March 5, 2018
Students began work on their next formal essay: students will select one of the short stories we read by Ray Bradbury, establish a theme for the short story and craft an essay with that theme as a claim. The short story selection and theme are due on Monday.
February 16, 2018
This week students received their next set of literary terms. Students need to define the terms, and this is due on Monday. The test will be administered on Tuesday, February 27. Students also had opportunities to read independently and write in their reading journals. On Friday, Mrs. Forkner taught the students their first lesson from Junior Achievement. Over the next six Fridays, students will learn skills that today’s employers value in candidates.
February 9, 2018
This week students took a test on literary terms; this test will be graded and returned next week. Students also read “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Ray Bradbury. Students discussed the short story and analyzed Bradbury’s use of irony. Students will continue to study irony next week and its confusion with coincidence. As always, students were given time to read independently and as always please encourage students to read independently at home.
January 26, 2018
This week students worked on their reading MAP test, read independently, and read another short story by Ray Bradbury, “The Foghorn.” Students identified figurative language, setting, point of view and vocabulary words from the short story.
November 3, 2017
On Halloween day, students finished reading “The Black Cat.” The climax was perfect for Halloween. If you need a good read, “The Black Cat” and all of Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories and poems are available online. Students also had time to read independently. Students missed some class time on Friday because of High Interest Day, and several attorneys presented information on their profession. They had several interesting points to make, but the most important was the need to love reading. The law requires a great deal of reading, and someone who loves to read is at a great advantage. Please encourage your son or daughter to read at home at least thirty minutes each night. If they can develop a love of reading now, it will benefit them the rest of their lives.
October 27, 2017
This week students took the first vocabulary test from “The Raven.” This test was a cloze activity where students needed to fill in blanks from of a paragraph with the ten vocabulary words. Next week students will have to perform a cloze activity for the test and choose five of the words to write their own paragraph. Students also began reading “The Black Cat” by Poe. This is a wonderfully crafted short story with all the elements that Poe is famous for. Next week, students will finish the short story and then begin an essay that will include “The Tell-tale Heart,” “The Raven,” and “The Black Cat.” The bulk of this essay work will be in the second quarter.
Students are required to read thirty minutes each night in the book they have chosen to read independently. Some students are not doing this, and the writing about their independent reading is suffering. If a student is not reading independently, they can not write about it effectively. It is each student’s responsibility to read on their own.
October 20, 2017
This week students took the third vocabulary test from “The Tell-tale Heart;” students will take a test next week on the first ten words from “The Raven.” Vocabulary tests will be of a different format starting next week. Instead of multiple choice, students will need to write a paragraph using the vocabulary words. This first assessment will have a fill in the blank paragraph with five of the ten words, and students will have to write a separate paragraph with the remaining five words. This will better assess students knowledge use of the vocabulary. Students will, of course, practice this during the week before the test on Thursday, October 26. Students also continued reading analysis of “The Raven,” and had the opportunity to read independently. Please encourage your son or daughter to read at least thirty minutes each night.
October 13, 2017
This week students took a vocabulary test on the second ten words from “The Tell-tale Heart,” and many students performed well. There will be vocabulary tests each Thursday from the writing of Edgar Allan Poe for the next foreseeable weeks. Students also finished reading “The Raven.” This poem has some difficult vocabulary and interesting imagery. Students read and discussed the poem this last week and will analyze and read analysis of the poem next week. The following week, students will read and analyze “The Black Cat,” another of Poe’s classic short stories.
September 29, 2017
This week students took a quiz on the vocabulary they discovered from Edgar Allan Poe’s biography. Students also read “The Tell-tale Heart,” started reading an analysis of the short story, and had an in depth discussion on elements of the characters. We only had class twice this week because of MAP testing and the PBIS day on Friday. All the eighth grade students led discussions in seven different areas on PBIS day and helped present information to students how to behave in all areas of the school.
September 22, 2017
Students have finished reading a biography of Edgar Allan Poe and will take a quiz on six vocabulary words we found in the biography on Tuesday. On Monday students have MAP testing. Students also received a list of vocabulary words from “The Tell-tale Heart,” and they will be tested on these words in the next several weeks. Students again had an opportunity to read independently as individual reading assessments were completed last week. Also, on Tuesday, students will begining analyzing “The Tell-tale Heart.” On Friday, students were treated to an unusual poem by Edgar Allan Poe entitled “The Flame.” Ask your son or daughter about it.
