News & Events

Friday Letters - 7th/8th Grade English, Mr. Diamonti

May 30, 2008

Dear 7th and 8th grade parents,

It’s hard to believe the end of the year is finally upon us. The seventh and eighth grade completed their reading of Romeo and Juliet in these past weeks. As a final exercise they divided into small groups and prepared their own interpretations of several scenes which they presented to the school at last week’s assembly. Curiously, no one chose to act out “What light through yonder window breaks...” Ah well, I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised;  a fair number of our wise and scholarly 13-14 year olds argued persuasively that romantic love is just an illusion. Accordingly, Romeo and Juliet were merely in love with the idea of love. Although true love did have a few defenders who were grudgingly acknowledged by the cynics in the end!

In the weeks since we finished discussing the play, both classes read a selection of short stories by Carson McCullers and Sandra Cisneros. The stories were very popular with both classes and helped lead us into the final writing project for the year: memoir. The end of the year, especially as some of the class is preparing to move beyond Ring Mountain, is an excellent time for reflection but anticipation of change can be can also be difficult. Memoir writing helps generate a sense of closure. The class will be devoting their remaining writer’s workshop time to completing and sharing their stories. I will also be conferencing with each student individually during this time to talk about their writing accomplishments this year and to talk with the eighth graders about their anticipation of ninth grade English. With the seventh graders, we’ll be doing some some goal setting for next year.

Both classes did tremendous work this year across a wide range of literature and learned to work together amidst a wide range of personalities. I have been, and am very proud of their efforts as a class and individually. I hope the eighth graders carry a sense of their accomplishments this year away with them, and that the seventh graders bring back the same expectation of the excellence, mentoring their classmates who will be stepping up in the fall! Parents and students alike, thank you all for a wonderful year!

Sincerely,
AJ Diamonti