Holly started the school year by giving students a list of questions called throughlines . She wanted students to think about and respond to these questions. See the assignment . While students found the questions confusing at the beginning of the year, one student admits that by the end of the year "they were really helpful for me to refer to to keep the year connected in some way. Mrs. Handlin would use the questions throughout the year until they were clear and actually usable." Another student felt that "The throughlines were more for the teacher than for us..." while yet another believe that "The throughlines made you think harder and so you became a better person in English."

Mrs. Handlin says:

"We start off with the Throughlines on the board, so the first thing the students see when they come in [to the classroom] are these big questions.

We talk about them. And then I actually have them answer the throughline questions as their first assignment. So, that's the first thing they do. So they know right away, I tell them, that whatever we do is always going to be connected to those throughlines."

The 9 Throughlines:

1. How can you connect your own personal experiences, interests, passions, or ideals to your work in English?

   Student response in September: (Students are asked to respond to all of the throughlines as a homework assignment)

   If you are feeling sad you might write a sad story. If you are happy you might write a happy story.

   The same student's response in June: (For their final exam, students were told to select five of the nine throughlines. The student in this June column is the same one as in the September column.)

   My work in English is always changing. When we are working on something I am interested in or already know about, the work becomes [more enjoyable] and I enjoy it more. One of my favorite projects was setting description (Short Stories: Collage Unit). I was able to connect happy experience of mine that I thought was an impressive sight, and then write about what I saw and what I was feeling. Another time in English where I connected to my own life and interests this year was in Create-A-World. When I made my world I got to make it to my own standards. I like the water, so the creatures that live on my made up world swim in the water. If there is something I want or I enjoy I could incorporate it into my made up world. When I can relate to my English work it is almost always more enjoyable.

2. How does writing help your reading, and how does reading help your writing?

   Student response in September:

   Writing helps your reading. For example, when you are reading and you come across a word that you don't know, you can always go to the dictionary and find out what that certain word meant. Then you can understand what the author is saying if you come across that word again. Reading helps your writing by getting your imagination going and get you thinking about things you never actually thought about.

   The same student's response in June:

   Reading helps my writing in many ways as well as writing helps my reading. I used my reading to help my writing during the Setting Description Unit (Short Stories: Collage Unit). I believe that the purpose of the Setting Description Unit was to help us write in a more sophisticated way. We had a list of guidelines to follow while writing out stories, such as: use enough specific sensory details, well chosen adjectives, a few well chosen similies!, metaphores, and avoid using "you," "your," or "I's". From experience of writing our own stories, that helped me read easier. I also found that working on writing helped me notice more when I read. The writing project that really helped me notice the way authors write was during the Character in Conflict Unit. As well as the Setting Description Unit (Short Stories: Collage Unit) we had a list of guidelines to follow. We had to use details on character appearance, setting appearance, character's personality through actions or words, and use good, strong verbs. Almost everything I do helps me through reading and writing. That is how I become a smarter person.

3. How do the different elements of a piece of writing work together to make a whole?

   Student response in September:

   An element of a piece of writing is like a piece of a puzzle. In the same way that pieces need to go in the right places to make the puzzle complete, so do the elements of the story. For example, last year I did a whole unit on mysteries. For a mystery to be good, it needs all the elements in the right places. I mean that if the crime in the mystery happened at the very end of the story, it would not be a mystery because the crime , being one of the vital elements of the mystery, had not surfaced soon enough. So, to sum it all up, the different elements of a piece of writing work together to make a whole by fitting together in the right order.

   The same student's response in June:

   The different elements of a piece of writing work together to make a whole in a number of ways. One way they make a whole is by going in the right order. A good example of this is what I read in Watership Down.. In Watership Down., the events of the story had a very articulate order, which , if thrown off, could ruin the whole book...Another way elements can work together to make a whole is by supporting each other. I saw this in the beginning of the year when reading mysteries for free choice short stories. When reading the mysteries I realized that the facts needed to support each other. For instance, if the detective know that the knife was under the bridge, but it turned out to be in the library, the story would not make sense, because the facts didn't agree. IF the knife really was under the bridge, the elements would have supported each other and the story would be whole. Another way they can make a whole is by all being there. I saw this when reading the mysteries as well. If there is no crime, the mystery would not be complete. Every part of the mystery (detective, crime, clue, etc.) must be present for teh story to be whole. What makes a pieceof writing great is one in which all the elements are interlocking. I have touched on a few ways to make the elements interlock.

4. In what ways is literature true to life? In what ways is it not true to life?

   Student response in September:

   In my opinion, literature can always find a way true to life. Even in fairy tales they can have theme that always comes out to be true, that could happen, like two people falling in love. Also there could be a monster who they meant to be a bad person.

5. What common themes (ideas, problems, truths) can we find in literature from different places and times?

   Student response in September:

   One theme I like is sometimes you have to take a closer look at things. Like in Maniac Magee everyone thought Magee was nuts until they met him.

