NAME:
Mrs. Nicole Smith
SCHOOL:
Woodland Middle School
CLASS:
Language Arts, Barkhurt's team, eighth grade, Lynx 2
SCHOOL PHONE:
847-856-3713
Hi! I'm Mrs. Smith! I've been teaching English / literature / language arts
for seven years; previous to Woodland, I taught high school English, and while
I've enjoyed both experiences, what I treasure specifically about my middle
school students is their insatiable quest for knowledge, their sincere
enthusiasm, and their curiosity about their ever-expanding world.
I’m excited to have you in class! Eighth grade language arts will be one of
the best and most satisfying courses of your academic career so far; we will
build on the strong foundation already laid by your previous teachers, and
construct success for your rapidly approaching high school years. By the end
of the year, you should be able to:
Sleuth your way through an unknown word to unlock its hidden meaning.
Use 21st century research skills to unearth answers to timeless questions
Discover how writers use literary techniques to reveal profound truths.
Build meaning from a wide variety of reading material using a toolbox of
active reading strategies (as a class, we will cover a minimum of two novels
and a play as well as a variety of short stories, poetry, and non-fiction texts).
Become fluent users of the conventions, grammar form, and constructions
particular to Standard American English
Write like real writers for a variety of purposes—to narrate, to describe,
to create, to express, to explain, to persuade, to analyze.
Write like real writers, engaging the writing process to produce a final
artful product.
Speak effectively for a variety of purposes.
Listen effectively for a variety of purposes.
Function appropriately and successfully as a member of a community of learners.