August 10 - 11

Assignments listed here represent the "Plan" for the week.  Plans of course are subject to change as needed, so this should not be considered the last word on what will take place in class or will be assigned for homework.  When plans do change however, the changes will be reflected here (hopefully by the evening of the day in which they are known to exist).


Welcome Back!
Let's get to work.

Ott Class Help Pass
clip and use for the week of August 10

Students who need extra assistance or need to discuss their projects may clip this pass and use it to see me Tuesday - Friday in the morning before school, any day during lunch, or Monday - Thursday after school. 

Extra Help is available beginning next week.

Students may use this pass to get help with assigned work
or to discuss Book Projects and Presentations.

Students without passes may not be permitted
to enter the building before school.

8th Grade ELA and English Classes
 

Thursday    - Due to the nature of the first day of class, it is likely that a variation of the plan below will be experienced.    At this time of the year, we go with the flow.

  • Students will begin the class with an initial exposure to daily routines.  After finding their seats, they will be exposed to classroom rules and how school rules and expectations will be handled within the classroom.  Students will then review the concept of Alliteration and create a name plate applying the concept to their own first name.
  • Students will then take the Grammar Income Test.  This simply takes a sample of the student's current grammar and usage skills and then makes an unscientific correlation between the results and potential income and careers demanding those grammatical skills.  Ultimately it is a lesson in how important developing those writing skills really is for this generation.
  • Individual photos will be taken for my seating charts while kids are taking the "test." And the results will be discussed prior to wrapping it up for the first day in 8th Grade English.

Homework:  Students will bring their course syllabus home to be signed by their parents and then they will introduce their parents to the "Parent Homework Assignment."  Thank you to all of you who get this done for me.  This enables me to communicate effectively with you and keep you informed.

Friday 

  • Students will begin the class with a quick review of classroom procedures, and their progress towards remembering them from yesterday will be discussed.
  • Students will then receive and begin setting up their Writers Notebook/Journal that we will use throughout the year.
  • Students will listen to a excerpt from memoir titled The Autobiography of a Face.  The scene reflects a girl's experience in the cafeteria at school.  Students will respond in the form of a FreeWrite titled simply Bullying.  Volunteers will share their responses and we will discuss my attitude towards bullying and why all of us bear a responsibility for the treatment of those around us.  This is a good topic of discussion to continue at home as the experience will likely trigger some vivid personal experiences.

Homework:  There is no expected homework assignment tonight if students have completed their work in class; however, students who do not finish work that is expected to be completed in class, should completed it for homework.