Wednesday, December 26, 2012
8th Grade Book Lovers' Day! :)
We had a great time promoting our favorite novels and "selling" our beloved books to our classmates!
Saturday, December 8, 2012
The Hobbit Field Trip...
I am very excited about the upcoming field trip on Tuesday, December 18th. This is my first time organizing a field trip, and I greatly appreciate all the willing drivers!
I have the following people down for driving: Andy Schmidt, Dan VerHill, Karen Merritt, Robyn Crawley, Kim Agate, Chrissy Cole, Steve Thomas, Kay Harris, John Mihalik, and myself. Thank you all! If you are a parent who would like to come along (although we are all set with drivers), let me know. All are welcome to join us! I just need to let the Loews manager know how many will be in attendance.
Parents, meet us in the cafeteria at 8:40AM next Tuesday, and we will leave at 9AM. Tickets are $10.50 for everyone. Parents who have not paid yet, can pay that morning.
Also, to clarify...we are seeing the movie in IMAX 3D because the movie was actually made to be seen in 3D (watch the video, below...the new 3D technology is super interesting!). The IMAX part was only 50 cents more. Also, aside from the 8th grade class trips to DC, the middle schoolers have not had a field trip in the last two years which helped me to mentally justify the higher price of this trip. Please know that if the $10.50 cost is a hardship at this time of year, just send me a personal note, and the cost of your student's ticket will be taken care of.
I am so glad to have shared this classic literature with the students, I have enjoyed sharing in their passion for The Hobbit, and I can't wait to experience Tolkein's Middle Earth on a ginormous screen! :)
http://youtu.be/1sqFkd-wHKs
I have the following people down for driving: Andy Schmidt, Dan VerHill, Karen Merritt, Robyn Crawley, Kim Agate, Chrissy Cole, Steve Thomas, Kay Harris, John Mihalik, and myself. Thank you all! If you are a parent who would like to come along (although we are all set with drivers), let me know. All are welcome to join us! I just need to let the Loews manager know how many will be in attendance.
Parents, meet us in the cafeteria at 8:40AM next Tuesday, and we will leave at 9AM. Tickets are $10.50 for everyone. Parents who have not paid yet, can pay that morning.
Also, to clarify...we are seeing the movie in IMAX 3D because the movie was actually made to be seen in 3D (watch the video, below...the new 3D technology is super interesting!). The IMAX part was only 50 cents more. Also, aside from the 8th grade class trips to DC, the middle schoolers have not had a field trip in the last two years which helped me to mentally justify the higher price of this trip. Please know that if the $10.50 cost is a hardship at this time of year, just send me a personal note, and the cost of your student's ticket will be taken care of.
I am so glad to have shared this classic literature with the students, I have enjoyed sharing in their passion for The Hobbit, and I can't wait to experience Tolkein's Middle Earth on a ginormous screen! :)
Friday, November 30, 2012
Progress Reports and Class Updates...
Progress reports go out today! If your student has a low grade, it is most likely due to missing work. All the middle school teachers accept late work for partial credit. Please make sure to look in PowerSchool to see if your student is missing an assignment and help us encourage him or her to get any late work in as soon as possible!
~~~~~~~
It has been a great first half of the second quarter! Here is a brief update of what has been happening in the classroom.
8th English: We are currently reading Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. We have been acting out the play in front of the class, and we have been attempting to paraphrase Shakespearean language. The students are really getting it! Grammar lessons continue as well, and we are learning about sentence structures including adverbial clauses, participial phrases, appositives, and more. For our classic vocabulary roots, we are in lesson six, and the students are additionally responsible for the vocab that coincides with Midsummer. The students are also reading novels independently and will display their passion for reading on Friday December 7th where we will partake in a "Booksellers' Day."