May 8, 2017
Students again read books for their book club groups and met on Friday to discuss their novels. Students are doing a wonderful job leading the discussions and truly analyzing their novels. Student also finished the short story “By Courier” by O. Henry. Students also took a test on vocabulary words from “By Courier.” As always, please have your son or daughter find time to read at home.
March 17, 2017
Students began book clubs this week. The book club books include, Holes, Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment, If I Stay and The Summoning. In their groups, students each chose a role for the week and decided how many pages they needed to read. On Friday, students gathered in their groups to discuss their novels, interesting vocabulary words, the setting of the novels, and any connections they made with the text. The students provided some very good insights into the novels; it was fun to listen to them. As always, please have your son or daughter find time to read at home.
March 3, 2017
This week students read one final short story by Richard Matheson entitled “Little Girl Lost.” Little Girl Lost” was turned into an episode of The Twilight Zone, but we did not have a chance to watch it, and students wrote about theme, mood, tone and the climax relating to the short story. Next week we will begin reading and analyzing poetry by Carl Sandburg and begin literature circles with non-fiction books. I will also continue to work on grading the essays from “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.” It would be wonderful if your son or daughter could find some time to read over this short break.
February 3, 2017
Students have received the outline and checklist for the essay on “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” by Richard Matheson. The outline and checklist can also be found on my website. This essay is due on Wednesday, February 15. Students will have some time in class to work on the essay, but most of the work will need to be done at home. I will check in with them on Wednesday, February 8 to assess their progress. The essay will be at least six paragraphs, but can be more if needed. Students have completed the Works Cited page, but may need to add entries if they find further material. We will continue to read more works by Richard Matheson next week. As always, encourage your so or daughter to read at home.
January 27, 2017
This week students started their Works Cited page for their next essay; in this essay students will compare the short story, the original script, the TV episode, and the movie. Next week students will begin working on the essay comparing and contrasting all four versions of “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.” On Friday students continued to work on their reading blogs in Weebly. As always, encourage your so or daughter to read at home.
January 20, 2017
Students read the original script for “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” written by Richard Matheson for the original Twilight Zone television series. They also watched the episode, which originally aired in 1963. They then read a transcript of the episode and viewed the portion of Twilight Zone the Movie, which was released in 1983. All this will culminate in a formal essay comparing the different versions: the short story, the original script, the transcript of the TV show and the finished TV episode and movie. Students will begin this essay next week. As always, encourage your so or daughter to read at home.
January 13, 2017
Students received the results of their Hughes-King essay in reading conferences. Students also finished reading “Nightmare at 20,00 Feet.” answered questions about setting and point of view relating to the short story, and watched the 1963 Twilight Zone episode. Ask your son or daughter about it. Additionally, students listened to the novel The Wave about a social studies teacher’s classroom experiment that went awry. As always, encourage your so or daughter to read at home.
January 6, 2017
Students began their next author study with Richard Matheson. Matheson was a prolific science fiction and horror writer during the last half of the twentieth century. He wrote several of the famous Twilight Zone episodes. We read Matheson’s biography and read one of his most famous short stories, “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.” Next week we will read Matheson’s actual script for the Twilight Zone. We will then read a transcript of the episode and watch the 1963 episode and a portion of Twilight Zone: The Movie from 1983 that depicts another interpretation of “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.” We will then read other works by Matheson before writing an essay based on his works. Students will conference with me about their Hughes-King essays next week. As always, encourage your so or daughter to read at home.
December 16, 2016
Students continued to listen to the novel, The Wave by Todd Strasser. The novel is about a group of high school students who are involved in a social experiment perpetrated by their social studies teacher. Students analyzed possible themes from a short story they previously read, Thank You Ma’am by Langston Hughes and will continue to focus on theme. Students also had time to read independently and write in their reading journals. As always, encourage your so or daughter to read at home.
December 9, 2016
The Hughes-King essays will be graded before Christmas break and reviewed with students. Students received a study guide for the literary terms test. This test has been moved back to Thursday, December 15. If students study the study guide, they will perform well on the test. Students had opportunities to read independently and wrote in their reading journals and have begun listening to The Wave by Todd Strasser. Students will focus on theme while listening to this novel. As always please encourage your son or daughter to read independently at home, ideally at least twenty minutes each night.
