Hi 8th graders,
It’s Thursday, which – based on some cursory research – means the ‘day of thunder’ or ‘Thor’s day‘. To me, that means that every Thursday is full of awesome, cosmic potential. What a great day to do some reading and prep a monologue!
You have two items for your Literature To Do List:
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- Daily Reading (30 – 35 minutes)
- Monologue memorization and performance practice (10 – 15 minutes)
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Alright, let’s do this!
- Daily Reading (30 – 35 minutes: 25 – 30 minutes reading and 5 minutes reflection)
- I am attempting to review all reading logs and putting reading points into PowerSchool today – please make sure your logs are up to date and complete.
- Contact me with any questions!
- Monologue memorization and performance practice (10 – 15 minutes)
- Performance schedule: I will share the schedule of performances as soon as everyone has responded to the “Monologue Performance Preference” assignment in Teams – I am missing three students.
- Memorization and practice:
- Continue working through your monologue, memorizing it section by section. Challenge yourself to perform without your notes and see how far you get!
- If you have memorized your monologue, try and practice with an audience and ask for feedback on your performance (sound, movement, etc.).
- I know this is difficult, but here are some possible ideas:
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- Ask a (age-appropriate) sibling
- Perform it as dinner entertainment for your family
- Use video chatting to have a friend / grandparent / aunt / uncle / cousin / classmate / coach watch your performance (if you use a classmate, you each perform your monologues and give one another feedback!)
- Hop on Teams and check in with me – we can set up a small group practice if any of you are interested.
- Record yourself (with your laptop, phone, video recorder, Flip camera, ummm…what else do you have?) and review the footage. This is probably the most effective strategy, even if it feels awkward to watch yourself.
- Let me know if you come up with other ideas!
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Please check in with me if you are feeling overwhelmed by the Literature work – it’s the only way I know there’s a problem and can start to help! I know that all of you are doing the best you can, but sometimes you feel like it still isn’t enough. Remember, as long as you are doing what you can with what you have, that’s all anyone can expect of you.
Our goal in Distance Learning is to continue your education during a difficult time, not cause you mind-melting stress. This is a new way of learning for all of us (teachers included), so it takes time to adjust and find what works best. Thank you for your patience, persistence, and kindness!
One last note – I miss seeing all of you every day. Teaching online can’t compare to the experience of being in the classroom with all of you – the insights, jokes, mistakes, drawings, surprises, facial expressions, joy, frustration, laughter and more. I am grateful for the time I have had with you, and I look forward to the time we can all be back together.
Have a great Thursday!