7th English: We have finished The Hobbit, and we are now moving on to a poetry unit. We are transitioning into poetry by looking at some poetic works of Tolkien and CS Lewis. (We will be revisiting The Hobbit when the students present their projects before we go on our field trip.) Along with the poetry unit, students are learning grammar. We correct daily sentences and discuss parts of speech, sentence roles, and punctuation on a daily basis. In writing, aside from poetry writing, we are discussing written reviews and critiques. These kiddos have many opinions to share! They will enjoy an upcoming assignment to write a food/restaurant critique. The 7th graders have just finished unit six in vocab, and they should feel prepared for their Tuesday vocabulary test.
8th Bible: We have been discussing Paul's missionary journeys and the book of Acts. We have seen how Acts coincides with many of Paul's epistles. We are currently discussing Paul's Pastoral Epistles (1 and 2 Timothy and Titus). The students are seeing what trials the early church faced, and we have been able to easily compare the Body of Christ today to the living Body of Christ over 2,000 years ago. What a privilege I have to encourage the students in scripture. We have had some amazing discussions concerning The Holy Spirit, salvation through grace alone, sanctification, and more. We will be moving into Spiritual Gifts, and I anticipate growth in heart and mind throughout this quarter.
7th Bible: We finished unit two with some wonderful presentations concerning Jewish Feasts. The students are really grasping how and why God set His people apart, and we have discussed how we also must be set apart as His children. Now that we have thoroughly learned how the Israelites lived, we can better understand the individuals we study in the Old Testament. We are currently studying the book of Job, which I pray will uplift the students and strengthen their faith. It has been a joy to encourage the students to acknowledge how blessed we are to live in this time where God's people can rest in the assurance that Jesus covered all of our sin. How exciting to see the redemptive history provided in God's word! The students are really discovering that scripture points to Jesus from the beginning and that God's plan always involves drawing His people to Himself. Aside from Job, unit three covers Ecclesiastes and Proverbs. My prayer is that you see fruit from studying these books of wisdom.
Please check in with the website periodically to see upcoming test, quiz, and project dates as well as school events. You can find these reminders on the left side of the page.
Thanks!
Mrs. A
~~~~~~~
It has been a great first half of the second quarter! Here is a brief update of what has been happening in the classroom.
8th English: We are currently reading Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. We have been acting out the play in front of the class, and we have been attempting to paraphrase Shakespearean language. The students are really getting it! Grammar lessons continue as well, and we are learning about sentence structures including adverbial clauses, participial phrases, appositives, and more. For our classic vocabulary roots, we are in lesson six, and the students are additionally responsible for the vocab that coincides with Midsummer. The students are also reading novels independently and will display their passion for reading on Friday December 7th where we will partake in a "Booksellers' Day."
7th English: We have finished The Hobbit, and we are now moving on to a poetry unit. We are transitioning into poetry by looking at some poetic works of Tolkien and CS Lewis. (We will be revisiting The Hobbit when the students present their projects before we go on our field trip.) Along with the poetry unit, students are learning grammar. We correct daily sentences and discuss parts of speech, sentence roles, and punctuation on a daily basis. In writing, aside from poetry writing, we are discussing written reviews and critiques. These kiddos have many opinions to share! They will enjoy an upcoming assignment to write a food/restaurant critique. The 7th graders have just finished unit six in vocab, and they should feel prepared for their Tuesday vocabulary test.
8th Bible: We have been discussing Paul's missionary journeys and the book of Acts. We have seen how Acts coincides with many of Paul's epistles. We are currently discussing Paul's Pastoral Epistles (1 and 2 Timothy and Titus). The students are seeing what trials the early church faced, and we have been able to easily compare the Body of Christ today to the living Body of Christ over 2,000 years ago. What a privilege I have to encourage the students in scripture. We have had some amazing discussions concerning The Holy Spirit, salvation through grace alone, sanctification, and more. We will be moving into Spiritual Gifts, and I anticipate growth in heart and mind throughout this quarter.
