ grew ever richer.  Their incredible story is such an inspiration!  We wrote today about this interesting dichotomy, and the students used examples from the story to show how the sisters' lives grew both harder and richer.  Students began their next reading assignment: to finish the book! (They have two chapters remaining.)

We look forward to sharing our day with our grandparents on Friday!  We wrote about the things we appreciate about our grandparents and the memories we have of them, and students are preparing to give some grandparent awards on Friday.  It should be a special day for all of us, whether grandparents are able to be present with each student or not!

April 18

Happy Spring!  The students did a fantastic job in their performance of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe!  We had a chance to watch a recording of our performance, and the class enjoyed seeing how they looked from the audience's perspective.  In addition, we learned about writing a review, and students took a few notes on their performance and are in the process of writing a review of the performance.  Students created drafts, and today we worked on some specific changes, such as leaving oneself out of the writing and using specific words and descriptions.  We did some revision and worked on our final drafts today, and those will be due on Monday.

We're back to our study of The Hiding Place now as well.  Students read chapter 11 for today, and chapter 12 will be due on Friday.  We discussed the character of Lieutenant Rahms today and saw how Corrie was able to show God's love to this German officer. It's good to get back into this great story and see the ways in which God works!

February 26

I'm sorry for the gap in my blog posts!  We have moved into our work on the play, and our schedule has been a little different.  Students successfully completed the audition process and are now "knee deep" in the work involved in rehearsing for our production.  We have been working on learning and understanding the terminology and concepts used by actors and directors.  Students are now very familiar with terms like "stage left", and they know where on stage that is.  Blocking, articulation, being in character, projection, movement--these are all things that we have talked about and are putting into practice.  Being on stage can be difficult and even awkward or uncomfortable for some, but all are making progress and learning about what to do! 

We are very fortunate to have Mrs. Susan Vandenbrink working with us again this year!  Mrs. Vandenbrink is a former DCS parent whose children are now college graduates, and she has graciously come back for many years to help us with our play.  She has a wealth of theater knowledge and experience, and she does a great job of sharing that with our students! 

We have blocked out entire show (your child can explain that to you!) and we are in the process now of running and working each scene.  We started today with the prologue and scene one, and we are working through each part in a detailed fashion, focusing on the characters, their lines, and their movements.  Students need to have their lines memorized in order to do this well!  The students have been told that lines need to be memorized, and this has been homework for them for some time now.  We are currently working on the first 20-30 pages of the script, so those lines should be the first focus, and as we work through the play, those lines will need to be committed to memory also.  Please encourage your child to be working on lines, and if you can, please spend some time working with him or her on those lines.  Really, the best way to practice lines is to speak them out loud, and if your child can have you or someone else read all the other characters' parts from the script, that is a huge help.  Thanks!

The date of our play will be Friday, March 30--so if you haven't already put it on your calendar, please do!  We will have an evening performance and an afternoon dress rehearsal.  If you're able, plan to attend both!  

Plan, too, for a couple of mandatory after-school rehearsals that week.  Students will go to OL Smith to get used to the stage and practice there on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 27 and 28 after school until 6:00. It will be very important to have all students present, so plan ahead to reschedule lessons and activities for your child on those days.

Thanks for your help and support of your child as we continue on in this exciting endeavor! 

January 23

As you are probably aware, our scripts came on Friday!  Yea!  We were very excited to be able to read the play--but we only got through half of it.  We had a lot of fun with reading the first half on Friday, and we read the second half of the play today.  What a great story!  I'm eager for the students to not only experience the play, but also understand the significance of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  The message of salvation comes through loud and clear--especially if you're looking for it! 

We spent a little time today talking about auditions and practicing for them.  Students will be asked to read various scenes from the script, and they got a chance to do a little of that today.  We will do some practicing on Wednesday also so that they can feel prepared and comfortable for the auditions on Monday.  I encouraged students to practice at home, too!

We're continuing our journey through The Hiding Place.  We read about the raid on the ten Boom house, and we will see God's provision for the family--though not necessarily in the way they would choose.  It's been really interesting and exciting, I think, to see the war and the family's involvement in the Underground through the eyes of someone who lived it.  I recently overheard a student say to someone else about the book, "It's so good!"  I know I feel that way, and I hope that all of the seventh and eighth graders are enjoying reading the book together and are learning that God really is a hiding place in difficult times.

