Language Arts and Literature
Miss Cain's Language Arts and Literature class is now working on a Literature
unit for the novel The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. You will see a packet
of homework for the novel come home, and we will be working on a large project
where students will develop their own society. This is a great book, but it
does have a violent nature to it. If you have any questions please contact me.
Drama
Miss Cain's Drama classes
are currently working on our monologues. We will be critiquing the acting of
professionals through film and our field trip. Then, we will begin reading,
staging, and critiquing plays.
Drama
This year the JMMS drama program will be a fun and
educational exploration of many aspects of theatre. I have high expectations
for all students and am looking forward to doing the following things in drama
this year.
Play!- During class we will be
playing many theatre games, team building activities, and voice exercises.
Much of the work done in drama will feel like playing.
Act- We will be turning dramatic
play into acting. All students will be required to be involved in a class
production and prepare monologues for class. We will be examining the
attitudes and actions that make acting believable.
Read- Students will be reading a
number of items for drama including but not limited to plays, monologues,
skits, and chapters from the text.
Vocabulary- It is important that
students have a working vocabulary of theatre terms. There will be vocab
quizes and worksheets throughout the semester.
Staging- All students will have the
opportunity to find the aspect of theatre that best suits him/her. We will be
studying many theatre jobs including costuming, make-up, set creation, stage
mangaging, directing, and more.
Journalism
This year the James Monroe Journalism staff will be creating some amazing
publications for print. We will be creating the JMMS yearbook; The Talon,
JMMS' literary magazine; and The Raptor Report, our school's student created
newspaper. Students will have the opportunity to work with the following
technologies.
Online Publishing- Jostens yearbooks, our
publishing company, has created a state of the art publishing program that is
available online from any computer. This is a great asset to students and
families because work can be finished at nearly any location.
Miscrosoft Publisher- Students will be using this
program to create our school's literary magazine. This program will also be
used to create invitations, certificates, flyers, etc. to promote the class'
work.
Adobe Photoshop- Students will use this program to
edit photos and create art pieces for the yearbook, Talon, and Raptor Report.
Microsoft Word- The class uses Microsoft Word to
create the school's newspaper, The Raptor Report. Students will type articles
in this program, and it will be used to compile the newspaper.
Adobe Premier Pro- This is the first year the
class will be using this video editing software. I am looking forward to this
learning opportunity because we can create advertisements, broadcast
journalism, and other short recorded pieces with the program.
Digital cameras- we have a limited number of
digital cameras available for student use.
Digital video camera- this year the school has
purchased a new digital video camera that will be used by students.
Language Arts and Literature
This year my Language Arts and Literature classes will be working to improve
reading, writing, and speaking skills. The class will explore a number of
themes, and we will use the literature we read in class to work on the
following skills.
Reading Comprehension- Students will be doing a
lot of reading in class this year. It is very important that kids are able not
only to decode words but understand the deeper meaning of passages. Middle
school is the time where reading becomes even more crucial in all subjects. We
will read outloud, individually, and in small group settings. We will explore
the deeper meaning of numerous texts throughout the year.
Vocabulary- In order to understand the meaning of
passages students must continue to build their vocabulary. We will use the
text we are reading in class to help students build vocabulary in context.
Grammar- It is important for students to learn
language in context, so rather than learning grammar apart from the text we
are reading, students will be using passages from novels and textbooks to
learn more about our language and how it's put together.
Critical Thinking- Students will be using the
classroom texts to think not only about writing and laguage, but greater
worldly themes. Students will have the opportunity to develop questions and
discuss ideas with each other. However, they will be required to base their
ideas in the text.
Writing- Students will then use the skills they
have learned from reading text to write. The class will look at the writing
traits to use the 6+1 Trait writing model to help guide them in their writing.