7th Bible: We finished unit two with some wonderful presentations concerning Jewish Feasts. The students are really grasping how and why God set His people apart, and we have discussed how we also must be set apart as His children. Now that we have thoroughly learned how the Israelites lived, we can better understand the individuals we study in the Old Testament. We are currently studying the book of Job, which I pray will uplift the students and strengthen their faith. It has been a joy to encourage the students to acknowledge how blessed we are to live in this time where God's people can rest in the assurance that Jesus covered all of our sin. How exciting to see the redemptive history provided in God's word! The students are really discovering that scripture points to Jesus from the beginning and that God's plan always involves drawing His people to Himself. Aside from Job, unit three covers Ecclesiastes and Proverbs. My prayer is that you see fruit from studying these books of wisdom.
Please check in with the website periodically to see upcoming test, quiz, and project dates as well as school events. You can find these reminders on the left side of the page.
Thanks!
Mrs. A
Field Trip to The Hobbit
Here is a copy of the permission slip for our upcoming field trip.
FIELD TRIP PERMISSION SLIP
As the 7th grade just finished reading The Hobbit, and the 8th grade
read it last year, we have the privilege of taking the entire middle school to
see The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
(Part I)! Lowes Waterfront Theater
is opening their doors early JUST FOR US, and we will be experiencing the movie
fully in IMAX 3D.
The students have been anticipating this (some since last
year), and I hope that we all can make it to the show. The movie has not been officially
rated, but a possible PG-13 rating may be given due to “epic battle sequences
and some scary images.” This field
trip is not mandatory; it is optional as to respect all families’ movie viewing
standards.
Please pack a lunch as we will be eating together when we
return to school.
Turn in permission slips and money by December 5th. Please consider driving/chaperoning!
DATE: Tuesday, December 18th
TIME: We will leave school at 9:00AM, and return by 1:30
COST: $10.50
______________________________________________________ has
my permission to attend The Hobbit on
December 18, 2012.
_____________Yes!
I will drive, and I can fit ________________ students in my vehicle.
SIGNED:_____________________________________________________________
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Books...
Hello, all!
Due to the recent increase in interest for Scholastic Book orders, I am going to process an order this Thursday. Today I am sending out more order forms/catalogs; however, you can order online as well, and you will find more options available there. All the information for ordering is available on my website. Ordering is just a click away!
Also, thank you to those of you who have already ordered. Because of you, our classroom library is growing as Scholastic gifts us with a book for each order.
Thanks!
Mrs. Agate
Due to the recent increase in interest for Scholastic Book orders, I am going to process an order this Thursday. Today I am sending out more order forms/catalogs; however, you can order online as well, and you will find more options available there. All the information for ordering is available on my website. Ordering is just a click away!
Also, thank you to those of you who have already ordered. Because of you, our classroom library is growing as Scholastic gifts us with a book for each order.
Thanks!
Mrs. Agate
Friday, October 5, 2012
Website Reminder
Parents and Students,
Please check the website frequently. There are due dates for tests and papers as well as reminders. You will only receive an email when I write a "post," but it will not automatically inform you when other changes are made to the site.
Thank you!
Mrs. Agate
Please check the website frequently. There are due dates for tests and papers as well as reminders. You will only receive an email when I write a "post," but it will not automatically inform you when other changes are made to the site.
Thank you!
Mrs. Agate
Lord of the Flies
8th Grade English....
The 8th graders just finished a wonderful literature and writing unit on the novel Lord of the Flies. Their papers and projects were excellent, and it was awesome to see the students apply their Christian worldview to Golding's depiction of society. Thank you, parents, for your help with some of these projects whether they were audiovisual, research-oriented, or dioramas. Here is a (slightly disturbing) glimpse at a few students' work.
The 8th graders just finished a wonderful literature and writing unit on the novel Lord of the Flies. Their papers and projects were excellent, and it was awesome to see the students apply their Christian worldview to Golding's depiction of society. Thank you, parents, for your help with some of these projects whether they were audiovisual, research-oriented, or dioramas. Here is a (slightly disturbing) glimpse at a few students' work.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Myth Writing
7th Grade English...
