Students wrapped up their digital storytelling project with an evening showcase. Thanks to all the parents and students who came to celebrate the beautiful work, and thank you to Sealaska for the grant that made this project possible. You can see some examples of the videos by clicking here, here, here, and here.

Students are currently working on essays that define what it means to be a hero. We've read and analyzed a variety of poems, stories, and articles on the topic. This week, students will outline their essays, type rough drafts, and start to revise and edit their work in critique groups.

A reminder of some upcoming dates...

The mid-quarter progress report date is on November 4th.

Conferences are on November 9th and 10th. 

An Opportunity for Student Reporters!

The application window is open for students between the ages of ten and fourteen to join the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps! The applications are due by September 23, 2016. Click here for more information and applications.

Welcome to a New School Year!

Welcome to a new school year. I am so excited to meet all of you! You can check in here to find out what activities, projects, and assignments are happening in my language arts classes.

In the first week of school, we'll begin with some introductions. It's important that we start getting to know one another since we'll be learning together all year long. Students will write "Opening Day Letters" to help with this process. We'll also think about goals for the upcoming school year, thinking and writing about our definitions of success. We'll read Ralph Waldo Emerson's poem "What Is Success" for inspiration and ideas.

The first unit of study this year will focus on narratives--reading, writing, and analyzing. We'll use the following questions to guide our work:
What is a story?
What is a hero?
Why do we write/tell stories?
Where do stories come from?
Over the course of the unit, we'll draw from a variety of sources, including our district-adopted Springboard books, local stories, and more. We'll even be attending a play at Perseverance Theatre: Peter and the Starcatcher. (Half of the eighth grade will attend the play on September 8th, and the other half of the eighth grade will attend on September 14th.) Folks from Perseverance will be visiting language arts classrooms to prepare students for this exciting opportunity.

In addition to learning about narrative structure, literary elements, and the Hero's Journey archetype, we'll be reviewing some of the essentials of grammar and syntax: parts of speech and sentence structure. Again, we'll draw from a variety of sources, and we'll focus on how our understanding of these elements can help us strengthen our skills as writers and editors.

I'm looking forward to a great year of learning with all of you!

Here is a link to the complete text of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Upcoming Units, Assignments, And Important Dates

It's hard to believe it's already almost May! The year has gone so quickly. But there's still a month more of learning to come!

In language arts, students will be reading and analyzing William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. We'll be discussing the themes, characters, plots, and language in the play.

In history, we're studying the Civil War. We've gotten an overview of some of the key events through a variety of texts, and we've analyzed the data to draw conclusions about the outcome of the war. In addition, students will be reading and discussing a work of historical fiction: Soldier's Heart.

A few important upcoming End-of-Year dates to put on your calendar:
MAP Testing will take place this week on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (the 26th through the 28th)
All library books need to be turned in to the library, and all work due is for classes on May 20th.
The eighth grade dance--sponsored by the parent group--is on Saturday, May 21st.
The GOLD RUSH field trip is on Wednesday, May 25th.
The 8th grade picnic is on Thursday, May 26th.
8th grade promotion is on Friday, May 27th.

Upcoming Units and Assignments

Welcome back! It's hard to believe it's the fourth quarter already!

In language arts, students will be researching, outlining, writing, and revising an argumentative essay over the next few weeks.

In history, students will be writing narratives based on facts about westward expansion. We've been learning about the various westward journeys Americans took during the 1800s. Here's a link to the assignment overview.

Here are some links to additional resources for the project:
The Oregon Trail
The Mormon Trail
The Santa Fe Trail

After students write their historical fiction stories, we'll be getting into a unit studying slavery and the approach of the Civil War, drawing from a variety of sources in addition to the eighth grade textbook.

Upcoming Units and Assignments

In language arts, we'll be launching into our unit on persuasion. We'll examine various strategies of rhetoric (ethos, logos, pathos), discuss and debate a variety of issues, and read some example of persuasive writing. Students will compose argumentative essays. Here's a link to the packet that will guide students through this Argumentative Essay.

On Wednesday March 9th through Friday, March 11th, students will have an opportunity to visit the Alaska State Legislature. I'm so excited for this opportunity for students; it's a great way to cap off our recent in-depth study of the United States Constitution. Different advisories will visit the capitol building each day; my advisory will visit on Friday, March 11th. In addition, we'll be taking a trip to the skating rink on Wednesday, March 9th. Look for permission slips to come home this weekend!

