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

Hello Friends and Families of OL Smith!

We had a phenomenal start to the school year last week. Students learned the new policies and were given the classroom syllabus slip to get sign. In order to help save some trees, the syllabus was posted electronically. If you require a hard copy, just ask your student to tell me and I will get one to you!

Students also had the opportunity to get to know each other through a stations activity. During stations, students rotated every 7-8 minutes and had a mini activity at each station. This was due on Friday at the end of the class period. The acrostic poem took students more time than I had anticipated, therefore, the poem is due on Monday!

As I mentioned to many students on Friday, this was the best first week of school I have had in a while. Students were focused, respectful, kind, and participated in activities. I am thrilled to begin the 2017-2018 school year and can’t wait to see what the rest of the year holds!

Ms. Timpf

Hello My Friends,

I am eager to begin our journey together for the duration of this school year! Before jumping in, we need to refresh ourselves on the expectations laid out by the district for summer learning. HERE is the link to the powerpoint I used in class today with all of the learning expectations and directions for the summer learning assignments. This information can also be found on Google Classroom, which you should have received an email invitation to join.

Parents and Guardians, I will be using Google Classroom for regular communication with students and post weekly on the blog. To the right, there is a space to type your email and subscribe to my blog. If you subscribe, you will receive an email notification each time I post. If you would like to connect your email to your student’s Google Classroom account, please email me at timpfm1@dearbornschools.org and state your full name, your student’s name, and the hour I have them. Once I receive this information, I can send you a Google Classroom invite to view your student’s work.

If you are searching for information regarding our new school policies, the syllabus, etc., please see the “Syllabus and Policies” tab to the top right of this page.

I am looking forward to a great school year with you!

Ms. Timpf

Hello Soon to be Ninth Graders,

Below is your summer learning that incoming freshman are expected to complete during the summer. In short, students are asked to read two, age-appropriate books this summer and complete the SSR Log, which is the second page of the letter below.

EF Incoming Freshman Summer Reading Letter

I hope you are enjoying your summer and I can’t wait to hear about all your wonderful accomplishments in high school!

Ms. Timpf

Hello 8th Graders,

Reminder! You MUST submit your 8th grade book entry before 10pm tonight or it will not be included in the 8th grade book. Also, don’t forget to vote on your cover!

Parents,

There are many items listed as “Not Graded” in the grade book. I understand from some students that this is frustrating, particularly because it is the end of the year. I will be inputting 5 points for any student who has completed the book report and the Outsiders project and turned it in. This way, you can remain informed of what your student has or has not completed.

These items are taking longer to grade due to my involvement in the production of “Robin Hood” last week and attempting to grade, format, and submit our 8th grade book to our publisher. This book will take precedence over all over grading until it is complete. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

Finally, all students received a progress report today. Students are expected to complete and turn in all make-up work by 3:05 pm on June 12th. This includes seeing me during lunch or after school for make-up tests!

Thank you,

Megan Timpf

Hello 8th Graders,

You have your Outsiders test tomorrow! You have known about this for the last week, so everyone should be caught up on reading and prepared. You will need to know four things for your test.

1. Plot – key events
2. Characters – how do they change?
3. Themes – what does the story teach you? (Growing up, stereotypes/breaking them, group vs. individual)
4. Symbolism – what do certain things in the story represent? (colors, things that represent losing childhood, things that represent keeping childhood)

Have a great night,

Ms. Timpf

Hello all,

Below are the chapter 11 and 12 questions that we will review on Monday. Don’t forget that your Outsiders test will be Tuesday!

1. After Ponyboy studies the picture of Bob in the yearbook, what conclusions does he make about him?
2. What was Randy‘s purpose in visiting Pony? What was the outcome of their conversation?
3. Why do you think Ponyboy insists that he is the one who killed Bob and keeps saying that Johnny isn‘t dead?
4. Why do you think the judge‘s line of questioning is so easy on Ponyboy? Why is he acquitted?
5. What happens to Ponyboy‘s schoolwork, memory, and attitude about himself after the hearing? What opportunity does his teacher give him to make up for his problems in school?
6. Why does Soda bolt out the door?
7. After Pony and Darry go find Soda, the three of them talk. What is the result of their conversation?
8. What was in the note from Johnny that Ponyboy found when it fell out of his book?
9. What does Ponyboy finally decide to write about in his theme?
10. What is significant about the last sentence of the novel? Why?

