Curriculum Night

Dear 8th Grade Parents:

Here is a detailed overview of 8th Grade ELA:

Communication:

• Contact me at dgalang@k051.org with any questions or concerns. When students need help with their work, they can email me and/or make an appointment to see me (during lunch or Wednesday mornings 8:05-8:40).
• Check my blog for assignments and lessons: msgalangenglish.blogspot.com.
• All students now have an academic email that they can use in all classes; their email addresses follow this formula: 17firstinitiallastname@k051.org.

• All students will be writing a blog for this class. This has been set up for them. The URL for each blog follows this formula: 17firstinitiallastname.blogspot.com. This is how they will share their reading and writing.

Grading:

• Register at Pupil Path to view your child’s grades: https://pupilpath.skedula.com/register/parent/.
• I will send out class and parent emails and individual progress reports this way, so it is essential that you sign in.
• Remember your passwords. Only come to me with technical problems that you cannot resolve on your own or through Pupil Path contacts.
• Please be aware that grades based on input of scores and assignments. 1 missing assignment will be marked as a 0; this will bring down the average at least 10 points depending on its worth.
• Grades should be checked after certain assignments have been inputted or perhaps weekly or biweekly.
• Being able to see your grades helps create transparency and dialogue. Students should keep their assignments and make sure the grades are accurately posted. Email me if I have made a mistake or if you have questions.
• Note: the math is accurate on the program and does not have to be checked. The percentages are computed automatically.

ELA Curriculum

I. Reading and Responding to Fiction (September)

a  Establish reading rituals: choosing books in a creative way,stopping, thinking, and annotating as we read, discussing books, writing thoughtfully about what we read through notebook entries and published reading responses

b. Read short fiction such as “Ashes” by Susan Beth Pfeffer, "Am I Blue?" by Bruce Coville

c. Practice close reading skills: notice and analyze important details; focus on analyzing character, structure, and theme; begin to think more critically about social and controversial issues in texts

d. Create blogs for reading responses; teach and model strategies for responding to texts and writing reading responses

II. Reading and Responding to Nonfiction (October)

a. Practice close reading skills: annotate and notice important details; make connections between texts

b. Plan and write a debate and argument essay

c. Read and respond to Upfront magazines

III. Reading and Writing Picture Book for Social Action/Justice (November-December)

a.  Read a variety of texts and genres that expose students to social issues

b.  Read and understand structure of picture book

c.  Write a picture book on a social issue

d.  Learn how to research

e.  Write research-based foreword on the issue for picture book

IV.  Reading and Writing Poetry for Social Action/Justice (January)

a.  Read a variety of poetry on social issues

b.  Write a short anthology and foreword

c.  Learn/review figurative language and other poetic devices

V.  Romeo and Juliet (February-March)

a.  Learn critical reading skills for reading difficult texts including Shakespeare sonnets

b.  Learn/apply drama skills

c.  Prepare for high school English

d.  Write literary essay

VI.  Test Prep (March)

a. NYS ELA Test March 28-30

b. Become familiar with the test structure and how it is evaluated; practice test-taking skills

c.  Learn and apply reading and writing skills for test

VII.  Coming of Age (April-June)

a.  Read texts and watch films that follow journey of characters going through coming of age

b.  Write a multi-genre paper around this theme

c. Reading and preparing for high school

VIII.  Other requirements of the class:

a.  Independent reading –

i. Students must read at least 2 hours every week – book of student's choice and at appropriate level; they should also log the books on a reading log and submit at the end of every semester..

ii. Students must be prepared with their independent reading books every day and must read during Project REAL.

iii. Please encourage your children to read nonfiction as well as fiction. Do book clubs together whenever possible. Also, order books from Scholastic catalogs - we get lots of bonus points and free books this way. I have the catalogs though you can also order online. I also have a link to an Amazon book wish list on my blog.

b.  Language Study –

As part of our writing units, students will learn vocabulary, spelling, grammar, and mechanics; students will have quizzes on the content taught. They will also have spelling bees to prepare for the school-wide bee on November 9.

c. Other focuses:

• Critical thinking, reading, writing, and speaking
• Fostering identity, community, and responsibility
• Preparing for High School English and beyond…

IX.  How you can help:

a. Encourage your children to get excited about reading and writing; take them to book stores, libraries, etc. Read your child's blog and have discussions about books. One great motivation is to read a book then watch a movie version together :-)

b. Please volunteer to chaperone on trips! More information to come...

Thank you for coming. I hope you have a better understanding of what your child is learning in my class.  

Sincerely,

Denise Galang

Ms. Galang’s Homeroom Letter

Homeroom is a time to get organized for school. It is a time to:

• Take attendance and fill out section sheet
• Go to lockers
• Communicate important school news and events
• Hand out notices
• Discuss and go over discipline issues and remind students of routines and procedures
• This is not a time to do homework. If students need to print assignments, they must do so during lunch or at afternoon dismissal with my permission only.
• Also, do not eat in class unless there is a health need; in this case, let me know.

Procedures and Requirements:

• Go straight to lockers and pack materials for classes
• Put away cellular phones and all valuables in locker and lock the lock! Students must have locks!
• Sit down quietly and listen to announcements
• Except when at lockers, students must be sitting quietly in their seats during all official class periods. Students should never be standing outside of the classroom.
• Students can only use cellular phones during lunch and at dismissal, unless required for a class.
• Please get a folder just for notices distributed during homeroom. There will be very important high school notices, and you will need to keep these organized.

Project REAL: 12:27-12:47

• After lunch, students go straight to their lockers then sit down right away to read. They can read any independent reading book, Upfront magazine, or other magazines/newspapers. They can read on ebooks but not on their cellular phones.
• This period is part of the student’s accountability grade in ELA.
• This is not a time to catch up with other classes or teachers; it is important that students are present and engaged in reading during this time.

PM Homeroom:

• Students go to their lockers, put up their chairs and clean up, and stand by their desks until I dismiss them.
• I will take attendance and make necessary announcements.