Final week of 2008-2009 school year.
(Secret words are, "Vacation here we come!") for people wanting extra credit for checking Quia).
This week begins with an Even Day.
Eighth graders: Should be finished with TOM SAWYER and ready for a quiz on Monday. The little, but heavily graded, book is due on Tuesday. We would like to show the movie this week, as well as finish up with a couple of culminating assignments. Thursday is reserved for a look back at the year and final words of congratulations.
Seventh graders will finish the novel, I AM THE CHEESE. It has been a kind of adventure for us, and the final discussion should be excellent. Keep up in the response log and grades should all be A+. I have the movie for us to watch on Wednesday to compare to the novel (it also helps make things a bit clearer). We will take our final Literature test a little bit at a time during the week.
As you can see, learning is not over. We still have plenty to cover before the last day.
As always, I look forward to another week, our last 2008-2009 week, with my awesome seventh and eighth grade students.
Love you all:)
Mrs. Galinkin
WELCOME LETTERS
Seventh Grade Letter:
Welcome to Mrs. Galinkin's World of Reading and Writing. We are going to have an exciting, productive, and brain cell connecting year! I am excited about this year and the potential it holds for all of us! I want all of you to succeed and will provide every opportunity for you to achieve your potential and reach your academic goals. This year you will be with me for a Language Arts class and a Literature class.
I believe to be a writer, you must read, and to be a good reader, you must write. The seventh grade Language Arts and Literature courses are a comprehensive study of (1) the writing process; (2) literary analysis through the five major literary genres: short story, poetry, non-fiction, drama, and novel; and (3) grammar/mechanics. Your grade for each quarter will depend on your performance in the combination of all three areas of study. You will read widely and reflect on and analyze your reading through discussion, writing, and hands-on projects. Together, we will read and write in different genres and for many purposes. We will have fun with the written word and learn reading and writing skills that will last a lifetime. Through our reading and writing, we will learn more about our world, past and present, and about ourselves. It will be a year of growth and one that I hope you will look back on with appreciation for the difference great literature makes in our lives. My goal is to continue you on the path of becoming a lifetime learner.
I expect each of you to come prepared for class by bringing the appropriate supplies. Here is a list of supplies that you will need:
• A one subject spiral
• Composition book for reading responses
• One three pronged pocket folder
• Plenty of notebook paper
• Pencils
• Pens
• Highlighters
• One pack of three-ring bound index cards (Brand is Ringdex and is available at Walgreens)
• Flash drive
• Colored pencils & markers
• A novel with you at all times
• Hand sanitizer
• Sticky notes (3 x 3)
• Old tennis balls if you have any (for legs of desks)
We are going to read quite a few novels this year. It is best that students buy their own copies, so that they can mark them up as needed. We will have copies at school,, so this is completely optional. You will be notified in plenty of time when we will be reading each book, in case you plan to purchase a copy. The novels that we will definitely read are:
The Outsiders by S..E. Hinton (second week of school)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
Tangerine by Edward Bloor (core novel)
You will be issued a LANGUAGE OF LITERATURE textbook. Periodically, you will need it for homework assignments and projects. This text has stories, poems and articles written by some of the most famous writers of our time. We will never be able to read all of the pieces in that text; take advantage of having it in your possession for nine months.
Every day, these first weeks of school, we will be practicing the appropriate behavior that I expect to run an orderly and cooperative class. They are listed in our rooms, and we will practice them until they become a natural part of our lives together again. The following rules, PRP are the ones that all Language Arts students at NMS must abide by or there will be immediate consequences.
• Be prepared
• Be respectful
• Be prompt
Consequences for behavior infractions will follow the school code of conduct:
• Verbal warning
• Student/teacher conference and/or seat change
• Detention or parent/teacher/student conference
• Referral or parent/teacher/administrator conference
When homework is assigned, it must be written in your student agenda for every class. If there is no homework, “No homework” should be written. I expect you to read your novel or some piece of continuous print for at least 20 minutes per night. This homework is a given. Every day in your agenda book, you will write, "Read 20 minutes.”
Make-up work will be done according to district standards – the number of days absent plus one day to complete and turn in any make-up assignments. If an assignment was made prior to your absence, the work is still due on the day you return to school because you already knew about it. Missing class for a sport’s activity or a field trip is not an absence so check with me before you are out because your work is due at the same time as the rest of the class. “I wasn’t here” is NOT an excuse for missing an assignment or a test.
Grades will be posted on Pinnacle and can be checked from home. Please do not check Pinnacle every day for this will drive you crazy! If there is a blank, that means that grade has not been put in yet, an “X” indicates excused from handing in that assignment, and a “0” usually means that the assignment was not turned in.
I hope I have covered everything that you need to know to be successful in our class. I promise to do my best to turn you on to reading and writing. I promise to respect and care for each of you as individuals, and I expect each of you to treat me in a respectful and caring manner. In this way, we will have the kind of learning environment where you can surely succeed and grow.
I would love all of my students to get an “A” in our class. It is not hard to do. The magic formula needed to succeed in you classes is to attend class regularly, follow the above rules and procedures, study and do your assigned work. Success equals effort; if you follow this formula, you will surely learn and master the required content. You will earn an “A,” but, more importantly, you will become a reader, writer and a critical thinker. I truly look forward to getting to know you as we begin the 2008-2009 school year at Nova Middle.