Today I handed back the 7th graders' myths (their final drafts which they turned in last week). Many students did very well (there were eight As)! However, there were some students who did not fully follow directions or did not proofread thoroughly. The good news is that ALL of the students have an opportunity not only to improve their grade but, more importantly, to better their writing skills by correcting their mistakes. I will accept their re-written, improved myths by this Friday.
I gave each student a detailed rubric, and I wrote comments and corrections through the papers to show the necessary changes. I also took the entire class period today to remind them of the elements needed to create a myth (as opposed to a typical short story), and we also discussed typical writing errors.
Please encourage your student to re-write the paper and to see me for any additional help.
Thank you!
Mrs. Agate
Today I handed back the 7th graders' myths (their final drafts which they turned in last week). Many students did very well (there were eight As)! However, there were some students who did not fully follow directions or did not proofread thoroughly. The good news is that ALL of the students have an opportunity not only to improve their grade but, more importantly, to better their writing skills by correcting their mistakes. I will accept their re-written, improved myths by this Friday.
I gave each student a detailed rubric, and I wrote comments and corrections through the papers to show the necessary changes. I also took the entire class period today to remind them of the elements needed to create a myth (as opposed to a typical short story), and we also discussed typical writing errors.
Please encourage your student to re-write the paper and to see me for any additional help.
Thank you!
Mrs. Agate
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Scholastic Book Club orders are due on Friday!
You can order online at www.scholastic.com/bookclubs. All you need to do is sign in, and enter our class activation code: JJW7D.
If you order a book for your student online (some are only $1), you will receive an additional free book-- AND we will receive a free book for our classroom library!
Thanks for participating and encouraging your student to read! :)
You can order online at www.scholastic.com/bookclubs. All you need to do is sign in, and enter our class activation code: JJW7D.
If you order a book for your student online (some are only $1), you will receive an additional free book-- AND we will receive a free book for our classroom library!
Thanks for participating and encouraging your student to read! :)
Friday, August 31, 2012
What's Going On?....
It was wonderful to see many parents at Open House last night. Thank you for stopping in!
I didn't get a chance to speak to everyone, and I just wanted to fill you in on what we are doing in class. School is off to a productive start!
7th English: We are learning about various forms of folk tales: myths, legends, fables, and more. Within this unit, we will cover literary elements within the genre, and we will be reading 8-10 short tales. We will also be creating our our myths! In addition, we are covering lessons one and two in our vocabulary books, and we are integrating grammar lessons within the unit.
8th English: The 8th graders seem to be enjoying our novel, Lord of the Flies! While we study this novel, we will also be covering grammar and vocabulary along with a look at some short literary works that coincide with out novel. We will have various writing assignments along with some structured class debates surrounding our novel as well.
7th Bible: Unit one is all about understanding that the Bible is ONE story of God bringing us to Himself through Jesus. We are beginning the year with a broad overview of creation, fall, and redemption. We have been discussing the various names of God and their meanings. We have also explored some of our familiar Bible characters and their name's meanings and how this all applies to the big picture. After our first unit, we will be getting into Old Testament specifics.
8th Bible: We are starting the year with a project (this received a mixture of groans and cheers). The students are in groups of two or three and will be presenting information regarding the four Gospel writers. They received handouts explaining all the requirements for this presentation. While they are researching outside the classroom, they are also receiving lessons in class on a broad overview of the Old Testament along with an introduction to the New Testament.
Thank you all for your support and devotion to TCS and your students!
Love,
Mrs. Agate
I didn't get a chance to speak to everyone, and I just wanted to fill you in on what we are doing in class. School is off to a productive start!
7th English: We are learning about various forms of folk tales: myths, legends, fables, and more. Within this unit, we will cover literary elements within the genre, and we will be reading 8-10 short tales. We will also be creating our our myths! In addition, we are covering lessons one and two in our vocabulary books, and we are integrating grammar lessons within the unit.
