Teacher

NAME: Valerie Finnerty

SCHOOL: Littleton Middle School

CLASS: 8th Grade Science

SCHOOL PHONE/EMAIL: 978-486-8938/vfinnerty@littletonps.org

About Ms. Finnerty:

The 2008-2009 school year marks my nineteenth year as a teacher.  Although I 
have taught elementary, special education, and middle school math, science 
remains my favorite subject to learn about and to teach.  I believe that all 
of us are born with a sense of wonder and the natural inner drive to test and 
investigate.  Science is the summary of all human beings have found out and 
are striving to learn.

Class Goals:

Many eighth grade students have developed thinking and reasoning skills that 
enable them to think about and understand concepts at a higher level than 
most sixth grade students.  Therefore the Littleton Middle School eighth 
grade science curriculum includes more advanced science topics and concepts, 
and is also designed to help students integrate and extend the ideas they 
have studied since entering the sixth grade. 

A major goal for the district and for the 8th grade science classes is to 
ensure that all students are appropriately challenged while maintaining high 
expectations and standards for all students.  In order to meet this goal, 
some of the assignments and projects that students will encounter in this 
year will be personalized, either through my decision or through student 
choice.  Assignments may be personalized to provide extra support, to provide 
enrichment, to appeal to students’ varied interests, to allow additional 
practice of skills, or to allow students to develop their strengths.  I will 
work with the students to help them move towards understanding their own 
learning needs so that they can begin to make informed decisions that enhance 
their learning and accomplishments.