Parents, as well as students, may periodically visit my class website at https://www.quia.com/pages/galinkin.html. This site will provide assignments, linked attachments to handouts, as well as other resources to assist you throughout the school year. Please note that this website is intended to be a supplement to the student’s agenda, not a substitute for it. The schedule and information posted are subject to change without prior notification.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Galinkin
Eighth Grade Letter:
2008-09 Nova Middle School
Mrs. Galinkin & Mrs. Nodarse
Eighth Grade Language Arts & Literature
Welcome to Mrs. Galinkin's and Mrs. Nodarse’s World of Reading and Writing. Eighth grade will be run differently this year. Mrs. Galinkin and Mrs. Nodarse will be team teaching during sixth period. First and third period classes, however, will be taught separately because of the varied math class schedules. All work will be coordinated so that we are all on the same page at all times. Even though it may say that one of us is your L.A. teacher, we are both responsible for your education and grades this year. We may even switch periods or work together some days during those first and third period classes. Just think, you will be getting two teachers for the price of one!
We are going to have an exciting, productive, and brain cell connecting year! We are excited about this year and the potential it holds for all of us! We want all of you to succeed and we will provide every opportunity for you to achieve your potential and reach your academic goals.
We believe to be a writer, you must read, and to be a good reader, you must write. The 8th grade Language Arts and Literature courses are a comprehensive study of (1) the writing process; (2) literary analysis through the five major literary genres: short story, poetry, non-fiction, drama, and novel; and (3) grammar/mechanics. Your grade for each quarter will depend on your performance in the combination of all three areas of study. You will read widely and reflect on and analyze your reading through discussion, writing, and hands-on projects. Together, we will read and write in different genres and for many purposes. We will have fun with the written word and learn reading and writing skills that will last a lifetime. Through our reading and writing, we will learn more about our world, past and present, and about ourselves. Over the course of this school year, we will explore the mysterious, delve into the injustice of prejudice, examine what happens when people become corrupt with too much power, and discuss the influence of love and passion on our decisions! It will be a year of growth and one that I hope you will look back on with appreciation for the difference great literature makes in our lives. Our goal is to start you on the path to becoming a lifetime learner.
We expect each of you to come prepared for our classes by bringing the appropriate supplies to each class. Here is a list of supplies that you will need:
• A one subject spiral
• Composition book for reading responses
• One three pronged pocket folder
• Plenty of notebook paper
• Pencils
• Pens
• Highlighters
• One pack spiral bound index cards (if you're not
sure what I mean, check it out when you pick up schedule)
• Flash drive
• Colored pencils & markers
• A novel with you at all times
• Hand sanitizer
• Sticky notes (3 x 3)
We are going to read quite a few novels this year. It is best that students buy their own copies, so that they can mark them up as needed. We will have copies at school,, so this is completely optional. You will be notified in plenty of time when we will be reading each book, in case you plan to purchase a copy. The novels that we will definitely read are:
That Was Then, This Is Now by S..E. Hinton (second week of school)
The Invisible Thread by Yochika Uchida
Hiroshima by John Hersey
Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald
Nothing But The Truth by Avi (core novel)
You will be issued a LANGUAGE OF LITERATURE textbook. Periodically, you will need it for homework assignments and projects. This text has stories, poems and articles written by some of the most famous writers of our time. We will never be able to read all of the pieces in that text; take advantage of having it in your possession for nine months.
Every day, these first weeks of school, we will be practicing the appropriate behavior that we expect to run an orderly and cooperative class. They are listed in our rooms, and we will practice them until they become a natural part of our lives together again. The following rules, PRP are the ones that all Language Arts students at NMS must abide by or there will be immediate consequences.
• Be prepared
• Be respectful
• Be prompt
Consequences for behavior infractions will follow the school code of conduct:
• Verbal warning
• Student/teacher conference and/or seat change
• Detention or parent/teacher/student conference
• Referral or parent/teacher/administrator conference
When homework is assigned, it must be written in your student agenda for every class. If there is no homework, “No homework” should be written. We expect you to read your novel or some piece of continuous print for at least 20 minutes per night. This homework is a given. Every day in your agenda book, you will write, "Read 20 minutes.”
Make-up work will be done according to district standards – the number of days absent plus one day to complete and turn in any make-up assignments. If an assignment was made prior to your absence, the work is still due on the day you return to school because you already knew about it. Missing class for a sport’s activity or a field trip is not an absence so check with me before you are out because your work is due at the same time as the rest of the class. “I wasn’t here” is NOT an excuse for missing an assignment or a test.
Grades will be posted on Pinnacle and can be checked from home. Please do not check Pinnacle every day for this will drive you crazy! If there is a blank, that means that grade has not been put in yet, an “X” indicates excused from handing in that assignment, and a “0” usually means that the assignment was not turned in.
We hope we have covered everything that you need to know to be successful in our class. We promise to do our best to turn you on to reading and writing. We promise to respect and care for each of you as individuals, and we expect each of you to treat us in a respectful and caring manner. In this way, we will have the kind of learning environment where you can surely succeed and grow.
We would love all of our students to get an “A” in our class. It is not hard to do. The magic formula needed to succeed in our class is to attend class regularly, follow the above rules and procedures, study and do your assigned work. Success equals effort; if you follow this formula, you will surely learn and master the required content. You will earn an “A,” but, more importantly, you will become a reader, writer and a critical thinker. We truly look forward to getting to know you as we begin the 2008-2009 school year at Nova Middle.
Parents, as well as students, may periodically visit our class websites at https://www.quia.com/pages/galinkin.html or https://www.quia.com/pages/nodarse.html. These sites will provide assignments, linked attachments to handouts, as well as other resources to assist you throughout the school year. Please note that this website is intended to be a supplement to the student’s agenda, not a substitute for it. The schedule and information posted are subject to change without prior notification.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Galinkin & Mrs. Nodarse
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