8th Grade Team Syllabus

9 downloads 1358 Views 466KB Size Report
Email: [email protected]. Course Description: This is the second year of a two- year course covering American History. We will continue the study of history ...
th

8

Grade Team Syllabus

Ms. Fye Mrs. Gates Mrs. Kenyon Mr. Rutherford Mr. Young

8th Grade Team Policies Contact Information: - Team Webpage: To Be Announced - Phone: 607-693-8110 Grading Policy: Exams / Projects Quizzes / Labs / Journal

50 % 25 %

Homework Participation / Class Work

15 % 10 %

Bathroom/Leaving the Room: To leave the room throughout the course of the year you must use one of the six passes that you will get at the beginning of each marking period. Before leaving you will fill out one of your passes and your passport. You will hand the teacher the pass and the teacher will sign the passport. If you do not have your passport or your passes you may not leave the room. You do not need the passes for band lessons, if you are called to the office or going to the nurse. At the end of the marking period if you have not used all of your passes you may hand them in. For each pass handed in, one point will be added to a test grade. Each class will have its own image. Assignment Policy All assignments are expected to be completed on time. Homework will be checked or collected regularly. Please note that doing your homework on a regular basis will help you to be successful in class. If you are absent you are expected to see me the morning you come back to get the work you missed. It is your responsibility to get any missed notes.

8th Grade Social Studies Ms. Fye Email: [email protected] Course Description: This is the second year of a two-year course covering American History. We will continue the study of history beginning shortly after the Civil War and ending with the world today. Students will become “historians” by using primary documents to learn about the major turning points in US History such as the outbreak of WWI in Europe, the Treaty of Versailles, the Stock Market Crash of 1929, the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor, the Vietnam conflict, and the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Students will receive a note packet for each chapter and are required to keep these in their binder for the entire year. Required Materials: Pens and Pencils 3-ring binder (2”) Hi-lighter Loose-leaf paper Textbook A USB drive is recommended. Homework: Students will receive homework about once a week. Homework will be collected and graded. On the days that homework is not given, it is recommended that students spend at least ten minutes each night reviewing their chapter note packet.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS 8 Mrs. Gates Course Description: The 8th grade curriculum places a strong emphasis on reading and writing comprehension skills. 8th grade ELA encourages students to read a variety of texts both assigned by the teacher and novels of their own choice. 8th grade ELA focuses on helping students to develop the skills they learned in 7th grade and expand on those skills to achieve success in their middle and high school careers.

We will read together as well as practice different techniques for independent reading comprehension. Writing assignments will include daily journal entries, thematic essays and creative writing. Students will use the writing process to plan and edit their writing. During the year we will prepare for the 8th grade New York State ELA exam. The exam is given over a period of two days in May, and involves listening, reading and writing tasks. Students will take a practice exam in class, and we will evaluate their performance to help them prepare for this exam. Expectations: Expectations—Respect and Responsibility: ! Respect other people and property. ! Be on time and prepared. ! Be an active learner—you must participate! ! Do your best at all times.

Participation points are earned each day. Students may earn up to 5 points per day and will receive an average for the week. While days missed due to excused absences do not count directly against students, they are still responsible for any work missed on such days. Materials Needed: • 2 Pocket folder • 1 composition notebook • Looseleaf paper • Blue/black ink pens or pencils • A highlighter • Not required, but useful: A USB flash drive for storing typed work

Reading Materials Used for ELA 8: We will read a challenging variety of literature in ELA 8. Literature studied may include: • Novels (Whole Group): o Monster (Myers) o The Secret Life of Bees (Monk Kidd) •

Drama: o A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare) o A Raisin in the Sun (Hansberry)

Short stories and poetry: o Selections from the Prentice Hall Literature: Silver Level textbook o “A Wreath for Emmett Till” (Nelson) – A poem written about a murder that was a catalyst for the civil rights movement. o Additional teacher-selected works Students will read a number of novels that they choose. They may choose these novels from my classroom library, the school library, or they may bring novels from home. Parents must specify whether or not they want to be notified of their child’s choice in novels. •

Homework: Students will read for 30 minutes a night. Written homework may be given once or twice a week. Students will do a majority of their writing during the class period. Every Friday, students will read their independent novels. If they do not bring their book on Friday, they will lose participation points for that day. What Parents Can Do to Help: Parents can help their students by encouraging them to read assigned class material. Class time is an invaluable experience, so we encourage students to attend class regularly and make up work when absent. Also, check your child’s passport for homework or upcoming events. Please contact Mrs. Gates if you have any concerns.

