Editorial Due Date Extension--December 17th/18th!

We passed back the rough draft of editorials almost a month ago. We've had mini-lessons (with time for writing) on many areas: leads, conclusions, elaboration, citing sources, punctuation, organization, transitions, word/sentence variety, and even homophones. Now it's time to show how you've applied those lessons to your editorial.

Due to the Benchmark testing, we've extended the due date for the final draft of the Editorials. This assignment is now due on December 17th (a day) and December 18th (b day).

There are four required pieces to turn in:

• the final, beautiful, typed draft with a Works Cited (see rubric below)
• the original rough draft with teacher feedback slippey-doo.
• any revisions made along the way, typed or on looseleaf paper, and any evidence of conferences during the full month of classroom writing workshop time.
• the rubric (currently located in student sourcebook)

Editorial Final Drafts are due 12/15(A) 12/16(B)

For the next two weeks, we will be working on revising our Editorials. While revising your Editorial, you should think about the writing lessons we have already had: Leads for an Essay, SEEPS Elaboration, Conclusions, Organizing your Editorial, Citing Sources, and Formatting your Editorial. Don't forget to use your rubric as a guide. Remember they must be typed (12 pt, Times New Roman font, double spaced). We can't wait to read your revised work! Below are the requirements for a top score (from the rubric).

Lead introduces subject, and immediately engages the reader’s interest, impelling continued reading by using one of these leads: anecdote, quotation, quicklist, shocking statistic, sensory details, or concession.

The thesis skillfully and clearly presents the writer's claim, and the reasons in the best order.

Details, reasons, examples, and anecdotes are skillfully intertwined to elaborate thoroughly on each point. Support is substantial, specific, concrete, relevant, and/or illustrative.

All sentences sound natural and are easy-on-the-ear when read aloud. Each sentence is clear and has an obvious emphasis. Word choice is precise, powerful, and appropriate.

Information is purposefully organized into a structure that is appropriate to the needs and interests of a specified audience. Effective transitions enhance the reader's understanding of your position. The other side's best argument is appropriately acknowledged and then refuted.

Ends with a clear, satisfying sense of closure (a quote, question, reflection, prediction, etc.) that strongly persuades the reader and reinforces the writer's position on the issue.

All information gathered (interviews, pictures, facts, quotes) is cited correctly in the text and with a correctly formatted MLA Works Cited Page. Sources of information are credible and relevant.

Text is free of errors in sentence structure, punctuation, usage, and spelling. Careful proofreading is evident.

Paper is formatted correctly and easy to read. Your name is typed in the upper right hand corner of the paper. Title, if any, is no larger than 14-size font at the top and center of the page. Title may be in bold. (No separate cover page allowed.) Typed, (not bold, not italicized) Times New Roman size 12, double-spaced (correctly). Margins are appropriate: size (1”).

Digital Sticky Note: Literary Luminary--Due before November 12, 9 PM

We have just assigned our first digital sticky note assignment.

The Duval County Technology Standards require that : Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences. and students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.

So, we're starting with something small: one response, identifying and explaining the effectiveness of a literary technique in the book you are currently reading. Here are the directions we shared in class:


1. Read your book and find an example of a literary technique. (You can still use an actual sticky note for this part.)
2. In a Word document (or any word processing program), type your title, author, and page number. Then, type the passage and response. Use your spell check tool and review your work for content errors.
3. Go to the response blog: izzojacksonresponses.blogspot.com. Then, select the response post for your class. Click on the “comments” link.
4. Paste your passage and response in the box.
5. Under the “choose an identity” heading, select the Name/URL button. Enter your first name, last initial, and class period. Ex: Bethany T, 1A
6. Then, click the orange “publish your comment” button.



Your response will then be saved (but not visible on the blog) until one of the ELA teachers "approves" it and publishes it. Most responses will be published within 24 hours. You will receive your grade later in class. You will be graded on

• the insightfulness of your response,
• the accuracy of the literary technique you've identified,
• mechanical correctness/spelling (proofreading), and
• correctly formatting your response.