December 2, 2016
Students concluded their work on their essays about Langston Hughes and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Students once again had the opportunity to read from their own novels and write in their reading journals. . Students also began a study of theme and will investigate this more thoroughly as we continue to analyze different authors. Students worked on their reading blogs in Weebly. A page with links to each of the blogs will soon be available on my website. We will have a test on the various literary terms we have covered so far this year on Monday, December 12. A study guide will be given to students on Monday, December 5.
November 11, 2016
Students began research for their essay on Langston Hughes and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. From reading King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, students learned that Hughes’s poem “Freedom’s Plow” was reflected in the first half of the speech, and Hughes’s poems about dreams were reflected in the second half of the speech. Students began reading articles online that deal with Hughes’s influence on Dr. King. As always, please help your son or daughter read at least twenty minutes each night at home. Students also worked on the reading blog in Weebly. Have them show you their blog; they are very interesting.
November 4, 2016
Students began reading and analyzing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream Speech.” They also watched Dr. King deliver the speech. Students will next work on a thesis for an essay combining both the poetry of Langston Hughes and King’s speech. As always please encourage your son or daughter to read at home.
October 28, 2016
Students continued to read Langston Hughes with his short story “Thank You Ma’am” and answered some in-depth questions. Students analyzed the Biblical allusions and symbols in the short story and they also worked on their reading blogs.
October 21, 2016
Students concluded their study of the poetry of Langston Hughes and will move to his short stories next week. Students have also been creating their own reading blogs using the website creator Weebly. Students will blog about what they are reading independently, what we have been reading as a class, book reviews, lists of books read and lists of books students would like to read. Students can also include original writing of their own on their blog. As always, please continue to help your son or daughter read at home, at least twenty minutes each night.
October 14, 2016
Students will shortly conclude their study of the poetry of Langston Hughes and have move to his short stories. They will then read and analyze Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, and Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address.” Students will also read the play A Raisin in the Sun, the title of which is derived from a line in Hughes poem “Dreams.” After we have studied all these pieces, students will create a multi-paragraph essay analyzing how each writer and piece fit together. As always, please continue to help your son or daughter read at home, at least twenty minutes each night.
October 7, 2016
Students read and analyzed several poems by Langston Hughes, including “Harlem,” “Mother to Son,” and “Theme for English B.” Students learned about extended metaphor, dialect and rhyme schemes. Students also had time to read independently and write in their Reading Journals. Students started the creation of reading blogs using the website creator Weebly. Students will blog about the books they are reading independently, books they want to read and authors we study in class. Please continue to help your son or daughter read at home, at least twenty minutes each night.
September 30, 2016
Students only had reading once this week, and they analyzed another poem by Langston Hughes, “Harlem.” It’s one of several poems by Hughes that deal with dreams---aspirations, not dreams at sleep. We had MAP testing one day, PBIS training another day, and a third day students created superhero emblems for capes being sewn by Mrs. Kitzke. Students will continue studying Hughes next week and as always will need to write a letter in their journals by each Friday. Please help your son or daughter read at home, at least twenty minutes each night.
September 23, 2016
Students have begun their journey with Langston Hughes with his first poem ‘The Negro Speaks of Rivers.” It was a difficult week because we experienced many difficulties with our Wi-Fi. Students read and analyzed the poem. We discussed how to read poems in general and then analyzed the Hughes poem. Students also wrote what they thought the main idea of the poem was. They supported this assertion with evidence from the poem by the way of direct quotes. They then had to explain how the direct quotes supported their argument. Students also spent a good portion of the week reading independently. I had an opportunity to conference with each student about the book they are currently reading and their reading in general. As always, students wrote a letter to me in their reading journals. Next week students will explore more poetry by Langston Hughes and then read some of his short stories.
September 9, 2016
Students have begun the year with Reader’s Workshop. Students will be given time to read independently quite often. They will record the books they finish or abandon and write a letter each week in their Reading Journals. Students have been given requirements for their reading journals and this will be posted on my website. Students are required to read at least twenty minutes each night for homework. Please encourage your son or daughter to read each night.
March 11, 2016
Students began work on their next essay based on the article “The Overprotected Kid” from The Atlantic. Students have an outline and checklist to work from for this essay, and once again students will be using parenthetical citations. This essay is due Monday March 21. Students also have another affix test on Monday, March 14
February 26, 2016
Students continue to read “The Overprotected Kid” from The Atlantic online. Along with this article students will read “How to Let Go of Your Fears and Give Your Child More Freedom,” Parents Magazine and “Let Kids Play With Fire, and Other Good Rules for Parenting,” The Atlantic. After we finish these articles, students will make an assertion from the given information and write an argumentative essay. Students will use evidence from the articles to support their assertions.
