2024-2025 School Theme: Endure

School Verse: Hebrews 12: 1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Middle School Language Arts

The language arts curriculum at St. John's is aligned with Common Core standards and strives to teach students the critical thinking and writing skills they will need in high school and beyond.  Students will be immersed in various poetry, short stories, and novels and learn to read, analyze, and respond to texts in written and oral forms.  The elements of grammar, the 8 parts of speech, mechanics, and sentence structure are a part of our grammar curriculum, and students will learn to apply these concepts to their own writing as they prepare for the next level of their education.

The daily assignments for 5th-7th grade Language Arts are posted on Renweb weekly. Please log in to your Renweb account and check it out!  Any assignments found on Google Classroom will appear as "GC" on Renweb. E-mail me at jgrant@stjohnsracine.org with any questions or need a copy of the latest book report or project description.  If you are looking for extra support or practice for your student, check out the language arts websites below.  

They will have access to the school library and my personal classroom library.  I ask that the students treat the books as 'rented' property-- in other words, with respect and care-- and that the borrowed books be returned for others to enjoy.  Just like movies with G/PG/PG-13 ratings, books vary widely in content and maturity level.  I do my best to read books ahead of time and match students with books they will love, but I leave the ultimate decision about what is appropriate reading material up to the parents and students. If you want to research a specific book, try looking it up on commonsensemedia.org to see an overview of its content. Please contact me with any questions or concerns about a book on my shelf.

8th Grade Schedule

Washington DC

The 2024-2025 DC trip dates are Thursday, May 1st through Tuesday, May 5th. Highlights from the trip include a stop at the site of the Flight 93 crash, Gettysburg, a tour of Congress, a memorial walk along the Tidal Basin, the WWII memorial, a tour of the National Cathedral, a stop at the Smithsonian museums, and much, much more.  It is an incredible experience for our students, full of lasting memories. The first DC meeting will take place in late October or early November, at a date to be determined.  If you might be interested in chaperoning, please let me know by that time.

Additional Language Arts Resources on the Web