A Great Start, 8th Graders!

Dear Eighth Grade Parents and Students,

We are off to a great start!  I am happy to report that my Eighth Graders completed a great first week of school.  I know that they will be wonderful role-models for their peers, as well as great examples of excellence.  They appear to be happy to have reached this milestone in their education.  I trust that they will remain enthusiastic and focused on their academics as they prepare for high school.

This past week, my Eighth Graders commenced reading Animal Farm by George Orwell.  It is an allegory about the Russian Revolution, and the dictatorship and cruelty of Josef Stalin.  They also started Lesson 1 of Wordly Wise.  I always complete the first lesson in class with my students, in order to clarify my expectations for their future homework in this workbook.  In addition to this, for Literature on DVD, they viewed Episode I of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. They will use this viewing to practice writing summaries, which is required for high school.

My Eighth Graders also commenced reading Chapter 1 of their history book, The American Journey.  They also watched a documentary about The Age of Exploration.

This coming week, my Eighth Graders will continue to read and analyze Animal Farm, finish Lesson 1 in Wordly Wise. In addition to this, they will view Episode II of Pride and Prejudice.  We will concentrate on writing summaries for the next six weeks, as my students will watch and summarize six episodes of Pride and Prejudice. They will begin their study of Literary Terms, and commence work in their grammar workbooks.

In History Class, my Eighth Graders will finish reading Chapter 1 of their history book, and take notes in preparation for their first History Test.

Reminder:

Classroom Orientation will take place on Thursday, September 17, more details about that later this week.

The following is the homework for this coming week:

• Study for the spelling/vocabulary test of Lesson 1 in Wordly Wise, on Friday, September 18.
• Summary of Pride and Prejudice (Episode I) is due on Friday.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to come and talk to me, either before or after school.  If this does not suit your schedule, you can send an email to me at:

susan.mcguirk@ecdschools.org

I am excited to be working with your children, and I look forward to a happy and productive year with them.

Education is the movement from darkness to light. ~ Allan Bloom

Enjoy your weekend and have a GRAND week ahead.

Sincerely,

Miss Susan