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Welcome to the 2008-2009 school year! I hope your summer has been both adventurous and relaxing. The highlight for me was attending World Youth Day with my daughters and the St. Michael Youth Group in Sydney, Australia. I'm looking forward to a new year and am very excited about the literature selection for 8th grade, as well as grammar and composition for 7th and 8th grades. The heat of the first few weeks is a given, so students, feel free to bring a water bottle (labeled please) to class. |
7th /8th Grade English
This year both seventh and eighth graders will begin with an introduction to writing a five paragraph essay. We will have worksheets, samples, and even a hands-on activity to take us through this process step by step. I'm eager to begin this approach to writing so that students will be able to transfer this method to all subjects. Writing strong essays will be an invaluable skill to carry into high school! Then it's full-speed ahead into sentence structure, grammar, and parts of speech. Various writing assignments will be sprinkled throughout the trimester.
8th Grade Literature
We will begin with our Literature text to get a foundation of the Elements of Literature (character, setting, plot, etc.). Students will be required to read one "class" book and one "independent" book approximately each month. Our first class selection will be And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Please note that students will need this book (paperback, please) by September 8th. I suggest checking Half-Price Books first, then Barnes and Noble and/or Borders. Students, be sure to label your book! The first independent book requirement will be any reading-level-appropriate AR book. This does not include a book you read last year! :) Independent reading books must have teacher approval. Various projects and assignments will go along with each class/independent book. Between their class and independent books, OLSH/public library selections, and my own classroom library, students should always have something to read in my class.
Improving spelling and expanding vocabulary go hand-in-hand with reading, so these textbooks will be part of our literature studies. There will be weekly tests in each area.
More details about curriculum, schedules, and expectations will be discussed at Meet the Teacher night, Thursday, August 28th! I look forward to seeing you there!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Eggenberger
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