In history, we'll be moving into an examination of how industrialization and westward expansion affected various groups of people. We'll read a chapter in Adventure Tales of America and answer these questions. We'll study the Trail of Tears and begin the work for this project.

Lewis and Clark Journal: Project Links

LINK TO Lewis & Clark Journal RESOURCES

Link to Drawing Website Resource

Upcoming Units and Assignments

In language arts, students will be reading and analyzing a variety of texts related to the theme of heroism. We'll also examine various strategies of definition (function, example, negation). Students will then write their own "Definition Essays," drawing from a variety of sources to construct and defend their own definitions of heroism. They'll work to incorporate quotations and in-text citations into their work.

In history, we'll be moving on from our in-depth examination of the United States Constitution and examining the launch of the new government. We'll be looking at some of the early challenges and leaders. Some of the assignments students will complete early in this unit are a reading and response to Adventure Tales of America: Federalist Era through Democratic Republican Era and Lewis and Clark Journals. (Speaking of the Lewis and Clark journals: here's a link to an interactive National Geographic website about their journey.)

Here is the link to the SCHOOL CLIMATE AND CONNECTEDNESS SURVEY.

Holocaust Museum

Resources for exploring the Holocaust Museum Website:
Link to ID cards: http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/a2z.php?type=idcard#top
Learning Site for Students: http://www.ushmm.org/learn/students/the-holocaust-a-learning-site-for-students
Online Exhibitions: http://www.ushmm.org/information/exhibitions/online-features
Animated Maps: http://www.ushmm.org/learn/mapping-initiatives/holocaust-history-animated-maps/

Upcoming Units and Assignments

In language arts, students are finishing their Lit. Circle books, and next week they'll be preparing for small group discussions about those books. Students will prepare individually for the discussions, and then they'll join other students who studied the same book. Groups will have a guide for their discussion aimed at drawing out ideas and analysis, and then each group will prepare a presentation about their text, sharing what they learned in their readings and discussions.

In history, students will continue our exploration of the United States Constitution through seminars, quizzes, debates, and projects. We'll use this packet to guide our discussion of Articles II and III. We'll use this packet to guide our discussion of The Bill of Rights. All eighth grade history students are working towards the following goal this year: I can apply my knowledge of the Constitution to various real and hypothetical situations. Many interesting and thoughtful conversations have already been happening around various aspects of this complex document in our history classrooms.

Upcoming Units

Welcome back! In language arts, students will be starting a new unit in SPRINGBOARD this week: "The Challenge to Make a Difference." We'll be reading, discussing, and analyzing a variety of stories, poems, and narrative non-fiction from the Holocaust. Students will also choose another longer text to read, and we'll be studying some of the history of the period in order to better understand the context of our reading. Frequently during this unit, students will be working in small groups--or "literature circles"--to discuss their readings.

In history, students will be jumping into a study of the United States Constitution. We'll be having Socratic Seminar-style discussions of the Constitution and the many issues it brings up. We'll start with the Preamble and Article One, using this packet to guide our discussions.

Upcoming Units and Assignments 11/30 - 12/18

Over the next few weeks in language arts, we'll be finishing Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. The culminating assessment for the novel will be an essay. Students have been doing a great job in their class discussions of the novel.

In history, we're moving into the Revolutionary War era of American history. Students studied the Declaration of Independence, paraphrasing the entire Declaration and illustrating the complaints. We'll be reading a section of Adventure Tales of America and answering questions, comparing and contrasting the strengths and weaknesses of the Americans and the British forces. We'll also be watching a Discovery Channel film about the Revolutionary War. Before the winter break, students will have a test on the Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War.

Upcoming Events and Assignments: November 11 through November 25

In language arts, we'll be expanding our exploration of literary terms and the Hero's Journey archetype by reading Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. We'll be holding Socratic Seminars in class to discuss and analyze the novel. In addition to the resources in students' SPRINGBOARD, we'll be using a series of packets to help access the vocabulary and themes in the novel. Here are links to packet one, packet two, and packet three.