Chapter 10 is due on Wednesday, so let's keep on reading!

January 20

Today brought a big announcement:  our 7th and 8th grade play this year will be The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe!  Students responded to the announcement with cheers and animated discussions about the characters and the possible roles they will play.  I and they are very excited about getting started on our play!  We are awaiting the arrival of our scripts, and if they arrive this afternoon (it's almost noon as I write) we will read through they play today.  That would mean that we could hold auditions on Monday.  If the scripts don't arrive in time for us to read the play today, we'll read it next week and hold auditions on the following Monday.  Either way, we'll be getting started soon!  A date for the play will follow.  We need to request use of an auditorium and get confirmation from Dearborn Public, so it will be a little while before we know our performance date, but I'll send the date home as soon as I know it. 

We discussed The Hiding Place today, focusing especially on the family's involvement in the Underground protecting the Jews.  The ten Booms were uniquely suited to work with the Underground; students discussed in groups the characteristics that made the family prepared for this work, and we saw that, as Corrie says, the events of our lives are the perfect preparation for the work that God has for us to do in a future he alone knows.  The ten Booms' work in the Underground meant that they were sometimes put in situations where things like lying and stealing seemed necessary to save lives, and we talked about when, if ever, these things we know to be wrong are acceptable.  Students were very thoughtful and perceptive in their answers, and we heard from some who believe lying and stealing are never right and from some who pointed out that in extreme circumstances, when lives are in danger, such things might be permissible.  I was proud of the students for the depth and quality of their answers, and we had a great discussion.  It tied in nicely to our devotion, too, which talked about the measure of whether something is wrong or right being the character of God himself:  those things that are like God and are part of his character are right, whereas those things that are not in God's character are wrong. We also talked about the courage and faith the family demonstrated in their work, and we imagined how we might respond in similar circumstances.  We marveled, too, as we thought about sacrificing our safety for others, at Christ's willingness to sacrifice his life for all sinners.  What a wonderful gift!

This weekend students should read chapter nine of The Hiding Place and may prepare for our auditions for the play.  I hope that you have a wonderful weekend!    

January 18

We began our day with devotions in which we were reminded to seek wisdom from God and to persist in our efforts to make right choices.  A great reminder for all of us, and a great tie-in to our book!  The Hiding Place definitely shows Corrie and her family asking God for wisdom and seeking his will.  The ten Boom family persisted in doing what was right despite the threat of danger and punishment, and we look forward to reading more of their story!

After a short quiz on our reading assignment, we worked with partners to look up some vocabulary words from The Hiding Place.  Most of the words students looked up were not unique to the story or to the events of WW2; these words are ones students will encounter again, and they are worth recognizing and understanding.  We talked together about the meanings and uses of some of the words on our list.

Students then created two-sentence summaries of what we've read so far in The Hiding Place.  This was a good challenge for students, encouraging them to really think about the most important elements of the book.  Next, students in groups of four shared their summaries with one another and worked to create a new group summary, making it the best they could.  It was encouraging to see students ask one another for ideas, take notes on important points, and work together to create the finished product.  All groups completed satisfactory summaries, and as a class we noted the common elements of the summaries and talked about the decisions we made in creating the summaries.

Students had a few minutes to begin their next reading assignment: chapter 8.  The story is very engaging!  We're seeing the involvement of the family in underground activities grow, and along with that, we know that the danger to each of them is increasing.  We look forward to seeing the story unfold!

January 16

We enjoyed singing together this morning in chapel.  What a privilege it is to join together to praise God at the beginning of our week!

Not being in the classroom a couple days last week (one day because I needed a sub, and one day because we moved out for computer class) means I have a little catching up to do with you! We have continued our work with The Hiding Place, and students should be reading their books regularly at home.  I assign a chapter or two each night, and students are required to have the reading done before the next class period.  Most are getting the reading done with no problem, but a few students have struggled to stay caught up with their reading.  Please check with your child to be sure he or she is on top of the reading assignments!

Students created crossword puzzles based on The Hiding Place last week.  They identified important words from the text, created clues, and completed one another's finished puzzles.  Students also did some research on the Jews to help them in their understanding of this group and what they experienced during the war.  Students have taken short quizzes on their reading, and we've been discussing the situations that Corrie and her family experienced in the days before the war and in the beginning months of the war.  Our involvement in Corrie's story is growing as we see her begin to be more deeply involved in trying to help save those who were persecuted during the war!

