Let the frenzy of the final week before break begin! This week will in fact be a flurry in regards to finishing up novels, projects, videos etc...

Blocks 1 & 3: Students should be through ch. 24 (and the packet questions) by today. Through ch. 27 and ?s by tomorrow (12/13) and through ch. 29 by Wednesday (we will finish up the book as a group in class)

They also have a Plot Tree due Wednesday at the beginning of class (this was introduced last Thursday 12/9) and paper/specific directions were available 12/10) - today and tomorrow are also available for working on their tree and their reading.

Thursday is our FINAL EXAM - questions will be collected that day as well and we will follow with the TKM movie :)

*** Frontier House will continue after break

Block 2:
Ask them about thier progress with Al Capone Does My Shirts -- and the video series Frontier House. We will be working on a book project in class - and if a student has been absent, they should check out a book in order to make up their missed reading.

Happy Early Thanksgiving! Just an FYI - Jerry Harms will be subbing for me on 11/17 &18 as well as 11/28 & 29 while I fly to Regina, SK to be with my husband. He had knee replacement surgery this past Monday and he needs me with him as he recovers and to accompany him on his flight back to the states. The kids are in terrific hands and I trust they will do just fine!

In English - In the standard blocks we started To Kill a Mockingbird -- they have a question/character log/vocabulary packet to work on as we go through the book. We have already started the book this week (they should be through ch. 3 by Friday) and they are expected to read through ch. 8 by the Monday following break (this is about 10 pages a day).

Block 2 is reading Al Capone Does My Shirts - ask them what they are learning about the depression, Alcatraz, Autism, etc...

Blocks 1 and 3 took their WSH ch. 6 quiz today --- we will be working on ch. 7 when I return
Block 2 - finished work on ch. 5 WSH - ch. 6 will be covered after break

All blocks are continuing to watch Frontier House - very fun supplement to our study of the frontier :)

No new grades will be entered until I return from Canada --- to hard to carry papers with me all that way. Thanks for your understanding! kw

Well - 1/2 days came and went --- conferences went well --- I enjoyed meeting with those of you who dropped by :)
In our standard blocks:
English - we finished, "Shakespeare's Secret" and turned in our final literature circle prep page and questions. Following this, we delved in the world of E. A. Poe -- quite suitable for the Halloween season. The Tell Tale Heart is in our lit. book, and the sampling of a few other works really left an impression on the students. They completed an in-class writing that detailed what they had learned about his life and a paragraph on the opinion of him as a man and an author. The vast majority of kids found him fascinating and would like to read more of his work in the future!
History - we have now completed 5 chapters and are currently working on the 6th. Ch. 5 and 6 deal with the settlement of the PNW by "whites". We have covered Lewis and Clark, the fur trade, missionaries, settlers, Chinook Jargon in addition to how this leads into the Indian Wars. We are watching the series Frontier House to supplement these chapters.

Next up: To Kill a Mockingbird --- look for this at home within the next week.

FYI - Jerry Harms will be subbing for me on the 17th, 18th, 28th, and 29th while I am in Canada for my husband's knee surgery.

In Essentials - we did a 2 week unit on the genre of Horror. We read the Legend of Sleepy Hollow (and watched the Disney version as well) - we read an essay by Stephen King on whether or not children should be exposed to horror and read a short story of his as well (from a previous lit. book. We culminated this unit with a few other short stories and E.A. Poe. Much writing was done - and the students were very engaged!

WSH - we are finishing up group presentations for ch. 5 and will begin watching the series Frontier House.

Next up - Al Capone Does My Shirts :)

It's blue day today - the last day of our first spirit week - which means we have a spirit assembly as well :)

This week in English we discussed the presentation by Dr. Delahoyd --- most students really enjoyed his thoughts on the conspiracy theory and some even plan to view the movie, Anonymous when it comes out in theatres. (I believe it will be PG-13) --- We started our first novel (Shakespeare's Secret) and we are working with abreviated Literature Circle packets in small groups. We only have 32 books, so the reading is done in class. If students need more time (or if they are absent) they may check a book out overnight but it is VERY important they return it to my room before school starts the next day!

