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    Tara van den Akker
    ELA- Grade 8

    SAMUEL E. SHULL

    MIDDLE SCHOOL

     
     
     
    Room 224, 2022-23 School Year News!
     
    Week of March 20, 2023
     
     
     
    Week of March 20, 2023
    Please Remember:
    No Hoodies, No Cellphones in class. If you need to reach out to your child, please contact the main office.
     
     
    We are in marking Period 3!
     
    In Reading, we are continuing with our book clubs and trying our hand at the creation of a dystopian world of our own.
     
    In Writing, we are finishing up our Literary Essays and writing about our worlds we are making.
     
     
    Week of March 13, 2023
     
    We are in Marking Period 3! 
     
    Reading Workshop:
     
    We are working in Dystopian Fiction! This tends to be a fun and engaging unit that the students like. As always, please build your academic conversations with your students and share in their joy! Students are in their 1st book. We are aiming for 80-100 minutes of reading a week, as well as 5 more entries about their book by this Friday,
     
     
    Writing Workshop:
     
    We are working on Literary Essays. This is an important academic writing that they will need in High School and beyond! We will take things a little bit at a time and teach them this important skill.
     
     
    Please Remember:
    No Hoodies, No Cellphones in class. If you need to reach out to your child, please contact the main office.
     
    Week of March March 6, 2023
     
    We are in Marking Period 3! Progress reports this week!
     
    Reading Workshop:
     
    We are working in Dystopian Fiction! This tends to be a fun and engaging unit that the students like. As always, please build your academic conversations with your students and share in their joy! Students are in their 1st book. We are aiming for 80-100 minutes of reading a week, as well as 5 more entries about their book by this Friday,
     
     
    Writing Workshop:
     
    We are working on Literary Essays. This is an important academic writing that they will need in High School and beyond! We will take things a little bit at a time and teach them this important skill.
     
     
    Please Remember:
    No Hoodies, No Cellphones in class. If you need to reach out to your child, please contact the main office.
     
    Week of February 27, 2023
     
    We are in Marking Period 3! 
     
    Reading Workshop:
     
    We are working in Dystopian Fiction! This tends to be a fun and engaging unit that the students like. As always, please build your academic conversations with your students and share in their joy! Students are in their 1st book. We are aiming for 80-100 minutes of reading a week, as well as 5 more entries about their book by this Friday,
     
     
    Writing Workshop:
     
    We are working on Literary Essays. This is an important academic writing that they will need in High School and beyond! We will take things a little bit at a time and teach them this important skill.
     
     
    Please Remember:
    No Hoodies, No Cellphones in class. If you need to reach out to your child, please contact the main office.
     
    Week of February 20, 2023
     No school Monday, February 20th.
     
     
     
     
     
    We are in Marking Period 3! 
     
    Reading Workshop:
     
    We are working in Dystopian Fiction! This tends to be a fun and engaging unit that the students like. As always, please build your academic conversations with your students and share in their joy! Students are in their 1st book. We are aiming for 80-100 minutes of reading a week, as well as 5 more entries about their book by this Friday,
     
     
    Writing Workshop:
     
    We are working on Literary Essays. This is an important academic writing that they will need in High School and beyond! We will take things a little bit at a time and teach them this important skill.
     
     
    Week of February 13, 2023
     
    Please Remember:
    No Hoodies, No Cellphones in class. If you need to reach out to your child, please contact the main office.
     
    We are in Marking Period 3! 
     
    Reading Workshop:
     
    We are working in Dystopian Fiction! This tends to be a fun and engaging unit that the students like. As always, please build your academic conversations with your students and share in their joy! Students are in their 1st book. We are aiming for 80-100 minutes of reading a week, as well as 5 entries about their book by this Friday,
     
     
    Writing Workshop:
     
    We are working on Literary Essays. This is an important academic writing that they will need in High School and beyond! We will take things a little bit at a time and teach them this important skill.
     
     
    Have a wonderful week everyone!
     
    Remember, we will be off Monday, 2/20, for Presidents Day.
     
     
    Week of February 6, 2023
    Please Remember:
    No Hoodies, No Cellphones in class. If you need to reach out to your child, please contact the main office.
     
    Welcome to Marking Period 3!
     
    Reading Workshop:
     
    We are starting Dystopian Fiction! This tends to be a fun and engaging unit that the students like. As always, please build your academic conversations with your students and share in their joy! Students will be shortlisting books, forming bookclubs, and digging in!
     
     
    Writing Workshop:
     
    We are starting Literary Essays. This is an important academic writing that they will need in High School and beyond! We will take things a little bit at a time and teach them this important skill.
     
     
    Have a wonderful week everyone!
     
     
    Week of January 30, 2023
     
    Please Remember:
    No Hoodies, No Cellphones in class.
     
