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About Our Relationship
I believe that we are a team -- parent / teacher / student -- all working together for the constant improvement of us all. In order to work as a team, I believe that we must communicate clearly and frequently. I, the teacher, promise to always give my best to each and every student. Plus, I will keep you, parents and students, updated on what is going on in class through weekly emails, PowerSchool, and this website. Parents can connect to PowerSchool at least weekly to check on the student's progress. Plus, parents can read the weekly emails and converse with the student about classroom activities. (They make great conversation starters at dinner). Parents can also check this website for more detailed information about the activities in class and/or connect with me with any questions or comments through email ([email protected]). Students can put forth their best efforts daily, track their own progress on PowerSchool weekly, and maintain a communicative relationship with teacher and parents. If we all do our parts, this will be the most successful year possible!
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About 8th GRADE
ENGLISH / LANGUAGE ARTS SYLLABUS
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DAILY LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
(Often known as "Homework")
DAILY READING: Teaching our students to be life-long learners by becoming life-long readers is one of our major goals in the Greencastle-Antrim School District. For this reason, students will be assigned reading every single night of this school year. The more students read, the more they improve their reading skills and the more they learn to love reading. Reading homework will include 30 minutes of reading each evening. |
Books are the quietest and most constant of friends;
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My father told me once that words and letters hold the secrets of the universe. That in their shapes and sounds I could find everything, could see beyond myself to something special... perfect." |
DAILY VOCABULARY: Increasing and improving our vocabularies is the key to success in reading, in school, and in life. We will be focusing on daily vocabulary practice to enhance our vocabularies as greatly as possible. Time will be provided in class for at least one vocabulary exercise daily, but what is not completed in class will need to be completed outside of class. |
We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospection.
~Anais Nin~
DAILY WRITING: By writing daily, we will improve our writing skills. The best way to improve any skill is to practice, practice, and practice some more. Some weeks we will be blogging to each other. Other weeks we will be working on a larger piece of writing for presentation to the class, but always, we will be writing.
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The Importance of Eighth Grade
Academic Achievement in the Eighth Grade is the Greatest Predictor for Postsecondary Success
The level of academic achievement that students attain by eighth grade has a larger impact on college and career readiness than anything that happens academically in high school.
If we want to improve the graduation rate in our nation and give all students an opportunity for post-secondary education, we cannot wait until high school to begin that work.
Eighth-grade achievement displays a stronger relationship with eleventh- or twelfth-grade ACT scores, and therefore with college and career readiness, than does any other factor -- more than students' family background, high school coursework, or high school grade point average.
In addition, the findings showed that academic discipline and orderly conduct both had a substantial impact on course failure in eighth grade, and the same factors combined with having positive relationships with school personnel greatly impacted grade point average in the ninth grade.
The Forgotten Middle, research report, outlines nonnegotiable knowledge and skills that all eighth grade students must have in order to be on target for college and career readiness.
WRITING
READING
To achieve these goals, we are called to hold high expectations for every student, providing them with a challenging curriculum, engaging instruction, and balanced assessment--and deliver it within the context of an environment personalized to meet the needs of young adolescents.
(The above information comes directly from "Middle Level Proves to Be Turning Point for College and Career Readiness," an article in the January 2009 issue of NewsLeader.)
Please notice throughout this year that all of our classwork will be focused on these objectives for future success!!! In addition, if you discover that all students do not have the same work, please understand that the work has been personalized to the needs of each individual student. What we are learning is truly important for future success!!! Let's all work together to make this important year the most successful and achievement-filled possible!!!
The level of academic achievement that students attain by eighth grade has a larger impact on college and career readiness than anything that happens academically in high school.
If we want to improve the graduation rate in our nation and give all students an opportunity for post-secondary education, we cannot wait until high school to begin that work.
Eighth-grade achievement displays a stronger relationship with eleventh- or twelfth-grade ACT scores, and therefore with college and career readiness, than does any other factor -- more than students' family background, high school coursework, or high school grade point average.
In addition, the findings showed that academic discipline and orderly conduct both had a substantial impact on course failure in eighth grade, and the same factors combined with having positive relationships with school personnel greatly impacted grade point average in the ninth grade.
The Forgotten Middle, research report, outlines nonnegotiable knowledge and skills that all eighth grade students must have in order to be on target for college and career readiness.
WRITING
- Organization, unity, and coherence
- Word choice in terms of style, tone, clarity, and economy
- Sentence structure and formation
- Conventions of usage
- Conventions of punctuation
READING
- Main ideas and author's approach
- Supporting details
- Sequential, comparative, and cause-effect relationships
- Meanings of words
- Generalization and conclusions
To achieve these goals, we are called to hold high expectations for every student, providing them with a challenging curriculum, engaging instruction, and balanced assessment--and deliver it within the context of an environment personalized to meet the needs of young adolescents.
(The above information comes directly from "Middle Level Proves to Be Turning Point for College and Career Readiness," an article in the January 2009 issue of NewsLeader.)
Please notice throughout this year that all of our classwork will be focused on these objectives for future success!!! In addition, if you discover that all students do not have the same work, please understand that the work has been personalized to the needs of each individual student. What we are learning is truly important for future success!!! Let's all work together to make this important year the most successful and achievement-filled possible!!!
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Here's what we're doing in the eighth grade, and specifically in eighth grade language arts, to prepare you for a successful future...
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Click here to learn more...
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My thoughts...
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