Course Description, Supplies Needed, and Procedures

Contact Information

If you have any questions, please contact me. The school number is (856) 589-0636 (ext. 2208). You may also email me at blawlor@pitman.k12.nj.us If your child is in need of extra help, he or she is more than welcome to come by after school. If there are any questions about assignments or your child’s homework, please feel free to check the Pitman Middle School website at https://www.pitman.k12.nj.us/ Homework, projects, and policies will be posted on my website throughout the school year.



Supplies Needed for ELA Class


-Three-ring binder with five-pocket dividers

-Composition notebook

-Independent reading book (from home, classroom library, or school library)

-Pencils and Pens (red, blue, black)

-Loose-leaf notebook paper

-Markers or colored pencils (optional)

-An attentive mind

-A willingness to learn


Course Contents

The eighth grade ELA texts may include, but are not limited to the following:

❏ Holt Grammar Second Course

❏ IXL Program for Grammar, Reading, and Writing

❏ Elements of Literature Second Course Textbook

❏ Various Independent Reading Texts

❏ The Outsiders

❏ The Diary of a Young Girl

❏ The Miracle Worker

❏ Green Angel

❏ Milkweed

❏ The Wave

❏ Voices of the Holocaust Anthology

❏ Anthem

❏ READ and SCOPE Magazine Articles

❏ NewsELA Articles

❏ ReadTheory Articles

❏ CommonLit Articles

❏ Scholastic Poems, Stories, and Articles


ELA Class Procedures and Assessments


  1. Tests- tests are given periodically to assess your progress. Tests are announced in advance and dates are written on the board. After a test has been graded, it will be returned to you. Please put all tests and quizzes in your graded test/quiz folder that you will make during the first week of school. You will bring this folder home periodically to have tests signed by your parent or guardian, so be sure not to throw any tests/quizzes away. Each test counts as a major grade, so it must be made up within five days of your return to school when you are absent. If a student fails to make up a test within five days, he or she will receive a zero for that test. Tests cannot be made up at the end of the marking period.

  2. Quizzes- Quizzes are frequently given in all subjects. Quizzes must be made up within five days of your return to school when you are absent. If a student fails to make up a quiz within five days, he or she will receive a zero for that quiz. Quizzes cannot be made up at the end of the marking period.

  3. Homework- Homework is an important part of class and your grade average. Homework, classwork, preparedness, and participation will count as daily grades. If you complete your homework you will receive a check plus=100, Incomplete homework a check=75, and failure to complete homework a check minus=0. If you have a valid excuse with a written note or email, homework can be made up the next day. Homework will occasionally be graded as a quiz, so always do your best. Parents will be kept informed about missing homework. After three missing assignments, parents will be notified and detention will be assigned.

  4. Late Work- Grades will be averaged together at the end of each marking period. Each day an assignment is late, 10 points will be deducted from your grade for that assignment. After the assignment is more than five days late a zero will be given. It is better to hand in the assignment late than not at all!

  5. Class Preparedness- When you come to class unprepared, you will not be able to fully participate in class. It is a disruption for the other students and to the learning environment when you are unprepared. Please have the necessary tools and books ready for each and every class.

  6. Writing- Writing is a very important part of your lives as well as the curriculum as you prepare for NJSLA testing. A draft and final copy of each writing assignment will be kept in the writing notes section of your binder. Essays are graded using specific rubrics for each grade level.

  7. Extra Help- Extra help is given in the afternoon during the week from 2:40-3:10. Students must let me know they are coming and have permission to come at these times. A written note or email is acceptable. My email address is blawlor@pitman.k12.nj.us


  1. Email- If a parent or guardian has any questions, they can email me at blawlor@pitman.k12.nj.us or phone the school. I am very prompt at returning emails and phone calls.


  1. Independent Reading and Composition Notebooks- Students are required to have a composition notebook and an IR (Independent Reading) book to read at all times in class; designated independent reading time will occur for a portion of class each week. Throughout the year, students will log in their new IR books according to the lexile range in the IR log in binder. Failure to bring independent reading books to class daily will result in a lowering of students’ daily grade. During independent reading, students will be asked to log the books they have read, record their thoughts about the text using dialectical and one-pager journal formats, answer text-dependent questions, participate in book talks, and complete activities about their independent reading books in their composition notebooks. These notebooks will be collected multiple times throughout the marking period and will count as a minor grade.


  1. Research Paper and Projects- Every eighth grader will complete a mini-research paper and multiple research projects on various topics of interest.


  1. Absent- If you are absent, please check Google Classroom and the absent folder in class for any worksheets/assignments that you might have missed. It is your responsibility to come after school or during Advisory to ask for work missed from any absences or trips.