8th Grade Mathematics Mr. Young Dear Parents and Students,

Email: [email protected] Room 206

On behalf of the Harpursville Middle School, I welcome you to the world of 8th grade mathematics. This is a very exciting year! Through many “hands on” activities, we will explore together several important concepts that will prepare us for high school level math. Mathematics can be viewed as a “bottom up” subject. This means that each new concept depends on the knowledge of the previous one. Therefore, it is critical that all students do their best to keep up with homework, quizzes, and tests. I will make myself available as much as possible throughout the year for any and all help. Below is a list of required materials and additional information related to the class. I look forward to working with all of you this year and welcome you again to the 8th grade! Mr. Brian Young Materials Required for class: - Three ring binder (1.5” – 2”) - Binder Dividers (3) - Pencils (I prefer no pens) - Loose leaf paper for binders - Textbooks (Will be supplied for you) Expectations: “Students will rise to the expectations set before them.” J. Escalante - Homework: Will be assigned 3 – 4 times per week o All students are expected to show up with work completed on the date it is due. o Any incomplete homework assignments make students eligible for ZAP (See team page) - Quizzes/Tests/Projects: The 8th grade team will use the same format (See team page). - Bathroom Breaks: Going to the bathroom will only be permitted if students have their passports on hand. Bathroom visits will be strongly discouraged after we enter into our lesson for the day. *** I am a huge believer in the idea that in order to learn, one must push their own limits and be able to accept any struggles they encounter along the way. In my classroom, I fully expect

everyone to feel that they can ask questions without fear of ANY type of ridicule from other classmates. I WILL NOT TOLERATE any disrespectful behavior of this type.

“Success comes before work only in the dictionary” Anonymous

Math State Test for 8th Graders is May 11 - 13

Mr. Rutherford & Mr. Tibbits - Physical Science Email: [email protected] or [email protected] Physical Science: Welcome to physical science class. In the next 40 weeks we will be working as a group to further your knowledge of science. Science class will be one of the most rigorous and hopefully one of the most fun courses you will ever take. If you are not diligent and dedicated it is easy to fall behind. To succeed you need stay on top of your work, ask questions, and come in for extra help when you are having trouble. I have set high standards and expectations that I know you can and expect you to meet. Although some hard work may be required to do so. Physical Science deals with: 1. the structure and behavior of atoms (elements) 2. the composition and properties of compounds 3. the reactions between substances with their accompanying energy exchange 4. the way matter behaves under specific conditions 5. the laws that unite these phenomena into a comprehensive system. Materials Required for Class - 1 ! inch binder with packet - Four function calculator - Pencils (Pens are not used in science class) Extra Credit: Is not available through extra assignments!! If you think that you will need extra credit, We recommend that you spend some time each night studying and reviewing. We will be happy to go over study strategies that can be used to improve your grade. In our opinion, spending extra time studying your notes, coming in for extra help, and putting more effort into your homework, labs and tests will result in an improved understanding and retention of physical science concepts as well as your science grade. On occasion there will be bonus points on quizzes and tests. In addition, we like to reward exceptional effort. Students who complete assignments on time, with exceptional creativity and accuracy will be rewarded with bonus points. Homework: There will be 3 or 4 assignments weekly that will be due the next day unless specifically stated. The assignments should only take about 30 minutes or less to complete. (If they are taking much longer please see me.) 8th Grade Science Test: - Laboratory Performance Exam: June 2nd and 3rd - Written Exam: June 6th

Parent Notification To make sure that parents know the expectations or the 8th grade team, we ask that students and parents read and discuss this syllabus together. If there are any questions, comments, or concerns please feel free to call or send an e-mail. As proof that the students and parents have discussed the syllabus, can you please sign and return the bottom of this page by Tuesday, September 14, 2010.

"- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I _________________________ have read and discussed the information in this syllabus with a parent or guardian. We are fully aware of the grading policies, ZAP policy, leaving the room as well as each individual teacher page.

________________________________________ Parent Signature

____________________ Date

________________________________________ Student Signature

____________________ Date

Dear Parent, Your child will choose several novels throughout the year for the “Independent Reading” component of ELA 8. Your child may choose from Mrs. Gates’ classroom library, the school library, or their home. If you would like to be notified about each of your child’s book selections, please provide either an e-mail address or phone number where you can be reached.

______________________________ E-mail Address

______________________ Phone Number