February 12, 2106
The Ray Bradbury essay is due Monday, February 15. Our next affix test is also Monday. Students have had time in class this past week to work on the essay, and they may be finished. Students have a checklist to help them make sure they have completed the essay to the best of their ability. I have asked students to have an adult look at their essay and offer advice to make improvements. On Monday students will print their essays in the computer lab and turn them in. Once again, students are using parenthetical citation with this essay and are citing works in the MLA style. They will also be a Works Cited page at the end of their essay. Purdue University has a good website to help students with the MLA style. Here’s the URL: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/. Students will also begin some informational reading about an unusual playground that looks more like a junkyard. Students will read an article in Atlantic Monthly magazine online along with several other pieces to form a claim to write an argumentative essay.
We are ending our reading of Counting By 7s. Students will finish this book by writing about how the characters experienced personal growth and change throughout the novel and what kind of personal growth they would like to experience.
January 28, 2016
Students read another short story by Ray Bradbury this week, “All Summer in a Day.” This will be our last piece by Bradbury, as students are going to write an essay on Bradbury using his short stories as a basis. The essay will include a short biography of Ray Bradbury, how he used figurative language, specifically similes and metaphors to enhance his writing, and his use of the uncertain endings. Students will need to provide evidence from Bradbury’s short stories via direct quotes to show his use of figurative language and how the endings of the short stories affected the plot. This essay will be due Monday, February 8. Students are also still reading Counting by 7s in small groups and discussing each chapter. Our next affix test is Thursday, February 4
January 15, 2016
Students continue to analyze the short stories of Ray Bradbury. So far this year they have read “The Veldt,” “A Sound of Thunder,” “The Fog Horn,” “The Whole Town’s Sleeping and they are finishing “Dark They Were, and Golden Eyed.” This will prove to be a good primer for high school as they may read Fahrenheit 451 or Something Wicked This Way Comes. Students are looking at Bradbury’s writing style to compare the stories we have read so far.
Eighth grade students also continue to read Counting By 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan. This novel is about a young girl, Willow Chance, who has suffered a terrible loss of both of her parents in a car crash. Students have been reading and discussing this book in small groups and will begin writing about their thoughts on the book next week.
Independent reading continues to be an important element in eighth grade reading. Students are truly embracing their search for books they might love, finding genres they enjoy, and wiring about this journey through literature. There is nothing more satisfying then to see students embrace reading. The earlier a student can become an avid reader, the more advantages they will have in school and out. Twenty minutes of independent reading is encouraged each night for homework.
We won't be practicing Reading Workshop every day, but I expect my students to read independently for a large portion of the school year. Below are the rules we have for Reading Workshop.
Rules for Reading Workshop
1. You must read a book. Magazines, newspapers, and comic books don’t have the chunks of text you need to develop fluency, and they won’t help you discover who you are as a reader of literature.
2. Don’t read a book you don’t like. Don’t waste time with a book you don’t love when there are so many great ones out there waiting for you.
3. If you don’t like your book, find another one. Browse, ask me or a friend for a recommendation.
4. It’s all right to reread a book you love. This is what readers do.
5. It’s okay to skim or skip parts if you get bored or stuck; readers do this too.
6. Record every book you finish or abandon on the form we created on your iPad. Collect data about yourself on this form, look for patterns, and take satisfaction in your accomplishments over time.
7. Understand that reading is thinking. Do nothing to distract me or other readers Don’t put your words into our brains as we’re trying to escape into the worlds created by the authors of our books.
8. When you confer with me, use as soft as a voice as I use when I talk to you: whisper.
9. Read (and write in your literature blog) the whole time.
10. Read as well and as much as you can.
Students began work on their next formal essay: students will select one of the short stories we read by Ray Bradbury, establish a theme for the short story and craft an essay with that theme as a claim. The short story selection and theme are due on Monday.
February 16, 2018
This week students received their next set of literary terms. Students need to define the terms, and this is due on Monday. The test will be administered on Tuesday, February 27. Students also had opportunities to read independently and write in their reading journals. On Friday, Mrs. Forkner taught the students their first lesson from Junior Achievement. Over the next six Fridays, students will learn skills that today’s employers value in candidates.
February 9, 2018
This week students took a test on literary terms; this test will be graded and returned next week. Students also read “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Ray Bradbury. Students discussed the short story and analyzed Bradbury’s use of irony. Students will continue to study irony next week and its confusion with coincidence. As always, students were given time to read independently and as always please encourage students to read independently at home.
