Welcome to 209—Mrs. Grimes

GRADE 8 HOMEROOM

 

I HAVE A NEW EMAIL ADDRESS AS OF 11/25/07  grimesm52@yahoo.com

Grade 7/8 READING LISTS:

GRADE 7                                                                                                                  

Holt Reader First Course                                                                                         

NOVELS:                                                                                                      

Holes by Louis Sachar                                                                                                          

Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle                                                                                

The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton (probably start of 2nd trimester)                                                                                        

Nothing But the Truth by AVI

Hoot by Carl Hiassen

                                   

GRADE 8

Holt Reader Second Course

NOVELS

Rumblefish by S. E. Hinton

That Was Then This Was Now by S. E. Hinton

The Giver by Lois Lowry

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

The Hound  Of Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

August 27, 2007

 

Dear Junior Students and Families,

 

Welcome back!

 

I will be teaching Grade 7/8 Reading this year.  The following are the novels which we will be reading the first trimester and the start of second trimester.  Books will be announced later for the rest of second trimester and third trimester.  I have some copies of the novels to hand out, but the students might want to have their own copy to be able to write in or highlight vocabulary or passages.

 

Grade 7

Holes by Louis Sachar

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle

The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton (probably the start of 2nd trimester)

 

Grade 8

Hoot by Carl Hiassen

Criss Cross by Lynn Rae Perkins

Rumblefish by S. E. Hinton (probably 2nd trimester)

That Was Then This Was Now by S. E. Hinton (2nd trimester)

The Giver by Lois Lowry (2nd trimester)

 

**IMPORTANT---Supplies Needed:  If the day after Labor Day everyone could have--a 1” 3 ring binder with a package of 8 tab dividers—We will write notes on notebook paper and place them in the binder.  We will organize the notes by the novel titles.  I am not going to use a spiral.

 

We will also have a text which has short stories, historical fiction, mythology, poetry and biographies which fulfills our curriculum standards.  Grade 7 has The Holt Reader First Course and Grade 8 has The Holt Reader Second Course.  It is a softcover that allows the student to write marginal notes.  The text incorporates learning the literary terms of literature along with reading the passages. I am going to place emphasis on comprehension, learning about the elements of literature and being able to recognize these in the literary works and literary analysis through discussion and essays.  It is my goal to prepare the students for their literature classes in high school. 

 

I will be using mygradebook.com again this year and the students will have the same password for all their classes in junior high to make it easier for access.  The classwords are:  207 RDG, 208 RDG, 209 RDG, 307 RDG, 308 RDG. 

The Reading grade will consist of homework, quizzes, tests and projects.  Projects will be assigned after some of the novels which will consist of written essays and/or artwork. Writing essays is essential because the more you write the better writer you become. All projects and essays must be typed. 

 

Written homework is usually to answer questions from a packet for the novel and you receive 10 points for that if you did it, if it is not done you receive 0 points and it cannot be made up since we go over the questions in class.  There is no penalty if you are absent.  Homework in my class is usually just a reading assignment.  A late project will lose 25 points for each day it is late.  There are never any penalties for absences. 

 

For students who need extra help there will be a Reading Lab taught by Mrs. Brady for Grade 7 on Wednesdays and Grade 8 on Thursdays from 2:45 pm till 3:30 pm.  The Reading Lab will start September 19 and 20th. Some students may be required to attend the reading lab, other students who want extra help may attend reading lab if they choose.  

 

If you ever have any questions feel free to contact me.  I always try to return calls and reply to emails the same day.  My email is grimesmaureen@hotmail.com and my phone number extension is 209.

 

I look forward to a wonderful year.

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Mrs. Maureen Grimes,

Junior High Teacher/Assistant Principal