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Reedy Creek MS Staff Directory
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Ms. Hickle's Webpage
Sally & Atticus In Language Arts this quarter, we will be writing a persuasive essay based on a our research of the Dust Bowl and read Out of the Dust, a required novel for 8th grade. Please bring in Box Tops for Education!
A. R. Deadline: 1/15/10 (Remember, this is 10% of your final grade.) End of 2nd Quarter: 1/22/10 Make-up work due: 12/18/09
Out of the Dust Research Project
Web Sites for The Holocaust research United States Holocaust Memorial Museum The Giver Web Quest http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/ss2002/finn/web1.htm Great Sites: Free Rice Vocabulary Challenge http://online.culturegrams.com/index.html http://www.wmms.net/walters/student/skillstest.htm (Computer Test) http://classroom.jc-schools.net/basic/la.html (Grammar, Spelling, Reading games) http://www.quia.com/mc/3522.html (Capitaliaztion Rules Game) http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/cgi-shl/par_numberless_quiz.pl/caps_quiz.htm (Capitalization Quiz)
Reedy Creek Middle School Ms. Hickle 8th Grade Language Arts 2009-2010 Teaching PhilosophyIt is my mission to give each student a challenging and diverse educational experience in a positive learning environment. I view myself as a resource for students to prepare them for future opportunities. Student ExpectationsEach student will receive a copy of school wide expectations and the standard of classroom behavior, and these expectations will be upheld in our classroom. In addition, the SOAR matrix for our classroom is posted. All students are accountable for their own behavior, their decisions. The most important steps students can take to achieve success in this class are to follow directions and put forth their best efforts. Behavior Expectations Reedy Creek MS has a school wide behavior plan. It is called the Red, Orange, and Yellow Card program. This program is paired with a “Positive Behavior” plan that is based on a reward system. Students have several chances every class period to comply with the expected behaviors, but if a student does not comply they will receive a referral with our grade level administrator, Mr. Angotti. If this happens I will contact you through calling (leaving a message if necessary) or emailing and explaining the inappropriate behavior and subsequent referral. Being PreparedAll students must come to class prepared with all their materials, including the Language Arts notebook, Accelerated Reader book, agenda, pencil/pen (blue or black), paper, homework, and any other assigned materials. Students have designated times to visit their lockers; necessary items should be gathered during these times. Language Arts NotebookAll homework, class work, assessments, and materials from Language Arts are expected to be in this 3-ring binder with dividers. Students are responsible for all these items and all handouts; do not throw anything from Language Arts away. We will clean out notebooks at the end of each quarter. Quarterly GradingHomework: 10% Class work: 40% Accelerated Reader: 10% Tests/Quizzes/Projects: 40% HomeworkHomework is typically assigned nightly. Homework assignments will be written on the whiteboard; it is each student’s responsibility to copy the assignment in his/her agenda. When homework is not assigned, “No Homework” should be recorded in the agenda. If students finish the assignment in class, it must still be recorded in their agendas. Agendas are required in Language Arts. Homework is checked daily and assigned a grade of 100% if completed. In the case of partial homework, a grade of 50% will be assigned. A zero is recorded for missing assignments. When a student is absent, it is his/her responsibility to obtain the homework from the missed days; homework assignments are written on the homework calendar beside the room door and also on my online homework calendar. Students may have the opportunity to make up missing or partially completed assignments; please see me for make up work availability and instructions. The final date for all make up work will vary by quarter, and that date will be posted on the whiteboard and my Web page. Class WorkWe will have daily activities, assignments, and class discussions, and it is important that all students participate, pay attention, and are ready to be called upon. When a student is absent, it is his/her responsibility to obtain class work from the missed days by checking his/her folder and speaking with the Absent Student Support team member. Accelerated ReaderEach student will complete a STAR diagnostic reading assessment to determine his/her reading level. After determining the Lexile levels, each student will be assigned a point goal to meet for each quarter. AR goals will not be negotiated once determined, and the AR schedule will not be altered for any student. AR deadlines will be posted on the whiteboard in the classroom. AR tests may only be taken in the Language Arts classroom or during Language Arts library time, with the administering teacher present. Tests/Quizzes/ProjectsAll tests, quizzes, and project rubrics will be kept in the students’ Language Arts notebook until the end of the quarter. CommunicationEmail is the preferred course of communication. Please feel free to use student agendas for parent/teacher correspondence. It is the student’s responsibility to present issues in the agenda to the teacher. I will receive phone messages through email from the front office. I will typically respond to all forms of communication within one weekday. If you wish to schedule a conference, please call the Student Services office (460-3504). Extra HelpI am available for extra help as individual needs require. Students should speak to me to make arrangements for extra help. Online Gradebook (SPAN)SPAN is available anytime, from any Internet venue at http://span.wcpss.net. All students are provided with SPAN accounts and passwords. Parents need to contact the front office (919-460-3504) to arrange for an account. Parents are encouraged to check grades. ProceduresØ Entering class: Enter the class quietly, go directly to your desk, and begin the Bell Ringer. Ø Getting out of your seat: If you need to sharpen your pencil, throw something away, staple something, etc., please wait until I have finished instruction to get out of your seat. You do not need to ask permission to do these things, but this does not mean you should disrupt other students from their work while you are out of your seat. Ø Food & Drink: The only drinks allowed in the classroom are bottles of water. Gum is prohibited. The only other food allowed is that distributed by the instructor. Ø Class Dismissal: The teacher will dismiss the class. When class ends, students will stay seated until released by the teacher. Email/Web Site You can contact me by email through the Reedy Creek Middle Web Site http://reedycreekms.wcpss.net. My email address is thickle@wcpss.net. You may also access my Web Page through the “Staff” link. The online version of the homework calendar will be found here or accessed directly at http://my.calendars.net/tera_j_hickle * Please sign and return. This signed guide will be counted as a homework assignment. Students will keep this guide in their Language Arts notebook, and I will keep the signed contracts in the students’ folders. If you have questions or concerns at any time this year, please feel free to contact me.