    Report Cards are this week. If student's owed work and it has since been completed, they need to reach out.
     
    Classes with Mr. Trapanese
    Reading Workshop:
    We are in Literary Nonfiction. We will be learning to look for themes, ideas, and issues, and finding supporting evidence. This is our last week in this topic. We move to Dystopian books next week 2/6.
     
    Writer's Workshop:
     
    We are completing our 2nd position paper this week. We will be moving on to Literary Essays starting 2/6
     
    Week of January 23, 2023
     
    Please Remember:
    No Hoodies, No Cellphones in class.
     
    ELA Benchmarks Wednesday and Thursday.
     
    Classes with Mr. Trapanese
    Reading Workshop:
    We are in Literary Nonfiction. We will be learning to look for themes, ideas, and issues, and finding supporting evidence.
     
    Writer's Workshop:
     
    We are moving into Position Papers. We are picking our own topic and claim for a larger and more independent piece.
     
     
    Week of January 16, 2023
     
    Please Remember:
    No Hoodies, No Cellphones in class.
     
    Classes with Mr. Trapanese
    Reading Workshop:
    We are moving into Literary Nonfiction. We will be learning to look for themes, ideas, and issues, and finding supporting evidence.
     
    Writer's Workshop:
     
    We are moving into Position Papers. We will be working on a common position paper together, then moving into picking our own topic and claim for a larger and more independent piece.
     
    Week of January 9, 2023
     
     
    Student Contract Signed and returned by 1-10-23. 
     
    Parent Teacher conferences are 1-11 and 1-12, by appointment only. Limited spots were available, so if we did not reach out to you for a meeting and you would like to discuss your student progress, please let me know and we will set it up!
     
    Please Remember:
    No Hoodies, No Cellphones in class.
     
    Classes with Mr. Trapanese
    Reading Workshop:
    We are moving into Literary Nonfiction. We will be learning to look for themes, ideas, and issues, and finding supporting evidence.
     
    Writer's Workshop:
     
    Memoir grading will be completed by this Monday, January 9th. They have been amazing to read! We are moving into Position Papers. We will be working on a common position paper together, then moving into picking our own topic and claim for a larger and more independent piece.
     
    Week of January 2, 2023
     
    Happy New Year!
     
    Please Remember:
    No Hoodies, No Cellphones in class.
     
    Classes with Mr. Trapanese
    Reading Workshop:
    We are moving into Literary Nonfiction. We will be readying new notebook sections, picking new reading material, and getting started!
     
    Writer's Workshop:
     
    Memoir grading will be completed by this Monday, January 9th. They have been amazing to read! We are moving into Position Papers. We will be readying new notebook Sections, learning what Position writing is and can look like, and picking our positions to work from.
     
     
    Week of December 19, 2022
    Please Remember:
    No Hoodies, No Cellphones in class.
     
    Progress reports are this week! 
     
    Classes with Mr. Trapanese
    Reading Workshop:
    We are working on how setting can put pressures on characters. We are discussing simple vs. complex characters. We are jotting down important information when we read.
     
    Writer's Workshop:
     
    We are working on Memoirs. We are drafting our work and looking at checklists to improve it.
     
     
    Week of December 12, 2022
    Please Remember:
    No Hoodies, No Cellphones in class.
     
    Classes with Mr. Trapanese
    Reading Workshop:
    We are working on how setting can put pressures on characters. We are discussing simple vs. complex characters. We are jotting down important information when we read.
     
    Writer's Workshop:
     
    We are working on Memoirs. We are drafting our work and looking at checklists to improve it.
     
     
    Week of December 5, 2022
    Please Remember:
    No Hoodies, No Cellphones in class.
     
    Reading Workshop:
    We are working on Characterization and Character Traits. We are discussing simple vs. complex characters. We are jotting down important information when we read.
     
    Writer's Workshop:
     
    We are working on Memoirs. We are trying different ways to write about moments and things that show our identity. We are  using  many different Memoir Authors to look at styles.
     
    Week of November 28, 2022
     
    Please Remember:
    No Hoodies, No Cellphones in class.
     
    Reading Workshop:
    We are working on Characterization and Character Traits.
     
    Writer's Workshop:
     
    We are working on Memoirs. We are trying different ways to write about moments and things that show our identity.
     
     
    Week of November 14, 2022
     
    Under Construction
     
    Important links:
    www.paps.net<http://www.paps.net/> - District webpage
    https://www.paps.net/Domain/1309 - My teacher webpage
    Id Portal:  https://idportal.paps.net/  - 
    Google Classroom Homepage: https://classroom.google.com/ must be signed in with student username/password to view!
     
     
    With ALL my teacher love-
     
    Tara van den Akker
    Grade 8 Ela- Room 224 
    Shull Middle School