Now that I’m back in the school building, I have some expectations of what I want to see before the end of the third quarter. My absences have affected my class productivity. I am not pleased!

However, many of my students are writing Slice of Life stories for the March challenge, which is making life interesting. I cannot wait until the end of the month when we revise, edit, and publish. The March Book Madness “Sweet 16” bracket came out on www.marchbookmadness.weebly.com, so that’s fun to follow. I think an interesting match-up in the Reality bracket will be A Strange Case of Origami Yoda vs. A Night Divided. They are very different books, so I’d like to see which one is the “winner” there. Below are the match-ups:

Fantasy Bracket: Rump vs. Fablehaven, Snicker of Magic vs. Iron Trials, Crenshaw vs. Flora & Ulysses, and Magnus Chase vs. Artemis Fowl

Reality Bracket: Out of My Mind vs. The Honest Truth, A Strange Case of Origami Yoda vs. A Night Divided, Because of Mr. Terupt vs. Bud, Not Buddy, and Fish in a Tree vs. Sunny Side Up.

Now it’s time to buckle down and work. I want published works, reading, and projects that are 6th-going-to-7th-grade-ready! I want students to shine.

March Book Madness bracket information for middle school voting can be found at http://www.marchbookmadness.weebly.com. The Slice of Life Story Challenge is hosted by the wonderful ladies at www.twowritingteachers.wordpress.com. Thank you!