January 26, 2018
This week students worked on their reading MAP test, read independently, and read another short story by Ray Bradbury, “The Foghorn.” Students identified figurative language, setting, point of view and vocabulary words from the short story.
November 3, 2017
On Halloween day, students finished reading “The Black Cat.” The climax was perfect for Halloween. If you need a good read, “The Black Cat” and all of Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories and poems are available online. Students also had time to read independently. Students missed some class time on Friday because of High Interest Day, and several attorneys presented information on their profession. They had several interesting points to make, but the most important was the need to love reading. The law requires a great deal of reading, and someone who loves to read is at a great advantage. Please encourage your son or daughter to read at home at least thirty minutes each night. If they can develop a love of reading now, it will benefit them the rest of their lives.
October 27, 2017
This week students took the first vocabulary test from “The Raven.” This test was a cloze activity where students needed to fill in blanks from of a paragraph with the ten vocabulary words. Next week students will have to perform a cloze activity for the test and choose five of the words to write their own paragraph. Students also began reading “The Black Cat” by Poe. This is a wonderfully crafted short story with all the elements that Poe is famous for. Next week, students will finish the short story and then begin an essay that will include “The Tell-tale Heart,” “The Raven,” and “The Black Cat.” The bulk of this essay work will be in the second quarter.
Students are required to read thirty minutes each night in the book they have chosen to read independently. Some students are not doing this, and the writing about their independent reading is suffering. If a student is not reading independently, they can not write about it effectively. It is each student’s responsibility to read on their own.
October 20, 2017
This week students took the third vocabulary test from “The Tell-tale Heart;” students will take a test next week on the first ten words from “The Raven.” Vocabulary tests will be of a different format starting next week. Instead of multiple choice, students will need to write a paragraph using the vocabulary words. This first assessment will have a fill in the blank paragraph with five of the ten words, and students will have to write a separate paragraph with the remaining five words. This will better assess students knowledge use of the vocabulary. Students will, of course, practice this during the week before the test on Thursday, October 26. Students also continued reading analysis of “The Raven,” and had the opportunity to read independently. Please encourage your son or daughter to read at least thirty minutes each night.
October 13, 2017
This week students took a vocabulary test on the second ten words from “The Tell-tale Heart,” and many students performed well. There will be vocabulary tests each Thursday from the writing of Edgar Allan Poe for the next foreseeable weeks. Students also finished reading “The Raven.” This poem has some difficult vocabulary and interesting imagery. Students read and discussed the poem this last week and will analyze and read analysis of the poem next week. The following week, students will read and analyze “The Black Cat,” another of Poe’s classic short stories.
September 29, 2017
This week students took a quiz on the vocabulary they discovered from Edgar Allan Poe’s biography. Students also read “The Tell-tale Heart,” started reading an analysis of the short story, and had an in depth discussion on elements of the characters. We only had class twice this week because of MAP testing and the PBIS day on Friday. All the eighth grade students led discussions in seven different areas on PBIS day and helped present information to students how to behave in all areas of the school.
September 22, 2017
Students have finished reading a biography of Edgar Allan Poe and will take a quiz on six vocabulary words we found in the biography on Tuesday. On Monday students have MAP testing. Students also received a list of vocabulary words from “The Tell-tale Heart,” and they will be tested on these words in the next several weeks. Students again had an opportunity to read independently as individual reading assessments were completed last week. Also, on Tuesday, students will begining analyzing “The Tell-tale Heart.” On Friday, students were treated to an unusual poem by Edgar Allan Poe entitled “The Flame.” Ask your son or daughter about it.
May 8, 2017
Students again read books for their book club groups and met on Friday to discuss their novels. Students are doing a wonderful job leading the discussions and truly analyzing their novels. Student also finished the short story “By Courier” by O. Henry. Students also took a test on vocabulary words from “By Courier.” As always, please have your son or daughter find time to read at home.
March 17, 2017
Students began book clubs this week. The book club books include, Holes, Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment, If I Stay and The Summoning. In their groups, students each chose a role for the week and decided how many pages they needed to read. On Friday, students gathered in their groups to discuss their novels, interesting vocabulary words, the setting of the novels, and any connections they made with the text. The students provided some very good insights into the novels; it was fun to listen to them. As always, please have your son or daughter find time to read at home.