In WSH we are completing a quick read and the questions at the end of ch. 3 - this material is a review of information already taught in 4th grade. We will spend more time on the chapters that address the changes in Native culture that evolved after the arrival of "white" settlers.

Questions are due in class today!

Book Reviews will also be returned today and Monday - many students need to work on minimizing their summary of their stories and focus more on providing their opinion/analysis --- we'll continue to work on this skill throughout the year :)

Hopefully you have arrived her because your student brought home a slip with the blog info. Please sign the slip and have your student return it to me on Thursday 9/29.

This week has been a bit "wonky" --- Magazine Drive....Q6 Field Trip...finishing MAPS Math....make up MAPS...and working on our WA st. maps --- not exactly a regular schedule but we are trying to get a few things done!

English: We turned in our first choice book reviews today --- next week we will start Shakespeare's Secret in class and enjoy a visit from Dr. Michael Delahoyd. He will be talking with us about Shakespeare conspriracy theories :)

WSH: WA state map building is well underway --- all the work is done in class so you won't be seeing any of this at home ---- you should however see your student studying for the upcoming PNW map test on Tues. 10/4 --- this covers WA, OR, and ID and will be worth a whopping 50+ points! They need to study!!!

OK - if you've found this blog....GOOD FOR YOU!!! :) This past week in class we checked off ch. 2 WSH questions and took a quiz - most students did quite well. We are beginning our group map project this week - and will continue into, and finish up next week. Students will have a 3 state map to complete - this material will be convered on a 50 point test 9/30 --- the state of Washington - in more detail - will be constructed with clay, or candy, or other materials in class. Students have the instructions for this project if you are interested in the details.

In English - choice books that they have been reading for weeks now (many students have finished multiple books - but some are still on #1) need to be completed so that a book review may be written by next Tues. 9/27. We are using a handout from OWL (online writing lab) Purdue --- these reviews should be info packed - but short and sweet (no more than a page). We are creating a notebook of reviews for student use in class. Next up ---- Shakespeare's Secret - a novel :)

If you're reading this you have obviously found this blog on your own. I am still working with the district tech folks to get my link added to the staff page. Hopefully that will happen sometime soon!

In the meantime - we had our first quiz in Washington State History last week. Most students did quite well. If your student earned a score that you or they are not pleased with, I would encourage them to study - or change how they study. Many middle schoolers are just beginning to aquire "study" skills. Doing the assignment at this level is simply not enough. Adding flashcards, having someone quiz them etc...is often more effective. We moved on to chapter 2 yesterday - questions are due on Thursday - quiz to follow next Tuesday 9/20.

In English - we are turning in the final draft of their Music & Me essay today. We will conduct a "read-around" and then a few of the kids want to share a sample of their music and their essays for fun and extra credit.

MAPS testing begins this Friday for Reading....Math will be next Friday.

Be on the look out for requests for simple supplies for a group Map project for WSH. This project will start next week.

Finally....your student should be reading a choice book at home!!! Encourage at least 15 - 30 minutes of reading each night.

P.S. ask for a demonstration of the Earth shaping forces of the PNW :)

A new year!!! 8th grade 2011/2012

Welcome to another year! This blog will provide "blurbs" regarding what we are doing in class each week (or at least most weeks) and significant dates for larger projects and tests. I will use the blog to give you enough information so that you and your student can have conversations regarding what they are learning (or at least being taught) in class. The first couple of weeks of class have been filled with much of the usual "schtuff" that the first weeks require....rules, procedures, text book check out, etc.... We have managed to complete a few things though.


They already turned in a Life Map with 6 paragraphs describing memorable/significant events in their lives.

We have choice books selected and are making progress with reading and journaling.

And finally, we are working our way through the first chapter of the Washington State History text.

So far, so good and thanks for checking in! :)
*** Look for work on a Music and Me essay and a quiz on chapter 1 WSH

Welcome to the week beyond testing :) The class has started a Civics unit on crime - they will be working through this with Jerry Harms and a Juvenile Justice video on the days I am gone for track.

We are also wrapping up our, "This I Believe" essays. One student asked me if I would take a look at his yesterday - he wasn't sure he was doing it "right" - it brought me to tears, so I think he did something correctly! I am wholeheartedly looking forward to hearing more of these personal essays on Thursday (that's when they are due!).

