We're on a Quest!

We are embarking on a web adventure back in time to the Harlem Renaissance. Each student will research the art, history and the political/social impact of this era. They will then create a brochure guiding us through what they have learned and become our resident expert on one of the talented poets that came out of this special time in history. Next week we will present these brochures and a poem from one of these poets during our very own "Rent Party". Students will come in costume (may be just a hat or accessory indicative of the era) and we will enjoy the food, jazz and dances of Harlem in the 1920's.

I am aiming for completion of the projects by Tuesday the 9th and the "Rent Party" Wednesday. These dates are tentative.

Congratulations to all our talented students who made the All-Region band. You ROCK!!

Important! I would very much like for each of my students to purchase their own copy of Night by Elie Wiesel for our next unit which is on The Holocaust. Barnes and Noble has them in stock for our students. Please do not wait until the last minute as they ran out of Glory Field books with the last unit. I promise this is the LAST book they will have to purchase this year. Thanks for being so flexible, generous and understanding with our new curriculum!

I am hoping to begin the unit before the Christmas break.

Note About Homework Assignments

I will add homework at the beginning of the week to the calendar but please keep in mind that the assignments are subject to change throughout the week! All changes in homework assignments will be posted on the board and it is the student's responsibility to make note of those changes.

Dawson is such an awesome school! Thanks for all you do to make it GREAT!

August 26, 2008

Dear Parent and Student,

Welcome to Gifted and Talented Language Arts at Dawson Middle School. We are very excited about this new program and know that it will be a tremendous addition to our Gifted and Talented program in the district. This year will be packed with challenging and exciting explorations into Literature and Writing, so students,  I hope you will come ready to work hard and have fun.

I am Renee Morris, Dawson’s 8^th grade Gifted and Talented Specialist, and I will be your GT Language Arts teacher as well. This is my fourth year in the Carroll Independent School District, and I feel very fortunate to work in this incredible environment where teachers, parent and students come together to provide the excellence in education that CISD is known for. I live in Colleyville with my husband of twenty-five years, Stephen, my almost 16 year old daughter, Sarah and my husky, Lucky. I received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in English and a Masters in Education and Teaching with an endorsement in Gifted and Talented Education. My goal for teaching is to instill a love of learning through Literature and to help my students become effective writers and high level thinkers. Students will be expected to read high level text and to analyze and interpret it as well. We will start right away on that goal with The Tempest by William Shakespeare.  Each student will each need his/her own Barron’s edition which can be purchased at Barnes and Noble. They are holding these behind the counter so you may need to ask a sales clerk for assistance.

Attached you will find the independent reading requirements for this class. Please read them carefully as your grade depends on it! I will not spend time in class reminding the students about the reading or the deadlines. Mark them in your assignment spiral.

Supplies for GT Language Arts:

• 1” Binder
• 5 dividers with pockets for binder
• 3 subject spiral
• 1 box crayola markers
• 1 box colored pencils
• 1 pack 3x5 index cards
• red and black pens
• 4 highlighters various colors
• Post-it notes and Post-it tabs
• 5 pencils

Since my students come from all the 8^th grade teams, you will find my website on each team’s page. Be sure to check it often for assignments, test dates and updates.   

I look forward to working with and getting to know each one of you! I hope you have a wonderful 2008-09 school year.

Regards,

Renee Morris

Gifted and Talented Specialist

Dawson Middle School

Outside Reading Requirements

2008-2009

In addition to reading materials assigned for class study, language arts students are required to read self-selected book(s).  Most, if not all, of you already read for pleasure.  Why not get a super grade for doing what you love?  And, you are required to have a book with you in every class.  You may be surprised how much you could read during down times or den class.  You must read 300 pages of an approved book(s) each 12 weeks.  That’s 900 pages for the school year.

1. You will be graded on the number of pages read and on your understanding of the book. To gain maximum points, you must prove that you have read the book through an oral book chat or an alternative assessment.

300 or more pages            =        100

275-300 pages                   =        90-99

250-274 pages                   =        80-89

200-249 pages                   =        70-79

Below 200 pages               =        0-69

2. Outside reading will count as a major grade during the 2^nd, 4^th, and 6^th six weeks, but you do not have to wait until then to report on your book. I strongly encourage you NOT to wait until the last day your reading is due. Chances are you will have to take a number and wait in line along with your other classmates who waited until the last minute. Set up a time to discuss your book as soon as you finish it.

    Deadlines for each 150 pages

1st Book Talk: October 2nd

2nd Book Talk: Tuesday November 11th

3. You must have your book with you when you report. No credit will be given if you do not have a copy of the book in hand.

4. You do not have to finish a book you do not like. After reading a reasonable number of pages (at least 25), you may decide to abandon the book for another.

5. Characteristics of books that will be approved:

          - on or above reading level (this is determined mainly by vocabulary and sentence length)

          - fiction or non-fiction

          - few if any pictures

          - not something you’ve ever read before

          - not assigned reading for another class

Books that have been made into movies might be approved, but the student must be able to converse about the similarities and differences between the book and the movie.