On Monday, we will discuss the Pepsi bottle scene. I want you to think about how the scene relates to innocence/childhood and Two-Bit’s reaction to Ponyboy during this scene. Bring your ideas to the discussion on Monday!

Ms. Timpf

Hello all,

Here are the Chap. 10 questions and CER directions.

Chapter 10 Questions

1. Dally runs out ―like the devil was after him when he finds out Johnny is dead. According to Pony, why is Dally having so much trouble handling Johnny‘s death?
2. When Dally phones, what is his message? Why do you think he called?
3. According to Ponyboy, Johnny died gallant. What does he mean? What is different about the death of Dally?
4. Why do you think Ponyboy becomes so sick? What are his symptoms?
5. The narrator writes, ―And the ground rushed up to meet me very suddenly. What really happened?
6. Why is Ponyboy worried about whether or not he asked for Darry while he was in the hospital?

CER

Write a CEER to answer ONE of the following two questions:

(CEER- Claim, 2 pieces of evidence, reasoning)

1. Does Ponyboy want to participate in the rumble/the violence? Explain why or why not.
2. Is Ponyboy a Greaser or an Outsider? How do you know?

Hello all,

Over the last two days we have read chapters 8 and 9. The questions are below! Also, you will need to complete a ER for chapter 9. Directions below!

Chapter 8

1. Why does Johnny really want to live, even though he has thought of suicide in the past, and he would never be able to walk again?
2. When the nurse announces to Johnny that his mother is there to see him, how does he react? When Two-Bit and Ponyboy see Johnny’s mother, what happens? How do they react?
3. When Dally asks Two-Bit about his “fancy black-handled switch”, what do you think was his reason for asking? Why do you think Two-Bit hands it over to him “without hesitation”?
4. Pony had a sick feeling in his stomach about the rumble that night. Infer what you think he was worried about.
5. Cherry tells Ponyboy about the kind of person Bob “really” was. How does she describe him?
6. Cherry says about Bob, “He could be sweet sometimes, and friendly. But when he got drunk… it was that part of him that beat up Johnny.” Explain the differences between reason and excuse. Do you believe that if someone has been drinking, it is an excuse, or is it a reason, for inappropriate behavior? Try to use examples in your answer.

Chapter 9

• Why do the boys fight? Why is Pony different?
• What is the difference between Tim Sheppard’s gang and Ponyboy’s? Explain how Pony feels this difference might give his group the upper hand?
• What do you think Johnny’s last words to Pony mean?
• Predict. Dally runs out of Johnny’s room. What is he going to do?

CEER

Write a CEER to answer one of the following two questions

(CEER- Claim, 2 pieces of evidence, reasoning)

1. Does Ponyboy want to participate in the rumble/the violence? Explain why or why not.

OR

2. Is Ponyboy a Greaser or an Outsider? How do you know?

Hello 8th Graders,

We are writing the article Two-Bit read in Chapter 7 for our next assignment. It is due on Wednesday, May 17th! Direction below:

Article PPT

Ms. Timpf

Hello all,

We read Chapter 7 in class today! If you need to catch up on reading, do so this weekend!

Outsiders PDF

Here are the discussion questions for the chapter.

1. Explain what Pony means when he says Soda “reminds me of a colt.”
2. What condition is Johnny in after the fire?
3. Why would being crippled be worse for Johnny than someone else?
4. “Maybe people are younger when they are asleep” What do you think about this comment?
5. JD stands for juvenile delinquent. What is a juvenile delinquent (p. 107)? Find a definition on the internet, in a dictionary, or create your own based on your own knowledge.
6. Why would Two-Bit think Johnny, Dally, and Pony were heroes all along; before they saved the kids?
7. What does the chocolate cake represent for the Curtis brothers?
8. What happened to Sandy? Why is Soda upset about it?
9. What was Bob’s ‘real’ problem, according to Randy (p.116)?
10. Why did Pony think it was better to see Socs as “just guys” on p. 118? What do you think he means by this?