Mrs. Meyer’s 8 th Grade English/Reading Welcome,parents!

All About Me  My background  I grew up in Covington.  I attended Lee Road Jr. High, Covington High, and Southeastern Louisiana University (BA in English Education in 1993)  My experience  I’ve been teaching since  I was at Mandeville Jr. High until FJH opened in 1996.

Welcome to Eighth Grade!  Our goal is to strengthen the relationship between school and home.  Use the planner and school website to keep yourself informed!

Guaranteed Curriculum  Although this is an honors class, students across the parish are following the same basic plan.  I have used this plan for four years and the results have been amazing!  There is a natural progression to learning, which builds on previously learned skills.

My Goals  To give students the academic and social skills they need to progress to high school.  To provide a supportive and fun classroom environment.  To help students discover new interests and open their minds to the global concepts studied in literature.  To teach students confidence in their writing and reasoning skills.

Class Subjects  The subjects we cover during 8 th grade English and Reading are  Writing  Grammar  Literature  Journal writing/DOL  Reading Counts  Vocabulary  Spelling

Journal/DOL  Students will be given a topic to write about.  DOL (proofreading) will sometimes be given in place of a writing topic.

Grade Distribution - English  20% - Exam  30% - Homework/ Classwork  50% - Tests

Grade Distribution - Reading  20% Exam  20% Reading Counts  20% Homework/ Classwork  40% Tests

Classroom Procedures  Students pick up journals/write.  Literature lesson  Spelling/vocabulary  Break  Grammar/Writing

Classroom Community  Our classroom is a community. In our community, we have rules to help us get along with each other.  Our class rules are:  Listen when others are talking.  Follow directions.  Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself.  Work quietly and do not disturb others.  Show respect for school and personal property.

Homework  I will assign homework as needed. It will usually consist of work not completed in class.  Students and parents should be aware that homework includes reviewing notes given in class and themes and concepts we are currently studying.  Check my website if there are questions.

Novels This year we will read the following novels as a class: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen The Wave by Todd Strasser And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Reading Counts  This 9 weeks, students need 30 reading counts points. They are required to take the test on the novel they chose to read at the beginning of the year by Friday.  Each 9 weeks they are graded on participation during SSR time, reading logs (which are turned in on Fridays), and the RC tests they take.  If a student prefers, they may do a book report in lieu of taking the computer version of the test.

Let’s Have a Great Year!