Back to School Night 2017: Ms. Christina Briggs English 7 & English 7 Honors

Hello! My apologies- because of an illness, I was unable to attend Back to School Night in person. This is the slideshow I would have used if I were able to be in attendance.

Here’s a little bit about me! My Background Here’s a little bit about me!

Education Undergraduate Degree: Secondary Education English- Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, May 2012 Master's Degree: Curriculum and Instruction: Reading- Concordia University- Portland, December 2016

Teaching Experience For three years I taught eighth grade English in Lancaster County, Virginia. Some accomplishments while there: English Department Lead Teacher (2 years) Grade Level Lead Teacher (1 year) Director of the Drama Club (2 years) Largest gains in SOL scores in English department (2 years) This is my second year here at Mercer Middle School. Last year I taught both sixth and seventh grade English.

English 7 Seventh grade English is very similar in style to sixth grade English. Students will be asked to read and write independently in class and at home. Students are expected to bring an independent reading book with them to class every single day. I am trained in and will utilize the Reading and Writing workshop model that is congruent with the LCPS expectations for middle school English classes.

English 7 Our mission as a seventh-grade English team is to continue building up the skills and strategies that your children have already been learning to move them towards becoming strong, confident independent readers and writers.

Reading at home Throughout the entire year, students are responsible for logging what they are reading on a reading log that is located in the Reading section of their binder. (This can also be found in the Google Classroom.) They don’t have to log reading times, but they are expected to log what they are reading, when they started and finished the book, etc. On any night that I do not assign homework, whether the student is in Honors or Academic English 7, they are expected to spend at least twenty minutes reading. This expectation has been communicated to them. While I do offer daily independent reading time in class, this is not a sufficient amount of reading time for the student to be successful in reaching his or her quarterly reading goals.

How can you stay in the loop? If I taught your child in sixth grade- please note that while some things will be the same or similar, I will also be incorporating new things and have increased my online presence to try and help you, as parents and guardians, be more aware of what’s going on in our classroom.

How can you know what’s going on in class? Phoenix- I try to post small assignments several days in advance with electronic copies of what the students will receive in class. I usually post larger, summative projects and assessments a week or so in advance. Google Classroom- By the end of this week, all students will have access to their block’s Google Classroom where I post notes, reminders, and handout that I go over in class. Sometimes I post extra practice there as well. This is mainly a student resource because I’ll post the handouts in Phoenix, but if you REALLY want in, I can send you an invitation to join the class. Twitter- You can follow me @MsBriggsMMS. I will be tweeting reminders and recognitions (with permission) of the awesome things that are happening in the classroom.

Continued... Mercer Website- I also have a presence on the school’s website under my name on the staff page. This is still a work-in-progress, but I will be updating it bi-weekly. If all else fails- just email me at Christina.Briggs@lcps.org. I try to reply within 24 hours. You can also leave me a message at the school’s number, and I will try to get back to you within 24 hours.

Technology in the Classroom Students are permitted and encouraged to bring and use their own devices in the classroom, as long as they are following the BYOT procedures. Technology in the Classroom

Thanks!! Again, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out and contact me! I’m already enjoying getting to know your children; it’s going to be a great year!