Reflections Standard reflections are written in paragraph form and are usually one page in length. You should answer the following questions in each reflection: 1. What went well? 2. What would you change? 3. What did you learn from/about yourself? 4. What did you learn from others? Metacognitive Reading Logs
Metacognition: n, awareness and understanding one's thinking and cognitive processes; thinking about thinking
The purpose of these metacognitive reading logs is to move beyond simply summarizing a passage. While reading, you should access your own thinking, become more aware of your reading process, and wield greater control over making your reading meaningful. As part of Language Arts, you are required to read for 20 minutes, two days per week. Each log will be worth 50% of your weekly Reading Log grade. Reading logs will be due each Friday; other arrangements will be made if we do not have school on Friday. If you are absent on Friday, reading logs are due the day you return to school. To receive full credit for the weekly Reading Log grade, you must have two separate logs that meet the following requirements. Each log must: Ø Begin with one of the following prompts. Please do not use the same prompt for each log. Ø Be at least one half page in length. Ø Be signed and dated by a parent/guardian. Ø Include the title and author of book. Prompts (Sentence Starters) for Reading Logs: Ø I got confused when… Ø I was distracted by… Ø I started to think about… Ø I got stuck when… Ø Time went quickly because… Ø I stopped because… Ø I figured out that… Ø I first thought… but then I realized… Please use these prompts to discuss the book. Perhaps while you were reading, you “started to think about” what you were going to have for dinner, but this is not an appropriate entry for your learning log. Maybe you “were distracted by” something outside, but if you were not distracted from reading by something in the book, please select another prompt.
LITERATURE CIRCLE JOBS
v ARTFUL ARTIST Ø Name: __________ Ø Book Title: __________ Ø Pages Read: _____ to _____ § Your job is to draw anything about the story that you like. Do not copy pictures from the cover. Draw on a blank sheet of paper (not lined). Suggestions: A character; setting; problem; exciting part; a surprise; a decision; a prediction; a picture of where you saw yourself ¨ MUST BE COLORED ¨ UNLINED PAPER
v CONNECTOR Ø Name: __________ Ø Book Title: __________ Ø Pages Read: _____ to _____ § Your job is to find connections between the book your group is reading and the world outside. Connecting to your own life, happenings at school or in the community, similar events at other times and places, other people or problems that you were reminded of between this book and other books. ¨ MUST BE AT LEAST ½ PAGE
v DIALOGUE DESIGNER Ø Name: __________ Ø Book Title: __________ Ø Pages Read: _____ to _____ § Your job is to help circle members put themselves into the action of the story by creating imaginary conversations. This “dialogue” takes place between a character in the reading and the dialogue designer. It can be entertaining, persuasive, or informational. ¨ MUST BE AT LEAST 1 PAGE
v DISCUSSION DIRECTOR Ø Name: __________ Ø Book Title: __________ Ø Pages Read: _____ to ______ § Your job is to develop a list of questions that your group might want to discuss about this part of the book. Don’t worry about the small details (skinny questions); your task is to help people talk over the big ideas (“phat” questions) in the reading. ¨ MUST HAVE AT LEAST 6–10 “PHAT” QUESTIONS
v INVESTIGATOR Ø Name: __________ Ø Book Title: __________ Ø Pages Read: _____ to _____ § Your job is to dig up some background information one any topic related to your book. This might include: the geography, weather, culture or history of the book setting, information about the author (DO NOT COPY THE BLURB ON THE BACK OF THE BOOK), time period, picture, objects, materials, music, animals, or groups. Investigate something that interests you. DO NOT COPY WORDS FROM A BOOK OR INFORMATION ON A WEBSITE. ¨ MUST BE AT LEAST ½ PAGE LONG ¨ DOCUMENT YOUR SOURCE
v TRAVEL TRACER Ø Name: __________ Ø Book Title: __________ Ø Pages Read: _____ to _____ § Your job is to track carefully where the action takes place during the reading. Describe each setting in detail, either in words or in an action map. 1) Where today’s action begins (page where its described) 2) Where key events happened (page where its described) 3) Where today’s events end (page where its described) ¨ MUST BE AT LEAST ½ PAGE, PARAGRAPH FORM ¨ DRAWING: BLANK PAPER, COLOR
v WORD WIZARD Ø Name: __________ Ø Book Title: __________ Ø Pages Read: _____ to _____ § Your job is to be on the lookout for a few especially important words in the reading. You must have two lists: 1) New vocabulary words and dictionary meaning 2) Special, familiar words and why they are important to the reading. ¨ MUST HAVE AT LEAST 10 WORDS IN EACH LIST
Respect and Cooperation Mean Success! This page is maintained by Tera Hickle. Updated on 2009-11-12 08:19:13. |
