Last week, students finished their first argumentative essay of 8th grade! I have assessed all of them and scores are in Parent Portal. I want to remind you that a "C" is an average grade and anything above a "C" exceeds the grade level writing standard and anything less than a "C" is below the grade level writing standard. I wrote extensive feedback in Google Classroom for "next steps" and I also commented on the essay leaving suggestions for future essays. Please go over the next steps and comments with your child to help them improve their essay writing (the ultimate goal is about writing improvement--not the grade). You can also look at essays that exceeded the standard by clicking here! Students also added their pre-writing and essays to the blogs and reflected on their writing--you can check them out here!
In addition to the essay, students also took the district MAP assessment (a computer adaptive test) that provides students with a RIT score (this corresponds to their instructional level--where they score about 50% correct). In Parent Portal, I have included the RIT score for your child. The mean score for GATE/Honors Grade 8 is 233.5 (with a range from 214-259--meaning the instructional range for my classes is from Grade 5 to college level). Students will take this assessment two more times this year and one point of growth (if they are at grade level) is the goal! Please refer to the following documents for more information about MAP: Comparative Data (Reading), RIT to Smarter Balanced, Target Scores, and Reference Brochure (pp. 3-8).
This week, students are going to begin their multimedia campaign that addresses the issue of dress codes in order to persuade and challenge the reader to make a change. They have the option to work in groups (no more than three students per group). As of right now, the due date is next Monday; however, they may finish sooner or they may finish later.
Multimedia Campaign: Dress Codes
Tuesday
Multimedia Campaign: Dress Codes
Wednesday
Multimedia Campaign: Dress Codes
Thursday
Multimedia Campaign: Dress Codes
Friday
Multimedia Campaign: Dress Codes
AR Log Check (Log-5 entries/Signature)
*Students need to be reading an AR book that has a reading level of 3.5+ for 30 minutes 5 nights per week. Students need to earn 35 points by every checkpoint (10/11, 12/13, 03/14, and 05/30). Please see the AR Log for more information. GOOD NEWS: Students only need to complete the front side to take an AR quiz!