   The same student's response in June:

   There are many common themes in literature even though the stories are from different times and places. A theme that always seems to grasp my attention and is used throughout literature is overcoming obstacles. I saw this theme in the book Watership Down. and also in the myth Perseus. In both Watership Down. and in Perseus there was a treacherous journey to be made. For Perseus he had to get Medusa's head. The rabbits had to find a new home. Another theme I saw this year in reading was good over evil. I saw this in Watership Down. when the Watership Down. rabbits conquer the Efrefen arny and Woundwart. Mo mattter where or when in time the same themes will always be intriguing.

6. What is a hero?

   Student response in September:

   A hero to me is someone who does a good thing no matter to what the event is. It could be sports, acting, Army, and just an ordinary person. Some of my heroes are Andre Agassi, Michael Jordon, and Princess Diana.

   The same student's response in June:

   A hero to me is someone who comes through at tough times and shines over others. There are many heroes in lots of categories such as sports, science, and medicine. Heroes in sports are usually known for winning and heroes in medicine are known for coming up with a cure or a certain way to get rid of an infectious disease. I thought an example of a hero in our reading this year was Perseus because he used the awful giants powers and tricks against them to defeat them. The reason I thought Perseus was a hero was becaue he had an essential quality of a hero which was courage and that he could overcome tough but scary obstacles. Another example of a hero to me this year was Hazel in the book Watership Down because he encouraged others when they were in doubt. For example, when the group of rabbits were on their journey, they had doubts of making it to the down. But Hazel encouraged them by putting pictures of a beautiful down in their heads. So really in order for you to be a hero you can't get down on other people and you have to rise to the occasion.

7. How does keeping a Reading Response Journal help you be a better reader, writer, and thinker?

   Student response in September:

   Keeping a Response Journal can help you be a better reader because when you write down your thoughts it can help you really understand them better. It can help you be a better thinker. When you write down your thoughts, it gets you to think even more! A journal helps you be a better writer because you practice your writing.

   The same student's response in June:

   Keeping a Reading Journal helps you to be a better person in English. Writing in my journal helped me to be a better reader because it got me to notice how the author wrote in a book. I especially noticed this when we were reading Watership Down. I got confused at some parts, but because I kept a journal and wrote things down, I began to catch on. Writing in my journal helped my writing because I wrote on a consistant basis. I especially noticed this in my entries about The Giver. I wrote many entries about that because sometimes it got confusing, but by the time I got toWatership Down. it was a breeze. My thinking also improved because the older you get the harder the books are. If you keep writing in your journal, your thinking will improve. I am glad I kept a Reading Journal because it was worth it and I learned a lot from it.

8. What do people need to do in order to work well together?

   Student response in September:

   For people to be able to work well together, they needed to have the fact that sometimes, they might be wrong, firmly implanted in their brains. On a more serious note, they need to try to like each other. A perfect example of this is the student/teacher relationship. If the student doesn't try to like the teacher, and the teacher makes no move to like the student, they will probably end up disliking each other and will both be in for a bad time. (Though I personally think the student will be in for the worse time.)

   The same student's response in June:

   I think people need at least two strategies to work well together. One important stratgegy is to be willing to compromise. This year I learned this when I worked on the Watership Down. reasoning guide. Something like this would happen: They would both agree on something but I would disagree. I would then try to convince them to disagree, instead of compromising. I could have said "OK, you get it this time, and I'll get it next time." Instead we would waste all our time arguing. Another thing I could have done is compromise by letting the majority rule, (since there were three of us), but as it was, we had little teamwork since we didn't compromise. Another essential strategy to good teamwork is understanding each other's point of view. I realized how important this was this year when I read the book Watership Down. . General Woundwort couldn't see anybody's way but his. As a result, he could only see one way to run Efrafa, and didn't take a glance at what its residents felt. Woundwort almost saw Hazel'spoint of view for an instant, but he couldn't do it, which led to his demise. If people see only their own way, they won't be able to find out whether or not theperson actually had a good idea or not. Teamwork is one of the most important skills in life. I have given what I feel to be the two most important ways to achive teamwork.

9. How can you make your work better?

   Student response in September:

   Using more sophisticated words, using details, making sure it is neat and the writing is readable, and making sure it is organized are the ways I can make my writing better.

   The same student's response in June:

   There are many ways that I can make my work better. One way I can improve my work is by extending my vocabulary and using verbs and adjectives. The activity that really made me realize this was both the Setting Description (Short Stories: Collage Unit) and the Character in Conflict Units. We had to use certain kinds of words, and adjectives and other things. Another way I can make my work better is by reading more difficult books. I really saw the importance of this when my classmates and I had writing assignments. During the Setting Description and Character in Conflict units I really wanted to make my stories sound really good. I now know I can achieve this by reading more difficult books and noticing what the author did to make their story good and try to do that to mine. When you make your work better, you can look back and be proud of your accomplishments, after all it is worth it!

Pictures of Practice Contents Introduction The Colonial Biography Unit (7th Grade History) A Year of Seventh Grade English A Year of Eighth Grade Science The Jazz Unit Snapshot Using the CCDT to Develop Generative Topics