8TH GRADE with Mr. Arndt, in general
Homework is assigned in most subjects on most days. I usually do not assign homework over the weekend. I almost never assign any tests or quizzes over the weekends. I cannot guarantee “no homework on the weekends,” since students have other teachers who may give assignments on Fridays.
Assignments are posted in my classroom daily as well as online. Tests are announced and posted several days in advance. Students are responsible for keeping track of what has been assigned and when it is due.
Often students make simple errors or misunderstand the material. Once the assignment has been completed and graded, or been retaught, students feel they can do a better job of mastering it.
If a student receives a “D” or “F” on a completed assignment, I will allow that student to redo the assignment within 24 hrs. for full credit. I do not allow students to redo quizzes or tests, except under extreme circumstances.
Whiteout and correction tape are not allowed in my classroom. If these items are brought into my room, they will be confiscated and thrown away. Miss Mullen and Mrs. Zimmer may still be willing to allow students to use these items, but I am not. I have whiteout and correction tape in my desk that students may temporarily borrow and use if they absolutely must.
8TH GRADE English
We will generally spend Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday working with grammar and proofreading skills. Thursday and Friday will be days to work with our writing assignments. We will do many small assignments and one major assignment each quarter. The major assignment will be worked on gradually throughout the entire quarter. You do not need to expect much homework dealing with writing; most of that work will be done together in class.
Spelling is not a separate subject in 8th grade, but rather incorporated as part of the English grade. The students are given a list of thirty words for each test. The first twenty words are taken from their vocabulary assignments, and the last ten are review words from 7th and 6th grade. The students are given a pretest on Friday of the first week that the list is assigned and a final test on the following Friday. Those scoring 100% on the pretest are exempted from the final test. Those not scoring 100% must correct their errors 10 times each, in cursive, and hand in these corrections by the class period of the final test. These corrections are considered an assignment. Periodically, the students may also be give review tests on the words they have had so far throughout the year.
8TH GRADE U.S. History
The 8th grade social studies textbook is a physical textbook, as well as an online one. Students can access the textbook from their Chrome Book or from ANY OTHER COMPUTER connected to the internet. Short presentations will be assigned to the students throughout the year. They are free to work alone or in pairs or groups, if they choose. The format of their presentations is up to them, and I have given them quite a few creative methods of presentation from which to choose. The necessary information that MUST be communicated to the class will be given to each student/group, and they will include it in the presentation as well as compose study questions for the class assignment based upon this information. The questions and their answers form the basis for test and quiz material. No superfluous information is given for the students to know or study. Students are responsible for getting any notes missed due to an absence. Because the students are specifically given what they need to know for the tests and quizzes, careful study of this material is recommended. Tests are given at the end of each chapter and are announced as much as a week in advance. I suggest that students review the material from whichever chapter is being studied for 10-15 minutes each day.
Quizzes on Jr. Scholastic will also figure into the 8th Grade U.S. History grade. Each issue of Jr. Scholastic is read together in class, and discussed for main ideas and important information. These ideas are then highlighted in the magazine, and the quiz is composed based upon these highlighted notes. So, in essence, the students are given a say in what information they will be responsible for knowing for the quiz.
Throughout the year we will also be studying the U.S. Constitution. This is not an exhaustive study. We will mostly be focusing on the structure of the government and amendments. Even so, the amount of information is large. Therefore, we will be gradually learning the material step by step over the course of the entire year. It is important that the students keep up on the information as we progress, so as not to be overwhelmed by the final test at the end of the year. Since we want every student to be familiar with this material, several opportunities will be given to pass the test before the school year ends.
We will also be studying basic U.S. geography. The goal is for the students to identify the locations of the states, their capitals, major cities, and major geographic features of the country.
CLASSROOM DISCIPLINE
If anything is to be accomplished this year, I must maintain order in the classroom. This means students are to show respect for me, for the work I do as their teacher, for their fellow students’ right to learn and receive instruction, and for themselves and their own education. Most disciplinary issues can be handled with my own classroom policies. This brings us to Godfather principle #1: The opportunity to behave properly is an offer you can’t refuse. Students are given a series of three warnings to correct the behavior that is hindering our progress. Consequences follow each series of warnings.
1st 1...2...3... = Student is asked to leave the classroom for 5 minutes
and receives a lunch/recess detention (green slip).
2nd 1...2...3... = Student is asked to leave the classroom for 5 minutes,
receives a lunch/recess detention (green slip), and will
write apologies to the class and teacher.
3rd 1...2...3... = Student is asked to leave the classroom for 5 minutes
and receives an after school detention.
* Students not reporting for lunch/recess detention will receive an
after school detention.
* Accumulating 3 green slips in one quarter = detention
* Accumulating 4, 5, or 6 green slips in a quarter = 2 consecutive detentions
Once a student receives his/her second green slip, I will make contact with parents to inform them of the situation. Once a student begins to receive 2 consecutive detentions, I will ask the principal to become involved as well. Discipline beyond consecutive detentions will be determined with input from the principal. Each quarter begins with a clean slate.
Please note that discipline situations do not often progress to the point of assigning after school detentions. My purpose in outlining these procedures is not to appear threatening. Even though students make poor choices at times, and I need procedures in place to deal with these poor choices, I strive to maintain an atmosphere of forgiveness when confronted with discipline issues. This is Godfather principle #2: Classroom discipline is not personal, it’s strictly business.
** Whiteout and correction tape are not allowed in my classroom. If these items are brought into my room, they will be confiscated and thrown away. Miss Mullen and Mrs. Zimmer may still be willing to allow students to use these items, but I am not. I have whiteout and correction tape in my desk that students may temporarily borrow and use if they absolutely must.
