Week of August 26

As we head into the 3rd week of school, a lot of things become apparent. An example is the exuberance and the happiness of some students. This air will be the guide that directs the lessons for us all.

In 6th grade, students have started slowly to the transition of  middle school, but are adapting to the change. I expect them to be better this week and the following week.
This week, students will increase their learning of capitalization in a myriad of ways including capitalizing names of people, buildings, businesses, salutations, etc.

HOMEWORK: Exercises from the Element of Language  textbook and the 6th Grade Grammar Workbook

In 7th grade, students will continue to learn about clauses and phrases and the differences between them. The 7th grade class has been an entertaining bunch and the learning exceptional. I will use that energy to guide us for future creative activities.

HOMEWORK: Exercises from the Element of Language  textbook and the 7th Grade Grammar Workbook

In 8th grade,  students will increase their learning of capitalization in a myriad of ways including capitalizing names of people, buildings, businesses, salutations, etc.
These students will learn at a different level and pace of their 6th grade counterparts, so most of the material covered will be a review and we can move-on to other disciplines.

HOMEWORK: Exercises from the Element of Language  textbook and the 8th Grade Grammar Workbook

All 7th and 8th grade classes have been reviewing the Writing Process and The Traits of Writing in conjunction with their upcoming research papers in Mrs. Agurcia's science classes.

Let's have a fantastic week of learning. Achieving is Believing!!

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” - Oscar Wilde

Discovery News:

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WEDNESDAY – As stated in our school calendar, the last Wednesday of every month is assigned for Teacher Professional Development. This Wednesday, August 27 is an early dismissal day for students (11:45 a.m.). We appreciate parents picking their child(dren) up promptly so our teachers can attend the professional development that has been planned for that day.

 

ECOFRIENDLY LUNCH DAY - Discovery students are aiming to be more "green" by recycling and reducing our waste production.  To promote this effort, the 10th grade Environmental Science students will be hosting Ecofriendly Lunch Day on Thursday, August 29th.  During recess, there will be games, activities, and prizes that will encourage students to pack a waste-free lunch.  Previous to this, environmental science students will be visiting classrooms to promote waste reduction and recycling.  Parents, please join with us in this effort and help your student pack a waste-free lunch each day.  For more information about waste-free lunches, please see http://www.wastefreelunches.org/

Week of August 19

GENERAL ASSEMBLY – Discovery School parents are invited to attend the General Assembly that will take place this Saturday, August 24 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. in the School Cafeteria. Important matters such as a suggested revision to our school calendar, budget information, an update on the status of the Concrete Plant, Board committees and school-wide implications of MAP data will be addressed. YOUR ATTENDANCE IS CRUCIAL—we need a quorum of 1/3 of our parents (55 parents) for the meeting to be considered a legal meeting of our school Association. Please mark your calendars and plan on attending.  **Believe and Achieve Sports will be at the school to work with the children while the parents are attending the meeting. **Coffee and juice will be provided.

CHOIR AUDITIONS – The Choir auditions will take place on Wednesday, August 21 and Thursday, August 22 during Snack Recess (9:45-10:10) in the music room.   Students from grades 1-12 who did not audition last year are invited to audition. The students may sing a song of their preference acapella. Students and parents are asked to commit to the whole year’s participation in Choir. Our Choir has been invited and has accepted the invitation to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City next summer, and practices will be geared to prepare the students for that prestigious event. A schedule of practices will be provided this week. If you have questions, you can contact either Ms. Pamela (pcruz@discoveryschool.edu.hn) or Ms. Norma (nlopez@discoveryschool.edu.hn) for more information.

MATH REINFORCEMENT:  IXL ACCOUNTS (for grades Kinder through 5 only) – Last year our teachers piloted the IXL Math enrichment with our students. Because it was so successful and well received by parents and students, the school has acquired a

subscription to IXL for all students in Grades KG-5. This is an individualized on-line program that reinforces math skills across the curriculum and is aligned to our Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment that we administer to all students in Grades KG-10 three times during the school year. Teachers will post information in their weekly blogs indicating what areas and how much time students should work on IXL during the week. Parents are encouraged to support their children by checking the weekly blogs and having their child complete the practices assigned by each teacher. If you are unclear about any aspect of the IXL, please contact your child’s teacher or the Area Administrator (Nora for KG – Grade 1 nsierra@discoveryschool.edu.hn and Cristiana for Grades 2-5 cbanegas@discoveryschool.edu.hn.

