Welcome to Grade 8 English! Ms. McWatters

This class will be... Equitable & Inclusive Ÿ “To improve outcomes for students at risk, all partners must work to identify and remove barriers and must actively seek to create the conditions needed for student success. In an increasingly diverse Ontario, that means ensuring that all of our students are engaged, included, and respected, and that they see themselves reflected in their learning environment.” -- Ontario Ministry of Education, Realizing the Promise of Diversity... Ontario's Equity and Inclusive Education Strategy

This class will be... integrated balanced creative (media) critical Integrating subjects is a great way for students to have a more in-depth understanding of a topic. This class will include integrating his- tory, drama, science, geography, & math. To ensure all students’ needs are met, this class has a balanced literacy program. There will be an emphasis on fluency, vocabulary, and domain knowledge while including shared reading/writing, guided reading/writing, indep- endent reading/writing, and oral communication. Students learn best when they are interested in what they are doing. Allowing students the freedom to be creative is very important. In many instances, students will have choice about what to learn and of how to complete an assignment. Our children are being exposed to media whether we teach them to be critical or not. Many teens are spending hours on the Internet. This classroom will reflect this increasingly online generation through less- ons, assignments, and learning how to be criti- cal in a sea of information.

A Week-at-a-Glance Day 1Day 2Day 3Day 4Day 5 Independent Reading (15 min) Read-Aloud (15 min) Independent Reading & Small Group Guided Reading (15 min) Journal Writing (15 min) Free Writing (15 min) Lesson (10 min) Classroom Discussion or Think-Pair-Share (15 min) Lesson (10 min) Drama or Media Studies/Exercises (20 min) Lesson (10 min) Small Group Conferences & Group or Independent Working Time (35 min) Small Group Conferences & Group or Independent Working Time (30 min) Small Group Conferences & Group or Independent Working Time (35 min) Community Building or Classroom Discussion (25 min) Small Group Conferences & Independent Working Time (35 min)

The Year-at-a-Glance September Week 1 – 4th to 7th Introduction, Surveys, & Community Building Week 2 – 10th to 14th Unit 1: Short Stories & “Voice” Week 3 – 17th to 21st Week 4 – 23rd to 27th October Week 1 – 1st to 5th Week 2 – 8th to 12th Week 3 – 15th to 19th Unit 2: Novel Study & Literature Circles ** Possibly integrating with history class Week 4 – 22nd to 26th Week 5 – 29th to 2nd November Week 1 – 5th to 9th Week 2 – 12th to 16th Week 3 – 19th to 23rd Unit 3: Film, Media, & Technological Presentations ** Possibly integrating with science class Week 4 – 26th to 30th December Week 1 – 3rd to 7th Week 2 – 10th to 14th Week 3 – 17th to 21st

The Year-at-a-Glance January Week 1 – 7th to 11th Unit 3: The Writing Process Week 2 – 14th to 18th Week 3 – 21st to 25th Week 4 – 28th to 1st Unit 4: Persuasive Writing/Media February Week 1 – 4th to 8th Week 2 – 11th to 15th Week 3 – 18th to 22nd Week 4 – 25th to 1st Unit 5: Exploring Non-Fiction **Possibly integrating with science class March Week 1 – 4th to 8th Week 2 – 11th to 15th -March Break- Week 3 – 18th to 22nd (Unit 5 Continued...) Week 4 – 25th to 29th

The Year-at-a-Glance April Week 1 – 1st to 5th Unit 6: Poetry ** Possibly integrating with French class Week 2 – 8th to 12th Week 3 – 15th to 19th Week 4 – 22nd to 26th Week 5 – 29th to 3rd May Week 1 – 6th to 10th Unit 7: World Stories (Myths, Legends, Oral History, Graphic Novels, etc...) ** Possibly integrating with geography class Week 2 – 13th to 17th Week 3 – 20th to 24th Week 4 – 27th to 31st June Week 1 – 3rd to 7th Week 2 – 10th to 14th Unit 8: Portfolios Week 3 – 17th to 21st Week 4 – 24th to 28th

A Unit Overview According to the Ontario Curriculum, there are four strands of language to be covered each year—Reading, Writing, Oral Communication, & Media Literacy. Here is an illustration how these strands exist in a unit. Unit 5 – Exploring Non-Fiction Reading: Learn How to Read Non-Fiction; Shared, Guided, & Independent Reading of Non-Fiction Materials; Analyze & Explore How Materials Were Written; Note Unfamiliar Words in Vocabulary Graphic Organizer Writing: Generate, Gather, & Organize Ideas; Shared, Guided, & Independent Writing of Non-Fiction Materials; Revise & Edit Own Writing and Others’; Write a Comprehension Non-Fiction Text Oral Communication: Think-Pair-Share About Non-Fiction Topics; Classroom Discussion About Non-Fiction Topics; Oral Presentation About a Non-Fiction Topic Media Literacy: Create a Media Piece About a Non-Fiction Topic (Blog, Pamphlet, Poster, Public Service Announcement); Research Online

Assessment & Evaluation As available on the Ontario Ministry of Education website, here is a rubric for persuasive letter writing:

Assessment & Evaluation

What’s the Difference Between Assessment & Evaluation, Anyways? From Duke University, between%20assessment%20and%20evaluation.pdf Feedback given along the way; assessment for, as, & of learning Final grading & feedback

Assessment & Evaluation In this class, assessment and evaluation will be composed of: rubrics, like the previous slides (that are given out at the start of the assignment) part-way-through-unit assessments conferences self-assessments & self-evaluations teacher comments If there are any questions about the grading, I would be happy to review the assignment with the student or with you, parents/guardians.

Addressing Students’ Needs Students come from a diverse backgrounds and have a variety of needs and interests. Here are ways these needs will be addressed in this class: choices will be given when doing projects & assignments, allowing students to choose the coursework which suits them best accommodations & modifications to program available on a case-by-case basis (please let me know!) the units and how they are taught will reflect the diverse student body in the class extra help is available at lunch and after school on certain days

Parents’/Guardians’ Roles The support you give your child is invaluable. Here are some things you can do at home to extend your child’s learning: talk to your child! I know the adolescent learner can be reluctant to talk, but discussing the day helps your child consolidate their day’s learning & promotes oral communication skills create a quiet and supportive environment for your child to do their homework (even create a homework schedule) show interest in your child’s work; boost their self-esteem with a compliment read with your child or discuss a book you both read

Thank you for your time! Any Questions?