8th English: The 8th graders seem to be enjoying our novel, Lord of the Flies! While we study this novel, we will also be covering grammar and vocabulary along with a look at some short literary works that coincide with out novel. We will have various writing assignments along with some structured class debates surrounding our novel as well.
7th Bible: Unit one is all about understanding that the Bible is ONE story of God bringing us to Himself through Jesus. We are beginning the year with a broad overview of creation, fall, and redemption. We have been discussing the various names of God and their meanings. We have also explored some of our familiar Bible characters and their name's meanings and how this all applies to the big picture. After our first unit, we will be getting into Old Testament specifics.
8th Bible: We are starting the year with a project (this received a mixture of groans and cheers). The students are in groups of two or three and will be presenting information regarding the four Gospel writers. They received handouts explaining all the requirements for this presentation. While they are researching outside the classroom, they are also receiving lessons in class on a broad overview of the Old Testament along with an introduction to the New Testament.
Thank you all for your support and devotion to TCS and your students!
Love,
Mrs. Agate
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Thank You!
It has been a great start to a new year!
THANK YOU for providing the proper supplies, bringing in tissue boxes, and for helping your student be prepared for success in this new year.
The students have been real troopers as they have been inundated with new information, already started into lessons and homework, all the while sitting contently in a rather toasty classroom. Attitudes have been upbeat, and I am proud of the kids for staying positive. They are an encouragement to me daily!
FYI-- Daily homework will NOT be posted on this page. I write the assignments on the board and give homework out verbally every day in class. I DO use this website to post dates for tests, quizzes, projects, and events; and I also give reminders and announcements periodically.
Never hesitate to contact me for any reason. :)
I hope you will be here for Open House this Thursday evening at 6:30. Please come down to my classroom for a visit!
Thank you!
Mrs. Agate
THANK YOU for providing the proper supplies, bringing in tissue boxes, and for helping your student be prepared for success in this new year.
The students have been real troopers as they have been inundated with new information, already started into lessons and homework, all the while sitting contently in a rather toasty classroom. Attitudes have been upbeat, and I am proud of the kids for staying positive. They are an encouragement to me daily!
FYI-- Daily homework will NOT be posted on this page. I write the assignments on the board and give homework out verbally every day in class. I DO use this website to post dates for tests, quizzes, projects, and events; and I also give reminders and announcements periodically.
Never hesitate to contact me for any reason. :)
I hope you will be here for Open House this Thursday evening at 6:30. Please come down to my classroom for a visit!
Thank you!
Mrs. Agate
Monday, August 20, 2012
WELCOME!
Welcome to Middle School!
Please feel free to look around my site!
*I have my syllabi and welcome letters posted to the left. Please look these over, and let me know if you would like a hard copy.
*Scroll to the bottom to add your email address to be informed of changes to my site. You will not receive any spam.
*I post all tests, quizzes, and major assignments to this page. I will also post announcements, class photos, athletic events, and more from time to time.
*Order Scholastic Books at any time using the information given on this page. When you order books for your student, our class receives free books for our room!
*I will be posting the Classics Reading Challenge list soon, so keep a look-out for that information.
*Contact me at any time with questions, suggestions, and/or comments.
*THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT FOR AN AWESOME UPCOMING YEAR!
Please feel free to look around my site!
*I have my syllabi and welcome letters posted to the left. Please look these over, and let me know if you would like a hard copy.
*Scroll to the bottom to add your email address to be informed of changes to my site. You will not receive any spam.
*I post all tests, quizzes, and major assignments to this page. I will also post announcements, class photos, athletic events, and more from time to time.
*Order Scholastic Books at any time using the information given on this page. When you order books for your student, our class receives free books for our room!
*I will be posting the Classics Reading Challenge list soon, so keep a look-out for that information.
*Contact me at any time with questions, suggestions, and/or comments.
*THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT FOR AN AWESOME UPCOMING YEAR!
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