End of 2007-2008 Semester Review, 2nd Semester Preview
January 25, 2008
The second quarter for Nativity 7th and 8th graders marked novel and unmatched experiences for the junior high. The 7th graders, whose in depth study of poetry included works by Wordsworth, Yeats, Shakespeare, Angelou, Rumi and B?sho, composed their own original works and held a poetry slam at a nearby coffee shop, the Pleasant Perk. Thanks to the stores local owner, the experience was authentic and memorable, and the kids really got into it. Along with alliteration, consonance and hyperbole, their poetry was met with applause and praise. Afterwards, the 7th grade completed a unit on nonfiction and learned the criterion for a credible source in today’s media-flooded maze. And finally, we have begun our second in-depth novel study of Watership Down and the heroic cycle. This unit will culminate in the 3rd quarter with film studies of heroes and mythology and formal presentations of the student’s findings. This is guaranteed to be a blast!

The 8th grade’s unique and unequaled experience took the shape of an Artist in Residence grant through the Ohio Arts Council. Through the grant, an independent filmmaker, Ed Radtke, came to Nativity and led a 2-week workshop with the 8th grade on filmmaking. Taking into consideration the layers of characterization and plot studied in the previous units, this opportunity provided the 8th grade with the chance to make their own short films as an alternative assessment. After the 2 weeks of filming, editing and creating, the students showcased their work at the 2nd Annual Lasagna Film Festival. After the movies were completed, the community got together to celebrate the film, share a homemade Lasagna potluck, and view the art created by the 8th grade. It was truly a consummate experience; working with the OAC, Ed Radtke, and the 8th grade was truly a pleasure.

The next quarter looks to be as exciting with units on public speaking, South Asian Buddhism and a close novel study of Siddhartha, and independent study shaped by the students their own hands. And then they’re off to high school…

The first quarter flew by with the same intensity
last year seemed to end with.
November 12, 2007
The 7th grade put two teachers on trial for witchcraft in our mock Salem witch Trial, spied on those same teachers and kept tally of their clandestine behavior in their Witch Way journals, and saw a live production of the Crucible, all in five weeks time! Meeting the new 7th grade class has been a blast and I look forward to the second quarter, which is sure to prove equally as fruitful. We will be hosting our very own Snooty House Poetry Slam, as we compose a host of original poems from sonnets, to limericks to the ever-popular free verse. Later in the quarter we will be reading The Call of the Wild and embark on the wonders of nature writing and symbolism in literature. Should be a unit to remember, if my instinct serves me right…

The 8th grade finished a short story unit on Poe, Faulkner and other macabre authors as we explored the plot triangle, characterization, and tension. The next unit is sure to be as fascinating as we being to “get deep” by asking the big questions. Employing the 4 Questions Reading Strategy, we will become like Socrates and learn to understand truth, irony and theme in terms of inquiry. Following that, its on to the provocative issues in Orwell’s 1984 and exploring the dystopian novel. A challenging read, but nothing Nativity students can’t handle!

1st Quarter Preview

7th Grade:
In 7th Grade Language Arts, we will begin the quarter with an emphasis on organization and note taking. I have a variety of strategies to help students understand the value of these skills, as well as methods they can employ that same day in order to ensure a sense of relevance and enduring understanding. We will then transfer these organizational skills into reading and writing strategies as we begin a unit on short stories. We will read Flowers for Algernon, and a contemporary novel on the Salem Witch Trials entitled The Witch of Blackbird Pond. Each student will have their own personal copy of the book and we will focus on close reading, AnnoLighting, and graphic organization skills. This will be coupled and reinforced with vocabulary and grammar skills throughout the unit and utilized in composition.

Finally, as a culminating project and assessment, the students will perform a mock Salem Witch Trial in which 3 of the Nativity teachers will be accused of witchcraft and tried at the Sharon Woods Heritage Village. This project will focus on setting as well as persuasive essay writing, public speaking and argumentation. All members of the community are welcome and encouraged to attend!

8th Grade:
In 8th Grade English, the first unit will focus on a thematic approach to literature. Entitled Much Madness, this unit will explore the idea of insanity and narration throught the works of Poe, Faulkner, Dickens and others. We will frame our study in an understanding of characterization, conflict, and layers of meaning in a text. Through the use of graphic organizers, journalizing and composition, we will ask fun and intriguing questions about characters and their clandestine motivations. Later in the quarter we will read A Separate Peace by John Knowles and analyze setting and relationships in a close novel study.

For the culminating project and assessment in 8th grade, students will adapt an original composition to the big screen in The Lasagna Film Festival. Students will write a screenplay, storyboard, and film and edit an original movie that displays the skills and understanding gained from our novel study. The students will then present the films in a film-festival style format involving the whole community and topped of with a Lasagna buffet dinner that reflects the “layers” of meaning in literature and film! As always, everyone is invited.

