Back to School Night

8th Grade Advanced English

Dear Parents,

Welcome to Advanced English 8! We are excited to work with your student in accomplishing his/her academic goals. We would like to help your student succeed in the classroom because we want middle school to be a positive experience. Students are encouraged to self-advocate, and contact his/her teacher as soon as concerns arise. It is important for parents, teachers, and students to work together and communicate to ensure learning.

Contact Information

Tardiff Ramsey

·  E-mail –

·  Phone – (913) 993-0427

·  E-mail –

·  Phone – (913) 993- 0542

We are available most mornings before school, and most afternoons after school for students to receive extra help. If you or your student would like to meet during those times, please check with your student’s teacher ahead of time to make sure we do not have a previous engagement.

Textbooks and Resources:

·  Elements of Literature: Second Course; Holt, Rinehart and Winston

·  Elements of Language: Second Course; Holt, Rinehart and Winston

·  Vocabulary Workshop: Level D; Sadlier-Oxford

Methods of Evaluation:

Grades will be weighted. Literature and writing assignments will be worth more than grammar and vocabulary. Students will be evaluated with formative and summative assessments to monitor and evaluate the student’s learning and mastery of the state and district objectives to show mastery of certain skill. Formative grades will be recorded in the grade book, but not factored into the overall grade. It is the student’s responsibility to monitor their understanding of the objectives and “I Can..” statements and seek further help from the teacher when needed.

Literature 40%

Writing/Projects 35%

Grammar/Vocabulary 20%

Extended Learning Opportunities 5%

Formatives/ Practice 0%

Course of Study for English according to Kansas College and Career Ready Standards:

Reading Literature – The focus of the Common Core Reading Strand is depth of knowledge not breadth of material. Students will be reading text multiple times in order to analyze the structure and message. The Reading Literature Strand is organized into four categories.

A.)  Key ideas and details in a text

B.)  Craft and structure of a text

C.)  Integration of knowledge – analyzing literature through different medias

D.)  Text complexity – reading complex text that challenge students.

Writing – The focus of the Common Core Writing Strand is to write various works and often. It also is organized into four categories.

A.)  Text types and purposes

  1. Students will be able to write arguments, informational or explanatory pieces, and narratives.
  2. Students will write for different purposes and audiences – expressing their tone
  3. Students will learn to conduct research, find reliable text, and determine credibility.

B.)  Production and distribution of written work – following the writing process

C.)  Research to build knowledge and present knowledge

D.)  Range of writing – writing routinely and for various purposes.

Along with the Common Core Writing Strand, students will also be educated on 6 + 1 Traits of Writing as a tool to become better writers and as an evaluation method.

Language – The Common Core Language Strand is organized into three main categories.

A.)  Conventions of Standard English – understanding punctuation and usage

B.)  Knowledge of Language – understanding and using correct grammar

C.)  Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

Speaking and Listening: English will be focusing on the Comprehension and Collaboration category of the Speaking and Listening Strand. Students will be engaged in collaborative discussions throughout the year.

Thank you for taking the time to read the class information!