8th Grade Literacy
Classroom Policies and Procedures
I look forward to a successful school year filled with enthusiasm and new experiences. I absolutely love reading and I can't wait to share that with you. Eighth grade students have a literacy block, which include reader's workshop, writer's workshop, and word study. We cover a variety of topics throughout the year, including narrative nonfiction, short stories, informational and persuasive text, as well as dystopian and realistic fiction. We pend time working together as a whole class, in small groups, as well as individually throughout the year, and we also take time to read and discuss books in literature discussion groups. It's my goal to not only help you become better readers, but also to improve your ability to collaborate and work productively with your peers.
S.S.R. (Silent Sustained Reading)
Periodically, students will have silent reading time in which you can sit back and read a book of your choice. I have comfy chairs and bean bags in my room so that you can get comfortable and really lose yourself in a book. Students must bring self-selected reading material when they come to class each day. I strongly encourage you to check out books from the school or public library or from my classroom library and to search for books that interest you using www.infosoup.org. I read a lot for enjoyment, so I often offer suggestions to students as well. I will not require any book reports or projects in conjunction with S.S.R. I want you to read purely for enjoyment.
Materials
Students will need a three ring binder, tabs, loose leaf, post-its, pencils, and a highlighter. You will be organizing your literacy binder on the first day of class. This binder will include goals and assessments, as well as a section for reader's workshop, writer's workshop, and word study. Daily, students should bring reading material (required for class / S.S.R. book) to class as well. Feel free to contact me for any help with materials.
Website
The Mastery Connect website is an excellent way to check your child's progress in this class. This will show you the standards that are covered in reading and writing throughout the year, as well as your progress toward mastery of these goals. E-mail is another great tool I use to communicate throughout the quarter. My e-mail address is (alysonnewhouse@hasd.org).
Mrs. Newhouse
alysonnewhouse@hasd.org
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