Ms. Timpf and Mrs.Schafer 8th Grade Language Arts Class

Hello Families,

We are currently reading “The Outsiders.” At this point, all students have read Chapters 1 and 2. Our goal is to have read through Chapter 4 by the end of the week.

Please check in with your student each day about what they have read so far in the story. This is a great conversation to have during dinner and the students seem very interested in what will happen next!

If your child is absent, make sure they check Google Classroom. I will post an announcement each time we read a new chapter. This way, your child can read the chapter prior to coming to class, rather than getting further behind.

Thank you for your support!

Megan Timpf

Hello All,

We are going to begin reading “The Outsiders” on Thursday! Our students are extremely excited. I have informed the students that most of the reading will be done in class, however, I only have one class set. I have an online copy of the book for students to reference during homework, which may work for some students but not all. It is not required! But your child or you may purchase a copy of “The Outsiders” or they may check one out from the library.

Also, I have been shown a new feature on MiStar, which is the Grading System used by teachers. I have sent a generic email to all students and guardians of students who currently have an “E” or a “D” in ELA. This feature is new and something I have not used before, so any feedback on its usefulness, or lack of usefulness, is very much appreciated.

Have a great day!

Megan Timpf

Hello Families,

Last Friday, students were assigned an online activity where the had to identify figurative language in a song. Students also had their weekly MobyMax assignment. Students have been given one additional day to complete the work due to the vast amount of students who had lost power.

If you still lack power after tonight at 9pm, your student has been instructed to speak with me and I will give them another day to work with no late penalty. This will continue until power has been restored in your home.

If you have power but know someone who does not, please pass this message along so as many parents and guardians as possible hear this information.

Thank you for your time,

Megan Timpf

Hello OL Smith Family,

All students will be bringing home a letter from Ms. Greenbaum and myself. It was handed out during class today. The letter outlines some second semester changes being made. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

Letter Link

Sincerely,

Megan Timpf

Hello OL Smith Family,

Hello OL Smith Family,

Students completed reading two stories, “The Elevator” and “Tell-Tale Heart” and the activities that accompanied them. They took their test on these two stories yesterday. Today, students read the story, “Monkey’s Paw” and will complete an assignment about the reading next week. The PDF has been posted on Google Classroom for any students who would like to reread the story this weekend.

Next week, students will work with the story, “Monkey’s Paw,” begin writing their narrative, and attend the production field trip to the Masonic Temple. We are looking forward to the busy week ahead!

In terms of missing work, students had until today to turn in any missing assignments. Students were given a progress report with all missing work at the beginning of the week and had access to all missing assignments via Google Classroom. I grade all late work at the same time to make things simpler for myself. This late work will be graded at some point next week and continued into the following week depending on how many late assignments there are, as I have three friends getting married this weekend.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Megan Timpf

Hello OL Smith Family,

Last week, students read a story called, “The Elevator.” We discussed the conflicts, plot, cliffhangers, and characterization found in the story. For conflict and plot, students created a plot diagram in class and we reviewed it together. For characterization, students were asked to draw the character from the story and cite evidence that informed their drawings. On Friday, students received a three question short answer quiz to assess their knowledge of the story. They were also assigned the task of finishing the story. Since it ends with a cliffhanger, students were able to write creative endings about what happens to Martin in the elevator!

There has been a change in the field trip date. We will now be attending on October 26th. Please see this LETTER for more information.

Have a wonderful evening,

Megan Timpf

Hello OL Smith Family and Friends,

This week, students spent time learning about the different types of conflict. For some students this was a review and for others it was new information. We will continue working on identifying types of conflict in each story we read. Students also reviewed the parts of a plot in preparation for reading “The Elevator” next week.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Students have to opportunity to attend a play on Friday, October 27th at the Masonic Temple in Detroit, MI. The play is a series of short stories that have been turned into mini productions. Two of these short stories will be read this year, while a third will be read in high school. This is a great opportunity for students to receive some exposure to live performances.

The cost is $26 dollars and we will need a minimum of 6 chaperones to allow the maximum student of students on the trip. The chaperone cost, for both guardians and teachers, is $26 as well. The due date for permission slip and money is October 6th. The permission slip is linked HERE if you need a copy.

Thank you and we hope you consider attending this field trip with us!

Ms. Timpf

Hello OL Smith Family,

I’m sure your students have told you about our eventful week in language arts!

On Monday, we completed our comics and some students got to share their work.

On Tuesday, students presented their book talks. We had some very anxious students that did a phenomenal job presenting their book reports! The students presented in small groups to help with this anxiety and the presentation group sizes will increase until a class presentation at the end of the year.

Due to some NWEA servers crashing, students were unable to take NWEA on Wednesday and Thursday as planned. Instead, students were asked to complete a Student Interest Learning Survey and a Learning Styles Survey to help me get to know them and the ways they learn best. Students also learned how to craft a properly formatted email and their homework was to email me! I am eager to read the properly formatted emails from the students. The catch is that students must now use a properly formatted email when contacting me, or I will not respond via email.

Today, we started NWEA. Many students were able to complete the Language Usage portion of the test, but we will continue working on it in the library on Monday. Students who have finished will be given an online assignment to introduce our first unit, Suspense Narratives and Writing!

On Monday, students must have completed and turned in any and all late work from the first three weeks of school. According to our syllabus, students are not allowed to turn in any late work after the day before a test. Since we are not having a summative assignment on the beginning of the year activities, I am giving students the due date of Monday, September 25th, because we will be officially starting our first unit.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Megan Timpf

Hello OL Smith Family and Friends!

Grades have been submitted from last week. As I explained to the students, “Getting to Know You Stations” were based on ability to follow directions and participation. If they did not quite finish a station, but I could see they were participating fully, they received full credit. If no to little work was submitted, directions were not followed, or if they were not fully participating for the entire hour, they lost a few points. Acrostic poems will be submitted by the end of the weekend.

If your child has not gotten their syllabus slip signed, you can print one from home using the link provided on the “Syllabus and Policies” page.

This week, students created a character, shared their character with a partner, and are working on a comic strip that stars their character, as well as their character’s partner. Students will receive half of the class period on Monday to complete their comic strip together. We will spend the second half of class sharing our stories.

The other activity students worked on this week was a pre-assessment about argumentative essay writing. Students were asked to read two articles and write an argumentative essay about a topic. These essays will be graded and the data used to influence our second card marking teaching. When these essays are graded, the score will appear in the grade book, so students know how they did. However, it will remain marked as “Not Graded,” so the score will not impact a student’s report card grade. I would like students to be able to track their progress and growth over the school year, and this is one way they will be able to do so.

Students will be presenting their book talks next Tuesday and will be taking the NWEA on Wednesday and Thursday.

Please feel free to contact me with any comments, questions, or concerns,

Megan Timpf