All middle school students will be taking final exams soon. Their literature exam will be a skills test – meaning, there isn’t much for them to study. Each class will be given a different short story to read, annotate, and answer questions. We have been doing this all year together. There will also be some vocabulary words on the exam. These vocabulary words will be used in a paragraph so that students can use context clues to discover the meanings. Students will also be given a list of the exact vocabulary words that will be found on the exam.

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6th Grade – We have finished One Handed Catch, so our academic class will move on to short stories and the honors class will read Chasing Vermeer. I have class sets of the short stories but not of Chasing Vermeer. We only have two more vocabulary lessons left for the school year.

7th Grade – Students have turned in their Globe Theaters – please stop by and see what talent and creativity this class has. We are currently writing our Shakespeare paper. Students have been taken to the lab for research and will be writing this paper during class time. Please keep up with vocabulary – there are only two lessons left.

8th Grade – Our academic class is currently working on the Monster paper, and honors is working on the A Raisin in the Sun paper. Both of these papers are written in class and will be counted as a major test grade. Please keep up with vocabulary – there are only two lessons left.

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6th grade – We are currently reading One Handed Catch. We have only just begun reading, so there is not a test scheduled for this novel yet. Please continue with vocabulary. Remember, since students have two weeks to complete their word squares and their on-line quizzes, I do not accept them late.

7th grade – We are about to begin our Shakespeare unit. Students have already been given a handout explaining their Globe Theatre project that is due in April. Please continue with vocabulary. Remember, since students have two weeks to complete their word squares and their on-line quizzes, I do not accept them late.

8th grade – Our honors class is currently reading  A Raisin in the Sun. Our academic class is working on a short story unit. Both classes will finish the year with Night. Please continue with vocabulary. Remember, since students have two weeks to complete their power points and their on-line quizzes, I do not accept them late.

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6th grade – We are currenty finishing Ten Little Indians, such a wonderful little thriller!  The next novel that we will read is One Handed Catch. Students will need to purchase this novel; I do not have a class set.

7th grade – We are currently reading Feathers and will begin a short story unit within the next month.

8th grade – Honors just finished reading The Crucible and will be reading short stories in class. Academics are finishing reading Murder on the Orient Express. Please check the middle school website for test dates.

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6th grade - We have just started reading an Agatha Christie mystery, And Then There Were None. For this past vocabulary unit, we created word squares instead of note cards. The students have commented that they feel these are more helpful to them. Therefore, students will now be creating Word Squares for future vocabulary units.

7th grade – We are currently finishing reading The Westing Game. Please check your student’s planner or the website for the test date on this novel. For this past vocabulary unit, we created word squares instead of note cards. The students have commented that they feel these are more helpful to them. Therefore, students will now be creating Word Squares for future vocabulary units.

8^th grade Academic – Students are continuing with their vocabulary power points. These are due every two weeks – please do not procrastinate! We have just started reading Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie.

8^th grade Honors – Students are continuing with their vocabulary power points. These are due every two weeks – please do not procrastinate! Currently we are reading The Crucible. Students have all been assigned roles in this play and are also currently working on a research project to accompany this play.

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6th Grade – We are currently still enjoying The Graveyard Book. We should finish this by the end of October, and this novel’s test date will be on the Middle School Website’s calendar. The next novel that we will be reading is And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. I have a class set of this novel for students to use. We will then read One-Handed Catch by MJ Auch. Unfortunately, I do do not have a class set of this novel, so students will need to bring their own.

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6th grade - Students have just turned in their summer reading projects – we have some very creative students! Currently we are reading The Graveyard Book. We are reading this together in class; however, students do have chapter questions that are to be turned in as we finish each chapter. Students should also be reviewing their vocabulary words a few minutes each night to help prepare for the test every two weeks. Please continue to check the middle school website for important project and test due dates.

7th grade – Our classes have just started reading Twelve Angry Men. Students have been assigned roles, and we act out this play during class. Students do have assignments that need to be turned in as we finish each act.  Students should also be reviewing their vocabulary words a few minutes each night to help prepare for the test every two weeks. Please continue to check the middle school website for important project and test due dates.