SCHOOL CAFETERIA – for information on the school cafeteria menu and services please visit discoverycafeteria.blogspot.com 

AFTER-SCHOOL SPORTS PROGRAM – Our first session of After-School Activities with Believe and Achieve Sports started today. The sessions will run from 3:15 - 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, and 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon on Saturday for students from Kindergarten up. During the sessions, students will rotate through different sports, including soccer, basketball, frisbies, golf, American football, and others. Focus is on helping students learn skills, practice teamwork, and have fun, regardless of their current knowledge or skills!

·         TRANSPORTATION:  The school will follow the practice we have followed over the past several years and provide transportation for the students at the end of the Tuesday and Wednesday sessions in the main part of Tegucigalpa. We will not provide transportation to the outlying areas, such as El Hatillo, Santa Lucia, and the airport. As in the past, there will not be a nanny on the bus; however, the driver will make sure all students are buckled up. We will not provide transportation to any area on Saturday.

·         TRANSPORTATION FEE:  Parents are asked to pay Lmp.100 per month for the bus services if their children are planning to use it on Tuesday and Wednesday, and Lmp.60 per month if they are planning to use it for only one of those days. That can be given to Carolina (Receptionist) or anyone in the Finance Office.

·         SIGN-UP FOR SPORTS PROGRAM:  Sign-up for the sports program is with Mr. Eric Hamm directly. His phone number is 9599-2959. As this is a new program, we may need to make adjustments as we go along, and we will keep you informed of any changes. One thing that we will be considering is the traffic at 5:00 p.m. and how long it takes us to get the students home after the activities.

The school welcomes any suggestions parents may have. If you have not had a chance to sign up yet, please contact Ms. Paola Mena, Administrative Assistant, at dsoffice@discoveryschool.edu.hn, 2231-7790 or 9950-66924 to let us know of your interest.

·         At the current time we are not planning to offer other activities during the first quarter, with the exception of Choir. After we have assessed the Sports program, we will make a decision if we will offer other activities starting in the second quarter. Choir teachers will provide parents with a schedule of practices this week, but we will attempt to schedule the Choir practices so they don’t interfere with the Sports.

 

In my ELA classes this week, 6th grade students will continue to increase their learning of the sentence, the parts of it, and sentence fragments. The students are being assessed daily with Q and A and grades from exercises from their textbook. By mid- week, students will progress to a short review of nouns and directly to pronouns.

 

In 7th grade, students will close the unit on subject- verb agreement and move on to learning about phrases and clauses. Students will learn the differences between them and the different types with exercises from their Elements of Language textbook. The 7th graders had a terrific first week and I am hopeful that this trend will continue.

 

In 8th grade, the students will close the unit of verbs by learning how to choose verbs in consistency in a simple and compound sentence. Also they will learn and demonstrate the ability of contrasting between active and passive voice. They will close the week by learning the differences between the six troublesome verbs of sit/set, rise/raise, and lay/lie and use them correctly in a sentence, again, with the help of exercise from the textbook.

 

Let's have a fabulous week!! Achieving is Believing!!

 

Knowledge will bring you the opportunity to make a difference.”
― Claire Fagin

Week of August 12

DPTO EVENT – Parents’ and Teachers’ Night Out! Mark your Calendars

The Discovery Parent Teacher Organization will host a fun get-together for parents and teachers (especially for those new to the school) next Friday, August 16 at Ibiza Restaurant in Col. San Ignacio, from 7:30 p.m. onwards. Ten percent (10%) of the proceeds  will be donated to the school! Invitation and further details will be sent by the DPTO via email next week. We hope all our parents and teachers will be able to join us!

 

GENERAL ASSEMBLY – Discovery School parents are invited to attend the General Assembly that will take place on Saturday, August 24 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. in the School Cafeteria. Important matters such as a suggested revision to our school calendar, budget information, an update on the status of the Concrete Plant, and school-wide implications of MAP data will be addressed. YOUR ATTENDANCE IS CRUCIAL—we need a quorum of 1/3 of our parents (55 parents) for the meeting to be considered a legal meeting of our school Association. Please mark your calendars and plan on attending.  Teachers who have students enrolled at Discovery are required to attend; other teachers are encouraged to attend to stay informed about school activities.

