Hello
and welcome back to school for the 2013/14 school year! Our year has started off strong and we are
looking forward to working with you and your child to ensure he or she has
every opportunity to reach his or her potential. Your 8L team teachers are:
•
Miss
Herr - Math
•
Mrs.
Hom - Science
•
Ms.
Park - English
•
Mr.
Strayer - Social Studies
•
Ms.
Kimmel - Academic Literacy
•
Mr.
Stambaugh - Health
•
Ms.
Bensinger - Guidance Counselor
•
Mrs.
Ruth - Art
•
Mr.
Grothey - Technology Education
•
Mrs.
Kinney - Family and consumer Science
To
keep you up to date with what is happening in each class here is a synopsis of
what each content area teacher has already taught or will be teaching in the
first several weeks of school. All
subject area curriculum is based on the adopted Pennsylvania State
Standards. Those standards can be
accessed at: http://www.pdesas.org/Standard/Views
Health - HEALTH class is learning about how to improve ones
mental health. Facets of this include:
taking responsibility for ones actions, decision making, goals and goal
setting, good communication skills, dealing with emotions, stress management,
mental disorders, and help for the troubled teen.
Academic Literacy - In
ACADEMIC LITERACY students will be determining the central idea and the
supporting evidence and details in informational text.
Excellent vocabulary words to
preview before learning them in class include: Generality,
Explicit,
Objective,
Subjective,
and
Over the upcoming weeks,
students will discuss topics from the evolution of the calendar, to Sputnik and the dawn of the space age, to
the computer and technology revolution.
We will be exploring issues both current and past while conducting a
thorough text analysis on the many informational pieces that are related to the
theme of this unit: The World of Ages.
For a preview of what to
expect during class discussions, students can get a head start by researching
some websites that offer information about how advertising has evolved
over the past 100 years. Or read up on the different ages in
history, such as, what made the dark ages dark or the golden ages golden and
the middle ages middle and what is the Gilded Age? Also in line with our "age" theme,
students can start to familiarize themselves with articles about age discrimination
laws and read up on an organization known as Americans for a Society
Free from Age Restrictions (ASFAR). Who are they and what is their cause?
Aligned with PA State
Standards, questions that will be answered from the various articles we read
include: What is the central idea? How does the author use textual
evidence? What evidence is objective and
what evidence is subjective? What is a generality and where does the author use
explicit detail?
Math - All classes are reviewing math fundamentals and the
"basics". Additionally,
students are learning classifications in the Real Number system and translating
verbal expressions to numeric and Algebraic expressions.
English – All students will begin the year with an informative
writing unit. After reviewing the five domains of writing, students will work
through the steps of the writing process to write a standard five-paragraph
essay. Students will review the parts of an essay, effective use of
transitions, and grammar and spelling skills. Upon completion of the essay,
students will utilize technology to create an Animoto video displaying the
information presented in their essays.
Science – The first month of Science is a review and enhancement of the process of
scientific inquiry. The steps of the
scientific method will be reviewed and those concepts will then be extended to
learn about variables. This will allow
students to write scientific hypotheses. This will be utilized in two different
lab activities. Also, the international
system of measure will be reviewed and reinforced with measurement activities.
Social Studies:
All students have completed a learning styles inventory and multiple
intelligence inventory which gave them a better understanding of how they learn
and how they are “smart.” All students
also have accessed their school Gmail accounts which will be used in most
classes as well as learning how to access the Student Network using their
Personally Owned Device. Within our
social studies content, we will be reviewing English Colonization in America as
we work toward gaining Independence as a country.
Also, in our
homerooms, all students have learned the meaning of our P.R.I.D.E. Matrix and
the expectations we have of them as students in our classroom and the school
community as a whole. This has been an
extremely positive experience and has created an atmosphere of respect,
consideration and cooperation not only within our classrooms, but also in our
hallways, the cafeteria and ALL
areas of our school. Each student has a
chance to earn a P.R.I.D.E. ticket for displaying various behaviors exhibiting
an awareness of being a productive member of our school climate. These tickets are entered in a weekly drawing
where various awards are given. To see the matrix, please click on the link
found on the Red Lion Junior High Web page.
In
order to assist your child in his or her academic success, we have set up a JH
Team 8L Facebook page. On this page
there will be updates posted regarding assignments, guidance announcements, and
school news and happenings. Please
"Like" our Facebook page to receive these updates on a daily
basis. Also, please be sure to check
each teacher's EdLine page consistently for additional information regarding
tests/assessments and upcoming assignments or projects. In addition to our Facebook page and EdLine,
we have also set up text reminders using Remind101 for your child so
they will receive text updates regarding assignments and important school news.
We
truly appreciate everything you do at home to support our efforts in helping
your child reach his or her academic potential.
Often the question from parents is "How can I help with their
homework?" Please feel free to
contact us any time if there is a specific question. Our contact information is on our respective
Edline sites. Also, for your assistance,
please go to the following links which offer solid tips for helping with
homework at home:
We
encourage you to provide insight and feedback regarding the curriculum your
child will be learning in 8th grade this year. If you have an area of expertise and would
like to share that with the staff on Team 8L, please contact us at any
time. You may do so using our school
email address as well as through the school at 717-244-1448. We hope to hear from you throughout this
school year.
With
regards,
Team
8L
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