Spring Classroom Update
37 more days school days!
Contact Ms. Hickman
8th Grade English Teacher
Email: haley.hickman@gcisd.net
Website: www.hickmanenglish.weebly.com
Phone: (817) 305 - 4790
Twitter: @Hickman_English
Unit 5: Voices and Comedy
We are in the midst of our final unit in 8th Grade English - Unit 5: Voices and Comedy. In this unit, students have been exploring different levels and types of comedy. This is in preparation for the embedded assessment: Writing an Analysis of a Humorous Text. For this essay, students will be given a humorous short story and be expected to analyze the elements of humor found within it, the thematic message, and the effect on the audience. This will be their final major essay of the year.
A Midsummer Night's Dream - a play by William Shakespeare
Beginning May 1st, Pre-AP students will be reading Shakespeare's well-known comedy, "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Each Pre-AP student will need his/her own copy of this play by that date. On-level students do NOT need this, as we will only be reading short excerpts of the play. Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, & Half Price Books are great resources for Pre-AP students who need to get a copy. Although they may get the original version that only has the text of the play, it is encouraged for them to get a "No Fear Shakespeare" or "Shakespeare Made Easy" version that has a Modern English Version side-by-side with the full original text. Since Shakespeare's use of language is complex, this would greatly enhance their understanding of the play. We will be reading this play in preparation for their Final Semester Exam at the end of May. For this, students will select one of the scenes from the play, adapt it into a modern version, memorize their lines, and perform it.
Video Permission Form
All students will watch clips from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" to help them with visualization before their performance. We will be playing the 1999 version of this film, which is rated PG-13. Please complete this form consenting permission for your student to view this film. If you do not want your student to view this version, on the days in class that it is shown, I will send them to a different room to watch the 1968 version instead. It has a lower rating, but is harder to follow.
Permission Form:
STAAR
Student took their English Reading STAAR on March 29th. We should have their results back in a few weeks!
Membean
As a reminder, students use Membean to learn new vocabulary. Each week, students must complete 2, 15 minute learning sessions, for a total of 30 minutes. These are due Sundays at midnight. Please help your students to keep up their diligence with this.
My Website
If you ever have a questions about what your student is doing in class, or when homework assignments are due, please check out our calendar on my website!
Also, all hardcopies of assignments from Google Classroom, handouts, and notes can be found on my website.
Wrapping it Up
As we finish up the school year, please begin to encourage your student to become more self-motivated and a self-advocate. These are essential skills that will help them in their transition into high school. They should be able keep track of deadlines with a calendar, keep an organized binder and backpack, complete tasks on time, stay on top of their grades and missing work through Skyward, and communicate effectively with teachers about their progress (for my class, this includes being able to ask for a reassessment when needed).
Please feel free to contact Ms. Hickman directly at haley.hickman@gcisd.net.