 

 

AFTER-SCHOOL SPORTS PROGRAM – Mr. Eric Hamm with Believe and Achieve Sports will begin activities on Tuesday afternoon at 3:15 p.m. for those students who have signed up. If you have not had a chance to sign up yet, please contact Ms. Paola Mena, Administrative Assistant, at dsoffice@discoveryschool.edu.hn, 2231-7790 or 9950-66924 to let us know of your interest.

 

 

BUS EXPECTATIONS AND CONSEQUENCES:  If your students ride the school bus, please remind them of the expectations and consequences, as follows:

• Students are expected to enter the bus, sit down, buckle the seatbelt, and remain seated. To safeguard the students, they are not allowed to leave the bus once they have gotten on.
• Students need to remain in their seats and use seatbelts for the entire trip. They are not to be standing until the bus comes to a complete stop at their own house.
• Students should keep their arms and legs inside the bus at all times, and not open or close the windows unless instructed to do so by the nanny
• Shouting is not allowed on the bus. Students need to speak using a quiet 'indoor' voice and talk only with the student seated beside them. It is distracting for the bus driver when the students become too loud, and it creates an unsafe condition on the bus
• Students are expected to treat other students, the bus nanny, and the driver with respect. Name-calling, foul language, or obscene gestures, shoving, kicking, and teasing are not allowed on the bus.
• Students should not throw garbage, papers, or any other objects in or outside of the bus
• No food or drink is allowed on the bus

Consequences:

• First Offense:  Warning and reminder of the rules
• Second Offense: Conference with Transportation Supervisor, and parents notified
• Third Offense:  Loss of bus privileges for one to three days; parents notified; notation in student's file
• Fourth Offense: Loss of bus privileges for 10 days up to the remainder of the school year; parents notified; notation in student's file

 

ENROLLMENT DRIVE:  Last year's Enrollment Drive brought in 14 new students to the school and helped account for the 13% increase in enrollment that we experienced last year. The Board of Directors elected last year to repeat the Enrollment Drive again for the 2013-2014 school year, and the term will expire soon.

 

1.      PERIOD OF THE ENROLLMENT DRIVE:  This opportunity is available until August 31, 2013, and is not retroactive. 

 

2.      CONDITIONS:

A.    Discovery Parent must personally introduce a potential new student and parents to Ms. Giles at the beginning of the admission process (this must be someone who has not already requested information on admission)

B.     The school will follow the usual admission process in determining whether the student will be admitted

C.     The cash benefit will apply only if the new student is actually admitted for the 2013-2014 school year.

 

3.      CASH BENEFIT FOR DISCOVERY SCHOOL PARENTS AND TEACHERS:

During the enrollment drive period, for each new student that a family introduces to Ms. Giles and who is thereafter admitted after meeting all of our admission requirements, the sponsoring parent or teacher will receive a cash bonus in the amount of 5% of the tuition (not capital fee) that the new student actually pays during the 2013-2014 school year.

 

4.      ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:  All new students are required to meet the admission requirements that are already established. If a student applies and is not admitted, no bonus will be paid.

 

5.      ORGANIZATIONS:  This offer applies to individuals who pay their own tuition and does not apply to organizations.

 

6.      UNFORESEEN COMPLICATIONS:  The Board reserves the right to discontinue the Enrollment Drive at any time if there are any unforeseen complications for the school.

 

**NOTE:   If a class is or becomes full, Discovery School reserves the right to put a new applicant on a waiting list. In that case, the bonus would not be paid unless the child is admitted during the 2013-2014 school year.

 

If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Paola Mena, Administrative Assistant, at 2221-7790 or dsoffice@discoveryschool.edu.hn.

 

The 6th grade students will begin the year learning the types of sentences and how to write them appropriately. They will read and understand them by using examples from the textbook.

 

Homework: Exercises from the textbook

 

The 7th grade class will begin the year by learning about subject-verb agreement. Students should have a working knowledge of them and use that to increase it by using exercises from the Elements of Language textbook.

 

Homework: Exercises from the textbook

 

The 8th grade class will learn about verbs, how to recognize them in a sentence, and use them effectively using exercises from the textbook.

 

Homework: Exercises from the textbook

 

Let's have a fabulous week!! Believers are Achievers!!

 

When you know better you do better.”
― Maya Angelou

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First day of school 2013

Welcome back students and parents!!