7th & 8th Grade Language Arts
Nativity School
2006-2007
Mr. Yost

Course Description
The study of Language Arts at the 7th grade level is a continuation of the students learning in four major area, or strands, of academics: Literature, Composition, Grammar and Vocabulary. Knowledge of each of these strands is an essential component to the mastery of Language Arts at any grade level. As incoming middle school students, 7th grade Language Arts will engage learners in a variety of new and intriguing exercises including in-depth novel study, creative writing, persuasive argumentation, publication, and many more. At the end of the 7th grade year, students will have acquired a number of skills and achieved a level of enduring understanding of the subject area that will allow them the opportunity for future success in school and in life.

The following then, is a breakdown of the class expectations, grading, classroom policies and other relevant information.


Classroom Rules and Expectations
(These are posted in the classroom)

• Make an effort, each and everyday, to stay organized.
  
• When someone asks you a question, answer it, and ask one back.
  
• Do not save seats.
  
• Do your homework every night without fail.
  
• Win and lose with humility.
  
• Don’t add to the world’s problems; be nice.
  
• When you mess up, as hard as it may be, just admit it.
  
• Always show compassion…always.
  

Grading
Cumulative Course Grades will be weighted as follows:
A …100-93%
B…92-85%
C…84-77%
D…76-70%
F…0-69%

Assignment Categories will be weighted as follows:
Tests………….………………….20%
Homework….….…………….20%
Projects………………………...25%
Participation………………….. 5% (rubrics provided)
Quizzes………………………….15%
In-class Assignments……15%

Students will be assessed in a number of different formats from traditional testing to alternative evaluation and exploratory projects. For all non-traditional assessments, rubrics with clear and outlined expectations will be handed out prior to the assignments due date. I will also maintain a constant and open line of communication as well as an access time each week in which I will be available for brief unscheduled “walk-ins.”

It is imperative that student’s take the work assigned them seriously, and creatively. Application of higher level thinking skills necessitates students engaging the material in a meaningful and creative way and not reducing the content to memory and recall. All projects and daily classroom activities will reflect this pedagogical value.

Homework Policy
If a student must miss a class period, please see me PRIOR to your absence, so that I can give you the necessary assignments BEFORE hand. If you become ill and cannot attend, it is the student’s responsibility to communicate with me to receive make-up work. If you fail to do so, you will not receive credit for any missed work, regardless of whether or not the absence was excused.

If you are excused from class and communicate your absence to me via email, phone call, or in person, you may make up your missing assignments for the missed day. You will be given as many days as you have missed, beginning on the day you return to school, to complete the missing assignments and turn them in. They must be turned in by midnight of the day due. If the assignment can be turned in via email, that is acceptable. If the assignment cannot be submitted electronically, it is due at the end of the appropriate school day. If the student fails to turn the work in within the allotted time, then no credit will be given.

If you miss class without an approved excuse and/or without communicating with me, you will not have an opportunity to make up missed work for that respective day for full credit. You will be allowed one additional day to turn in the work for a maximum of ½ credit. After the following day, if the assignment is not in, no credit will be given.

All students are expected to contact me via email, or personally, if they are going to miss class.


Classroom Management
The fundamental questions I will ask myself before engaging in disciplinary measures with students are these: 1. Is the student disrupting learning? 2.Are the student’s actions compromising the safety of the classroom environment? If the answer to either of those questions is, to any degree, “Yes,” I will take the following steps:

• Nonverbal “light hearted” redirection.
  
• Verbal redirection.
  
• Move the disruptive student to an appropriate location within the class.
  
• Remove the student from the class.
  

If the student requires that they be removed from class, Principal Herring will delegate appropriate action and I will endorse his decision 100%.


Communication
All assignments will be posted each week on the Student Calendar handed out at the beginning of each unit and will be my primary form of communication, in addition to email. If you should have any questions about any of the posted assignments, please feel free to contact me. In addition to the student calendar, students will be required to write down all of their assignments in their assignment notebooks provided by the school. The student calendar is not to take the place of student accountability; it is to be utilized as a communicative device between parents, teachers and students.


Contact Information
Email: Andrew_Yost7@Hotmail.com
Access Hours: Monday 3:15-4:00 p.m.

Please feel free to just walk in. However, access time is for brief consultation and will end at 4:00. If we need more time than that, or it is a more serious issue, let’s make an appointment.

Appointments: Please email me or visit me in person to schedule a time.

Student Meetings: Student requested meetings would take priority over other meetings. Students should know that I am accessible and willing to meet with them at any time available. Please email me or see me at school to set these up.