If you do not have access to the internet or to a computer, please see your teacher for a pass to use one of our computers in the morning or you may stay after on Monday, November 3rd to use a computer. Some class time will be offered for completing the response as well.

We look forward to reading our first paperless assignment!

Character Analyst is due on 10/22(B) and 10/23 (A)

Directions for Character Analyst
Your job is to pay attention to how the writer develops character.
Find three different passages (one per sticky) that reveal three of these methods of characterization:
•what the character says about him/herself,
•what the character's actions and choices tell you,
•what other characters say about him/her, OR
•what the author tells us directly about the character’s personality.
Then, explain what conclusions you make about the character’s personality from the passage. Make sure you identify a personality trait and explain why it's important to know that your character has that particular trait.

For a complete assignment, you will need to have 6 notes: 3 character analyst notes, 1 word wizard, 1 connection, and 1 summary. You also need to read 50-150 pages and 90 minutes.

SAMPLES

Progress Reports are going home Thursday, 10/9 and Friday, 10/10

Progress Reports
To update students and parents, we are sending progress reports home this week. We're nearing the end of the quarter, but there are still three grades that can help improve your final average: SN#3 (Questioner), Sourcebook Check, and Book Card Check. Students who are missing work will need to turn in the late work and conference with us before Tuesday, October 21. Morning and afternoon conferences are scheduled by appointment.

Jackson's 4b--A picture

Questioner Sticky Notes Set (SNS #3) --due 10/9 and 10/10

Your job is to write and answer THREE questions, using the QAR strategy, that would promote discussion. TAS—Think and Search. This is a question that requires the reader to search for evidence throughout the reading passage or book. Question stem: What evidence (or clues) do we have that...? To answer the question, you need three examples (at least one must be a quote). AAM—Author and Me. This question requires you to read the text and form opinions, make inferences and connections, or predict events based on evidence. The reader can answer the question with ideas derived from the book (AUTHOR), but must also use his own knowledge and experience (ME). In your answer, you must use at least one quote from the text. Note: Do not ask the author the question. OMO--On My Own. The reader is inspired to ask a question about a theme or issue. The reader can answer the question without reading or rereading the text. In fact, anyone could answer the question, even without reading the passage or book. However, the book inspires you to wonder about this issue. Answer the question first, then explain how the book/passage made you wonder about this issue. You may use a quote to show what inspired your thoughts. Note: There should not be any character names mentioned in an OMO question.

SN#2 (Visualizer) is due on 9/25 (A) & 9/26 (B)

VISUALIZER DIRECTIONS:

Your job is to select a passage from the text that is full of details that paint a picture in your mind. Then, create a visual representation that illustrates specific details of the quote. It should be obvious to the “viewer” how the picture relates to the quote. If necessary, you may add words to the picture to help others understand it. The picture must have color.
Then, write a response that answers one or two of these questions: How is this passage important to the text? What real place or person did you picture while sketching? Why did you choose this scene to illustrate? Why did you choose to draw it the way you did? What parts were difficult to capture in your drawing? What did drawing it help you see differently? Who would you cast in the roles if this were turned into a movie? Why? (This could be famous people or classmates.) How would you design the set and lighting if this were a play? Explain your plan.

Don't forget you need to read at least 50-150 pages and record an hour and a half of reading. Use the bookmark on the back of the rubric to document your reading.

This assignment is due next week: 9/25 (A) and 9/26 (B)

Sticky Note Assignment #1 (Conflict Catcher) Due on 9/15 (A) and 9/16 (B)

It's homework time! In class, we've practiced several reading strategies: connection, word wizard, summary, and conflict. Now, it's your turn to try these strategies on your own, with your own reading. Remember you will turn in six total sticky notes: 3 conflict catcher notes, 1 connection, 1 word wizard, and 1 summary note.

In case you forget the requirements for any of the strategies, we've listed them below. For an extra copy of the rubric/bookmark, visit the handout bin in the classroom. Eventually, we'll make copies available to print at home.

