REMINDER

Don't forget to bring your NONFICTION book in to school tomorrow. Also don't forget the parent slip that goes along with it.

Report Cards

Parents: Report cards are being distributed tomorrow Thursday, December 4th. I had the date incorrect on my last post. 8th grade will be visiting the Holiday Shop tomorrow as well. 8th grade's field trip for Junior Achievement will be on Monday, December 8th. Students are asked to wear jeans and a school appropriate shirt. They also must bring a bag lunch. Rules for the field trip are they same as they are in the classroom. If your child is not attending this academic trip, they must bring a note explaining why they are not attending within a week of the field trip if they would like to still attend the "fun" trip at the end of the year.

December Update

I hope everyone is enjoying their Thanksgiving holiday. After spending some time putting up Christmas decorations I thought I would catch you up on December's schedule.

For all grammar classes we will be having a chapter 2 test Tuesday, December 9th. This chapter should be a bit easier than chapter 1 as it is only on nouns. Please take some time to review on McDougal Littell's website, the link is to the right of my page. Make sure you know what concert, abstract, common, proper, plural, singular, and possessive nouns are. Make sure you can also tell the difference between a direct object, indirect object and a predicate noun. Also spend some time on appositive and prepositional phrases. I think that is about it, but since I don't have my book with me right now I can't be sure. Please make sure you send time reviewing.

For all reading classes students will need to have a nonfiction book by Friday, December 5th to beginning reading for our next book project. Please take the time to pick out a book that you will enjoy, don't just grab something off my shelf the morning of Friday, December 5th. Remember for all those who are interested in sports, there are a ton of biographies and autobiographies out there for your favorite athletes. For those who don't enjoy reading a long book...you might select something like Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. This is a collection of short stories that are true.

Just a reminder that report cards are to be distributed on Friday, December 5.

Unit Test

All reading classes have a unit test scheduled for next Tuesday, November 18. This is an open book test on all the stories that we have read this year. Student may not however use their book for the vocabulary section of this test. The vocabulary is a review of all the words that we have previously learned. Please make sure that you put in the required effort, since this is one of the last grades for the marking period.

October 30th

All reading classes have been given the directions for their book report that is due November 13th. Students should be just about finished reading their fiction books. Please check up on this. The book report is to be completed on a manila file folder that they have been given. If the students loose the folder they need to supply their own or purchase one for 25 cents.

8th Grade Conferences have been scheduled for Wednesday November 5th, Thursday November 6th, and Friday November 7th. Students were to relay to you your assigned time. It has also been written in their agenda. Phone conferences will take place on the 5th, 6th, and 7th in between in person conferences. Parents who wanted email conferences will be receiving an email from the team in the next two weeks.

In Grammar we are beginning chapter two. Students were assessed on chapter one last week and did very well. If your son/daughter scored below a 76% they have the opportunity to retake their assessment. They need to make corrections on the original test and then they can retake the test in workroom.

Updates for Week of Oct. 6 - 10

Writing...Student should just be about finished with the rough draft of their short stories. We will begin peer editing on Wednesday and if they have not completed the draft, they cannot participate in peer edit and will be asked to stay in for workroom.

In grammar we will be finishing Chapter 1 this week...which means only one thing. Test time. The test for Chapter 1 has not been scheduled, but will probably be the week of October 13. We will definitely find time to review prior to the test. The students will also enjoy playing a game of Grammar Jeopardy just before the test.

All Reading Classes will be getting information on the first book report of the school year this week. Students will be asked to find a fiction book, on their level, and bring it to class by Oct. 13th. Directions for the actual project will be distributed later. The project will count as a reading comprehension grade and a vocabulary grade.

8A Reading had a quiz on Friday 10/3 and will be getting test slips early this week. Parents keep an eye out for these as they are a responsibility grade.

8B and 8C Reading...your next assessment will be on Wednesday 10/8/08 for Stop the Sun.

Reminders...please keep a copy of the school handbook nearby as I have written a few referrals this week. Parents referrals must be signed the night they are sent home and returned the following. This is for any level offense. Students who fail to return them will receive an additional referral. :(

8th Grade Writing

All writing classes will have a very small quiz on lesson 7: Subjects in Unusual Order on Thursday. It seems to have caused a great deal of difficulty and I need to determine if the students have mastered this skill. The quiz will be no more than 15 points.

Fall is here!

As we welcome fall this week, we are in the middle of a busy week. Students completed their second grammar quiz today and are beginning their first writing prompt: a short story. Students will be completing most of their short story in class...but for those that are/were lost in thought during the class day, may have to complete some at home.

My 8A reading group is scheduled for their second quiz on Cinder Edna tomorrow, Thursday Sept. 25th. The first reading quiz on Tell Tale Heart went very well. Test slips were sent home with the scores from the first reading quiz, although only 1/2 of the class returned their slips signed. This was a responsibility grade for their citizenship. Parents please make sure you are signing all test slips that are sent home.

