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Welcome to the 2009-2010 School Year.

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Loretta Vavrick and I am delighted to have you as part of my 8th grade English Program at BAMS. I have taught in the Capistrano Unified School District for over 20 years, most of those years at the middle school level, except for my two years at San Clemente High School. My experience at the high school level has helped me develop a strong program that focuses on preparing the 8th grade student for a successful transition into high school.

THE EIGHTH GRADE ENGLISH PROGRAM

The focus of English will be to implement the California Reading/Language Arts Standards by reviewing and reinforcing skills taught in previous grade levels and introducing and developing higher level thinking skills as they relate to:

STUDY SKILLS: Listening, thinking, organizational skills, and independent study habits.

GRAMMAR AND COMPOSITION: Review of sentence structure, standard grammar usage, basic skills of capitalization, punctuation, spelling, the parts of speech, and composition requiring practical writing skills such as paragraph development and letter writing. Students will be in a program focusing on the writing process. Special emphasis will be on poetry, short story, essay, and descriptive writing using the show not tell technique.

COMMUNICATION: Emphasis will be placed on the improvement of oral communication skills and the skills needed to accomplish a task within a group cooperatively.

DEVELOPMENTAL READING: Emphasis will be placed on increased reading comprehension and vocabulary development using techniques such as context clues and word structure. Spelling and research skills will also be stressed along with literary terms.

LITERATURE: Emphasis on the appreciation of good literature selection through the analysis of characterization, setting, plot, tone, theme and style. Literature selections will include technical writing, short stories, novels, poems, essays, and plays. The teaching of critical reading, thinking, writing, and speaking skills will be taught by pushing beyond the text through reflection, interpretation, evaluation, and speculation.

My expectations are high as each and every student will be encouraged to move beyond their current level and strive to develop higher-level reading, writing and thinking skills.

You will find School Loop to be a valuable tool in keeping apprised of current and long-range assignments, along with updated grades. It is important to check School Loop each night.   Information is  available daily for each class consisting of homework, assignments, due dates, contacting teachers via e-mail, and updated grades. . Please note that when you  click on an assignment on School Loop it will give you further information. In addition, assignments on the calendar may include both homework and work done (or to be done) in  class. Please contact the office if you have any questions on how School Loop works.

If you have any questions or need extra help I am always available.

Sincerely, Loretta Vavrick