Ms Rocky's Day 1 PP for 8th grade English and History 2010

1. Ms. Rocky Parker School 2010 English & History Middle School Teacher

2. UC Berkeley

3. My Life Married to Mr. Dave 3 sons- Jake, Dallas & Jude Have 2 Cats- Farrah & Coda (Dexter & Xena) Play Guitar & Sing Theoretical Physics, Hard Sci-Fi Books, Movies, Music, Cartoon Network shows

4. My Life Hundreds of “adopted” kids & students NFL, MLB, Olympic Swim Team, WNBA, PGA 924 Gilman, Fantasy Records, Tyrannosaurus Recs Many careers: - Theatre Tech - Radio Announcer - Archaeologist - Speech & Debate Coach - College Instructor - Sports Writer

5. How I Teach I believe...

6. I believe… …that teaching and learning are Give-&-Take relationships Oftentimes, I have just as much to learn from you as you do from me, and I want to learn!

7. I believe… …that everything is connected Start from a point that you are already interested in and you can translate that into all aspects of your learning and life.

8. I believe… …in using all forms of multimedia from books to movies to TV shows to music to video games The most important thing is to find a launching point for each person’s academic excellence and success in life.

9. I believe… …books are the foundation for understanding life. …movies can teach us important lessons. …music can focus our brains. …video games are not always mindless.

10. I believe… …football is life. I am a football freak. …Cal is the center of the Universe. …strawberry is better than chocolate. …that EVERYONE can dance. …Counting Crows is the best band ever. …in aliens. …in ghosts, vampires & zombies.

11. I believe… …knowing where we come from is as important as knowing where we want to go. …“none of us is anything until the least of us is something.” (Floyd Little, NFL Hall of Fame Induction Speech, 2010) ...in the exceptional, the amazing, and the unexpected. …that wisdom can come from anyone.

12. Things to know What I expect…

13. Things to know… …just because an adult said something doesn’t make it right or true. QUESTION ALWAYS. …if you disagree, that’s ok. DO SO WITH EVIDENCE, NOT OPINION. …without students, there is no need for a teacher. TAKE YOUR ROLE HERE SERIOUSLY. …if you cant find a way to have fun doing something, LOOK AT IT ANOTHER WAY.

14. What I expect… I EXPECT… …you as students to show respectfor: Teachers & Staff Your Peers Yourself by not compromising the class with disruptive behavior.

15. What I expect… …you to construct and maintain an open discussion and dialogue with me and with your fellow students. …that you will talk to me if you are having problems and let me work a solution out with you. I EXPECT…

16. What I expect… …that you will learn the rules of my classroom and respect them. …that you will VOICE YOUR OPINIONS, weather it agrees or disagrees with me or anyone else, while showing respect for others. I EXPECT…

17. Class rules What you can expect…

18. LITERATURE & WRITING SKILLS US & WORLD HISTORY THROUGH THEMES 8th GRADE ENGLISH & HISTORY

20. SCHEDULE

21. FOOD DONATION REQUESTSIGN & RETURNTOMORROW Package Documents

22. Syllabus Academic Integrity & Honesty / Student Info SIGN & RETURN How to Avoid Plagiarism – KEEP FOR REFERENCE Study Skills Sheet – KEEP FOR REFERENCE Parker School Style Sheet – KEEP FOR REFERENCE Parker School Value Shield POST OVER YOUR DESK AT HOME Package Documents

23. Critical Reading, Writing, and Thinking skills Theme each Trimester tying together with History Reinforcement the school wide expectations of Excellence, Integrity, and Compassion Use critical analysis skills to understand, interpret, and tackle Complex pieces of literature Concepts Ideas Thoughts Multimedia approach to connect with literature and link the readings with theme Movies Television Music Video Games Course Description: English

24. Course Description:History Critical Reading, Writing, Comprehension and Thinking skills Theme & Time-Frame each Trimester tying together with English Bringing History into focus using Inventions & Innovation as a lens Reinforcement the school wide expectations of Excellence, Integrity, and Compassion Use critical analysis skills to understand, interpret, and tackle Complex moments in History Historical moments in context Global relationships of ideas, people & places Political Concepts Innovative Ideas Multimedia approach to connect with history & link the readings & themes with time frames Movies Television Music Video Games

25. Keep notes on all readings and lectures Different forms and styles of note taking Various assignments will involve note taking Notes will be checked periodically Note taking is part of class participation Will contribute to the in-class portion of your grade Will contribute to the participation portion of your grade as well. Note Taking

26. 1st Term : Shakespeare & Independence (Excellence) Readings The Canterbury Tales The Shakespeare Stealer Romeo and Juliet The Taming of the Shrew Media The Knights Tale Shakespeare in Love Romeo + Juliet 10 Things I Hate About You Themes, Readings & Media

27. 2nd Term: War & Community (Compassion) Readings The Diary of Anne Frank Twenty and Ten Maus: My Father Bleeds History (Graphic Novel) Maus: And Here My Troubles Began(Graphic Novel) Resistance: Book 1 Number The Stars The Things They Carried Media Anne Frank Hogan’s Heros The Great Escape Hollywood and the Holocaust Themes, Readings & Media

28. 3rd Term: Personal Rights & Responsibility (Integrity) Readings The Bicentennial Man / I, Robot The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas Harrison Bergeron The Lottery The Time Machine Media The Bicentennial Man The Lottery The Time Machine Themes, Readings & Media

29. Daily class questions Daily in-class writing assignments WILL NOTleave the classroom IS confidential Read another student’s notebook and there WILL be serious ramifications including but not limited to detention, suspension & expulsion In Class Notebooks

30. Homework is given for the week on the first day the class meets The majority of homework will be submitted online Any homework which is due in class will be noted Work Due In-class will be due when stated Online discussion groups are part of homework for this course Assignments more then 24 hours late will not be accepted online and arrangements must be made with the teacher for any exception Major assignments/projects may span several weeks. Daily homework assignments are posted to the website on Mondays Homework Assignments

31. Throughout the course of the year extra credit opportunities will be presented and you will be able to take advantage of this provided you have a passing grade already. Extra Credit

32. Grading will be based on 5 categories as follows : Homework Tests & Quizzes In-Class Writing & Participation Projects Online Discussion Participation GradingPolicies

34. Read & Review with your parents Sign & return Fill out the Info Sheet on the back Sign & return Academic Integrity & Honesty

35. Daily Points are rewards you get for various activities in class. Daily Points are not given for turning in assignments or completing projects Daily Points do not contribute to your grade – they are in addition to assignment grade points 1 Daily Point is rewarded for each daily question Those who go above and beyond the assignment parameter may receive additional points In-class writing assignments are not optional and will have an impact on your grade Daily Points…

36. Once every week you will be able to redeem your Daily Points for various rewards, including: Food items Candy Class coupons “Get Out of One Homework Assignment” “Change Seats to Sit Closer to a Friend” “Choose a Lunchtime Movie” Store redeemable certificates Xbox live or PlayStation network cards Other rewards to be determined Rewards…

37. Once a month you will have the opportunity to play “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” in order to earn extra DP You must buy in with 10 DP in order to participate Questions will be a review of the previous weeks lessons along with general knowledge questions Millionaire…

38. Come to my room any time Lunchtime movies on Tuesday & Thursday Via my email rsperling@parkerschool.net Immediate attention after 4pm Use my Twitter @RockyAtParker Any questions posted on Twitter will be answered by 9 pm that day Check the twitter page for Assignment Updates, Changes, or Announcements about the class. Email: rsperling@parkerschool.net Twitter:@RockyAtParker Phone: 808-885-7933 ext 127 Communication