I hope that everyone enjoyed their summer vacation and that you are ready for the new school year. It will be a year to increase our value, intelligence, and creativity with a new curriculum and different ways of learning in a rigorous environment. This year will be an opportunity for all students to take ownership of their learning and become the leaders they envision themselves to be for the 21st century. It is indeed an exciting time for them as well as myself, as we embark on this fantastic voyage of learning.

On the first two days of school, all classes will go over the rules and consequences that govern the class. All students need to be made aware of these rules as it will be the catalyst that allows the class to function properly and creates the environment conducive for growth. Also, students will have the opportunity to introduce themselves to their fellow students and share a few details pertaining to their summer vacations.

 All students will go home with a welcome letter and syllabus that will outline and detail the skills that the students will learn and the materials needed for them to be successful. Upon careful consideration and to reduce paper waste each, I have uploaded the syllabus for each class for your convenience. Also, my homeroom students(the 7th grade) will take home a student information sheet that needs to completed by their parents and returned on Friday or Monday. I hope the week-end will provide you with the opportunity to buy your child's materials as they will be needed for the many activities that I have planned for their growth.

Materials:

(1-2) spiral notebooks(120 or 70 sheets) with an edge that will tear evenly

(2) folders with pockets

(1) box of Kleenex

(1) pack of 3x5 index cards
 

(2) highlighters

Pens & Pencils(blue or black ink only)

 

Hand sanitizer

Again, WELCOME BACK students and parents!!

Let's have a fabulous year!! Believing is Achieving!!

Mr. Vincent Taylor
6th Grade Language Arts/Reading/Writing Syllabus

Buenas Dias! I am very happy to be starting my fourth year teaching language arts, reading, and writing to your child or children this year at Discovery School. I feel very confident about all the new things we will learn together this year and that it will be a fun and exciting environment. I hope that you and your child or children have had a nice and relaxing summer, and are now ready to enjoy a new way of learning and thinking in a challenging, rigorous environment.

Materials needed:

All supplies were given in a list at the end of last year!!

Course Objectives:
The objectives of the Language Arts class are to strengthen reading and writing skills. Students will practice and improve reading skills by completing reading comprehension exercises, and practicing using a variety of reading strategies. Students will be encouraged to use critical thinking skills to analyze what has been read. The textbook we are using this year will provide the students with many genres of literature and many opportunities to improve their critical thinking and reasoning skills. We are also going to be learning, practicing, and implementing various reading strategies that will prepare the 6th grade students for the rigors of 7^th grade.

We will also spend a considerable amount of time on writing. We will focus on the Writing Process and 6+1 Traits of Writing. The students will learn the three types of essays: narrative, expository, and persuasive. These writings will inspire, motivate, and instill confidence in our students in order to allow them to become confident readers and communicators.

Course Expectations:

ALL students WILL:
1.    Be on time for class
2.    Have ALL required materials for class EVERYDAY
3.    Be respectful of ALL in the room (students, teachers, and guests)
4.    Have homework ready to hand in on the date it is due
5.    Take responsibility for all missed work.

Any student who is absent is responsible for requesting missed work. Students will be given two (2) days to make up work for every one (1) day missed. If a student has missed two (2) or more days, they will have a maximum of four (4) days to make up all missed work. If a student is aware that they will be out for more than three (3) days, it is the responsibility of the student to make all teachers aware of the absence and to request all work that will be missed.
6.    Follow all school, class, and seventh grade expectations.

Please bring your agendas to class EVERY DAY to record your assignments.

Units of Study:
The seventh grade Language Arts curriculum has been developed to cover a broad range of topics dealing with reading, writing, and critical thinking.

First Quarter:
Elements of short stories (characters, setting, plot, conflicts, theme, mood,); nouns, pronouns, and verbs. Here, students will begin reading the short story, The Loser, by Jerry Spinelli. They will learn how to write an introductory paragraph for narrative writing in order to develop story ideas based on facts and details.

Second Quarter:

 Students will learn what adjectives, adverbs, and conjunctions are and how to identify them within a sentence. Also, students will begin reading, Where the Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawls or The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton. Thru these short stories, students will use the short story elements to deepen reading comprehension and their vocabulary skills. The writing, rewriting, and editing process will be explained as we explore persuasive writing with an introductory paragraph with a clearly defined topic, topic sentence, and facts and details to support it.

