1. Welcome to B-3! 7 th Grade LA

2. A Bit about Michele Wells  BS from The College of NJ (Education of the Hearing Impaired)  M.Ed. From SPU (Reading/Language Arts)  Special/General Education Teacher in IA and ISD for 21 years  Taught at SHS, IHS, Maywood, Briarwood— this is my 14th year at BLMS as a 7 th grade LA teacher  Wife, Mom, Dog Lover, Sammamish Resident for 32 years

3. Pointers for Success in Mrs. Wells’ Room Homework is posted daily on my website: Type: www.blms.isssaquah.wednet.edu Click on: Teacher Websites Click on: Wells The LA book, Literature, is on-line. Students are still expected to use their planners!

4. Absences  Students need to check the “While You Were Out” board for make up work and folders on the wall. For every day absent, students will have a day to turn in the missing assignments including tests.  If a student misses a test, expect s/he to come in early or stay after school the next day.

5. Extra Help Before/After school appointments are available for:  Additional help  Study sessions  Re-teaching  Test make ups

6. Keeping tabs on your Child’s Progress  Mrs. Wells posts on Family Access as soon as papers are graded at least once a week. Have your child check grades and report to you rather than you checking all the time.  Email me: wellsm@issaquah.wednet.edu  Call me: 425-837-6356

7. Checking Student Progress

8. Why 40 Books?  Students need to practice the reading skills and strategies I teach in class  Students need to read all the genres available  Yes, this really is doable!

9. A person’s vocabulary level is the best single predictor of occupational success. – Johnson O’Connor The researcher Johnson O’Connor, performed in more than 20 years of research. He observed successful people in many walks of life, trying to correlate their success with factors such as gender, age, scholarship levels and many others, including vocabulary level. He always found the same results, no matter how he analyzed the data: a person’s vocabulary level is the best single predictor of occupational success. What determines professional success? Especially for knowledge workers, I would risk saying professional success depends entirely on thinking and communication skills.

10. How can you help your 7 th grader?

11. Dr. Mel Levine writes: “Schools should teach kids how to learn, and parents should teach them how to work by establishing work rules and a work ethic at home.” --from A Mind at a Time, p. 61

12. Encourage Good Work Habits  Set up regular quiet time for homework, studying and reading. (these are 3 separate tasks)  Be sure s/he has all necessary materials and leaves unnecessary materials at home.  Be sure s/he is appropriately dressed for school. Check the planner for requirements.  Promote excellent attendance and punctuality.  Help (not do it) with organization—encourage a weekly organizational time.

13. Encourage Improving Writing Skills  Encourage using these writing skills in all subject areas  Encourage PROOFREADING  It’s OK to rewrite and make mistakes!  Have students write for you  Our focus is on narrative, explanatory and argumentative writing

14. Focus on Reading Skills  Encourage your student to summarize his/her reading for you  Ask questions about what s/he read  Read at home together  Have your student teach you the reading strategies learned in class  Demand correct grammar and strong vocabulary in conversation  Help your student with Greek/Latin roots.

15. Other Tidbits  Students must save ALL papers until the end of the trimester  Handouts on pink paper must be kept all year  Students have specific written instructions about how papers should look and words banned from writing assignments  Please limit screen time!  Google Chrome works best for using SCOPE on line.  If your child cannot see the literature pages on line, your Java Script may need updating.

16. Another Tidbit  Be sure your email address is current on Skyward. I send out mass emails about what is going on in class.

17. Late Work Policy  The 7 th Grade Humanities teachers do not take late work for full credit unless specified in a student’s IEP or 504 plan.  Work is late if it is not turned into the teacher when called for. Students will not be allowed to go to their lockers for retrieval once emergency passes are used up. If the work is delivered to the classroom after collection, it will still be considered as late work.  In order for students to learn our CCSS, they must do their work. If assignments are not completed, students will be directed to Learning Lunch.

18. Classroom Focus Making learning at BLMS relevant to the “real world” The “business world” wants:  Good communicators  Good problem solvers  People who can work in groups -Harvard Study

19. Thank you!  Thank you for supporting the Magazine Drive!  Thank you for supporting Issaquah Schools Foundation!  Thank you for supporting PTSA!