Welcome to 8th Grade Advanced Writing on Team Imagine!
My name is Mrs.Jean McGinnis. I am looking forward to a fun and challenging year in Writing class. This is my sixth year at Yorkville Middle School. I’ve learned a lot from my students through the years, and I can’t wait to put what I’ve learned into practice with this year’s eighth graders! The first half of the year I will be working with a student teacher.
Hello! My name is Miss Ashley Larson and I am the student teacher for Mrs. McGinnis. I will be here until the middle of December becoming as active as I can with the eighth grade classes as well as the school. I will be graduating from IllinoisStateUniversity after the remainder of my student teaching here at YorkvilleMiddle School. I am very eager to put into use all of the virtues that I have learned from ISU. I also can’t wait to begin the adventure of getting to know each and every one of our students this year!
Goal for the Year: My goal is to equip students with the tools and knowledge they need to become the best writers they can be. Young teens have such great ideas—I will show them how get their ideas onto paper to be able to share them effectively with others! There are many reasons why people communicate in writing. We will explore several of those reasons.
Advanced vs. Regular Writing: My expectation is that advanced writers will write with more depth. I expect more thoughtful papers that utilize higher level thinking. I also expect that these advanced students have a good grasp of the conventions of writing (grammar, spelling, punctuation), as limited class time will be devoted to this. Advanced writers should have an enthusiasm for writing that shows in their work and work ethic. They should be self-motivated an able to work effectively in collaborative groups.
Units of Study: Students can expect to experience the following writing activities throughout the year:
~Creative Nonfiction~Writing Traits Lessons
~Persuasive Project~Vocabulary/”Word Roots”
~Research Project~Grammar Mini-Lessons as needed
~Narrative Essay (Short Story)~Literary Devices
~Poetry~Writing Process
~Literary Analysis~Science Fiction
We will include some group learning projects, as well as individual writing assignments. Mini-lessons are woven throughout the units. Many times I have students work in a self-paced classroom environment (Writing Workshop). Of course, my expectation while students are working at their own pace is that they will use their class time properly, learn to be responsible, and meet all deadlines. If not, I’ll let you know!
Class Expectations: I have three simple rules posted in my classroom: 1) respect the teacher, other students, and surroundings; 2) come to class on time and prepared; and 3) have a good attitude. Students should bring pen, pencil, red pen, paper, and rough drafts (or anything else they may need for the unit we are working on) to class every day. They should also have a spiral notebook that is kept in the classroom. These items should be kept in a Writing notebook or folder to be used only for this class. There are crates available in my classroom for students to keep papers and whatever else they may need in their own folders.
Assignment Expectations: Having writing assignments typed is strongly preferred. However, I realize not everyone may have access to a computer at home. I will accept papers that are written neatly in black or blue ink (legible handwriting, neat paper without crumples or “spiral fuzz”). Printer malfunctions are a popular excuse for not having work turned in on time. If a student offers that excuse, I will remind him/her that they could have written the assignment neatly in ink! Having a jump-drive memory device is also very helpful and highly recommended. Papers can also be e-mailed to me as an attachment and I can print them at school. Missing assignments will be handled with parent contact followed by the student coming in at lunch or after school to work on the assignment. In the event of plagiarism, parents will be called and the student will be referred to the school principal for a conference.
Behavior Expectations: Students are expected to behave in a way that does not interfere with the learning experience for all students. If the behavior of a student is creating a problem for his or her class, I will inform parents and implement consequences as necessary. Consequences may include detentions (after school or lunch), isolation from other students, a behavior contract, and office referrals. I follow the policies in the Student Handbook which is located in the front of the assignment notebook that was issued to each student. You can also view the handbook online at our school website. For example, the tardy policy is: 1st tardy=warning; 2nd tardy=parent call and team detention; 3rd tardy=parent call, office referral, dean detention; 4th tardy=parent call, office referral, Saturday School.
Contact Information: Parents, please contact me whenever you feel the need. You can call and leave a message in the office or on my voice mail, or e-mail me at . I also use e-mail to inform parents of upcoming due dates on major assignments. In addition, information about my class (downloads, calendar, etc.) can be found on my wiki (website) at jmcginnis.pbworks.com.
Let’s make it a great year!