“Books inspire” is a common saying in Ms. Mitchell’s 5th and 6th grade English Language Arts class, and as you walk around the classroom decorated in lime green “Reader Pledges” from both grades, you begin to see why. “The boys are learning how to decode an author’s message while analyzing language, literary devices, and plot elements in both literature and film,” says Ms. Mitchell. In addition, both grades are devouring excerpts from classics such as the Sherlock Holmes series or Jack London’s Call of the Wild. Sixth grade is reading the short story The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe and are writing and analyzing. Both grades listened to an audio version of Poe’s The Raven. “Book Talks” (currently in progress in both grades) is an excellent way for a student to practice speaking in depth about a book that sparks his imagination. 

Both grades are interested in various genres—everything from poetry to Pulitzer Prize winning novels. Reading includes The Caine Mutiny, The Outsiders, A Long Walk to Water, and the Percy Jackson series. Some history buffs are enjoying non-fiction works about World War II and Apollo 13.
 
Poetry has emerged as an upcoming way for boys to express themselves. Fifth grade is in the revision stage of their poems, and half of Sixth grade voluntarily elected to write either a narrative or lyric poem in the current writing assignment. We can't wait to see what else they will produce throughout the school year!