1. TEAM 8A ‘Hall of Famers’ Mr. Zemke Mrs. Morack Mrs. Haas Mrs. Ruffing Ms. Ellinghaus

2. District Policies No Chewing Gum Tardies to Class Absent Work Classroom Policies Respect Accepting Responsibility Ways to Stay Connected Teacher Web Pages Email Online Textbooks PowerSchool

3. Grading Scale 75% Summative 25% Formative Some new items you may see in PowerSchool: If an item is in “Grey scale” it is not counted towards the grade but provides information on student progress and completion. This might be in the form of a numerical score or a check mark. No Zero Policy will be explained further in the Administration meeting. Advisory Grades will remain (S) Satisfactory or (U) Unsatisfactory. Logging on to PowerSchool will give you more information about your child's grades than the weekly emails. Grading Procedures

4. Outcome Assessments Outcome Assessments will be given in both ELA and MATH on a quarterly or unit basis. Outcome Assessments are: a way to determine how students perform in relation to grade level expectations. necessary for teachers to help understand what targets need to be addressed. a communication tool from school to home.

5. Scientific Method Animal Diversity Chemistry Earth Materials & Processes (Plate Tectonics, Earthquakes, and Volcanoes) Motion Forces & Energy (Physics) Science

6. Curriculum Updates This year all science teachers will be incorporating additional problem and inquiry based learning labs for students. This includes a focus of integrating existing science standards that build interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

7. Science Club 2014-2015 All 7 th and 8 th Grade students will have the opportunity to participate in a Science Club. The focus of the Science Club will be the development of a Science Fair Project. Students will have the opportunity to create a science fair project and explore other topics related to the field of science. The Science Club will meet before and after school. Additional information will be forthcoming. Contact Mr. Finan or Mrs. Wojnarowski with questions

8. Instructional Design Principles Focuses on the Mathematical practices Focuses on how students learn, think, and apply mathematics Daily Lesson Approach Lessons are structured to provide students with various opportunities to reason, to model and to expand on explanations about mathematical ideas. Within each lesson, questions, instructions and worked examples are interleaved to engage students as they develop their own mathematical understanding. HCMS Math Approach

9. Math Resources - Carnegie Learning Instruction built for conceptual understanding and mastery Contain meaningful math content to support a collaborative, student-centered classroom. Components of the Resource Real-World Situations focused on problem-solving Student Practice Skills Student Assignments CCSS aligned curricula Multiple Learning Styles Write-In Textbooks HCMS Math Approach

10. 1.Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. 2.Reason abstractly and quantitatively. 3.Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. 4.Model with mathematics 5.Use appropriate tools strategically. 6.Attend to precision. 7.Look for and make use of structure. 8.Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning (Common Core Standards Initiative, 2012).Common Core Standards Initiative, 2012 The 8 Mathematical Practices

11. Math 8 Equations —linear, graphing, slope, systems Functions —forms, graphs Statistics —scatter plots, patterns, frequency and relative frequency The Real Number System – rational, irrational, square roots Geometry – congruence and similarity, Pythagorean Theorem, volume of circular figures Expressions – exponents and scientific notation

12. Honors Math Functions —relationships, notation, interpretation, linear, exponential, graphing Inequalities —graphing, linear programming Sequences —Arithmetic, Geometric Statistics —distribution, correlation, scatter and box plots, linear and exponential models All curriculum in Math 8 plus the following: Number Systems —appropriate units and accuracy Geometry —Pythagorean Theorem, transformations, triangle congruence, constructions, coordinate geometry Expressions and Equations — linear systems, graphing, literal, slope

13. The Jackson Era Manifest Destiny The Age of Reform The Civil War Reconstruction The Western Frontier The Growth of Industry Progressive Reforms Overseas Expansion Social Studies World War I The Jazz Age The Great Depression World War II The Cold War Era The Civil Rights Movement The Vietnam Era Modern America

14. ELA Reading Vocabulary Writing Grammar Speaking and Listening Researching

15. Eighth Grade Novels

16. Students CommunityStaff Making Connections Advisory

17. AMP (Tuesday & Wednesday) Tiger Time (Monday) Meeting Our Students’ Needs Advisory Activity (Thursday & Friday)

18. 8 th Grade ~ Team Building Camp Manitoqua~Adventure Zone – Wednesday, September 24 th – Need a sack lunch – Dress accordingly for the weather – Bug spray/sunscreen is advised Explore tests October/PARCC April-May – Used for high school placements – Encourage a good night’s sleep, healthy breakfast, and a snack.