8th grade – We have just started reading The Giver – such an excellent book. Please check the website for assignments. Students should also be reviewing their vocabulary words a few minutes each night to help prepare for the test every two weeks. Please continue to check the middle school website for important project and test due dates.

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6th grade – We are currently enjoying One Handed Catch. Students have been writing abstracts to accompany each chapter. They turn these in every five chapters for a grade. We will read Ten Little Indians next; we will finish the year with this. I will provide each student with this novel. We also have only one more vocabulary unit left for this year.

7th grade - We just tested over our Shakespeare Unit and are currently reading “Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe. Students will be writing an essay comparing this short story to the novel Fever which they recently read in science class. We will finish the year with Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt. Students will need their own copy of this novel.

8th grade – Wow, how the time has flown. Can you believe high school is just around the corner? To finish the year, we will finish reading  Murder on the Orient Express, complete a Holocaust project, one more vocabulary unit, and read Night. Now take a deep breath – it’s a lot but we will finish all of it in class, promise.

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Currently, 6th grade is finishing reading The Face on the Milk Carton. The next novel they will begin is One Handed Catch.   Students will need to have a copy of this no later than March 21st.

Our 7th graders are studying Shakespeare and are currently working on their Globe Theatre model.

Eighth grade is enjoying an Agatha Christie novel, Murder on the Orient Express. They just completed their essay which compared A Raisin in the Sun to Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. They did an amazing job on these.

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Middle School

Please continue to check the Middle School Website for important project and test dates. All vocabulary homework and test due dates for the entire school year can be found here. Also, 3rd quarter AR tests will be due March 21st. Please encourage your student to be reading each night.  Currently, 6th grade is reading The Face on the Milk Carton. Questions for this novel can be found on the website. Our 7th graders are enjoying The Westing Game. After reading each chapter together, students are creating abstracts and turning these in every five chapters. Lastly, 8th graders are finishing their Martin Luther King, Jr. and A Raisin in the Sun essays. The next novel they will be reading is Agatha Christi’s Murder on the Orient Express.

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6th grade – We are currently reading Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Coonney. Please watch the website for questions and assignments that will accompany this novel. Please continue to encourage your student to create meaningful pictures to represent the current week’s vocabulary words. This will serve as a trigger when recalling the definition.

7th grade – We are just finishing the beautifully written novel by Jacqueline Woodson, Feathers. Our next novel will be the mystery, The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. Please continue to encourage your student to create meaningful pictures to represent the current week’s vocabulary words. This will serve as a trigger when recalling the definition.

8th grade – Eight graders are still acting out the classic A Raisin in the Sun. They are doing a fine job of reading and seem to enjoy the story that changed the American theatre forever. Students will write a paper in class over this play in conjunction with Martin Luther King, Jr.’s  “I Have A Dream Speech.” This speech can be found on the Middle School website.

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6^th grade

We have begun reading Face on the Milk Carton together in class. Students will have assignments that correspond to each chapter. As we finish reading a chapter, their questions, puzzles, or short answer questions will be due the following day. Our vocabulary schedule for the quarter can be found on the Middle School Web Site. Also, students will have two AR tests due by the end of the second quarter.

7^th grade

We just finished Twelve Angry Men (Women). The classes did a wonderful job reading this play in class. We will begin reading Feathers together in class very shortly. This is a great story; you may want to read this one along with your student. Discussion of this novel will be carried over into their religion class. Our vocabulary schedule for the quarter can be found on the Middle School Web Site. Also, students will have two AR tests due by the end of the second quarter.

8^th grade

We just finished reading The Giver together in class. Students are now working on their essay and resume that accompanies this novel. Our vocabulary schedule for the quarter can be found on the Middle School Web Site. Also, students will have two AR tests due by the end of the second quarter.

Please continue to check our Middle School Website http://middleschool.saintspride.com/

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6th Grade Literature – We are currently enjoying short stories and will not begin our first novel for another two weeks. Many of you have ordered The Face on the Milk Carton through the school, and those will arrive later next week.  Everyone will need this book in class by September 26th.

