As the temperature drops, the students begin to anticipate the end of the semester. In the final three weeks the students will need to continue to give their best efforts as they complete final exams, term papers, and projects for the various classes. The work load may increase, but remind them that if they work hard for the next three weeks, they will enjoy the two-week break even more.
Here is a list of major assignments students can expect from Mr. Jones’s class until the end of the semester:
8th Grade Literature:
Dec. 2nd – Quiz on the trial in To Kill a Mockingbird (Ch. 16-22)
Dec. 3rd – Respond to Mr. Underwood’s editorial
Dec. 8th – Quiz on post-trial chapters (22- 31)
Dec. 9th – Finish the Novel
Dec. 13th – FINAL EXAM on To Kill a Mockingbird
Dec. 14th – 16th Watch Movie of To Kill a Mockingbird / CBM Reading Testing
Dec. 17th – End of Quarter / Report Card Release Day
7th Grade Writing:
Dec. 3rd – Spelling and Grammar Quiz
Dec. 6th – Handout final Spelling List and Grammar rules / Assign Term Paper
Dec. 7th – Prewriting for Term paper – Write about the character changes Buck goes through in the novel Call of the Wild. Use direct quotes and paraphrase support from the novel.
Dec. 10th – Final Spelling and Grammar Quiz
Dec. 10th – Rough Draft of Term Paper – Responding to Literature Due
Dec. 13th – Final Term Paper Due with Rough Draft and Prewriting
Dec. 13th – 14th CBM Testing – Writing Prompt
Dec. 17th – End of Quarter / Report Card Release Day
As always, feel free to email me with any questions or if you would like updates on student behavior and / or academic standings.
Please remember that the holidays are a time of giving. La Paloma is participating in several charitable events including a canned food drive, coin drive, and clothing drive. These are not fundraisers for the school, but an effort to better the members of our community. Please help by giving what you can during these tough times. Enjoy the winter break, see you next year.
Best wishes,
Tanner Jones
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Second Quarter
Eighth Grade Literature:
Welcome to second quarter. This quarter is divided into two main sections that parents should be aware of. The first two weeks are dedicated to identifying mood and tone found in literary devices which evoke particular feelings in the reader. Because autumn is known for its scary stories, the 8th graders will read numerous “spooky” tales and identify the elements of mood and how they are created in the literature.
The second section is dedicated to reading the first novel of the year. We will be reading Harper Lee’s classic, To Kill a Mockingbird. I highly encourage parents / guardians to read along with their students. Not only is it a great piece of literature, but engaging in conversation about the text is very helpful for comprehension and understanding. Students will be asked to read a chapter each night and one over the weekend as well. Throughout the study of the novel, students will create various in-class projects and take comprehension quizzes each Friday. We will begin reading on November 1st.
Seventh Grade Writing:
Welcome to the second quarter. This quarter is divided into three primary sections. The first is a continuation of the study of narrative as we write “spooky” tales. Students will write their first 5-paragraph essay during the week of October 25th which is due Friday, October 29th. In November, the writing class switches gears to poetry. In class, the students will receive several forms of poetry to read and decipher. They will then write their own poems of each of the forms studied in class. Students will then create a Poetry Portfolio in which they compile their original poems and add art work to create a portfolio. This is due on Nov. 23rd. Finally, students will examine the novel read in their literature class and write about it with in-depth assignments. I will elaborate more as we get closer to the assignments. I encourage parents to read what their students have written, the work they produce is not simply for grades, but it also has a lot of expressive elements that I think parents may enjoy.
Best wishes on a new quarter. As always, please email me with any questions, comments, or concerns.
Welcome to second quarter. This quarter is divided into two main sections that parents should be aware of. The first two weeks are dedicated to identifying mood and tone found in literary devices which evoke particular feelings in the reader. Because autumn is known for its scary stories, the 8th graders will read numerous “spooky” tales and identify the elements of mood and how they are created in the literature.
The second section is dedicated to reading the first novel of the year. We will be reading Harper Lee’s classic, To Kill a Mockingbird. I highly encourage parents / guardians to read along with their students. Not only is it a great piece of literature, but engaging in conversation about the text is very helpful for comprehension and understanding. Students will be asked to read a chapter each night and one over the weekend as well. Throughout the study of the novel, students will create various in-class projects and take comprehension quizzes each Friday. We will begin reading on November 1st.
