1. WELCOME TO 8 TH GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS – ON-LEVEL Mrs. Amy Smith and Mr. Jordan Brown Emails: Amy.Smith2@cobbk12.org Blog: http://cobblearning.net/amysmith/ Amy.Smith2@cobbk12.orghttp://cobblearning.net/amysmith/ Jordan.Brown@cobbk12.org

2. READING  Articles(non-fiction)-news apps  Novels (independent reading and whole class studies)  The House on Mango Street-Sandra Cisneros  To Kill a Mockingbird-Harper Lee  Short Stories  A variety from the textbook  Onlinehttp://www.classicshorts.com/bib.htmlhttp://www.classicshorts.com/bib.html  Reading Comprehension Assessments

4. VOCABULARY-LEVEL B  1 st assignment due Friday!  Still need resources? www.hightowertrailptsa.orgwww.hightowertrailptsa.org  Students will have a week to complete the exercises.  Assessment will be at the end of two week period.

5. WRITING  Writing assignments  Journals  Essays-Checklist and Rubric will be given  GA Milestones-Single paragraph, multi-paragraph and full essay responses ***We need to practice referring to the text and providing specific examples as support.***  Portfolios-Collection of tests and essays to be used for placement in high school

6. HOW CAN I HELP MY STUDENT BE SUCCESSFUL?  Access Synergy weekly to maintain progress  Encourage participation in class  Ask about homework!  Provide a flash drive.

7. WHAT’S NEXT? We recommend for high school classes in January. What does it take to get recommended?  HIGH A (95 and above) average on tests and essays  Really strong writing skills and ability to discuss/interpret literature  Ability to understand complex texts and talk about or write about them clearly

8. WHAT SHOULD I DO IF THERE ARE QUESTIONS? Check blog – http://cobblearning.net/amysmith Email = Best – amy.smith2@cobbk12.orgamy.smith2@cobbk12.org AND jordan.brown@cobbk12.org jordan.brown@cobbk12.org Thanks and we look forward to a great year! NOTE: Parent Homework Assignment due by the end of November