Our Class Survey Lynn Shuryan and Janet Guess- Teachers 8 th Grade English Language Arts Vine Middle School Knoxville, TN USA

Class Favorites Music: pop, August Alsina, Chief Keef Sports: Basketball, football

Class Favorites T.V. Shows: Tru TV, Animal Planet, Family Guy, Spongebob Squarepants, Bad Girls Club, Austin and Ally Foods: Chicken, hamburgers, pizza, tacos, salads, chicken nuggets, burritos, orange chicken

Class Favorites Favorite Places to Visit: Mexico Pigeon Forge, TN Downtown Knoxville Mountain cabins

Class Favorites Video/Computer Games: Night and Day, Dead Rising, Halo, Call of Duty, GTA 5, Rain, Mortal Kombat, 2K14, Madden 25 Websites: facebook, youtube, twitter, pandora, y3.com,y8.com, instagram

School Information Name: Vine Middle Magnet School Address: 1807 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. Knoxville, TN Size: Approximately 340 students School colors: purple, gold, black Mascot: Golden Bear Computers: Each teacher has a Mac laptop, all 8 th grade students have a Mac laptop, 2 computer labs with approximately 23 computers each, library has about 20 computers in it, and classrooms have between 1-3 Apple desktop computers.

Outside the school

Vines school cafeteria where students eat lunch

School History Vine Middle Magnet School was reconstituted this year. This means that, due to poor performance on state testing, all of the previous Vine staff were let go. Anyone who wanted to could reapply for their job, but only 9 people were rehired. We are basically a new school. Our students had no idea who the new teachers were, what our expectations were, or what the school year would bring. As a new staff, we had to implement all new procedures and develop relationships with our new co-workers and students. The class I am teaching is a co-taught class, which means some of the students have special education needs, and some do not. To address this, we have two teachers in the classroom, collaborating together. Many of our students do not like school or learning due to previous bad experiences. A magnet school is one that is still part of the public school system, but offers a specialized program. The idea is to help promote diversity by offering programs that appeal to many students. We are a STEAM school, specializing in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math.

School Information 3 Things that make Vine unique: 1)We are a Magnet school focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math 2)We offer West African Drum and Dance classes 3)We are a 1:1 technology school- all 8 th grade students have laptops to use

Vine African Dance and Drums Performing at a local church

School Calendar 2014 FEBRUARY February 3-7 (Monday-Friday)Writing Assessment February 7 (Friday)End 4 1/2-weeks Grading Period February 17 (Monday)Inservice Day – K-5 In-School/6-12 System-wide (Student Holiday); Presidents Day MARCH March 13 (Thursday)End First 9-week Grading Period (Third 9-week Grading Period) March 14 (Friday)Staff Development Day – Student Holiday March (Monday-Friday)SPRING BREAK APRIL April 18 (Friday)Good Friday – Holiday April 21 (Monday)Holiday April 23 (Wednesday)End 4 1/2-weeks Grading Period April 28-May 9 (10 days)Achievement Testing Window MAY May 1-7 (5 days)State EOC Tests May (Wednesday-Saturday)High School Graduation May 21 (Wednesday)Last Day for Students (1/2 day for students) End Second 9-week Grading Period (Fourth 9-week Grading Period) May 22 (Thursday)Inservice Day (Teacher Work Day) May 23 (Friday)Administrative Day (Teacher Work Day) – Last Day for Teachers

Knoxville Community Location: Knoxville is to the west of the Great Smoky Mountains in the Appalachian Valley (Tennesse Valley) and to the east of the Cumberland Plateau. The Tennessee River flows through our downtown area. Area: Approximately 98.5 square miles (255 sq.km.) of land and 5.6 square miles (14.6 sq km) of water. Population: As of 2010, approximately 179,000 (3 rd largest city in Tennessee)

Special Characteristics Why people visit: Knoxville has 3 major interstates going through it: I-75, I-40, and I-81 so many people travel through the city Knoxville is surrounded by 7 lakes Smoky Mountain National Park is only 45 minutes from Knoxville Unusual Land Formations: Great Smoky Mountains

Major Industries/Occupations U.S. Department of Energy University of Tennessee Knox County Public School System Area Health Care- Covenant Health, University of Tennessee Medical Center