Today we looked at a group of words, many of which are homonyms, that can be tricky to use, and we practiced choosing the right word to use in various situations.  We learned about the difference between accept and except, between affect and effect, and about other word pairs.  We also learned that a lot and all right are always written as two words, not one.  Now we'll try to apply this learning to our writing!

Students were assigned chapter 7, "Eusie", in the The Hiding Place today, which means the chapter should be read by Wednesday.  I look forward to discussing the book with students then!

January 9

We began our week with chapel, and today we listened to a message by Mr. Steve Nichols, the discipleship director at DCF.  We all enjoyed hearing about one of his favorite books, the Guiness Book of World Records, and some of the strange and amazing records held by people.  Mr. Nichols reminded us that the Bible is the bestselling book of all time, and he shared with us the story of the disciples arguing about which of them was the greatest.  There are lots of ways that people are recognized as the greatest in a book like the Guiness Book of World Records, but Jesus tells us that the way to be the greatest is to be the last, to be the servant of all.  Mr. Nichols asked all of us to think about someone we can serve today and encouraged us to carry out our ideas and be the servant Christ wants us to be.  What a great reminder for all of us: being the greatest means serving others.  We'll keep working on one-anothering!

The Hiding Place is giving us the opportunity to talk about and see the use of some common literary practices.  Today we spoke about the genre of the book.  We talked about the difference between fiction and non-fiction works and saw that this story fits within the biography genre--although it doesn't tell the whole life story of Corrie ten Boom.  Biography certainly doesn't mean boring, though! There's plenty of action coming!

We also talked about characterization and discussed together what we have learned about the various characters in the story.  We created a character sheet on which we are recording the qualities and attributes of the ten Boom family members.  We created a list of Father's attributes together, and then the students worked in groups to list qualities of the other family members.  We'll continue to add new things to our sheets as we discover them.

The chapters we've read gave us a chance to see how authors use flashbacks to give us information and help us understand characters and situations.  And we got to see that the author even used foreshadowing within the flashback!

Students were assigned chapter 3 of The Hiding Place as homework, and we'll continue our work with this book on Wednesday!

January 6

We began our study of The Hiding Place today!  I'm really excited to share Corrie tenBoom's story with the seventh and eighth graders!  It's a suspenseful, action-filled real-life story that I think the students will really enjoy, and it gives us a first-person perspective of a WW2 and concentration camp survivor.  Even more, though, it is a story of God's providence and love and the peace and security that come from relying on Him, even when (and especially when) circumstances are incredibly difficult.  It's my hope that reading this book will help us all to learn and grow in both our knowledge and faith!

We began our study by sharing our knowledge of World War 2.  The students and I talked together about the causes of the war, the different countries involved, and the effects the war had upon people here in the U.S. and in other nations.  Together, we know quite a bit--and I think that we will gain a more personal knowledge of the war as we read The Hiding Place.

We then began reading The Hiding Place together.  We read the introductory comments written by some who knew Corrie ten Boom personally, and we read the first chapter of the book aloud in class.  We're getting to know the characters and setting of the story and learning about things like foreshadowing that are occurring already in this first chapter.

Students were assigned chapter 2 as homework and were given time to read in class.  Many students chose to read other books during this time, which was fine.  Most are still in the middle of other books, and I encourage them to continue to read other things--we want to keep that habit of reading going! 

January 4

It was good to have our group of seventh and eighth graders back together today!  I hope that every family had a wonderful Christmas break!

Today we took a look at the Greek myth of Daedalus and Icarus.  We read the story written by Penelope Farmer and talked about the lessons this myth teaches us.  We also read the poem "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus" by William Carlos Williams and examined the painting of the same name by Brueghel.  It's definitely interesting to compare these three works all based upon the Greek myth!  Students then wrote a summary of the myth.  We talked together about the types of details that would be important to include in a summary--and the types of details that should be left out--and the students created a summarized version of the story and the lesson learned from it.

Students spent time reading in class.  I was pleased to see that many students did lots of reading over the break!  Others didn't get much extra reading done, but we'll continue to work at making reading a regular habit for all students!