Seventh Grade Writing:
Welcome to the second quarter. This quarter is divided into three primary sections. The first is a continuation of the study of narrative as we write “spooky” tales. Students will write their first 5-paragraph essay during the week of October 25th which is due Friday, October 29th. In November, the writing class switches gears to poetry. In class, the students will receive several forms of poetry to read and decipher. They will then write their own poems of each of the forms studied in class. Students will then create a Poetry Portfolio in which they compile their original poems and add art work to create a portfolio. This is due on Nov. 23rd. Finally, students will examine the novel read in their literature class and write about it with in-depth assignments. I will elaborate more as we get closer to the assignments. I encourage parents to read what their students have written, the work they produce is not simply for grades, but it also has a lot of expressive elements that I think parents may enjoy.
Best wishes on a new quarter. As always, please email me with any questions, comments, or concerns.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Assignments Until the End of 1st Quarter.
Hello Parents and Students,
We have passed the halfway point in the quarter, so please be sure that you are up-to-date on your student’s grades. If you did not receive a Progress Report, please email me and I will send you his or her grades.
As the quarter comes to a close there are a few projects, tests, and major assignments you should be aware of.
8th Grade Literature:
September 17th – Selection Test II
September 24th – Project II due
October 1- Book Report – reading due
October 7th – Report due
October 8th – Final Exam (Selection Test III)
7th Grade Writing
September 20th – Project II – Community Collage Poster
September 24th – Major Essay II – Restaurant Review
October 1st – Project III – Children’s book
October 8th- Major Essay III - Short Story Due
* remember that all 7th graders have a spelling and grammar quiz every Friday. I pass the words and practice sheets out on Monday, so students should be studying a little each night.
Please email me with any questions or concerns.
We have passed the halfway point in the quarter, so please be sure that you are up-to-date on your student’s grades. If you did not receive a Progress Report, please email me and I will send you his or her grades.
As the quarter comes to a close there are a few projects, tests, and major assignments you should be aware of.
8th Grade Literature:
September 17th – Selection Test II
September 24th – Project II due
October 1- Book Report – reading due
October 7th – Report due
October 8th – Final Exam (Selection Test III)
7th Grade Writing
September 20th – Project II – Community Collage Poster
September 24th – Major Essay II – Restaurant Review
October 1st – Project III – Children’s book
October 8th- Major Essay III - Short Story Due
* remember that all 7th graders have a spelling and grammar quiz every Friday. I pass the words and practice sheets out on Monday, so students should be studying a little each night.
Please email me with any questions or concerns.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Welcome Back Students and Parents
Welcome to the 2010 – 2011 School Year!
Welcome back students and welcome to those who are new to La Paloma Academy – Lakeside. I am Mr. Jones and I am the 8th grade Literature and 7th Grade Writing Instructor. This is my 8th year teaching Jr. High Language Arts at LPA-Lakeside, and I’m very excited about some of the changes we’ve made for the 2010 – 2011 school year. Many students may be wondering why there is no longer a “Language Arts” class. This year we have separated the primary parts of Language Arts into two separate sections, Literature and Writing. The reason we have made this change is due to the emphasis the school and the state have on the components of reading and writing. It is my opinion that the subject of Language Arts, with all of the standards it encompasses, is too big to dedicate sufficient time to each standard. By turning Language Arts into two classes, we are able to dedicate sufficient time to each subject and its content. Again, in my opinion, this offers opportunities to delve further into the literature and spend more time on the writing which allows for differential instruction through projects, group work, and activities that are more engaging for the students as well as more opportunity to work with students one-on-one and address their specific needs.
8th Grade Literature
In the 8th grade literature class students will be asked to build on the basic concepts of story they learned in 6th and 7th grade. During the first quarter we will review the basic elements of a storyboard and develop a strong base to start an in-depth look at literature. Parents should be aware that students will have homework each week night and perhaps some, but not many, weekends. We will also read a variety of novels as a class including To Kill A Mocking Bird during the second quarter and Lord of the Flies during the fourth quarter. Students will also be asked to choose and read two novels of their choice which will be explained with greater detail as the projects are assigned. I highly encourage parents to read the novels with their students and ask questions and discuss the readings with them.