Third Quarter:
Students will learn the differences between prefixes & suffixes, synonyms & antonyms, and complex sentences. The short story, Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen will be read. Assessment of the book thru reading comprehension and vocabulary will be done in order to insure learning is taking place. Also, students will write a short play where they and their fellow students will act out the parts or roles.

Fourth Quarter:
Students will learn what homophones and homographs are and how to use capitalization and punctuation effectively. Also, they will read the short story Pacific Crossing, by Gary Soto. Quizes will be used to measure comprehension and level of vocabulary words learned. In this quarter, they will learn how to write reason and descriptive paragraphs as well as further develop the writing, re-writing, and editing process.

 Extra Help:
Students are invited to stay after school for extra help or to complete missing assignments.  I will be available upon request by students/parents.  I must receive a parent or guardian’s permission before any student stays after school.  Appropriate accommodations must also be made for transportation to and from extra help.

Grading Scale:
90-100 A
89-80   B
79-70   C
69-60   D
59- 0    F

7th Grade Language Arts/Reading/Writing Syllabus

Buenas Dias! I am very happy to be starting my fourth year teaching language arts, reading, and writing to your child or children this year at Discovery School. I feel very confident about all the new things we will learn together this year and that it will be a fun and exciting environment. I hope that you and your child or children have had a nice and relaxing summer, and are now ready to enjoy a new way of learning and thinking in a challenging, rigorous environment.

Materials Needed:

(1-2) spiral notebooks (120 or 70 sheets) with an EDGE that will tear evenly

(2) folders w/pockets

(2) highlighters

 Pens/ pencils (only blue or black pens)

Course Objectives:

The objectives of the Language Arts class are to strengthen reading and writing skills. Students will practice and improve reading skills by completing reading comprehension exercises, and practicing using a variety of reading strategies. Students will be encouraged to use critical thinking skills to analyze what has been read. The textbook we are using this year will provide the students with many genres of literature and many opportunities to improve their critical thinking and reasoning skills. We are also going to be learning, practicing, and implementing various reading strategies that will prepare the 7th grade students for the rigors of 8^th grade.

We will also spend a considerable amount of time on writing. We will focus on the Writing Process and 6+1 Traits of Writing. The students will learn the three types of essays: narrative, expository, and persuasive. These writings will inspire, motivate, and instill confidence in our students in order to allow them to become confident readers and communicators.

Course Expectations:

ALL students WILL:
1.    Be on time for class
2.    Have ALL required materials for class EVERYDAY
3.    Be respectful of ALL in the room (students, teachers, and guests)
4.    Have homework ready to hand in on the date it is due
5.    Take responsibility for all missed work.

Any student who is absent is responsible for requesting missed work. Students will be given two (2) days to make up work for every one (1) day missed. If a student has missed two (2) or more days, they will have a maximum of four (4) days to make up all missed work. If a student is aware that they will be out for more than three (3) days, it is the responsibility of the student to make all teachers aware of the absence and to request all work that will be missed.
6.    Follow all school, class, and seventh grade expectations.

Please bring your agendas to class EVERY DAY to record your assignments.

Units of Study:
The seventh grade Language Arts curriculum has been developed to cover a broad range of topics dealing with reading, writing, and critical thinking.

First Quarter:
Elements of short stories (plot, setting, characters, conflicts, theme, mood, point of view); autobiographies, run-ons, and subject-verb agreement.

Second Quarter:

There will be many assignments. Students will need to stay focused and on top of all of their assignments). Students will begin reading, The Pigman, by Paul Zindel. Here, they will apply the elements of short stories to deepen reading comprehension. Students will learn the differences between myths, fables, and folklore. Vocabulary will be heavily emphasized during this period, and tested weekly.

Third Quarter:
The short story, The Giver, by Laurel- Leaf Newbury will be read. Assessment of the book thru reading comprehension and vocabulary will be done in order to insure learning is taking place. Students will also learn how to write a (5) paragraph persuasive essay where they will have a clearly defined topic, topic sentence or thesis statement, and paragraphs containing facts, details, and or opinions of the topic.

Fourth Quarter:
Poetry, novels, and drama (elements of literature-plot, setting, character, conflict).

