8th Grade English Language Arts
Ms. Esch 2022-2023
Classroom Expectations and Requirements
Class Expectations:
GRADING SYSTEM:
WJHS uses the following grading system for all grades and subject areas.
A+ = 97.5
B+ = 89.5
C+ = 81.5
D+ = 74.5
F - Lower than 69.5
A = 94.5
B = 86.5
C = 78.5
D = 71.5
A- = 92.5
B- = 84.5
C- = 76.5
D- = 69.5
Grades will be determined based on three categories of assignments.
Class Organization Requirements:
Reading Workshop Days:
Reading workshop days are an important part of your development as readers and writers. Reading helps to improve vocabulary, language fluency, and spoken and written grammar. It is an important part of our class, and we expect you to constantly be reading!
During the course of the trimester you will be given numerous writing assignments. Not every piece of writing will be graded, and you will write all different kinds of pieces including, but not limited to the following: This I Believe essay, Argument writing tied to novel study, Responses to Novels in Verse, and Informational Research writing. Our classroom will be based upon several principles that will inform our teaching and your learning:
Writers need regular chunks of time- time to think, write, confer, read, change their minds, and write some more! So, when you are given time in class to write, please use this time wisely!
Writers need their own topics. [There will be several times during the year that you will have the freedom to experiment in your writing.] That said, there will also be required writing each trimester.
Writers need response. You will receive responses from your peers, and from me. I will consistently model the kinds of restatements and questions that help you, the writer, to reflect on your writing. [I will write with you often throughout the year, and you will learn that all writers have similar struggles and successes when composing. We can help each other!] I will ask that each of you try to submit a piece for the yearly Literary Achievement Awards; you may choose which piece you feel is your best.]
Writers learn mechanics in context, from teachers (me) who address errors as they occur within individual pieces of writing(where these rules and forms will have meaning.) We will find common errors in our writing, and I will teach mini-lessons on these errors. That said, we will work on parts of speech, sentence structure: using simple, compound, and complex sentences, and learning grammatical terminology.
What skills will be introduced or reinforced in reading/Writing?
I am really looking forward to a great year! If you ever need extra help, please let me know asap and I'll work with you. Happy reading, writing, listening, discussing, and exploring!
Contact Information:
Julie Esch
Email: [email protected]
Extension: 3365
Ms. Esch 2022-2023
Classroom Expectations and Requirements
Class Expectations:
- Be Here: Please make up your work within school time allowed, if absent.
- Be Kind: Respect your peers’ rights to be who they are and to have an environment that invites them to learn.
- Participate: Try. Ask questions. Answer questions. Add to discussions. Contribute to group activities.
- Be attentive: Stay on task and do not distract others, both during Workshop time, direct instruction, and when we are conferencing with individuals.
- Be prepared: Have all of your materials, reading books, laptops, and assignments each day. Please try to keep Chromebooks charged!
GRADING SYSTEM:
WJHS uses the following grading system for all grades and subject areas.
A+ = 97.5
B+ = 89.5
C+ = 81.5
D+ = 74.5
F - Lower than 69.5
A = 94.5
B = 86.5
C = 78.5
D = 71.5
A- = 92.5
B- = 84.5
C- = 76.5
D- = 69.5
Grades will be determined based on three categories of assignments.
- 30%: Daily homework and classroom activities
- 40%: Tests and Projects
- 30%: Quizzes
- Effort: Together, we will create a class effort rubric to determine what effort looks like in 8th Grade ELA class. Indicators will be averaged, and will count as a weekly quiz grade.
Class Organization Requirements:
- You will be using google.docs, which will be accessed from your Grade 8 gmail accounts. You will also have an ELA shared folder to keep your work. All of your writing should be done as a google doc, so that it can be accessed from any computer and will automatically save.
Reading Workshop Days:
Reading workshop days are an important part of your development as readers and writers. Reading helps to improve vocabulary, language fluency, and spoken and written grammar. It is an important part of our class, and we expect you to constantly be reading!
- You should always have a self-selected book and be ready to read! You should choose books that span the many different genres (you will be required to read non-fiction as well as fiction). You will have a google.doc that will enable you to keep track of the books you have read, and the genre of the book. You can borrow books from our classroom library, the library upstairs in our building, or use your Wells Library card to access books and ebooks. I ask that you bring your book to class each day, as we start each class reading silently!
During the course of the trimester you will be given numerous writing assignments. Not every piece of writing will be graded, and you will write all different kinds of pieces including, but not limited to the following: This I Believe essay, Argument writing tied to novel study, Responses to Novels in Verse, and Informational Research writing. Our classroom will be based upon several principles that will inform our teaching and your learning:
Writers need regular chunks of time- time to think, write, confer, read, change their minds, and write some more! So, when you are given time in class to write, please use this time wisely!
Writers need their own topics. [There will be several times during the year that you will have the freedom to experiment in your writing.] That said, there will also be required writing each trimester.
Writers need response. You will receive responses from your peers, and from me. I will consistently model the kinds of restatements and questions that help you, the writer, to reflect on your writing. [I will write with you often throughout the year, and you will learn that all writers have similar struggles and successes when composing. We can help each other!] I will ask that each of you try to submit a piece for the yearly Literary Achievement Awards; you may choose which piece you feel is your best.]
Writers learn mechanics in context, from teachers (me) who address errors as they occur within individual pieces of writing(where these rules and forms will have meaning.) We will find common errors in our writing, and I will teach mini-lessons on these errors. That said, we will work on parts of speech, sentence structure: using simple, compound, and complex sentences, and learning grammatical terminology.
What skills will be introduced or reinforced in reading/Writing?
- Writing with ease for a variety of needs, purposes, and interests.
- Using the Writing Process
- Using a variety of text structures in writing.
- Integrating information from a variety of sources to increase the power of a piece.
- Taking risks as a reader and writer.
- Seeing myself as a reader and writer.
- Experimenting with creativity in presenting projects and materials using illustrations and multimedia.
- Becoming a 21st Century Digital Citizen, and abiding by Fair Use, Creative Commons, and online safety.
I am really looking forward to a great year! If you ever need extra help, please let me know asap and I'll work with you. Happy reading, writing, listening, discussing, and exploring!
Contact Information:
Julie Esch
Email: [email protected]
Extension: 3365