Where did 1 st Quarter Go? An Overview of Expectations and Assignments for 2 nd Quarter ELA Mrs. Deans Room 234 It is hard to believe that 1st quarter has come and gone. We have covered many goals and objectives in ELA class and will continue to do so much more. Please be sure to visit my WEBSITE to obtain class documents, links, and to view our class’s self-selective reading book BLOG for suggestions of wonderful books to read this quarter that will help your child meet the state’s new common core standards. A sincere thanks once again to all of you who attended the BOOK FAIR, and also to all of you who donated the wonderful novels to our class library. The kids are thoroughly enjoying them! Congratulations to the following students who were 1 st Quarter’s top 10 AR Readers: Karly Pounds: 301 pts. Matthew Larsen: 228 pts. Allie Sell: 194 pts. Corbin Lanowitz: 138 pts. Travis Clay: 125 pts. Katelyn Parsons: 116 pts. Dylan Varner: 100 pts. Christian Morales: 86 pts. Jordan Settles: 85 pts. Gabby Crews: 83 pts. Also, Congratulations to Paula Castro for receiving the team’s MOST IMPROVED award for 1 st quarter & Sofia Maldonado who received recognition for OUTSTANDING CITZENSHIP

Assessments WRITING: Students will complete a major writing piece for their portfolio (Problem Solution) which will count as a PROJECT GRADE (20%). PROJECT: Students will complete a Biography project this quarter. Information and a grading rubric for the project will be given well in advance. Classwork: Students must be actively engaged during class which means that all classwork, group assignments, and pair-share assignments must be turned in to me. Homework: This quarter homework will be a combination of studying and completing mastery informational reading pieces utilizing techniques taught. So it is imperative that students complete homework to the best of their abilities and read CAREFULLY and THOROUGHLY. Simply marking answers will result in lower scores. Writing/Projects Classwork/Homework Self-Selective Reading & AR READING: This quarter will be geared toward the reading and analysis of informational text (graphs, charts, manuals, biographies, autobiographies, social studies and science text). Students should also include these choices during their self-selective reading times. Self-Selective Reading & Accelerated Reader: Please remember that in addition to studying, that your child should also be reading nightly for at least 20 minutes. Many students are not utilizing our daily reading time of 15 minutes. Therefore, they are not mastering the goals set for Accelerated Reader which counts 15% of the overall grade. It is imperative that students continue to read for understanding. A list of AR titles can be obtained on the Media Center’s website. Students had the opportunity of obtaining at least 8 pts. of their 25 points from our class READALOUDS alone. Quizzes/Tests: Students should study ELA terms nightly to master quizzes and tests. Waiting to the last minute always results in lower assessment scores. Last quarter, students were given the opportunity to write sentences to improve poor test scores. This quarter, now that students know the routine, it is imperative that they try to master the materials the 1 st time around to be prepared for what will be presented on the new State Standards & Common Core. Remember, all lessons, videos, and materials that I have taught can be accessed on Edmodo. Quarter Benchmark Results I will be sending home the results of 1 st quarter Benchmarks after we have analyzed all reading passages in class. Many students had difficulty and may need to study more.