Class Info
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Welcome to 8th Grade Language Arts and/or U.S. Studies with Mrs. Scullen!
We are currently studying the novel, TEARS OF A TIGER, by Sharon M. Draper. This novel has been a long time favorite of students. It is a grade level novel that focuses on the friendships, actions/consequences, and internal/external conflicts of a group of teens. TEARS OF A TIGER touches on several serious issues that teens face today. Some of these could be disturbing or upsetting to some students. If this is the case, I encourage you to please let me or Mrs. Lach ( the school counselor) know.
Honors Class (Period 4): In addition to reading the novel, TEARS OF A TIGER, my Honors students will be completing an open-ended research project. Students will have the opportunity to choose a topic they would like to research. Project products will also be open-ended. In other words, the sky's the limit! Students are encouraged push themselves beyond their "comfort level" and feel free to explore! Students will have access to the lab computers during class time in order to aid in their research.
We are currently studying the westward territorial expansion of the United States. We will learn about: the Northwest Ordinance, the Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark, Manifest Destiny, the Texas War for Independence, and the Mexican-American War.
Students have a "Biography Quilt" Project due on February 12th.
Credit/Non-Credit Assignments:
Not all assignments are given individual letter/percentage grades. However, it is important for students to be held accountable for the work they are assigned. For such assignments, I will simply check for completion of the work. If it is completed to my satisfaction, the student will earn a check. If it is not, they will earn a 0. For every 10 such assignments, I will give students a letter grade. For example: If 8 out of 10 credit/non-credit assignments are complete, the letter grade would be an 80%.
Progress Book:
I strive to keep Progress Book as up-to-date as possible. It is not always feasible for me to load grades daily. Please know when you access grades on Progress Book that the grade you see is an "approximation" of your child's grade at that time.
If you do not know your username and password for Progress Book, please contact Mr. Dustin Boswell, Director of Technology, at 330-798-1110 ext. 545051.
Textbooks:
We do not have enough Language Arts textbooks for students to have one of their own. In most cases we only have class sets. I provide more than enough time in class for students to complete their work. However, if a student does not get finished, has been absent, or needs extra time, he/she may borrow a book overnight. Students can pick up books at the end of 8th period, and they must be returned to me before homeroom the next day.
All U.S. Studies students will have their own copy of the text. These books are numbered and each student will be assigned a specific book. At the end of the year, when books are collected, the student who was assigned the book must turn it in. Charges will be applied to the student to whom the book was signed out. Replacement cost for the U.S. Studies text is $75.00. Extra Credit:
Students have the opportunity to earn 5 Extra Credit points weekly by entering "Looney Luse's Word of the Week" drawing. Students are given a word weekly. They have to define the word, tell its origin, and write the word in an original, complete sentence. Their entries give them the opportunity to be the winner of a drawing on Friday mornings during Spartan Live with Tony C.
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