March 3, 2017
This week students read one final short story by Richard Matheson entitled “Little Girl Lost.” Little Girl Lost” was turned into an episode of The Twilight Zone, but we did not have a chance to watch it, and students wrote about theme, mood, tone and the climax relating to the short story. Next week we will begin reading and analyzing poetry by Carl Sandburg and begin literature circles with non-fiction books. I will also continue to work on grading the essays from “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.” It would be wonderful if your son or daughter could find some time to read over this short break.
February 3, 2017
Students have received the outline and checklist for the essay on “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” by Richard Matheson. The outline and checklist can also be found on my website. This essay is due on Wednesday, February 15. Students will have some time in class to work on the essay, but most of the work will need to be done at home. I will check in with them on Wednesday, February 8 to assess their progress. The essay will be at least six paragraphs, but can be more if needed. Students have completed the Works Cited page, but may need to add entries if they find further material. We will continue to read more works by Richard Matheson next week. As always, encourage your so or daughter to read at home.
January 27, 2017
This week students started their Works Cited page for their next essay; in this essay students will compare the short story, the original script, the TV episode, and the movie. Next week students will begin working on the essay comparing and contrasting all four versions of “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.” On Friday students continued to work on their reading blogs in Weebly. As always, encourage your so or daughter to read at home.
January 20, 2017
Students read the original script for “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” written by Richard Matheson for the original Twilight Zone television series. They also watched the episode, which originally aired in 1963. They then read a transcript of the episode and viewed the portion of Twilight Zone the Movie, which was released in 1983. All this will culminate in a formal essay comparing the different versions: the short story, the original script, the transcript of the TV show and the finished TV episode and movie. Students will begin this essay next week. As always, encourage your so or daughter to read at home.
January 13, 2017
Students received the results of their Hughes-King essay in reading conferences. Students also finished reading “Nightmare at 20,00 Feet.” answered questions about setting and point of view relating to the short story, and watched the 1963 Twilight Zone episode. Ask your son or daughter about it. Additionally, students listened to the novel The Wave about a social studies teacher’s classroom experiment that went awry. As always, encourage your so or daughter to read at home.
January 6, 2017
Students began their next author study with Richard Matheson. Matheson was a prolific science fiction and horror writer during the last half of the twentieth century. He wrote several of the famous Twilight Zone episodes. We read Matheson’s biography and read one of his most famous short stories, “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.” Next week we will read Matheson’s actual script for the Twilight Zone. We will then read a transcript of the episode and watch the 1963 episode and a portion of Twilight Zone: The Movie from 1983 that depicts another interpretation of “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.” We will then read other works by Matheson before writing an essay based on his works. Students will conference with me about their Hughes-King essays next week. As always, encourage your so or daughter to read at home.
December 16, 2016
Students continued to listen to the novel, The Wave by Todd Strasser. The novel is about a group of high school students who are involved in a social experiment perpetrated by their social studies teacher. Students analyzed possible themes from a short story they previously read, Thank You Ma’am by Langston Hughes and will continue to focus on theme. Students also had time to read independently and write in their reading journals. As always, encourage your so or daughter to read at home.
December 9, 2016
The Hughes-King essays will be graded before Christmas break and reviewed with students. Students received a study guide for the literary terms test. This test has been moved back to Thursday, December 15. If students study the study guide, they will perform well on the test. Students had opportunities to read independently and wrote in their reading journals and have begun listening to The Wave by Todd Strasser. Students will focus on theme while listening to this novel. As always please encourage your son or daughter to read independently at home, ideally at least twenty minutes each night.
December 2, 2016
Students concluded their work on their essays about Langston Hughes and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Students once again had the opportunity to read from their own novels and write in their reading journals. . Students also began a study of theme and will investigate this more thoroughly as we continue to analyze different authors. Students worked on their reading blogs in Weebly. A page with links to each of the blogs will soon be available on my website. We will have a test on the various literary terms we have covered so far this year on Monday, December 12. A study guide will be given to students on Monday, December 5.
November 11, 2016
Students began research for their essay on Langston Hughes and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. From reading King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, students learned that Hughes’s poem “Freedom’s Plow” was reflected in the first half of the speech, and Hughes’s poems about dreams were reflected in the second half of the speech. Students began reading articles online that deal with Hughes’s influence on Dr. King. As always, please help your son or daughter read at least twenty minutes each night at home. Students also worked on the reading blog in Weebly. Have them show you their blog; they are very interesting.
