Happy last week of dreary and dark January (sorry if you are a person who likes to hibernate).

In English and Social Studies:

We are continuing with To Kill a Mockingbird. Students should be through chapter 13 by tomorrow with packet questions completed as well ( I gave them the gift of only one question for chapter 12 over the weekend). We will be through chapter 17 by Friday and chapter 21 by Monday. I know this sounds like a lot, but I am not giving Social Studies homework at the moment since there is much to be discussed in the Civics realm for the book.

*** Any student who is behind in their reading is likely to be assigned to Thursday school in order to give them a space, place and time in which to get up to speed. 

Today in class we discussed the importance of reading with the purpose of looking for inferences and foreshadowing.  Many of them are still reading for concrete, or obvious, information. Please encourage them to look for clues....think about author's purpose.  Feel free to ask questions like, "What do you think Harper Lee is trying to tell you in this chapter?"

Additionally, we have MAPS testing this Thursday and Friday....please encourage your student to do their best!

And finally.....look for a permission slip this week. The entire 8th grade will be taking a trip to WSU to explore the library archives and visit a museum or two. Should be a great experience as we lead into our research for Night of the Notables.

Hope you had the chance to honor the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr day with a Day On. In class this week, we will be continuing with our reading/study of To Kill a Mockingbird. If you have never had the chance to read this book, or would love to revisit it, I would whole heartedly recommend it to you! And...if time is an issue, the audio version (free via you tube) is a wonderfully easy way to enjoy the story.

Students: will have checks on their progress on most days with their responses to the question packet for the book. Please make sure they are being tidy and using complete sentences on a separate piece of paper.

For Social Studies, we will continue with civil rights and begin highlighting a variety of notable people each week as we lead up to our unit for Night of the Notables.

To Kill A Mockingbird reading through chapter 7 and packet questions are due on Tues.

Update on the last week of the semester....tomorrow is the due dare for the 2nd quarter Choice Book journal. You should have received an email reminder.

Additionally .... We have spent this week covering chapter 23 in Criminal Justice in America, factors that contribute to criminal activity and possible alternatives to our current justice system.

We will have School Officer Scott Patrick as our guest on Monday :)

Additionally: There will be. Quiz on this material next Tuesday.

Finally....Thank you all for a phenomenally successful semester. I truly believe that most students are well on their way to being ready for high school.

Hope all is well with all of you.  Happy New Year!