Today, the few students who are left at the school with the track team gone to Bi-State, walked with me down to daily grind where we snack, sip and learn a bit more about Midsummer Night's Dream --- nice change of pace after days of testing!

Good news for most of you - major assignments are largely behind us now - Midsummer Night's Dream will be almost exclusively done in class - so homework from here on out will be at a minimum - with the exception of a small Civics quiz covering ch. 16. Hope this works as well for you as it does for the kids and I!

OK...this weeks' color is gray. In truth I think the color is, "Cold" - because that's what I "see" when I look out the window (but cold isn't really a color now is it?) ----

Sorry it has been awhile since the last post - 5 track meets in 9 days and 17 hours on a school bus had me running (literally and metaphorically speaking) ---

This week we are on track to finish up Animal Farm - the vast majority of students are keeping up with no problem. They should have a very tidy or typed packet with a paragraph for each chapter explaining how the story relates to our Cycle of Power hand out, in addition to a character log.

We have a quiz on the Cycle of Power today (they have had ample time to read/study in class) --- We have spent a lot of time discussing the differences between a dictatorship and a democracy -- looked at Parade Magazine's "Top 10 Dictators" list that they compile every year - and finally my practicum student shared a presentation on her trip to Guatemala -- I think the kids have a new appreciation for the blessings of democracy! ----

Mr. Grow will be in our room briefly today to give a testing pep-talk ---- and we will follow with a refresher tutorial for the MSP either today or tomorrow. ----

Next week we will begin Shakespeare and after a brief look at Apartheid...move on to juvenile's in the justice sytem in Civics. Stay warm....see warm....be warm!!!!

Hello all....3rd quarter is behind us now - time for a strong finish! This week we have been finishing up our literature circles and discussion/work on our disabilities unit. My practicum student, Natalie Baydo, taught a lesson on the ADA (American Disabilities Act) on Monday that required the students to create a floor plan for a school per the legal guidelines for accessible buildings - lots of discussion and questions - made them think quite a lot about the ways in which they are "capable". We are also watching the movie I am Sam - also lots of opportunities for discussion. I showed a brief clip today on a young man named Patrick Hughes - quite inspirational if you want to Google him :) We will finish up the movie tomorrow - have our final discussion on the student's independent research and then assemble our bulliten board which will include sections of their lit circle packet and a place for students to pledge to omit the R word from their vocabulary - look up the r-word.org campaign on the Special Olympics web site. I will be out of the classroom for track and a writing curriculum day on Th. and Fri. - Mr. Harms will begin a brief unit in Civics on Foreign Policy. No homework for now :) Maybe later :( Hope you enjoyed the sunshine today!!!!

Hope everyone enjoyed their break - of course unless you made it out of the state it didn't feel much like Spring - but that means we still have something to look forward to! In regards to the classroom...we have now put Night of the Notables behind us. I have entered most of the grades for this project - but the final essay will be entered later this week. I will have all the blocks look at their grades on the SmartBoard and ask that they verify my entries before I enter their final grade for the quarter. As we move on with this week we will be finishing up our lit. circle and continuing our study of the Constitution. Up next will be the Cycle of Power - a study of dictatorships vs. democracies in additional to Animal Farm - and a Shakespeare performance by a traveling performance group from Seattle (more to come on this next week). The latter will hopefully get us primed for Midsummer Night's Dream as we come near the end of the school year! Keep thinking warm thoughts - hope you're all well - I'm battling my first cold of the year and hope I feel better soon instead of worse!

OK - the "end" is near....the end of Night of the Notables that is!!! On Monday - students will: Turn in -
* final typed essay with a reference page attached
* APA worksheets for each reference
* Timline poster (in a shape with a picture and the name of their notable with min.8 events)
Start -
* presentations using their "fill in the blank" worksheet as their guide - only notecards with brief notes are allowed! (see the rubric on the back of the packet)
* procession practice
* microphone speaking practice
* group practice for the evening questions
COSTUMES MUST BE READY BY 3/21 MONDAY - STUDENTS ARE TO ARRIVE BETWEEN 5:30 AND 5:45 - PLEASE MAKE SURE THEY EAT DINNER BEFORE THEY ARRIVE!!!!

