Welcome Welcome Parents!Parents!

Bigelow Middle School

Newton Public Schools

Cluster C English ProgramCluster C English Program

Rebecca Robles, M.A.T.

Bigelow Middle School

Newton, Massachusetts

September 2008

rebecca-robles@newton.k12.ma.us

(617) 552-7800 ext. 2119

Major ThemesMajor Themes

DiversityThe Southern ExperiencePersonal ResponsibilitySocial ResponsibilityThe HeroComing of Age/Loss of InnocenceAwareness of Good and Evil

Major Units of StudyMajor Units of Study Poetry/Poets’ Corner Autobiography/Biography The Essay-Part I --Essay Structure -- Personal Essay -- Literary Critique -- Book Review -- Young Adult Novel

Year-long Essential QuestionsYear-long Essential Questions

I. How do individuals respond to challenge and struggle?

II. How do individuals confront prejudice?

III. What is identity? “How do I define myself?”

FictionFiction

.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

by Mildred D. Taylor;

Puffin, 1996.

FictionFiction

BiographyBiography

Langston Hughes: An Interdisciplinary Biography

by Fredric Lown;

J Weston Walch, 1997.

The Miracle Worker

by William Gibson;

Bantam Books, 1964.

Miss Keller sits next to a radio in her home in Forest Hills, New York. She is reaching out to touch the radio speaker, circa 1927.

© 1998-99 AFB. All rights reserved.

DramaDrama

Student centered projects that provide children opportunities to use critical thinking skills, make decisions, and collaborate with their peers.

Some titles include Dragonwings/Yep, Call of the Wild/London, and Nothing But

The Truth/Avi.

Literature CirclesLiterature Circles

Independent ReadingIndependent Reading

Book projects/reviews will cover the following genre:

Fiction Historical fiction Biography Non-fiction

WritingWriting

There are three major writing workshops/units throughout the year:

Proper composition (multi-paragraph/essay) Open response Creative writing

The Write Source 2000 HandbookThe Write Source 2000 Handbook

A student reference handbook that offer assistance on the writing and learning process.

Daily Oral LanguageDaily Oral Language

For five to ten minutes several days a week, students review and reinforce basic skills in the areas of spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar and usage.

redbank.injersey.com/kids.html

AssessmentAssessment

Major/minor writing assignments. Rubrics are aligned with the ELA frameworks.

Reading Log Daily Oral Language / classwork Tests, quizzes, and projects Effort is always taken into consideration.

AssessmentAssessment