Welcome to English 8!

Mrs. Lee Slusher

(Assignments posted are subject to change)

Parents or students may reach me by emailing lslusher@rcps.org or by phoning 731-3651, Extension 6655.

Monday, Aug. 25th - We had a wonderful day! Please sign all appropriate forms and promptly return to school.

Tuesday, Aug. 26th - Please sign and return all appropriate forms and return promptly. More will come home over the next few days as well as a checklist to help you know what to return. Thanks for your patience with all this paperwork!

APOLOGIES! Our schoolnotes account has had major problems this week, and I have not be able to post anything since Tuesday. Keep your fingers crossed - I think the issues have been resolved.

Friday, Aug. 29th - Students are working on a peer interview for SOL 8.1. They will go to the computer lab on Tuesday to create a powerpoint about their classmate to use when they introduce this person to the class. Were looking forward to learning all about each other and discovering similarities as well as differences. Please make sure you have completed and signed all appropriate forms and return them to school. A checklist to help you know "what's what" was sent home two days ago. No homework for the long holiday weekend!

Tuesday, Sept. 2nd - Practice for tomorrow's presentation using the printed PowerPoint notes. Rubric for grading is attached. Scroll down to Downloads.

Wed., Sept. 3rd - Peer Presentations continue for tomorrow. No additional homework.

Thurs., Sept. 4th - Vocabulary sentence for "12 Powerful Words" due Monday. Library tomorrow to select novel. Book Talk due October 1st. See attached rubric.

Friday, Sept. 5th - Novels were selected today in the school library. Students who did not make a selection will need to go to the public library this weekend. The Book Talk is due Oct. 1st (See the attached rubric). Your child should take the total number of pages of the his/her book and divide by 25 in order to see how much daily reading should be done. Students will be given sustained silent reading time in class weekly as well.

Mon., Sept. 8th, 9th, 10th - Vocabulary flash cards due Wed. Vocabulary quiz, "12 Powerful Words" on Thursday. Students were given their reading log sheets today in class, so they can record their home novel reading time each week. Please verify the reading by signing the sheet each week. Don't forget - Back-to-School Night is Wed. Hope to see you there!

Thurs. Sept. 11th - Choose four (4) sentences from the worksheet and rewrite them using hyperbole.

MIDTERM ENDS ON MONDAY - SEPTEMBER 15TH

Fri., Sept. 12th - First reading log with parent signature due Monday. Students should be reading their novels daily, even if it's just fifteen minutes. Midterms go Monday. Have a wonderful weekend and spend some time together as a family. :)

Mon., Sept 15th - Thurs., Sept. 18th - Personification assignment due tomorrow. Reading log with parent signature due no later than Wed. Midterms went home Monday; please sign and return promptly. Students also should be reading their novels and preparing for a Book Talk on Oct. 1st. If novels are finished early, students should prepare for their book talk, but get another novel to read either from the school or public library. Computer Lab - Tuesday through Thursday of this week.

Friday, Sept. 19th - Reading log with parent signature and 2/3 sentence novel plot summary due Monday. Standardized testing on Tuesday-Thursday next week during 1st-3rd periods.

Mon., Sept. 22nd - Novel reading; reading log with parent signature

Wed., Sept. 24th - Novel reading continues. Because of standardized testing, we have lost a lot of class time; therefore, I am moving the book talk due date to Monday, Oct. 6th. Students should be preparing for this presentation as they finish their novels. No other additional homework for the rest of this week. A rubric is attached. See below.

Mon. Sept 29th - Six-weeks Test on Friday. Review notes for hyperbole, personification, simile, and metaphor. Also study DOL sentences 1-7. Reading log due for this week. Book Talk moved to next Monday, Oct. 6th.

Tues., Sept. 30th - See yesterday

Wed., Oct. 1st - See Monday; Monday marks the end of the grading period and is a 2-hour early release day, so 5th period's Book Talk won't be due until Tuesday.

Fri., Oct. 3rd - Book Talk due Monday (5th period Tuesday); reading log for next week.