November 4, 2016
Students began reading and analyzing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream Speech.” They also watched Dr. King deliver the speech. Students will next work on a thesis for an essay combining both the poetry of Langston Hughes and King’s speech. As always please encourage your son or daughter to read at home.
October 28, 2016
Students continued to read Langston Hughes with his short story “Thank You Ma’am” and answered some in-depth questions. Students analyzed the Biblical allusions and symbols in the short story and they also worked on their reading blogs.
October 21, 2016
Students concluded their study of the poetry of Langston Hughes and will move to his short stories next week. Students have also been creating their own reading blogs using the website creator Weebly. Students will blog about what they are reading independently, what we have been reading as a class, book reviews, lists of books read and lists of books students would like to read. Students can also include original writing of their own on their blog. As always, please continue to help your son or daughter read at home, at least twenty minutes each night.
October 14, 2016
Students will shortly conclude their study of the poetry of Langston Hughes and have move to his short stories. They will then read and analyze Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, and Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address.” Students will also read the play A Raisin in the Sun, the title of which is derived from a line in Hughes poem “Dreams.” After we have studied all these pieces, students will create a multi-paragraph essay analyzing how each writer and piece fit together. As always, please continue to help your son or daughter read at home, at least twenty minutes each night.
October 7, 2016
Students read and analyzed several poems by Langston Hughes, including “Harlem,” “Mother to Son,” and “Theme for English B.” Students learned about extended metaphor, dialect and rhyme schemes. Students also had time to read independently and write in their Reading Journals. Students started the creation of reading blogs using the website creator Weebly. Students will blog about the books they are reading independently, books they want to read and authors we study in class. Please continue to help your son or daughter read at home, at least twenty minutes each night.
September 30, 2016
Students only had reading once this week, and they analyzed another poem by Langston Hughes, “Harlem.” It’s one of several poems by Hughes that deal with dreams---aspirations, not dreams at sleep. We had MAP testing one day, PBIS training another day, and a third day students created superhero emblems for capes being sewn by Mrs. Kitzke. Students will continue studying Hughes next week and as always will need to write a letter in their journals by each Friday. Please help your son or daughter read at home, at least twenty minutes each night.
September 23, 2016
Students have begun their journey with Langston Hughes with his first poem ‘The Negro Speaks of Rivers.” It was a difficult week because we experienced many difficulties with our Wi-Fi. Students read and analyzed the poem. We discussed how to read poems in general and then analyzed the Hughes poem. Students also wrote what they thought the main idea of the poem was. They supported this assertion with evidence from the poem by the way of direct quotes. They then had to explain how the direct quotes supported their argument. Students also spent a good portion of the week reading independently. I had an opportunity to conference with each student about the book they are currently reading and their reading in general. As always, students wrote a letter to me in their reading journals. Next week students will explore more poetry by Langston Hughes and then read some of his short stories.
September 9, 2016
Students have begun the year with Reader’s Workshop. Students will be given time to read independently quite often. They will record the books they finish or abandon and write a letter each week in their Reading Journals. Students have been given requirements for their reading journals and this will be posted on my website. Students are required to read at least twenty minutes each night for homework. Please encourage your son or daughter to read each night.
March 11, 2016
Students began work on their next essay based on the article “The Overprotected Kid” from The Atlantic. Students have an outline and checklist to work from for this essay, and once again students will be using parenthetical citations. This essay is due Monday March 21. Students also have another affix test on Monday, March 14
February 26, 2016
Students continue to read “The Overprotected Kid” from The Atlantic online. Along with this article students will read “How to Let Go of Your Fears and Give Your Child More Freedom,” Parents Magazine and “Let Kids Play With Fire, and Other Good Rules for Parenting,” The Atlantic. After we finish these articles, students will make an assertion from the given information and write an argumentative essay. Students will use evidence from the articles to support their assertions.
February 12, 2106
The Ray Bradbury essay is due Monday, February 15. Our next affix test is also Monday. Students have had time in class this past week to work on the essay, and they may be finished. Students have a checklist to help them make sure they have completed the essay to the best of their ability. I have asked students to have an adult look at their essay and offer advice to make improvements. On Monday students will print their essays in the computer lab and turn them in. Once again, students are using parenthetical citation with this essay and are citing works in the MLA style. They will also be a Works Cited page at the end of their essay. Purdue University has a good website to help students with the MLA style. Here’s the URL: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/. Students will also begin some informational reading about an unusual playground that looks more like a junkyard. Students will read an article in Atlantic Monthly magazine online along with several other pieces to form a claim to write an argumentative essay.
