Literacy in Action: A Week of Curiosity and Conversation in Middle School
Literacy Week in our middle school has been filled with energy, creativity, and thoughtful exploration. Throughout the week, students have engaged with language in many forms, reading, discussion, poetry, and art. Each experience invites them to think more deeply about how stories shape our understanding of the world.
We began the week with a school-wide celebration of reading and community. Our Primary School students paraded through the Middle School, with middle schoolers joining in the excitement. Many students dressed as their favorite book characters, bringing beloved stories to life throughout the building.
In the new pavilion, Liam led a spirited performance of The Marylhurst School song, creating a shared moment of joy that set the tone for the week ahead.
On Tuesday, students turned their attention to a more complex and thought-provoking topic: challenged and banned books. Using resources from the American Library Association, students rotated through learning stations focused on community concerns, intellectual freedom, book challenges and data, and the definitions and processes behind book bans.
We began with a quote from George Orwell’s 1984:
“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”
This idea framed the conversations as students explored questions of access, voice, and decision-making. Their discussions were thoughtful and reflective, raising questions such as:
Why do a small number of people get to decide for the rest of us?
Should individuals be able to choose what they read?
What criteria are used to challenge or ban a book?
Why do people in positions of power react strongly, even when only a small number of books or readers are involved?
These conversations will continue beyond the classroom, and we encourage families to keep the dialogue going at home.
Later in the week, we are excited to welcome Ana Michalowsky, MFA (Pacific University), who will work with students to explore poetry as a form of cultural expression.
Students will be introduced to the ghazal, an ancient poetic form that originated in 7th-century Arabic poetry and later spread across South Asia and parts of the Middle East. Made up of independent couplets connected by theme rather than narrative, the ghazal allows for rich emotional expression while maintaining a highly structured form.
This work connects directly to their broader studies of ancient civilizations, helping students see how ideas, art forms, and traditions move across regions and time. Through this exploration, students deepen their understanding of both shared human experiences and the unique cultural contexts that shape them.
They will close the week by exploring the work of writer and artist Faith Ringgold, focusing on how artists use symbolism, such as flags and other powerful imagery, to tell stories and express identity.
This final experience invites students to consider how visual language, like written language, can communicate meaning, perspective, and history.
Literacy Week is also a moment to reflect on the strength of our reading community. Thanks to the generosity of our families through last year’s Read-a-thon, our students have access to an expanding and engaging collection of books and resources.
Recent additions include:
Student-requested series such as Heartless, Keeper of the Lost Cities, Pax: Journey Home, and Leviathan
Classroom reading sets like Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Finding Langston, Freewater, and Things Fall Apart
New titles supporting the Oregon Battle of the Books program
Resources that strengthen both Earth Science learning and the science of reading
These materials continue to support student engagement and growth across subjects.
Literacy Week has been a powerful reminder that reading and writing are not just academic skills, they are ways of thinking, questioning, and connecting.
From joyful celebration to complex discussion, from poetry to visual art, our students are experiencing literacy as a living, evolving practice.
Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting your children as readers, thinkers, and engaged members of our learning community.
As a reminder, Read-a-thon donation packets may still be returned this week, and contributions can also be made online. Your support directly enriches the learning experiences at the heart of a Marylhurst education.