CONFLICT CATCHER

Your job is to identify THREE types of conflict from the story or novel.
For each note, copy the passage that reveals the type of conflict:
human vs. human, human vs. self, human vs. society, OR human vs. nature.
Then, for each note, explain how the passage reveals the type of conflict. You must identify one of the conflicts as the main conflict of the story or novel and explain how this conflict drives the plot.
Your explanation and the support for your explanation must be detailed and must refer to the passage.

WORD WIZARD
Everyone’s job is to find one new or interesting word from your book. First, copy the sentence from which the word was found, and underline the word. Then, copy the definition from a dictionary (online or regular).
Want to go above and beyond? You could also include
-The word’s origin, or the stems/roots/prefixes/suffixes that make up the word.

-Other words that connect to that word because of meaning, sound, or common roots.

-Context clues that helped you figure out the meaning.
-What you thought the word meant before looking it up.
-How the word connects to the writer’s style.

CONNECTION

Each reader will make one connection between the book and our world.
Text to text: Compare the text to another book or even another kind of text like a movie or TV show. You must explain the connection and then explain how the connection has deepened your understanding of the text or enhanced your reading in some way.
Text to world: Compare the text to something happening in the world: a historical event, a current event, or an issue that affects society and the world community. Explain the connection and what you know about the event and then explain how the connection helps you better understand the book or the world event/issue.
Text to self: Compare a character in the book to yourself or compare an event in the book to something that has happened to you or someone you know personally. It may help to think about a time you have had similar feelings to the character or been in a similar situation. Explain the connection and then explain how the connection has deepened your understanding of the text or enhanced your reading in some way.

One Life, Six Words--What's yours?

Recently, we've been writing six word memoirs to decorate our folders. The folders will become a reading/writing portfolio where we'll keep all graded work. We love what you've come up with so far.

Want to share your memoir?

Post a comment (don't forget to use first name and last initial only).

Here are our examples:

Fear change, love change, always changing.
~Mrs. Izzo
Attempted normal life, still got surprises.
~Mrs. Jackson

The Bradbury Letter

Eighth graders in the Advanced and Gifted Language Arts classes at LaVilla will study the short stories and novels of the celebrated American writer, Ray Bradbury (1920- ). His writing style, advanced vocabulary, and original ideas challenge our students and inspire engaging classroom discussions.
In the next few weeks, your student will have the choice of one of Bradbury’s novels to read as part of our author study. Students will read the books in preparation for regularly scheduled small group discussions with students who have chosen the same book. The eighth grade teachers will lead whole class discussions of his work and we will facilitate discussion of particular issues in the small groups. The three books from which students may choose are listed below.

· Dandelion Wine, published in 1947. Short interconnected stories that reflect Bradbury’s all-American childhood growing up in Illinois. (ISBN #0553277537)
· Fahrenheit 451, published in 1953. A novel, now considered to be a classic, which presents a futuristic world in which firemen burn books instead of putting out fires. (ISBN# 0345342968)
· The Martian Chronicles, published in 1950. A series of stories exploring the possibilities and problems with a future colonization of Mars. (ISBN# 0553278223)

We are requesting your permission for your student to read one (or all) of these books. Although written in the 1950’s, the issues Bradbury explores include censorship, racism, the dangers of technology, and end of life as we know it. He uses some mature language to realistically explore these themes and acknowledge the presence of these issues in our society. These books are all in circulation in middle school media centers and at the public library. Any member of the 8th grade Language Arts team would be happy to discuss the books with you. We can also discuss which book would be most appropriate for your child. In fact, some of the titles are suitable for classroom use even without parental permission.
Finally, it would be helpful if each student purchases his/her own copy of the book, once assigned. Because we don’t have enough books for every child to check one out and read at home, we usually share and rotate books between classes so that each student has access to the texts during the school day. Having his/her own copy of the books makes it easier to keep up with the assigned reading and allows students to make notes directly on the pages of his/her book.
This author study has been challenging and popular with our students in the past. We are excited to begin this year. Thank you for the opportunity to read and learn with your students.



