Welcome to 8th Grade Language Arts! Teacher: Amanda Rounds Room: G-1 Phone: 668-3361 ext. 1477 Email: [email protected] Website: rounds8.weebly.com
Materials You will Need Every Day:
Pencil or pen (blue or black ink)
A composition style notebook (please NO spiral notebooks)
A paper/plastic folder for our Reading Folder
A paper/plastic folder OR one inch 3-ring binder to hold homework such as essay drafts, and final essays
Your independent reading book
Extra Supplies That We Use Frequently:
Glue stick
Scissors
Highlighters
Skinny markers or colored pens
Loose-leaf paper
Our Goals: How We Will Achieve Them:
Reading:
To comprehend and analyze nonfiction and fictional literature with increasingly challenging reading levels.
Participate in independent reading, classroom book clubs, and large group literature studies. We will read short stories, poetry, and nonfiction articles.
Use reading strategies, note-taking, creative responses, discussions, and writing to help us more actively and deeply engage in our reading.
We will also use what we read to inspire how we write. Reading and writing are beautifully connected - you will see!
Writing:
To write well for a variety of purposes and audiences.
To use the writing process to cultivate ideas, develop personal style and voice, and improve grammar and usage.
Write several papers within the narrative, informative, persuasive, and reflective writing styles.
Write in-class timed writings as well as longer papers in Writer’s Workshop.
Practice grammar and usage skills in mini-lessons to strengthen writing skills.
It is imperative that you never go a day without a line. Many of your pieces will be writing you do as practice of the craft. You will be able to decide which pieces you turn in for rubric grading.
Speaking and Listening (Participation):
To speak to audiences using effective body language, voice, and visual aids.
To communicate well using close listening, effective body language, and clear speaking skills.
Present individual and small group speeches each quarter in informal and formal settings.
Learn techniques to improve voice, pace, eye contact, gestures, stage presence and confidence.
Responsibility:
To cultivate habits of preparation, organization, perseverance, and respect.
Keep an organized writer’s/reader's notebook
Learn techniques for staying focused, usingresources, and asking for help when needed.
Practice the classroom routines and protocols designed to foster respect for self, others, andlearning.
Essay Rewrite Policy: You have the opportunity to revise and rewrite extended essays if you would like to improve your grade. In order to earn the opportunity to submit a rewrite, you must first set up a writing conference with Mrs. Rounds. These occur during lunch or on writing conferencing days. Come to your conference prepared with your essay, a pencil, and questions about your paper. After the conference, you will have one week to revise and resubmit your essay with improvements. You will receive a new grade for your essay.
How You’ll Be Graded: Writing Workshop: 40% Reading Workshop: 40% Participation: 20% * You will get a DAILY PARTICIPATION grade of 5 points per day. You will be scored based on your BEST effort in all you do in class.
Late Work or Make-Up Work Policy: All assignments and homework must be turned in on time. For all late assignments, your grade will automatically be deducted 20%. Missing assignments will automatically be recorded as a zero. Assignments missed during excused absences must be made up promptly; you will have the number of days you missed in addition to one extra day. Allowances will be made for extreme circumstances; it is your responsibility to make an arrangement with Mrs. Rounds in this type of situation. To determine what you missed, check with a classmate, the class calendar on Mrs. Rounds' website, the extra handouts and resources filing cabinet, or Mrs. Rounds. For making up quizzes or timed writings, please see Mrs. Rounds to schedule a make-up date.
Extra Help: My job is to help you become a more confident English user. I will always make myself available to provide you with extra help should you need it. Please let me know if you would like extra assistance, and we will schedule a time during lunch or before school to meet.
Expectations:
Always come to class prepared
Please make sure to use your FOUR bathroom/hall passes per semester wisely.
Please stay in your assigned seat during all instruction time. During work time, you may move to a "BEST FIT SPOT." That spot is where you can be the most productive in class.
Please raise your hand to speak
Above all, be kind: to yourself, to your teacher, to your peers, and to our classroom. It's really what matters most.