We are ending our reading of Counting By 7s. Students will finish this book by writing about how the characters experienced personal growth and change throughout the novel and what kind of personal growth they would like to experience.
January 28, 2016
Students read another short story by Ray Bradbury this week, “All Summer in a Day.” This will be our last piece by Bradbury, as students are going to write an essay on Bradbury using his short stories as a basis. The essay will include a short biography of Ray Bradbury, how he used figurative language, specifically similes and metaphors to enhance his writing, and his use of the uncertain endings. Students will need to provide evidence from Bradbury’s short stories via direct quotes to show his use of figurative language and how the endings of the short stories affected the plot. This essay will be due Monday, February 8. Students are also still reading Counting by 7s in small groups and discussing each chapter. Our next affix test is Thursday, February 4
January 15, 2016
Students continue to analyze the short stories of Ray Bradbury. So far this year they have read “The Veldt,” “A Sound of Thunder,” “The Fog Horn,” “The Whole Town’s Sleeping and they are finishing “Dark They Were, and Golden Eyed.” This will prove to be a good primer for high school as they may read Fahrenheit 451 or Something Wicked This Way Comes. Students are looking at Bradbury’s writing style to compare the stories we have read so far.
Eighth grade students also continue to read Counting By 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan. This novel is about a young girl, Willow Chance, who has suffered a terrible loss of both of her parents in a car crash. Students have been reading and discussing this book in small groups and will begin writing about their thoughts on the book next week.
Independent reading continues to be an important element in eighth grade reading. Students are truly embracing their search for books they might love, finding genres they enjoy, and wiring about this journey through literature. There is nothing more satisfying then to see students embrace reading. The earlier a student can become an avid reader, the more advantages they will have in school and out. Twenty minutes of independent reading is encouraged each night for homework.
We won't be practicing Reading Workshop every day, but I expect my students to read independently for a large portion of the school year. Below are the rules we have for Reading Workshop.
Rules for Reading Workshop
1. You must read a book. Magazines, newspapers, and comic books don’t have the chunks of text you need to develop fluency, and they won’t help you discover who you are as a reader of literature.
2. Don’t read a book you don’t like. Don’t waste time with a book you don’t love when there are so many great ones out there waiting for you.
3. If you don’t like your book, find another one. Browse, ask me or a friend for a recommendation.
4. It’s all right to reread a book you love. This is what readers do.
5. It’s okay to skim or skip parts if you get bored or stuck; readers do this too.
6. Record every book you finish or abandon on the form we created on your iPad. Collect data about yourself on this form, look for patterns, and take satisfaction in your accomplishments over time.
7. Understand that reading is thinking. Do nothing to distract me or other readers Don’t put your words into our brains as we’re trying to escape into the worlds created by the authors of our books.
8. When you confer with me, use as soft as a voice as I use when I talk to you: whisper.
9. Read (and write in your literature blog) the whole time.
10. Read as well and as much as you can.
General Reading Procedures
I look forward to reading each year with great anticipation. My goal for all my students is for them to become avid readers--people who love to read. I know that some students are avid readers right now and that’s wonderful. They will have a chance to explore many superb books and new genres. On the other hand, some students only read when they have to. I understand this group because when I was in school, I hated to read. One book turned it around for me. It was a book I chose myself. It showed me that reading could be fun. Students can learn skills that they will use the rest of their life if they can become lovers of books. I want to help them.
This is why we will be doing something called reader’s workshop all year. I have students choose the books they read. From these books they will write letters to me about what they are reading, write book reviews and do other activities. We will also read many things as an entire class throughout the year including poems, short stories, plays, TV scripts, and novels.
Students are expected to read thirty minutes each night from a novel. These thirty minutes can be part of a homework time, before bed or whenever they would like to read. If they are traveling somewhere that evening, reading in the car might be an option. I would also like them to find thirty minutes to read on the weekends. These are minimum amounts and they can, of course, read more. They must read novels. Magazines and newspapers don't have the substance they need to become fluent readers. They can choose novels from the library in my room, the school library, public libraries, or from any other source.
Students need to track their reading nightly on a Homework Reading Log. This is where I need your help. They need a parent signature before they turn it in on Monday morning. I need your help to make sure they do this reading nightly. I understand that things occasionally come up, but it is important that they read each night. Please sign and return the second page of this letter. If you have any questions or comments, please leave me feedback.