Extra Help:
Students are invited to stay after school for extra help or to complete missing assignments.  I will be available upon request by students/parents.  I must receive a parent or guardian’s permission before any student stays after school.  Appropriate accommodations must also be made for transportation to and from extra help.

Grading Scale:

90-100 A
89-80   B
79-70   C
69-60   D
59- 0    F

8th Grade Language Arts/Reading/Writing Syllabus

Buenas Dias! I am very happy to be starting my fourth year teaching language arts, reading, and writing to your child or children this year at Discovery School. I feel very confident about all the new things we will learn together this year and that it will be a fun and exciting environment. I hope that you and your child or children have had a nice and relaxing summer, and are now ready to enjoy a new way of learning and thinking in a challenging, rigorous environment.

Materials needed:

 (1-2) spiral notebooks(120 or 70 sheets) with an EDGE that will tear smoothly

(2) folders with pockets

 (2) highlighters

Pens & Pencils(blue or black ink only)

Course Objectives:

The objectives of the Language Arts class are to strengthen reading and writing skills. Students will practice and improve reading skills by completing reading comprehension exercises, and practicing using a variety of reading strategies. Students will be encouraged to use critical thinking skills to analyze what has been read. The textbook we are using this year will provide the students with many genres of literature and many opportunities to improve their critical thinking and reasoning skills. We are also going to be learning, practicing, and implementing various reading strategies that will prepare the 8th grade students for the rigors of 9^th grade.

We will also spend a considerable amount of time on writing. We will focus on the Writing Process and 6+1 Traits of Writing. The students will learn the three types of essays: narrative, expository, and persuasive. These writings will inspire, motivate, and instill confidence in our students in order to allow them to become confident readers and communicators.

Course Expectations:

ALL students WILL:
1.    Be on time for class
2.    Have ALL required materials for class EVERYDAY
3.    Be respectful of ALL in the room (students, teachers, and guests)
4.    Have homework ready to hand in on the date it is due
5.    Take responsibility for all missed work.

Any student who is absent is responsible for requesting missed work. Students will be given two (2) days to make up work for every one (1) day missed. If a student has missed two (2) or more days, they will have a maximum of four (4) days to make up all missed work. If a student is aware that they will be out for more than three (3) days, it is the responsibility of the student to make all teachers aware of the absence and to request all work that will be missed.

6.    Follow all school, class, and seventh grade expectations.

Please bring your agendas to class EVERY DAY to record your assignments.

Units of Study:
The eighth grade Language Arts curriculum has been developed to cover a broad range of topics dealing with reading, writing, and critical thinking.

First Quarter:
Elements of short stories (characters, setting, plot, conflicts, theme, mood,); transitive & intransitive verbs, use of past, present, and future tense. Here, students will begin reading the short story, Jacob Have I Loved, by Katherine Paterson. They will learn how to use the writing process to organized paragraphs; topic sentences & internal transitions. Also the student writes in response to literature and analytical compositions.

Second Quarter:

 Students will learn what irregular verbs, articles, demonstratives, and comparative and superlative adjectives are and how to identify them within a sentence. Also, students will begin reading, The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros. They will use reading strategies and skills to understand and interpret a variety of literary texts. They will learn how to connect themes in literature to universal themes: Sexism, poverty, struggles of growing up, working to achieve a dream, and discrimination. The movie, Freedom Writers, starring Hillary Swank will be seen b/c it contains all the themes explored here.

 

Third Quarter:
Students will learn the differences between comparative and superlative adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections. The short story, Bad Boy, by Walter Dean Myers will be read. Assessment of the book thru reading comprehension and vocabulary will be done in order to insure learning is taking place. Also, students will understand how to prepare for and deliver speeches, form discussion questions, understand utopia and dystopia, and visually express ideas about literature and life.

Fourth Quarter:
Students will learn what participles and participial phrases are. They will also learn the use of Italics, quotation marks, hyphens, and dashes.

Quizzes will be used to measure comprehension and level of vocabulary words learned. In this quarter, they will learn how to write reason and descriptive paragraphs as well as further develop the writing, re-writing, and editing process.

 

Extra Help:
Students are invited to stay after school for extra help or to complete missing assignments.  I will be available upon request by students/parents.  I must receive a parent or guardian’s permission before any student stays after school.  Appropriate accommodations must also be made for transportation to and from extra help.

Grading Scale:

90-100 A
89-80   B
79-70   C
69-60   D
59- 0    F