Welcome to 8th grade Language Arts & Reading!
"We wish for the truly complicated types of joy that are imaginable: the joy that arouses our curiosity, is rooted in our passions, and demands our full attention. It is this kind of work that makes life matter, brings life meaning, and makes classrooms places rich in joy and the hopes and dreams that are realized from it."
--Meyer & Whitmore, Reclaiming Joy: Spaces for Thinking and Action
8th grade is a big year. It is the last year of Junior High, and I strive to do my best to prepare students for high school next year. I believe in a risk-taking, mistake-making classroom. I say this because often times we forget how important taking risks and learning from our mistakes can be. I aim to encourage students to step outside of their comfort zone. I encourage students to struggle, problem-solve, think critically, and see the value in that endurance. Reading and writing are important because that's how we make sense of the world; they are our tools for communication. I intend to teach based on my own learning and growing by using my own reading and writing examples to show how to do things, and demonstrating my own reading and writing mistakes to model how to fix them. The only way to get better at reading and writing is to practice doing them a lot, so that is what I intend for us to do.
I like to keep in contact with parents/guardians by maintaining this classroom website, keeping PowerSchool updated weekly, and by e-mails and phone calls when I have a concern or when I’d like to share some good news. Please make sure your e-mail address and phone number are current with the school office so that our lines of communication can stay open. I want us to work together to help our students succeed. I will keep this website updated with a tentative schedule and assignment due dates for each of the courses: Language Arts and Reading. I will also link downloadable files of the assignments and handouts so you can view or print off copies from anywhere with an internet connection.
--Meyer & Whitmore, Reclaiming Joy: Spaces for Thinking and Action
8th grade is a big year. It is the last year of Junior High, and I strive to do my best to prepare students for high school next year. I believe in a risk-taking, mistake-making classroom. I say this because often times we forget how important taking risks and learning from our mistakes can be. I aim to encourage students to step outside of their comfort zone. I encourage students to struggle, problem-solve, think critically, and see the value in that endurance. Reading and writing are important because that's how we make sense of the world; they are our tools for communication. I intend to teach based on my own learning and growing by using my own reading and writing examples to show how to do things, and demonstrating my own reading and writing mistakes to model how to fix them. The only way to get better at reading and writing is to practice doing them a lot, so that is what I intend for us to do.
I like to keep in contact with parents/guardians by maintaining this classroom website, keeping PowerSchool updated weekly, and by e-mails and phone calls when I have a concern or when I’d like to share some good news. Please make sure your e-mail address and phone number are current with the school office so that our lines of communication can stay open. I want us to work together to help our students succeed. I will keep this website updated with a tentative schedule and assignment due dates for each of the courses: Language Arts and Reading. I will also link downloadable files of the assignments and handouts so you can view or print off copies from anywhere with an internet connection.
Important Links
10 Reasons to Take it Outside
encouraging young adults to explore nature, via Iowa DNR & the National Wildlife Federation Geocaching a personal hobby of my own, one way to get young adults who enjoy technology gadgets outside to play Education in the News article about parent-teacher communication on CNN |