Welcome Scholars!
Academic Year (2023 -2024)
Ms. Pascoe's Reading Class
Grade 8
What should you know about me?
I am an educator who goes above and beyond for the success of all my students – I firmly embraced the "Every Student Succeeds Act (2015). Therefore, all my students will be challenged academically to put their best foot forward in order to reach their full potential.
Hello! I am Ms. Pascoe from the beautiful island of Jamaica where I spent most of my childhood and adult life.
Besides being a Jamaican, I am an educator who is passionate about teaching and learning - one who believes that "your success lies within you”. What else you should know about me? Is that, I am a graduate of the University of Technology, Jamaica where I have garnered a Bachelor’s in Education in Technical and Vocational Training with a major in Business Studies and a recent graduate of Georgia Southern University with a Master's of Education in Middle Grades Education. Apart from this, I have been teaching for eight (8) consecutive years and I can honestly say that I would not change my profession for another.
Welcome to our Class!
This reading class is designed to guide and motivate students to accomplish their academic goals with the implementation of inquiry-based learning, Literature-based project and reciprocal teaching to promote literacy skills. As reading students you will be challenged, motivated and supported to become proficient readers. Hence, for this to occur you will need to be prepared for class and adhere to the stated expectations so that you can accomplish your academic goals.
Please read the following procedures, rules, expectations below along with supplies, course description and grading scale:
Required Supplies
The following to be brought to school daily:
Composition Notebook
Double Pocket Folder
Black & Blue Ballpoints Pens
Pencils
Post-it Note
Highlighters
Pencil Crayons
Expectations:
Come to class on time and prepared with the necessary materials, especially any work due at the beginning of class.
Actively participate in daily activities.
Be respectful of yourself and others in the class, including everyone’s ideas, feelings, property and personal space.
Electronic devices such as Chromebook will only be used for class activities with teacher’s permission.
Earn your grade by giving genuine and persistent effort in all assignments, seek assistance and contribute to a positive classroom learning environment.
Follow all rules in the McIntosh County Schools Student Handbook.
Syllabus
Course Description:
The Fundamental purpose of grade 8th reading is to promote a balanced curriculum of reading, writing, listening and speaking to foster literacy development so that students can improve fluency, comprehension and interest in reading different genres of literature. Teacher will promote disciplinary literacy (across the curriculum) by incorporating close reading, explicit reading instruction and reading strategies for students to foster text comprehension skills. Hence, content will be taught from the prescribed standards through informational literature to develop students' literacy skills.
Readers' workshop:
This class will consist of performance and assessment tasks, small and whole- group instruction, independent reading, conferencing, and responding to text through discussions, book talk, and presentations. Each class period is divided in three sessions following the reader’s workshop gradual release model of instruction- a mini lesson, a work period (practice), and a time to share. Students will be using metacognitive reading strategies to navigate texts to support comprehension.
Metacogntive reading strategies are divided into two components: analytic cognition and the pragmatic behavioral skills:
Analytic cognitive is crucial to students' reading comprehension, and as such, requires skills such as students' ability to identify purpose of reading, evaluating the process or the text, making predictions, making inferences, making text connections, using prior knowledge, asking questions, etc. (Ozurk & Aydogus, 2021). These skills allow students to think of their thinking and learn about their learning - the metacognition process (Flavell, 1979).
Pragmatic Behavioral is plays role in students' academic performance and recall, and as such, requires skills such as highlighting, underlining, circling, note taking, annotating, summarizing, visualizing description etc. (Ozurk & Aydogus, 2021). These are evidenced - based reading strategies that have proven to support students in achieving their academic goals once these strategies are used consistently and appropriately.
Metacognitive strategy theory is the theoretical framework that supports this reading class, and as such, teacher incorporates metacognitive strategies that are aligned with each standard being taught to support students in content comprehension.
Reading Criteria:
These criteria were designed to develop students' literacy skills to become proficient readers.
Students will be required to read two (2) books for each month and complete two (2) AR tests for each book read.
Students will be required to complete and participate in the monthly "Book Talk" on any of the two (2) books read in criterion 1.
Teacher will implement or add other criteria to meet students' interests and needs.
Note: Failure to complete these reading criteria will impact grades and as such much be taken seriously to meet the class expectations.
Grade Scale
Grading Scale:
90 – 100 A 70 - 79 C
80 - 89 B Below 70 F