The last week - and not even a whole week!
Sixth & seventh grade: We will do an activity called "Writing Roulette."
Seventh grade: We will also share multi-genre folders, as well as watch a video of "Rikki Tikki Tavi."
Eighth Grade: Unfinished business: last assessment essay, perform our group TAMING OF THE SHREW, and share multi-genre folders.
Secret Word/s: Have a super scrumptious summer vacation.
The Secret Word of the Day: Reveal to one of us the secret word of the day for five points of extra credit. Don't tell anyone else.
Keep up the great work!
We love you all,
Mrs. Galinkin & Mrs. Nodarse
I will keep the following letter on this site all year, in case there is something that you need to refer to as far as class procedures or rules
WELCOME LETTER
Nova Middle School
2009-2010 School Year
Mrs. Galinkin & Mrs. Nodarse
Sixth Grade Language Arts
Seventh and Eighth Grade Language Arts & Literature
Welcome to Mrs. Galinkin's and Mrs. Nodarse’s World of Reading and Writing. Sixth, seventh, and eighth grade will have a new look. Mrs. Galinkin and Mrs. Nodarse will be team teaching as much as possible this year. All students will have both teachers at some time during the day, week or school year. In other words, we will both be responsible for you, and you will all be accountable in your efforts to both of us. Needless to say, work will be coordinated so that we are on the same page at all times. Even though it may say on your schedule that one of us is your L.A. teacher or Literature teacher, we are both responsible for your education and grades this year. We will switch periods or work together some days when the occasion warrants, especially when we have grade level or subject area classes in common. Just think, you will be getting two teachers for the price of one!
We are, again, going to have an exciting, productive, and brain-cell-connecting year! We are excited about this year and the potential it holds for all of us! We want all of you to succeed, and we will provide every opportunity for you to achieve your potential and reach your academic goals.
We believe to be a writer, you must read, and to be a good reader, you must write. The Language Arts and Literature courses are a comprehensive study of (1) the writing process; (2) literary analysis through the five major literary genres: short story, poetry, non-fiction, drama, and novel; and (3) grammar/mechanics. Your grade for each quarter will depend on your performance in the combination of all three areas of study. You will read widely and reflect on and analyze your reading through discussion, writing, and hands-on projects.
Together, we will read and write in different genres and for many purposes. We will have fun with the written word and learn reading and writing skills that will last a lifetime. Through our reading and writing, we will learn more about our world, past and present, and about ourselves. Over the course of this school year, we will explore the mysterious, delve into the injustice of prejudice, examine what happens when people become corrupt with too much power, and discuss the influence of love and passion on our decisions! It will be a year of growth and one that, we hope, you will look back on with appreciation for the difference great literature makes in our lives. Our goal is to start you on the path to becoming a lifetime learner.
We expect each of you to come prepared for our classes by bringing the appropriate supplies to each class. Here is a list of supplies that you will need:
• Two composition books
• One three-pronged pocket folder
• One package of college ruled notebook paper
• Pencils
• Pens
• Highlighters
• Flash drive (two GB's or higher)
• Colored pencils & markers
• A novel with you at all times
• Sticky notes (3 x 3)
Wish list: donation of at least one box of tissues and one bottle of hand sanitizer.
We are going to read quite a few novels this year. It is usually best that students buy their own copies, so that they can mark them up as needed. We will have copies at school, so this is completely optional. You will be notified in plenty of time when we will be reading each book, in case you plan to purchase a copy. The novels that we will definitely read are:
Eighth grade:
That Was Then, This Is Now by S..E. Hinton (second week of school)
The Invisible Thread by Yochika Uchida
Hiroshima by John Hersey
Diary of Anne Frank
Nothing But The Truth by Avi (core novel)
Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Red Pony by John Steinbeck
Call of the Wild by Jack London
Seventh Grade:
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (second week of school)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
Tangerine by Edward Bloor (core novel)
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
The Red Pony by John Steinbeck
I Am the Cheese by Richard Cromier
Who Put That Hair In My Toothbrush by Jerry Spinelli
Sixth Grade:
Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
Miracle Worker by William Gibson
We will expect you to have access to a literature textbook at home. The LANGUAGE OF LITERATURE textbook is available online. If, however, you do not have access to the internet, we can assign you a textbook to take home. Although we have not done it in the past, we do, this year, intend to periodically use our literature textbook for home assignments and projects. This text has stories, poems and articles written by some of the most famous writers of our time. We will never be able to read all of the pieces in that text; take advantage of having it in your possession for nine months.
Every day, these first weeks of school, we will be practicing the appropriate behavior that we expect to run an orderly and cooperative class. They are listed in our rooms, and we will practice them until they become a natural part of our lives together again. The following rules, PRP are the ones that all Language Arts students at NMS must abide by or there will be immediate consequences.
• Be prepared
• Be respectful
• Be prompt
Consequences for behavior infractions will follow the school code of conduct:
• Verbal warning
• Student/teacher conference and/or seat change
• Detention or parent/teacher/student conference
• Referral or parent/teacher/administrator conference
When homework is assigned, it must be written in your student agenda for every class. If there is no homework, “No homework” should be written. We expect you to read your novel or some piece of continuous print for at least 20 minutes per night. This homework is a given. Every day in your agenda book, you will write, "Read 20 minutes per night.”
Make-up work will be done according to district standards – the number of days absent plus one day to complete and turn in any make-up assignments. If an assignment was made prior to your absence, the work is still due on the day you return to school because you already knew about it. Missing class for a sport’s activity or a field trip is not an absence, so check with us before you are out because your work is due at the same time as the rest of the class. “I wasn’t here” is NOT an excuse for missing an assignment or a test.
Grades will be posted on Pinnacle and can be checked from home. Please do not check Pinnacle every day, for this will drive you crazy! If there is a blank, that means that grade has not been put in yet, an “X” indicates excused from handing in that assignment, and a “0” means that the assignment was not turned in.
We hope we have covered everything that you need to know to be successful in our class. We promise to do our best to turn you on to reading and writing. We promise to respect and care for each of you as individuals, and we expect each of you to treat us in a respectful and caring manner. In this way, we will have the kind of learning environment where you can surely succeed and grow.
We would love all of our students to get an “A” in our class. It is not hard to do. The magic formula needed to succeed in our classes is to attend class regularly, follow the above rules and procedures, study and do your assigned work. Success equals effort; if you follow this formula, you will surely learn and master the required content. You will earn an “A,” but, more importantly, you will become a reader, writer and a critical thinker. We truly look forward to getting to know you as we begin the 2009-2010 school year at Nova Middle.
Parents, as well as students, may periodically visit our class websites at https://www.quia.com/pages/galinkin.html, or https://www.quia.com/pages/nodarse.html. These sites will provide assignments, linked attachments to handouts, as well as other resources to assist you throughout the school year. Please note that this website is intended to be a supplement to the student’s agenda, not a substitute for it. The schedule and information posted are subject to change without prior notification.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Galinkin & Mrs. Nodarse
|
|
