Welcome to 8 th Grade Humanities College

Welcome to 8 th Grade Humanities & College Prep Rob Marsh

Your kids are awesome! n n n 8 th graders are the BEST! I want them to grow up to be happy, healthy and the best they can be! In addition to READING and WRITING, I stress THINKING and ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS.

Who am I? n n I am in my 7 th year of teaching and have worked with students for over 20 years. In previous years, my classes had the highest percentage of students pass the writing MSP/WASL 80%. My students also had the highest scores in writing. About half the students with perfect papers came from my classes. This year I want to focus on the reading MSP. Last year, my students had the highest gains in reading.

Our room n I try to create a relaxed atmosphere in our room.

Did You Know… n n You can access grades, assignments, lunchroom purchases and general information via schoolwires. You can find my website there as well. I update with homework assignments, when applicable. The best way to reach me is william. marsh@evergreenps. org.

Humanities n In order for students to become better READERS and WRITERS, I have them READ and WRITE more. Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

Social Studies n United States History¨ Approximately 1776 to the Civil War. ¨ I am more concerned with your student understanding things happen for many reasons and how different events and people affect each other than I am just memorizing dates. ¨ We will be looking at…

Social Studies and Language Arts n POWER in history and reading. ¨ Who has it ¨ Why they have it ¨ What the results are of using it

How can you help? n n n Check for homework. Check their grades. They can redo work! Ask “Why” and make them give you answers. ¨ “It’s stupid” is not an answer. (“Why is it stupid? ”) ¨ Neither is “I dunno. ” (“Then take a guess…”) n Read 20 minutes a day! This will help reading, spelling, grammar, writing, thinking… Learn multiplication! n Check my website… n

Absent Work n n We understand that absences happen, however it is imperative that students be in school. The majority of information delivered happens in the classroom and is very difficult to make up when not in class. Students are expected to be responsible for collecting work done in class when absent. How do students get missed work? ¨ Please check schoolwires to access assignments BEFORE returning to school. ¨ From me before and after school.

Schoolwires n When checking grades… ¨ PLEASE ignore an asterisk (*); this means that the assignment grade has not yet been entered into the system. n If you have a question about your child’s grade, please contact the teacher via email, or set up an appointment between the hours of 9: 55 – 11: 25.

Thank you! n …For letting me work with your kids!

Advanced LA/SS n We will be reading Macbeth by William Shakespeare. I sent home a flyer. n I can get good copies for $5. 25. You student can use their notes and highlights later in high school. Or you can check them out of library or use a family copy or buy a used one. n