Please check one of the boxes below and return this portion by Thursday, August 28th (A day classes) or Friday, August 29th (B day classes). A copy of this letter is available at www.lavilla8ela.blogspot.com.
____ My child may read the books for the Ray Bradbury author study.

____ I’d like to discuss the options available for my child. Please contact me by phone number or e-mail: __________________________________________.

Please Print:
Student Name: _______________________

Parent/Guardian Name: ______________________________


Parent/Guardian Signature: ______________________________________

Summer Reading

Do you want to get ahead on your 25 books for the 08-09 school year? Start here! We even have a form, which is optional, to help you keep up with your reading. You can download copies of that form here. You can also use our bookmark to help you keep up with reading and page numbers. Keep track of the page numbers, the dates you finish the books plus the title and author so you can get credit for all your summer reading. Get a parent signature for each book read as well. Happy summer reading! Note: While every book you read this summer will count toward your 25 book goal, there is no summer reading assignment.

Eighth Grade Reading List:

Title/Author/Pages
Something Upstairs/Avi/128 pages
Milkweed/Jerry Spinelli/208 pages
Wanted/Caroline Cooney/240 pages
Ghost Boy/Iain Lawrence/326 pages
Artemis Fowl/Eoin Colfer/277 pages
Stones in Water/Donna Jo Napoli /209 pages
House of the Scorpion/Nancy Farmer/400 pages
The Ear, the Eye and the Arm/Nancy Farmer/320 pages
Monster/Walter Dean Myers/288 pages
Olive's Ocean /Kevin Henkes/ 217 pages
Crispin: Cross of Lead/ Avi/ 310 pages
Crispin: At the Edge of the World/ Avi /240 pages
Ender's Game/Orson Scott Card/336 pages
Goose Girl/ Shannon Hale/383 pages
Flush/Carl Hiaasen/272 pages
The Golden Compass/Philip Pullman/351 pages

Farewell 8th Graders

We're cleaning up, packing our rooms, and missing you already. It's been a wonderful year. Even during the last week of school we learned more about you when you shared your summer goals. Many of you have a busy summer ahead of you. Enjoy your break and good luck accomplishing all those goals.

Info about awards: If you were honored at the award ceremony, but didn't get your certificate, you may pick it up in the main office. The office is open Monday-Thursday from 7:00 am-3:00 pm.

Final exams, poetry, important dates, and more

EXAMS:

It's that time of year again. District exams begin next week and LaVilla finals are coming up starting on May 27. If you want to get a jump start on studying for our language arts exam, you should check out the following study guide.

The exam will include multiple choice, true/false, and short response questions.
-Reading strategies (Questioner, Connector, Passage Picker, Visualizer)
-Writing Strategies (Leads, Conclusions, elaboration, transitions, etc)
-Timed Writing Strategies (four square, how to read a prompt, etc)
-Literary Techniques (Simile, metaphor, alliteration, etc)
-Test taking strategies (FCAT Reading Test)
-Life is Beautiful (main characters, examples of irony, historical details)
-Your lit circle book
-Introduction to Poetry and how to interpret a poem (Tone, audience, purpose, speaker, etc) (This lesson will be taught next week.)

POETRY:

April was National Poetry Month and unfortunately, we didn't celebrate or commemorate it in any way. We're making up for it in May and we will be sharing some of our favorite poets and poems with you in class. It's also nice that you can count the poems you read toward your twenty-five book total. Twenty poems roughly equal a book so keep track of the ones you read (and be able to recall the poem and say something insightful about it.)

We also want to share links to some of the websites we use to find poems for teaching--and for enjoying on our own.
Poetry 180--The poetry initiatiative created by Billy Collins when he was Poet Laureate.
Favorite Poem Project--The poetry iniative created by Robert Pinsky when he was Poet Laureate.
Poems for Teaching from the Academy of American Poets--A nice collection of poems available online and elsewhere that are perfect for the discussions we've been having in class. You might also like the broader website for the Academy of American Poets.

