Dinner Table:

•  
• "Miss Awful" Journal 
• Which teacher helped you learn the most?
• What about them made them special to you?  
• Which teachers did you write about (best and favorite)? 

October 2017:

• Veterans and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): We are just beginning to read our short stories that include characters who experience war and suffer from PTSD. This unit will end in a Socratic Seminar, where students will discuss the literary elements in the stories, but also the real world issues surrounding PTSD. Here are some talking points to help them explore this information.
• Relatives that have served or are currently serving in the military
• What is PTSD? 
• Does PTSD only occur in war veterans, or can anyone who lived through a traumatic event have symptoms?
• How does __(current event on news)__  connect to a character from class or PTSD?

February - March 2018 

•      We are exploring different thematic topics through March Twain's Tom Sawyer and other paired readings. Students will be looking for similar central ideas in the works, along with identifying their own opinions on the topics. 
• Magic/Innocence of Childhood: 
• Parenting
• Mischief and Trouble Making
• First Loves
• Sibling Rivalry
• Adventure and Imagination
• Loss of innocence and growing up