Mon. Oct. 6th - Fri. Oct 10th - Reading logs due. Book Talk Presentations in class on Monday-Wednesday. On Thursday, we'll celebrate the end of the first six-weeks. All eighth grade students will participate in a practice Direct Writing SOL Test on Friday, Oct. 10th, during 1st and 2nd periods. This practice is designed to help students prepare for the actual test given in March. No grades will be given; however, I will conference with your child in order to identify his or her writing strengths and weaknesses.

REPORT CARDS COME HOME MONDAY!

Friday, Oct. 10th - Reading log due Monday. Teen Read Week, October 13th-17th, as well as Spirit Week - Monday is "Mismatch Day." Show your school spirit!

Mon., Oct. 13th - Reading logs due. Spirit week continues. Wear black tomorrow and support the Bobcats!

Tues., Oct. 14th - See Monday. Also, 5th period only - complete vocabulary drawings.

Wed., Oct. 15th - 5th period only - finish vocabulary story. Reading log due Monday. Superhero Day tomorrow. School rules apply and no masks allowed. Show your school spirit and be creative!

Thurs., Oct. 16th - Reading log due Monday. 0,1,3 periods have vocabulary story due tomorrow if not finished in class today. Novel for 2nd six-weeks will be selected during our library time on Friday. Students must complete a "Character Map" after reading their book. Due date for the map is November 17th. Friday is Black and Gold Day for the last day of our School Spirit Week. Pep rally during 6th period. Go Bobcats!

Mon., Oct. 20th - Finish the self "Character Study" sheet begun in class. Reading log also due. Vocabulary test on List #1 tomorrow. Novels for the 2nd six-weeks were selected on Friday. Students must keep notes on the characteristics of their main character. They were given a worksheet for this assignment. Students also were given deadlines for reading specific sections of their novels in order to pace their reading. A poem about the novel's main character will be assigned in mid November. Check the schoolnotes calendar for future assignments and due dates. Reminder - please be aware of the novel your child selected. Many novels have mature themes and language.

Tues., Oct. 21st - Reading log; novel reading and filling in the character sheet.

Wed., Oct 22nd - I will not be in school today. Students will receive instruction from Mrs. McCraw, my substitute. An "I Am Poem" draft will be written in class and finished for homework. The draft worksheet is due on Thursday. 

Thurs., Oct. 23rd - Finish reading "The Landlady," p. 72 in literature book. Students should have completed 1/4 of their novel by today. Ask your child about his or her reading pace.

Mon., Oct. 27th - Fri., Oct. 31st - Reading logs; vocabulary list #2 - for all 12 words=label part of speech, make a drawing to help remember definition, and write a creative story using all 12 words. Students were also given other ideas for writing. All work due next Monday, Nov. 3rd. Novel reading and note taking.

Mon., Nov. 3rd - Students should be more than half way through their novels and taking notes on characterization. Novel notes are due Thursday of next week, Nov. 13th. List 2 Vocabulary Test on Friday, Nov. 7th.

Tues. Nov. 4th - Thurs. Nov. 6th - Novel reading and taking notes on characterization. Both finished by Nov. 13th. Tomorrow is the last day for this week's reading log. List #2 Vocabulary Test on Friday. SOL writing goals will be determined this week during an individualized writing conference with me.  

Mon. Nov. 10th - Wed. Nov. 12th - Novels finished and characterization notes due on Thursday the 13th. Reading logs due, too.

Thurs. Nov. 13th - Fri. Nov. 14th - Reading logs due Monday. Novel poems written in class. The final draft of this poem will be part of the 6-weeks test

Wed., Nov. 19th - The multiple choice and matching portion of the six weeks test has been moved to Monday due to the snow day. Students who plan vacation time will need to take their test this Friday. Students were given a study sheet last Friday, Nov. 14th. Review including a game will help students prepare. Reading log due Monday.

Thurs., Nov. 20th - Review for the six-weeks test. If schools are closed or delayed due to inclement weather, students will still take their test on Monday. Reading log due next week.