7th Grade Literature - We are currently enjoying short stories and will not begin our first novel for another two weeks. Many of you have ordered Feathers through the school, and those will arrive later next week.  Everyone will need this book in class by September 26th. I discovered this book over the summer and just love it.  Mrs. Belcher has also read this beautiful story and will also discuss it in your student’s religion class. This novel raises many questions about faith and Jesus and is perfectly suited for both classes.

8th Grade Literature – We have finished our short story unit and have  just begun reading Giver. I have a class set of this novel for students to use during class. However, if a student would like one for home or would like to be able to take notes in their novel, they will need their own copy.

Please continue to check the Middle School Website for important test and project dates. http://middleschool.saintspride.com/

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See my class calendar on my website.

7^th Grade

Students were assigned an extra credit assignment in February for ELA. This assignment will be due March 12^th. Since this is right before Spring Break, I will be unable to accept any late projects. We are currently studying adverbs and will have our Adverb Test on March 23^rd.  The next unit we will cover in ELA will be adjectives.

We have finished reading TheWesting Game, and students were given a choice of three essays to complete. These will be competed during class time. Students will turn in a rough draft March 12^th and a final copy will be due March 29^th. Please continue to check my website for important test and project due dates.

8^th Grade

We have just finished reading A Raisin in the Sun and have turned in rough drafts of our essay. We will read the short story “A Monkey’s Paw” and then begin our Holocaust unit. Students will be assigned specific topics of the Holocaust in which they will be producing lessons and teaching the class. This will take us several weeks to research and deliver lessons. Students will work in groups and will be given specific instructions the upcoming weeks. Please continue to check my website for important test and project due dates.

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7^th Grade ELA/Literature

We are currently still working on our research paper. Students have turned in their outlines and are now working on their rough drafts. These must be submitted to www.turnitin.com by December 16^th. I will return these January 4^th in order for students to make corrections. The rough draft and the work cited page will both be completed during class time.

We are working on a newspaper project in literature class right now. Students needed a Sunday addition of the Dallas Morning News. Students will dissect this paper by locating specific articles and sections of the paper and answering many questions while creating their own articles for certain sections. We will continue on this project until Christmas break. Upon return, students will need to the novel Westing Game by Ellen Raskin.

8^th Grade Literature

We just finished Murder on the Orient Express and will be testing over this novel on December 15^th. Students will need the play A Raisin in the Sun when we return on January 4^th.

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7^th Grade ELA

We are currently working on our research paper which coordinates with your child’s science fair project. Instead of writing a research paper in English class and again for science, Ms. Robb and I have combined these assignments into one paper. Students will receive a content grade in science for their paper and a grammar grade in English for the same paper.

In literature we are currently acting out the play Twelve Angry Men. However, 7A like to call it Twelve Angry Women. They are doing a wonderful job. Please remind your student that their questions that accompany each act are turned in for grading at the completion of the act.

8^th Grade Literature

At the request of the 8^th grade, we are currently reading Murder on the Orient Express. This murder mystery has the students quite perplexed. We have also begun working in our ISEE book once a week. I believe that most of the 8^th graders will be taking their ISEE exam in January. If you have not yet reserved a date, please visit http://www.iseetest.org to reserve your location and time. These tests will fill up quickly.

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7th Grade
We are currently reading Ten Little Indians also known as And Then There Were None. This is an Agatha Christie murder mystery which the students really seem to enjoy. Students are also given twenty different vocabulary words every two weeks. These words can be found on my web page. We study these words together in class each day, and students are required to take an on-line quiz over these words – www.vocabtest.com. The test dates for these are also found on my web site.

This year I am combining an ELA research paper with their science project research paper. This paper will take six weeks to write, so students need to be thinking of exactly what they want to do as an experiment. They may still work with a partner, but they will write their papers individually. They will receive a grade in both Science and English for this paper.

8th Grade
We are finishing The Giver. Please check my website or your child’s planner for test dates. We will also have a writing assignment that will be assigned after the novel is finished. Just as a reminder, students still need to take their on-line quizzes this year. They can be found at www.vocabtest.com. We have vocabulary quizzes every two weeks.

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