Welcome to 8th Grade English/Language Arts!

Mrs. Patricia Trujillo www.mrstrujillos.weebly.com password: wms2433

Curricular Design and Focus Literacy skills are the heart of a well-rounded education. The English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum addresses literacy skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Dr. Hargis vision of a 21st century school is also supported in our teaching of 21st-century skills to include use of and analysis in research, technology, and media. Reading and writing programs are standards based and fully integrated at the middle school level. I design my instruction to promote critical thinking and self-reflection. You can access DoDEA ELA standards on their website at: http://www.dodea.edu/Curriculum/ELA/standards1.cfm Classroom Expectations In preparation for high school, students are expected to refine their self-management skills and conduct themselves in such a way that promotes our school motto: Think Well, Do Well, Be Well. In this classroom we are a community of thinkers and learners. Students collaborate and design their own list of classroom expectations each school year. This years expectations can be found on the class website listed above. If a student is having repeated difficulties following the classroom expectations, they will write a reflection about their behavior (yellow sheet) which may come home for a signature at my discretion. Ideally, I will notify you by email if I have any concerns about behavior prior to administration becoming involved. Classroom Procedures Required Materials Three Ring Binder (may be used for multiple classes) Composition book or Spiral notebook dedicated to ELA only Writing implements (blue or black pen and pencils) Internet access (please see me promptly if this is an issue)

Wiesbaden Middle School Room 156 Patricia.Trujillo@eu.dodea.edu

Students are required to keep a three ring binder with one tab dedicated to ELA. This is a space to organize class notes, handouts and returned work. Students also keep a writing journal for daily prompts or reflections. A fresh supply of pens or pencils as well as paper is always appreciated. Since much of my class is run through our class website, it is ideal if each student had access to the internet at home, or access to public computers at the library or youth services (YS) on a regular basis. Textbooks The curricular text book for this course is Holt Elements of Literature Second Course. The textbook is accessible online at http://my.hrw.com Username: student19033 Password: s3n6y In addition to the textbook, I usually assign 3 novels per year. These novels are a supplementary part of the Holt curriculum and enhance and deepen students understanding of the literacy skills taught in the text. Novel homework and class work as well as reading pacing guides are posted on the class website when assigned. Assignments All class and home assignments are designed to further instruction that has already taken place in the classroom, or to prime students for thinking and learning about a new topic. A log of assignments and due dates can be found on the website. It is updated by Monday for the current week. Students are expected to complete the assignments on time. Assignment sheets detail the grading criteria are also available on the class website. Assessment Students will be taking reading comprehension tests on a regular basis. As a rule, I will test comprehension anytime a student is assigned an independent reading activity. This allows me to ensure that the reading was done and gives me the opportunity to assess the depth of understanding as well as application of reading strategies. Additionally students are assessed using the Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) quarterly in my class. This score will be reported to you each time the student completes testing. More information can be found at http://www.lexile.com/about-lexile/lexile-overview/ Grading Gradespeed is the best way to communicate grades to you. I do return graded papers once Gradespeed is updated. Graded assignments are reviewed in class, but

I hold the confidentiality of grades in the highest regard. I do make every attempt to ensure that students learn from their mistakes and understand how their papers were scored. I frequently use grading rubrics, such as the writing rubric attached to our first writing project. Due to the in depth nature of grading with rubrics, some projects may take longer to grade. You can generally expect Gradespeed to be updated on a weekly basis. Parents can register at http://dodea.gradespeed.net/pc/ Grade Categories are weighted as follows: Assessments 35% Projects 35% Homework 15% Participation 15%

Academic Excellence Academic excellence is my expectation of my students and of myself! It is my job to clearly state expectations and to provide students with many opportunities to build understanding and refine literacy skills. We are a team. Please keep in touch! Keep in the know by frequently accessing the class website Send me an e-mail, call the school (0611-4080-373), or contact me through the contact form on the class website. I do not check email during instructional hours however, so if there is an urgent need, please call the school directly. I strive to respond via email or telephone within 1 school day. Provide me with your contact information so I can stay in touch with you.

Thank you, I look forward to a successful year! Mrs. Patricia Trujillo

Student Name and Preferred Name _____________________________________________ Parent(s) Name(s) ______________________________________________________________ Preferred Parent E-mail: _________________________________________________________ Feel free to use this space to write in any information I should know, or send me an email!