In class we are continuing with our literature circles and the constitution.

Finally (as if we didn't have enough going on already) all the 8th graders will be taking a visit to PHS on Monday - this should help begin the process of thinking about the transition to highschool and the registration process that all will go through next week when the PHS counselors visit LMS and help all students register in our computer lab :)

IMPORTANT DATES!!!
Fri.. 3/4 - checked off their N of N questions
Today 3/7 - checked off their intro paragraphs for their essay
Wed. 3/9 - essay rough drafts due!!!
Monday 3/14 - Final typed essay and timeline posters due!!!! Presentations will start today and tomorrow depending on the schedule for visiting PHS
Monday 3/21 - "floating head" and quote OR business card due --- event tonight --- come in costume!!!!

We are continuing with the Constitution in class and our Literature Circles :)

Well...the students ended up with me instead of Mr. Harms today - the ELL training I was scheduled to attend was postponed until 3/8 since the presenter was snowed-in up in Freeman --- :( --- Actually worked well, since so many were absent for the Jazz festival on Thursday - I was able to check off research progress for Night of the Notables - nearly all have made excellent progress! Please check with your student to make sure they have at least 3 sources (one preferably a book) with a least 2 different types of sources.

The answers to their questions for the evening event are due on Friday of next week! We will have a computer lab work day on Tuesday which should help everyone finalize their research! I will be giving guidelines for the essay late next week or early the next - look for future due dates on this assignment!

Also in Civics - there is a quiz covering the ch. 4 section one questions and the Bill of Rights on Wednesday - if they know the "gist" of each of the first 10 amendments and the answers to the questions from ch. 4 - they should do quite well! I suggest flash cards :) ---

In English, the students have chosen their literature circle novels - all were able to be placed with their first or second choice --- please ask at home about their progress with these books - they should have some great thoughts and hopefully questions as well! ---

OK - enough thinking for the night :) Warm thoughts to all since it currently says we are at -9!!! BRRRR!!!! Enjoy your weekend! kw

Does anyone other than me believe that the start of the track season is more likely than a groundhog's shadow to cause 4, or 6 or 12 more weeks of winter! That being said, after this week, if you need to speak with me - before school, my 5th period prep or by email would be your best bet since I will be at the PHS track in the afternoon.

This week Mr. Harms will be teaching on Tuesday and Friday while I attend a required ELL workshop at the district office. The students will be working on an in-class small group project on the Bill of Rights - they should also be studying their ch. 4 questions in preparation for a quiz the first week of March (I'll post the exact date on Wednesday) ---

This week we will also start our literature circles on novels with themes that center around disabilities. Students have selected the books they would most like to read, and I have placed them into their groups. We will be reading these books in class due to a limited number of books - but some additional research on specific disabilities may be required.

Finally - Night of the Notables research should be ongoing --- this Thursday I will be checking sources and next week they will be expected to have completed their "fill in the blank" worksheet. Happy President's day :) Hope you enjoy the beautiful sunshine!!!! kw

Sorry....technical difficulties...meant to post this on Monday....clearly that didn't happen :( OK - quick update - we turned in letters on Japanese American Internment today and had a day for Night of the Notables research in the computer lab. Most students at this point are focused on time-lines and quotes from their notables. Next Thursday students will be required to show evidence of their research - they need to have a minimum of 3 good resources - one should be a book if at all possible - the others should be as reliable as possible --- we will be doing APA worksheets in class so they need to have all of their source information with them on the 24th. The fill in the blank worksheet will be due the following week. In Civics we are studying the Bill of Rights - we ended Japanese American Internment with the issue of Civil Rights and are now moving on to the Civics Book - ch. 4 and taking a broader look at the first 10 amendments. We should be starting our literature circle next week as well. This will tie into the constitution as well and our study of the constitution/disabilities act. Hopefully your student will find this an engaging topic as well - I was quite pleased with how well they attended to the topic of internment! Obviously we are quite busy -- most homework should be Night of the Notables related since the rest of our work is mostly in class for the next few weeks - please check in on their progress from time to time. :) Happy 4 day weekend in advance!!! p.s. Jerry Harms will be with the classes on Tues. and Fri. as I will be attending a manditory ELL training at the district office - the kids reallyenjoy having him in their room and his knowledge of the constitution is beyond compare - he is more guest-speaker than sub :)

