What We're Learning: English 9

Students in Mrs. Heather Diss's 9th grade English class are currently studying The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding. The novel explores what happens to social order and childhood innocence when a group of British school boys is stranded without adults on a deserted island. Mrs. Diss is using the novel to teach characterization and symbolism and to explore the novel's central ideas through class discussion and writing.

Most recently, Mrs. Diss's students had the opportunity to explore the characterization of the novel's central characters through a RAFT writing assignment. A RAFT assignment allows students to chose thier Role, Audience, Format, and Topic and use what they have read to create a new piece of writing that illustrates their understanding.

Mrs. Diss's students could choose the following:

Role	Audience	Format	Topic
Piggy	Family back home	Poem or Song	The Beast
Ralph	Jack	Letter	What happened to the boy with the mulberry-colored birthmark
Jack	The rest of the world	Speech	Homesickness
Percival	Self	Newspaper Article	Who should be the leader on the island

Visit Oracle Charter School's Student Work page to read some examples of student responses to this assignment!

Holiday Door Decorating Contest

I apologize that this post was, well, postponed because of the unfortunately timed snow day we had right before the start of Winter Break! But I wanted to be sure to provide you with news and photos from the Spirit Week that preceded Oracle's Winter Break...

As part of Oracle Charter School's Student Council sponsored Spirit Week, students competed in a door decorating contest. Winners of the door decorating contest will be announced at the end of this week!

Mr. Elliott's door to the Earth Science classroom sure does look festive!

Boys Varsity Basketball Wins Tournament

The boys varsity basketball team won the Stanley G. Falk Tip-Off Tournament on Tues Dec 2. They beat Falk, 37-63, to get into the finals where they faced off against Emerson. They defeated Emerson, 47 - 70, to take the tournament. Terrance Williams was named a 1st team all-star and Kevin Mims was the tournament MVP.

Kids Voting!

Many thanks to Oracle's technology teacher, Tammy Boucher, who made sure that our students had the opportunity to practice good citizenship, participate in last week's historic presidential election, and have their voices heard! Oracle Charter School became one of many schools that participated in Kids Voting Western New York, sponsored through the University at Buffalo.

Before being given this opportunity, many of our students were not fully aware of what happens during the voting process. Oracle students were excited to be part of a historical, and for some, a very personal event. Our teachers put great effort into making sure our students knew what each candidate stood for, underscoring the importance of making informed choices as citizens.

Of the students from Oracle Charter School who voted in Kids Voting!:

95% voted for Barack Obama / Joe Biden compared with 52% of the nation's popular vote

2% voted for John McCain / Sarah Palin compared with 46.3% of the nation's popular vote

Halloween Spirit Day @ OCS

TRICK OR TREAT!… This year’s Halloween Spirit Day was a huge success! The festivities kicked off with everyone dressing in their costumes and all of the advisories competing against each other in a couple of fun games. These activities ranged from potato sack races and beanbag tosses, to Halloween bingo and pin the eye on the monster. We even had our own Oracle version of the Clue board game, with some of the murder suspects being Oracle’s own faculty. This was a hit among the students!

It was a day filled with fun and laughter that could be heard throughout the building. However, while there was a ton of fun being had by all, the students couldn’t wait to get to the most important part, …which advisories had won?!? Points were given to advisories throughout the day based on team spirit, sportsmanship, and whether or not they won the activity. One of our three student council advisories took 1st Place with a prize of a large pizza, double wings, and two 2-Liters of Pepsi. Mrs. Morgante’s advisory followed in 2nd, with Mr. Schroeder’s finishing in 3rd.

This Spirit Day would not have been what it was if it wasn’t for Mrs. Owen. She planned and coordinated this event with the help from students on the Spirit Day Committee. So, thank you Mrs. Owen for an amazing day. We can’t wait to see what you are cooking up for the next one!

CONTRIBUTED BY: Laryssa K., 12th Grade Student