Each 7th and 8th Grade student must read an equivalent of 5 books per trimester.  To receive credit for these books, students are required to take the corresponding Accelerated Reading tests.  Longer books with 250+ pages count as two books.  If a book is not on the Accelerated Reading list, Mrs. Funk will provide a form for students to complete.  This form must be signed by a parent and also Mrs. Funk.  All students must pass at least 3 Accelerated Reading tests each trimester.  The deadlines for the 3rd Trimester are:

Friday April 20, 2012 (first 3 books)

Thursday May 17, 2012 (2 more books)

For our final units of study, the 7th and 8th Grade students will study Greek Mythology by reading simplified versions of the Iliad and the Odyssey.  These two famous epic poems are so beautiful that they still remain among the greatest epics ever written.  Epic poetry, which narrates historical and mythical heroic adventures, is the earliest surviving form of Greek literature.  Although the authorship of the epics the Iliad and the Odyssey is usually attributed to a blind poet named Homer, scholars disagree about who Homer was or whether he existed at all.  Some say the famous works were written by at least two poets.  Others argue that the same man wrote both poems, the Iliad with he was young and the Odyssey when he was old.

The 8th Grade students are currently reading The Trojan War by Bernard Evslin.  It’s a simplified version of the Iliad composed by Homer, the ancient epic poet of Greece, around the 800s B.C.  The story of the Iliad  begins in the tenth year of the Trojan War.  It consists of 24 books which describe a period of only 49 days.  Most of the story deals with the anger of the hero, the great Achilles, and its tragic results to the Greeks.  Achilles became angry because of an insult from his commander, Agamemnon.  Achilles had fallen in love with Briseis, a beautiful captive of the Greek army, and Agamemnon took Briseis from him.  The Iliad tells a fascinating story in a direct manner.  Many of its characters are noble and majestic people.  Its poetry is rhythmical and beautiful.  The work also serves as a record of the ancient world, especially of its manners and customs.

The 7th Grade students are currently reading The Adventures of Ulysses by Bernard Evslin.  It’s a simplified version of the Odyssey composed by Homer, the ancient epic poet of Greece, around the 800s B.C.  The story of the Odyssey features Ulysses, fearsome leader of the Greek forces, whose amazing strategy helped the Greeks conquerTroy.  After the war, he and his men embark upon a glorious journey home, unaware that they have angered the gods.  Their journey will last for ten long years, riddled with more perils than the imagination can conceive.  They encounter the Cyclops, an enormous one-eyed monster who makes meals of his men.  Then they meet Circe, the beautiful sorceress who turns men into pigs.  Other nightmarish creatures that they encounter are Scylla and Charybdis, who crush anyone who dares to cross their path.  Ulysses and his men keep to their tortured course, determined to reach the shores of home.