DECEMBER
Can you hear the bells ringing at St. Paul's Cathedral? Students will be
studying Victorian London this month as we explore the Christmas classic, "A
Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. To prepare them for the experience, I
will be assigning additional readings about Victorian life and child labor so
that they will have the necessary background knowledge to experience this
masterpiece fully. Don't be surprised if they ask questions about your first
job or pay rate; they are simply doing their homework!
In addition to their classwork, they will be doing a mini-project about this
era. Students will choose 7 of 20 comprehension questions to answer and can
add an illustration, piece of music, dance, recipe or craft of the era as an
addition to their work. I have posted the 20 questions on the homework page.
This mini-project is due Wednesday, Nov. 16. In addition to the project, they
will be having a unit test on Thursday, Nov. 17. The test will focus on five
vocabulary words and essay questions pulled directly from their reading. The
project, test and classwork will make up the majority of the grade for this
five-week period.
ONGOING
Students who scored less than an 85 on their first FAIR assessment will be
bringing additional work home to increase fluency, reading comprehension and
vocabulary. This homework will include the same guide I use in the classroom
to assist your child. Please take the time to monitor your child's nightly
reading and assist him/her with any enrichment homework.
Eighth-graders will be doing homework with writing frames to prepare for the
upcoming writing assessments. My goal is to build their endurance so that
they can easily complete a four-paragraph, focused essay by the time FCAT
Writes arrives in February. We have been practicing weekly and I am
encouraged by my students' hard work and dedication. I find that writing with
them is a wonderful modeling tool, and I encourage you to get out your pen or
pencil and work alongside your child. Thank you for all that you do!
Example of resource citation:
Duble, Kathleen Benner. "The Sacrifice." New York: Simon & Schuster,
2005.