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| Who is Jubby Jr.? Read more to see. |
At my current job (fourth year here, hooray!), I have the benefit of teaching the entire middle school for all three years of their middle school career. One major perk of this setup is the depth of the relationships I build with my students; I watch and foster their growth from sweet sixth graders, excited and bewildered by their new status as middle school students, to confident, inquisitive eighth graders, leading the school (hopefully with a good example!)
As the middle school literature teacher, I give my students ample opportunities to display their creativity through a plethora of projects and writing assignments throughout the year.
The first major assignment I give them upon their return to school in August is the summer reading project. Summer reading is assigned in the last weeks of school in June. I inform each grade level of their required book, and I then tell the rising seventh and eighth graders that I expect them to read two choice novels in addition to their required reading, and the rising sixth graders read one choice novel.
On the first day of school, I give the students a basic comprehension quiz on the required novel to check to see if they completed it. (Yes, I'm that teacher - and I have no remorse!) We then embark on a 2-3 week book unit on the required novel, in which I introduce the novel's historical text and we analyze key scenes and characters and have structured debates and discussions on themes.
Then, of course, there are the choice books. I want the students to be able to creatively engage with their choice reading books because, hey, they chose to read them for a reason!