Enjoy the poems and be sure to tell us which ones you like!

IMPORTANT DATES:

May 19-May 22: District Exams

May 27-May 30: LaVilla Final Exams

May 27-May 30: Sourcebook checks begin this week (See table of contents below)

May 31: Eighth Grade Dance

A DAY TABLE OF CONTENTS

B DAY TABLE OF CONTENTS

Sticky Note Madness

Literature circle discussions start this week.

For each discussion you need six sticky notes.

Four Role Notes:

Click on the following links for the role requirements
Connector

Visualizer

Passage Picker

Questioner

Download the full sticky note guide here.

Additional requirements:

One Wild Card Response per meeting
–Meeting One: Authentic Setting
–Meeting Two: An example of advanced punctuation technique.
–Meeting Three: An example of one of the lit techniques we’ve studied: alliteration, simile, metaphor, sensory language…
–Meeting Four: An interesting fact about the real place or time period of your book. You may use the Internet but include the source.
One Word Wizard response per meeting
–Copy the quote. Underline the word.
–What did you think it meant from context clues?
–What was the actual definition?

To view the literature circle discussion dates click here.

Formatting Your Feature Article

Rough Draft Conferences and the calendar

Each of you has signed up for your individual rough draft conference. At this meeting, you'll get credit for pulling together the basic parts of your article. You will also get the feedback needed to help you do well on the final draft, which has a much more thorough rubric. (You'll get a copy in your sourcebook.) Here are the basic requirements for your conference.

You must be ready on your conference day to get the full credit.

Present a complete draft at scheduled conference time: ____/10

Article is typed with columns, callouts, graphics, etc. ________/10

Proofreading for typos and errors is obvious. ________/5

The byline is typed and placed appropriately ________/5

Article has three subheadings, title and subtitle ________/5

Article has at least 5 quotes from several sources ________/5

Student has attempted an engaging lead ________/5

Student has attempted a satisfying sense of closure ________/5

As soon as your conference is finished, use the feedback you receive to rewrite, revise, and craft your draft into a final, polished piece. See the calendar below for all the important dates.

Parent Permission: Historical Fiction Literature Circles

This permission slip (below) was sent home on Monday and Tuesday with a quick due date of Wednesday and Thursday. If you;ve lost your letter, print this out and get it signed instead. We can't wait to jump into another round of literature circles.

We will soon begin another round of literature circles. This time, our study will focus on historical fiction. Reading novels from specific historical periods provides an excellent opportunity to study setting, characterization, and plot development while broadening their understanding of social issues and historical events. Your student will have the choice of several middle-school appropriate titles from a variety of historical periods that include slavery, the Holocaust, the Civil Rights movement, as well as periods of disease, poverty, or war. We are requesting your permission for your student to read one of these books. There is some mature language used as each writer attempts to accurately portray the historical events of each period. These books are all in circulation in middle school media centers and at the public library. We will be discussing the writer’s choices of language and the events of the novels with each group. The titles of the books are listed below. Different classes will have access to different choices based on availability and reading levels.

Across Five Aprils, Irene Hunt
A War Torn Sky, L.M. Elliott
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Bette Smith
Fever 1793, Laurie Halse Anderson
My Brother Sam is Dead, James L. Collier/Christopher Collier
My Name is Asher Lev, Chaim Potok
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Mildred Thompson
Soldier Boys by Dean Hughes
Soldier X by Don Wulffman
The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
The Glory Field, Walter Dean Myers
The House of Dies Drear, Virginia Hamilton
To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
The Year of the Hangman, Gary Blackwood