In history, students are jumping into what I think is one of the most exciting units of the year: the Boston Massacre Mock Trial! Here's a link to an overview of the trial and a calendar of activities and assignments. Students will be learning about courtroom procedures and historical figures who were a part of the trial, whether as witnesses, defendants, or attorneys. We'll examine how historical events can be viewed from a variety of perspectives. I invite parents to attend the trials on Wednesday, November 18 from 1:00 to 3:00 for period 6 history students and on Thursday, November 19 from 1:00-3:00 for period 7 history students.

October 26th through November 6th

In language arts classes, we're continuing to write and analyze stories, examining plot through the lens of the Hero's Journey archetype. We've been thinking both creatively and critically, reading and writing in a range of styles and genres. During the first week of November, students will take a quiz on the Hero's Journey Archetype and the key literary terms we've been working with in our reading and writing. Here's a link to a list of key terms and plot elements we've been studying.

In history, students will be studying the "Road to Revolution." We'll begin with an overview, using the comic style history text Adventure Tales of America (here's a copy of the question guide) as well as a higher-level history textbook for more depth. Then we'll be launching into one of my favorite parts of the year: the Boston Massacre Mock Trial!

October 12th through October 23rd

It's hard to believe it, but the end of the first quarter is coming up on October 23rd. It's been a great start to the year!

In language arts, we'll be jumping into the SPRINGBOARD books, beginning with an examination of the Hero's Journey Archetype. We'll read, analyze, and discuss an excerpt from A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh" by Ray Bradbury, and a section of Homer's Odyssey.

In history, students will be preparing and presenting a mock trial. The trial is based on the historical trial of Anne Hutchinson. We'll review some of the key people, concepts, and places we've studied during the first quarter, and we'll have an end-of-quarter test on Thursday, October 22nd. Here's a link to a study guide for the test.

September 28th - October 9th

In language arts, students will be taking a mastery test on the eight parts of speech. We'll build on our understanding of the eight parts of speech to review sentence structure and simple versus compound sentences. Our Springboard books have arrived as well, so we'll be "springing" into that work as well. Here's a link to a website with information about the Springboard curriculum.

In history, we'll be continuing to study the 13 original colonies, finishing the colonial brochure before comparing and contrasting life in the various colonies. Students will review the names and locations of the 13 original colonies, and during the week of October 5th, we'll have a map quiz. Here's a link to a website that allows students to practice the locations of the 13 colonies. We'll discuss the Trial of Anne Hutchinson, and students will have an opportunity to participate in our first mock trial.

Also, a reminder: school won't be in session on Thursday, October 1st and Friday, October 2nd because of teacher inservice.

Upcoming Assignments and Events: September 14th - September 25th

We have some exciting events coming up in eighth grade. The whole eighth grade will be going to see William Shakespeare's Othello at Perseverance Theatre, with half of the students attending the show on September 17th and the other half on September 24th. Folks from the the theater are also coming to language arts classes to prepare students for the play. A big thanks to everyone at Perseverance Theatre for making this happen!

In addition to getting ready for Othello, we're continuing to study the parts of speech over the next couple of weeks in language arts. The following are links to some of the assignments:
Prepositions: Notes and Practice
Prepositions Writing Prompts
Conjunctions and Interjections: Notes and Practice
Sentence Diagrams: Adjectives and Adverbs

In history, we'll begin reading a chapter from Adventure Tales of America about exploration. Here's a link to the assignment. We'll move into some work in the textbook about the 13 original colonies, and students will work to create "Colonial Brochures" for a "Tour of the 13 Colonies" activity.

A few more upcoming dates:
Students will be MAP testing on September 18, 21, and 22.
Mid-Quarter is on Friday, September 18th. Students should be about 50% of the way to their reading point goals by this point, and they should have read at least one non-fiction book.

This Week...

I hope everyone enjoyed a great long weekend. Here's a look at what's happening in classes this week…

Language Arts- We'll focus on adjectives and adverbs this week. We'll work on defining and identifying adjectives and adverbs, and we'll discuss how they impact our writing. The following are links to some of our assignments and materials: Adverbs (Notes and Practice), Adjectives Review, and Nouns through Adverbs Review.

Advanced Language Arts- On Tuesday, we'll review adjectives and adverbs (here's a link to the review), and on Wednesday we'll have a quiz on nouns through adverbs. We'll move into prepositions at the end of the week.

History- Last week, students finished researching their Early American groups. This week, we'll write a Works Cited page, organize a speech, practice presenting in small groups, and present in class. Here's a link to the packet students are using for the project.