Homework is assigned in most subjects on most days. I usually do not assign homework over the weekend. I almost never assign any tests or quizzes over the weekends. I cannot guarantee “no homework on the weekends,” since students have other teachers who may give assignments on Fridays.
Assignments are posted in my classroom daily as well as online. Tests are announced and posted several days in advance. Students are responsible for keeping track of what has been assigned and when it is due.
Often students make simple errors or misunderstand the material. Once the assignment has been completed and graded, or been retaught, students feel they can do a better job of mastering it.
If a student receives a “D” or “F” on a completed assignment, I will allow that student to redo the assignment within 24 hrs. for full credit. I do not allow students to redo quizzes or tests, except under extreme circumstances.
Whiteout and correction tape are not allowed in my classroom. If these items are brought into my room, they will be confiscated and thrown away. Miss Mullen and Mrs. Zimmer may still be willing to allow students to use these items, but I am not. I have whiteout and correction tape in my desk that students may temporarily borrow and use if they absolutely must.
8TH GRADE English
We will generally spend Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday working with grammar and proofreading skills. Thursday and Friday will be days to work with our writing assignments. We will do many small assignments and one major assignment each quarter. The major assignment will be worked on gradually throughout the entire quarter. You do not need to expect much homework dealing with writing; most of that work will be done together in class.
Spelling is not a separate subject in 8th grade, but rather incorporated as part of the English grade. The students are given a list of thirty words for each test. The first twenty words are taken from their vocabulary assignments, and the last ten are review words from 7th and 6th grade. The students are given a pretest on Friday of the first week that the list is assigned and a final test on the following Friday. Those scoring 100% on the pretest are exempted from the final test. Those not scoring 100% must correct their errors 10 times each, in cursive, and hand in these corrections by the class period of the final test. These corrections are considered an assignment. Periodically, the students may also be give review tests on the words they have had so far throughout the year.
8TH GRADE U.S. History
The 8th grade social studies textbook is a physical textbook, as well as an online one. Students can access the textbook from their Chrome Book or from ANY OTHER COMPUTER connected to the internet. Short presentations will be assigned to the students throughout the year. They are free to work alone or in pairs or groups, if they choose. The format of their presentations is up to them, and I have given them quite a few creative methods of presentation from which to choose. The necessary information that MUST be communicated to the class will be given to each student/group, and they will include it in the presentation as well as compose study questions for the class assignment based upon this information. The questions and their answers form the basis for test and quiz material. No superfluous information is given for the students to know or study. Students are responsible for getting any notes missed due to an absence. Because the students are specifically given what they need to know for the tests and quizzes, careful study of this material is recommended. Tests are given at the end of each chapter and are announced as much as a week in advance. I suggest that students review the material from whichever chapter is being studied for 10-15 minutes each day.
Quizzes on Jr. Scholastic will also figure into the 8th Grade U.S. History grade. Each issue of Jr. Scholastic is read together in class, and discussed for main ideas and important information. These ideas are then highlighted in the magazine, and the quiz is composed based upon these highlighted notes. So, in essence, the students are given a say in what information they will be responsible for knowing for the quiz.
Throughout the year we will also be studying the U.S. Constitution. This is not an exhaustive study. We will mostly be focusing on the structure of the government and amendments. Even so, the amount of information is large. Therefore, we will be gradually learning the material step by step over the course of the entire year. It is important that the students keep up on the information as we progress, so as not to be overwhelmed by the final test at the end of the year. Since we want every student to be familiar with this material, several opportunities will be given to pass the test before the school year ends.
We will also be studying basic U.S. geography. The goal is for the students to identify the locations of the states, their capitals, major cities, and major geographic features of the country.
CLASSROOM DISCIPLINE
If anything is to be accomplished this year, I must maintain order in the classroom. This means students are to show respect for me, for the work I do as their teacher, for their fellow students’ right to learn and receive instruction, and for themselves and their own education. Most disciplinary issues can be handled with my own classroom policies. This brings us to Godfather principle #1: The opportunity to behave properly is an offer you can’t refuse. Students are given a series of three warnings to correct the behavior that is hindering our progress. Consequences follow each series of warnings.
1st 1...2...3... = Student is asked to leave the classroom for 5 minutes
and receives a lunch/recess detention (green slip).
2nd 1...2...3... = Student is asked to leave the classroom for 5 minutes,
receives a lunch/recess detention (green slip), and will
write apologies to the class and teacher.
3rd 1...2...3... = Student is asked to leave the classroom for 5 minutes
and receives an after school detention.
* Students not reporting for lunch/recess detention will receive an
after school detention.
* Accumulating 3 green slips in one quarter = detention
* Accumulating 4, 5, or 6 green slips in a quarter = 2 consecutive detentions
Once a student receives his/her second green slip, I will make contact with parents to inform them of the situation. Once a student begins to receive 2 consecutive detentions, I will ask the principal to become involved as well. Discipline beyond consecutive detentions will be determined with input from the principal. Each quarter begins with a clean slate.
Please note that discipline situations do not often progress to the point of assigning after school detentions. My purpose in outlining these procedures is not to appear threatening. Even though students make poor choices at times, and I need procedures in place to deal with these poor choices, I strive to maintain an atmosphere of forgiveness when confronted with discipline issues. This is Godfather principle #2: Classroom discipline is not personal, it’s strictly business.
** Whiteout and correction tape are not allowed in my classroom. If these items are brought into my room, they will be confiscated and thrown away. Miss Mullen and Mrs. Zimmer may still be willing to allow students to use these items, but I am not. I have whiteout and correction tape in my desk that students may temporarily borrow and use if they absolutely must.