7th Grade Writing
In the 7th grade writing class students will explore a variety of writing styles. During the first quarter students will write about the subject they are most familiar with – themselves. Through personal narrative and descriptive writing they will develop the basics of writing including sentence and paragraph structure, parts of speech, plot development, refining ideas, and developing word choice. In the second quarter students will learn about many of the forms of poetry and write a book of poetry for their major project. The second quarter will also develop their analytical writing skills as they write a literary review of the novel they will be reading in their Literature class. Third quarter begins with expository writing including persuasive writing and debates, compare and contrast essays, and functional texts including letters to community businesses and government officials. The final quarter focuses on the dreaded research paper. Students will develop a topic to research and explore and write an informed paper about their topic citing sources and interviewing members of the community.
Parents can expect their students to have homework each week night and occasionally homework on the weekend. I strongly encourage parents to read their student’s work and be active in their writing process by asking questions about the assignment.
Communication
Communication between students and parents, students and teachers, and parents and teachers is critical at the Jr. High level. Please feel free to email me anytime. Email is my preferred method of communication because I can usually respond back fairly quickly. I check my email when I arrive at 7:30, during lunch at 11:30, and before I leave at 4:30. I do not check my work email after 4:30 so if you send me something during the evening, I may not respond until the following morning.
I am very excited about this year and I think the new Language Arts program will be highly beneficial for your students. Please come in and meet the teachers at open house or if you are on campus. Let’s have a great year!
Welcome back students and welcome to those who are new to La Paloma Academy – Lakeside. I am Mr. Jones and I am the 8th grade Literature and 7th Grade Writing Instructor. This is my 8th year teaching Jr. High Language Arts at LPA-Lakeside, and I’m very excited about some of the changes we’ve made for the 2010 – 2011 school year. Many students may be wondering why there is no longer a “Language Arts” class. This year we have separated the primary parts of Language Arts into two separate sections, Literature and Writing. The reason we have made this change is due to the emphasis the school and the state have on the components of reading and writing. It is my opinion that the subject of Language Arts, with all of the standards it encompasses, is too big to dedicate sufficient time to each standard. By turning Language Arts into two classes, we are able to dedicate sufficient time to each subject and its content. Again, in my opinion, this offers opportunities to delve further into the literature and spend more time on the writing which allows for differential instruction through projects, group work, and activities that are more engaging for the students as well as more opportunity to work with students one-on-one and address their specific needs.
8th Grade Literature
In the 8th grade literature class students will be asked to build on the basic concepts of story they learned in 6th and 7th grade. During the first quarter we will review the basic elements of a storyboard and develop a strong base to start an in-depth look at literature. Parents should be aware that students will have homework each week night and perhaps some, but not many, weekends. We will also read a variety of novels as a class including To Kill A Mocking Bird during the second quarter and Lord of the Flies during the fourth quarter. Students will also be asked to choose and read two novels of their choice which will be explained with greater detail as the projects are assigned. I highly encourage parents to read the novels with their students and ask questions and discuss the readings with them.
7th Grade Writing
In the 7th grade writing class students will explore a variety of writing styles. During the first quarter students will write about the subject they are most familiar with – themselves. Through personal narrative and descriptive writing they will develop the basics of writing including sentence and paragraph structure, parts of speech, plot development, refining ideas, and developing word choice. In the second quarter students will learn about many of the forms of poetry and write a book of poetry for their major project. The second quarter will also develop their analytical writing skills as they write a literary review of the novel they will be reading in their Literature class. Third quarter begins with expository writing including persuasive writing and debates, compare and contrast essays, and functional texts including letters to community businesses and government officials. The final quarter focuses on the dreaded research paper. Students will develop a topic to research and explore and write an informed paper about their topic citing sources and interviewing members of the community.
Parents can expect their students to have homework each week night and occasionally homework on the weekend. I strongly encourage parents to read their student’s work and be active in their writing process by asking questions about the assignment.
Communication
Communication between students and parents, students and teachers, and parents and teachers is critical at the Jr. High level. Please feel free to email me anytime. Email is my preferred method of communication because I can usually respond back fairly quickly. I check my email when I arrive at 7:30, during lunch at 11:30, and before I leave at 4:30. I do not check my work email after 4:30 so if you send me something during the evening, I may not respond until the following morning.
I am very excited about this year and I think the new Language Arts program will be highly beneficial for your students. Please come in and meet the teachers at open house or if you are on campus. Let’s have a great year!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