1/2 way through another week of February...meaning, a few more days closer to Spring!!! In class we are working our way through Japanese American Internment which will lead us into our study of The Bill of Rights --- Your student should also have their Night of the Notables handout to show you - you will be able to see all the requirements for the event. The different assignments will be divided between Civics and English. Please note the date of the required evening event - Monday March 21st --- should be fun!! The kids have made some very insightful choices for their notables :) As we go through these weeks up to Spring Break - we will also look at some other notables that appear in our curriculum - this week we're looking at Maya Angelou. Enjoy the rest of your week :) kw

Happy February :) This is month we start the Night of the Notables project...please ask your student to show you their packet by the end of the week - this will give you an idea of the expectations for research, writing, costumes, etc.... The event itself, as advertised in the LMS newsletter, will be the Monday or Tuesday - the week before Spring Break --- please encourage your student during this week of Notable exploration to seriously consider the positive contributions to society a person has made vs. how famous they are. Additionally, students turned in their Family Vacation project for WSH today (remember we are still doing a few WSH items since we covered some Civics topics throughout 1st sem.) --- we had a few glitches in the turn in....many students neglected to use their assignment sheet as a check list and forgot a few items....the use of agendas, check lists, etc... is truly lacking and many students need some serious encouragement from home to use these resources for success!!! Please help your student be successful by holding them accountable for due dates, project expectations etc..being self reliant will be critical for high school success!!! :) Good news though...full credit still available tomorrow (even though they lost "on 15 time turn in" points - or a portion of these points) --- 1/2 credit available through Wednesday (unless of course a student has been absent etc...) ---- Next up...ch. 9 WSH/the Bill of Rights and Japanese American internment.

As some of you may have heard, I was out of the classroom for most of last week. My youngest daughter tore her meniscus in her knee and we spent a lot of time in the ER, at the dr's office, and getting used to a brace and crutches. Hopefully this week will be less eventful although we are still awaiting word on surgery. Your students were fortunately at a spot in the curriculum that didn't need me a whole lot (although I'd like to believe I'm needed). We finished up TKM with Mr. Thornton and Mr. Gwynn on Wednesday - they took the final test with them as well and then spent Thursday and Friday watching the video and attending the Martin Luther King assembly with Mr. McCain. Today and Thursday they are all in the computer lab for MAPS testing. (reading today and math thursday) - For the rest of the week, we will be finishing up Frontier House video series - selecting a topic for a small research project for Washington State History -- and beginning to peruse ideas for Night of the Notables in the library as they finish their MAPS. Thank you for your patience with grades - I should have them completely updated on Thursday.

I started the week by announcing that it was now 2011....the year they all start high school! :) And that being said....they need to maintain their momentum (or build it if that is the case) so they feel they are prepared come Fall. I'm not sure, based on the number of tired faces I saw, that they are quite as enthusiastic as I am about this journey, but I trust most of them will come along for the ride anyways :)! Your student should have finished through ch. 24 in To Kill a Mockingbird over the break and as of tomorrow be through ch. 26. We have been taking some time to read in class and today we started a "TKM plot-tree" project. The book will be finished by Monday, and we will take the final test and begin the movie on Tuesday. All should do well as long as they have actually done the reading and answered the questions. In Washington State History, we are continuing to work throught he Frontier House video series while we discuss how fast change occured in the West after the turn of the century. We will be covering ch. 8 and 9 in the WSH book over the next couple of weeks, doing individual reports on a current event/person/issue and then doubling back to cover Japanese American Internment as part of Civics. You will see some overlap in the WSH and Civics curriculum since we spent a fair amount of time on the elections earlier in the semester. Oh, and just thought you'd find it entertaining to know what a student told me yesterday, after he got in trouble for running in the hall - he said, "Mrs. Walker....you're like a ninja...you blend in, we don't see you, and then we do stupid stuff right in front of you!".