Monday, 8/26/13

     Hello eighth graders! It is great to be back! I have high expectations for you this year and I know you will bring your best self to class every day. After reading several current educational resources this summer, I came to the realization that student choice is a motivating factor in reading and writing instruction. Therefore, this year you will have many opportunities to pick your own reading material and choose writing tasks that interest you while also aligning with our curriculum. Get ready to write!

Monday
In class: We will review, model, and practice classroom procedures.

Homework: Write one page describing a paint chip color that best describes your personality. Remember to use an adjective within the name of the color, such as Fiery Red, Perky Pink, or Scorching Scarlet. Make sure to name your paint chip color, describe why you connect with the color, and give a real-life example as to why the color is the perfect representation for you. Write this in black pen and skip lines in order to leave room for editing and revision. I will use this as a baseline assessment to gauge what writing skills you have acquired and what you might need work with.

Tuesday
In class: We will discuss popular genres and writing territories. We will identify the territories that we feel most comfortable with and those that we need to explore more. We will watch an interview with author Jack Gantos and analyze the development of his fresh writing style.

Homework: Review and discuss the class syllabus with your parent(s) or guardian. Make sure you both sign the syllabus and place it in your language arts sheet protector. Read your independent reading novel for 30 minutes. Complete your writing territories list.

Wednesday
In class: We will identify the reading territories that we are comfortable with and those that we need to explore more. We will organize our TOC, Reading Record, Writing Record, Writing Territories, and Reading Territories.

Homework: Work on filling in your reading territories list. Read for 30 minutes. Make sure to bring your book to class everyday!

Thursday
In class: Today we will complete reading interest surveys and choose our first writing tasks from our writing territories. These will help me make book suggestions and will also serve as a data source. Please fill them out as honestly as you can. If you need copies, you can find links under the Class Resources section on the right side of this blog.

Homework: Choose a writing task from your writing territories list. Plan to work at least one hour total on this task between now and Tuesday. Read for 30 minutes. Make sure you bring your book to class!

Friday
In class: Today we will have our first writing workshop. Come prepared with a writing task from your writing territories in mind so we can begin the planning step of our writing process. I will also introduce a few upcoming national writing contest deadlines. Check the Contests tab for the websites.

Homework: Continue to work on your first writing task. You must put in at least an hour of work outside of class between this Thursday and next Tuesday. Also, read your independent novel for at least 30 minutes each day of the weekend. Finally, to all of you scholars, have a fabulous long weekend and I'll see you soon!