My 8B and 8C reading groups are also doing well. Students had a quiz on Checkouts and test slips went home yesterday. Parents please make sure you are signing all test slips that are sent home, this is a responsibility grade. Our next story, Raymond's Run, will focus on conflict/resolution and cause/effect. Our quiz for this story will be on Monday, September 29. (Sorry, I don't like Monday quizzes either, but it just worked out that way.)

Enjoy your week and keep checking back for new posts.

Keep it up

Well, it's official. We are definitely back into the swing of things. Students have take one quiz in reading and one in grammar. Students have also be receiving citizenship grades daily for following directions, respect, responsibility, and participation. There are still a few students who have not covered their textbook.

Reminders...this week all reading classes will be having a quiz. Reading 8A will be having a quiz on the story Tell Tale Heart and its vocabulary words on Wednesday 9/17. While reading 8B and 8C will have their quiz on Checkouts Thursday 9/18. They also need to study the story and its vocabulary.

I have a link for McDougal Littell's website on the right hand side of my web page. This site provides activities for grammar as well as reading. This is a great way to review before a quiz or test. Good Luck.

Welcome Back

Can you believe it? School starts in just two weeks. I hope you have been reading all summer. When you are out buying school supplies don't forget to purchase extras to keep at home. It always seems that come January students are writing with pencils that are only one inch long and they can find loose leaf for the life of them. Since students will be required to carry their belongings with them this year, all literature textbooks will stay in the classroom. I will allow them to go home the night before a test though. Please take advantage of the McDougal Littell website link on my web page. This will give you access to grammar and literature activities that can definitely be useful. Good luck and I am looking forward to a great school year.
Mrs. Muldoon

8A, 8B, and 8C

As the year quickly comes to an end, please work on turning in all missing assignments. Journal checks will be next week 5/12-5/16. Please make sure this is something that will pull you grade up not bring it down. All classes will be reading the Diary of Anne Frank over the next few weeks. School is not over until June 9th and we will continue to complete assignments. Don't let your brain go to summer vacation until June 9th.

8A, 8B, 8C Update

Just a reminder that with DSTPs and Spring Break we loose a great deal of "teaching time" in the third quarter. Student need to be memorizing their poem, to be recited next week, and completing their final draft of the persuasive essay. Persuasive Essays will not be accepted late. Students must turn this essay in prior to Spring Break.

8A/8B/8C Update

A few more DSTP reminders...don't forget your sharpened #2 pencils, a dictionary/thesaurus(optional for the writing days), highlighter(optional for the reading passages), and a calculator(optional for some math sections). We will have these items on hand for the students to share...but if you want your own...bring your own.

Classroom updates...we have begun poetry in reading class. Students have been selecting a poem, of their choice, to have memorized for 3/4,3/18, or 3/19. Students will be graded based on the oral speaking standard and the correct memorization of the poem.

Writing...in writing we are mid-way through a persuasive essay. Students are working on drafting their essay. They must include an apporipate introduction with a thesis or opinion stated and an engaging hook. They must also include 3 body paragraphs, that each describe one supporting detail and a conclusion. The final work must be turned in prior to Spring Break if it is to be graded for the third quarter. Students will hand in their brainstorm, rough draft, peer editing, self-editing, and final copies on March 20th.

Hold on to your hats...this quarter is going to fly by. Parents and students if you we not pleased with the 3rd quarter progress reports, please work hard on the poem and persuasive essay. These are two of the final pieces for this quarter. Hopefully, I will be able to squeeze another quiz in...but with DSTPs and Spring Break we are cutting it close.

8A/8B/8C Update

As March is now upon us you can't help to be thinking about the dreaded DSTPs. Relax. Everything we do at Providence Creek is practice for the DSTPs. In Language Arts we do not cram everything necessary to succeed in February, we work on reading and writing activities that will prepare us, unknowingly, for the test. All I ask is that students follow simple guidelines before beginning the DSTPs. 1. Get a good night's sleep. 2. Eat a healthy breakfast and bring a healthy snack. 3. Relax 4. Try your best on each and every section

8A, 8B, and 8C Update

As the end of the second quarter is upon us, we students and teachers hurry to turn in and correct any additional assignments. Students in 8th grade were a little apprehensive about completing a power point project for their latest book report, but the presentations this week have been going great. Students also turned in an autobiographical writing piece that should be return to them next week. These writing pieces were a great sneak peak into the interesting minds of our 8th grade.
The begin of the third quarter will find us finishing up on our nonfiction unit. No more book reports for at least a few weeks, this way we can focus on our literature text. We will also be finishing up chapter 3 in grammar and taking a test in the next two weeks on pronouns. The quizzes this past week in grammar caused a struggle for many so keep reviewing those pronouns. Make sure your child can differentiate between subject, object, possessive, reflexive, and intensive pronouns, just to name a few.
Lastly, with the dreaded DSTP just around the corner, in March. We are going to begin weekly DSTP practice. In language arts, every story we read prepares them for the DSTP, so we will not be cramming for these tests. But students will occasionally be completing a practice sheet or two to remind them of the testing format commonly used on the DSTP. All I ask that you do at home to prepare is keep reading. Reading and discussing what you've read can really boost those scores. Good Luck.