The Lord is our Shepherd

Today we began with the reading of Psalm 23. Our morning prayers included praying about the tragedy in Lancaster, PA. Melissa (youth minister) talked to our students in the chapel about EDGE: new junior high youth opportunity. This group will meet on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. for snacks, fun, and study. Please know that ALL jr. high students are welcome.

English began with brainstorming ideas for the Christmas bazaar. The students would like to do cards, baked goods, paint glass-bulbs. Mr. Ellis is hoping to get the kiln operational in early November for bazaar crafts.
I then walked the students through what a 3-paragraph critical analysis of The Old Man and the Sea looks like. Students were shown how to add quotes to support their thoughts. This assignment calls for "processing thoughts/response" (pre-writing stage to lead into the rough draft (typed that is due tomorrow. Many students used English class time to type up their drafts. My first impression: looks like many students are responding to the challenge to "think" and then write.

For Geography 7, transparencies of vegetation, people, and animals of the Amazon Rainforest were shown. Students then finished South and Central America maps. We will focus our studies mainly on Brazil and the rainforest, but I wanted students to understand that this continent represents many countries with diverse land features.

6th Grade World History started the new unit on "early farmers." We read from the textbook and discussed this transition from a hunter/gatherer lifestyle. Our discussion moved into concerns about safety and the school tragedy in Pennsylvania. We closed our class with prayer that we do not allow fear to have a hold on our lives and that we will continue to put our trust in God. We are grateful to be in a school where we can pray together.