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Welcome to Open House 2012- 2013
Mrs. DiefertLanguage Arts Seminar
Room 1027th and 8th grade
This Year: Common CoreStandards
• Replaced the Arizona State Standards
• International benchmarks played a significant role in developing the common core
• These expectations for all grades have been adopted by 48 states
This Year: Common CoreStandards
• They will provide more consistency for students who move
• They enable students across our nation to have a more equitable education
• Developed by starting with the skills students needed to have to be college or career ready and worked backwards to kindergarten
This Year: Common CoreStandards
• The common core require more of a balance (at this grade level) between informational text and fiction, rather than heavily focused on fiction. Comprehending fiction is not necessary to succeeding in day to day life.
• AIMS will be phased out in 2014-2015 and replaced with PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers).
LexilesStudents received their lexile
scores on Monday, but what does it mean?
Your students’ scores should be used as a starting point to find books on their level by going to lexile.com or scholastic teacher book wizard (both links are on Diefert.yolasite.com).
LexilesHow do I use lexile and Scholastic
websites?
Lexile.com=You may either search for the lexile of a specific book or input your student’s lexile and genres he/she is interested in and it will generate a list of books on their level.
Scholastic.com=You may either search for the lexile of a specific book or input a book your student is interested in and ask the website for books that are 3 grade levels higher or lower.
LexilesShould my student only consider reading books that his/her lexile
number? No. It can be extremely difficult to locate
books that are in the range of one’s lexile (+/- 100 pts.) and still interest students who are above grade level.
In addition, there are other factors to consider such as difficulty of vocabulary. This is not always indicated by lexile.
LexilesMy son/daughter is dying to read a
book for his/her book project, but it is far below his/her lexile. Can he/she
still read it? Yes, they can still read the book and log
it on their book account form; however, it probably should not be used for a book project unless it has some words that are new to the reader.
Lexiles Reading over 1,000 pages
independently each quarter will only help them improve their reading level if they are challenged. Reading easy books for enjoyment all the time won’t have the same effect.
Old Website (still in use)http://diefert.yolasite.com
Google Website Coming SoonFirst, go to the WESD website, and click on schools on the top right.
Google Website Coming SoonNext, click on Mountain Sky under “7-8 Schools”.
Google Website Coming SoonOn the left, click “staff directory”.
Google Website Coming SoonFind the teacher whose website you wish to view, and click on the website link.
Google Website Coming Soon
What will you find on the website(s)?COPY OF RULES AND EXPECTATIONS
DUE DATES FOR IMPORTANT ASSIGNMENTS
COPY OF QUARTERLY BOOK PROJECT RUBRIC(S) & COPY OF QUARTERLY BOOK PAGES PAPER
RESOURCES FOR ASSIGNMENTS THAT WERE NOT ABLE TO BE COMPLETED IN CLASS
Homework
When students do not have homework, they
should be reading for their book account
form and working towards completing
their projects that are due each quarter.
Make-up Work
Students are responsible for making up any missed work.
Missed bell work may be found on the bulletin board.
Other assignments are written on the agenda and can be found on assignment table.
Incomplete Work
When students choose to turn in work that is not finished,
they will receive a grade and a comment on the grade
printout that says “incomplete”. They are not allowed to
redo the assignment and raise their grade. It simply
informs you, the parents, that the low grade does not
reflect their lack of mastery.
Late WorkStudents have one school day for every
day they are absent to complete make-up work. They should write assignments in their planner with their due dates.
No late work will not be accepted after more than 2 weeks after the original due date or date it would be due according to absences.
Late WorkLate work that is even one day late
will receive a maximum of half credit (100%=50% F, 80%=40%, etc.).
This is intended to prepare students for Thunderbird High School, where the advanced English class does not accept late work at all.
Grades
Students will receive grade reports approximately every two weeks. I will usually send out an e-mail to inform parents when this occurs. Please ask your students about their progress.
Language Arts Seminar vs. Regular Language Arts
Similar Different
We adhere to Common Core Standards.
Students’ assessments, lexiles, writing samples, AIMS, and WRAP scores are evaluated to customize instruction to students’ needs.
Higher level texts are used more
frequently
Higher level thinking questions
are used frequently
More rigorous requirements
Read over 1,000 pages and
complete a book project every
quarter outside of class.
Coming soon…gifted testingIf your child is not already categorized as
gifted, and you would like to have him or her
tested, please contact program coach Nancy
Wilson (896-6122) to see if your child is
eligible. Students may only test one time in a
year.
Thank you for coming tonight!
Should you need to contact me in the future, e-mail is the best way.