We will also watch a film that enhances our reading and gives us the chance to meet the state standards in speaking, listening, and viewing. Many literary techniques are easily observed in the “text” of a film. The film we would like to show is Life is Beautiful (La Vita E Bella), an Italian film that won three Academy awards--best actor, best foreign film, best music (for Nicola Piovani’s original dramatic score). In this film, an Italian man chooses to hide the atrocities of the Holocaust from his young son by pretending that they are playing an elaborate game. His intention is to ensure that, for his son, life will always be beautiful. Much of the movie actually takes place in Italy, developing the main character and showing the love and happiness of their family before they are sent to the concentration camp. It is rated PG-13 for Holocaust-related thematic elements but because it is often viewed through the eyes of a child, there are not graphic depictions of violence or death. In the past, our students have been moved by this powerful and sensitive movie. We hope that you will trust us to discuss these issues thoughtfully and professionally. We have attended special workshops to ensure that our teaching of Holocaust issues is appropriate and sensitive. Please call us if you would like more information about the film. It is readily available at any video store or the public library if you would like to preview it yourself.



My child, _________________________________________, (student name) may read the books and view the movie for the Historical Fiction Literature Circle Study.

Parent/Guardian Name: _________________________________________ (please print)

Parent/Guardian Signature: ______________________________________

If you have concerns or reservations, please contact your child’s Language Arts teacher at the extensions or e-mails listed below. We can answer your questions and make recommendations about alternate choices for your student. Please return this part of the form by April 9th (b day)and 10th (a day), 2008.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Izzo and Mrs. Jackson

Homework: Bibliography/Works Cited

Last week, we bagan working on an assignment in class that is due on 3/26 for B day students and 3/27 for a day students. basically, you'll read six articles --at least three different angles--and write a summary. The specifics are on your slippey-doo and listed below.

How to do the assignment:

1. Read a magazine feature article. You can tell it's a feature article by looking at the table of contents. These are usually at least 2 pages long.

2. After you read the article, record the following information about the article:
Magazine name:
Month/Year of publication:(When was it published?)
Article Title:
Author of article:
From page ____ to page ____.

3. Then, write an annotation for the article. To do that, first fill in the blanks of this sentence--This was a _______________ type of article written for an audience of ___________ on the topic of ___________________.
To finish your annotation, write a couple of sentences explaining what you liked about the article and something you learned from reading it.

Here's a sample entry.
Gaffney, Timothy R. "Assault on Mars." Boys Life Sept. 1997: 24-26.
This was an informational type of article written for an audience of teen boys on the topic of Mars exploration and life on Mars. I liked the article because the graphics and informational captions made it interesting to read. I learned that scientists have three pieces of evidence that lead them to believe there was once life on Mars. They think it was once warmer on Mars and that water once flowed there. Also, they found meteorites that have microscopic shapes that look like fossils of germs.

4. Do this process five more times. (You must read a total of six articles. You must read at least three different types of articles. The tyes or angles are How to, Informational, Critique/Evaluation, Travel, Personality Profile, and Personal Experience.

5. Next, go to http://www.easybib.com/ and begin entering your information. Don't forget to click "yes" for annotations. You can do this part one entry at a time, as you read each article, or you can do the entire bibliography after you've read all your articles.

6. Next, click the blue text that says "Save list as Word (rtf)." This will make it a document that you can open with Word, or any other word processing program. Check it over for misspellings and completeness. It should look like the one below when you "Print Preview."

Make sure you don't change the type of font, the size of the font the color of the font, or the title. This would make your Works Cited have the wrong format.

This assignment will be graded based on content, completion, and format. Follow the directions carfully and you'll do well.

This assignment is due right before Spring Break and will count as the first grade of the fourth quarter. Can you believe it's the fourth quarter already?

Mrs. Jackson's 3b and 4b classes only: a new due date

This entry is for Mrs. Jackson's 3b and 4b classes only (or any students in the gifted program at other times of the day).
Your bookmark is due on March 5 due to the NASA field trip. Gifted classes have a different due date and a different plot structure for the plot bookmark assignment. It is called the Plot Snake, created by Dr. Allen Tilley.
Here are the directions:
PLOTSNAKE BOOKMARK DIRECTIONS
Choose a short story from your textbook or another collection.
Identify and explain the type of conflict. Include a quote that helped you decide the type of conflict in your book.
On your plot snake diagram explain what is happening at each stage.
Answer the questions for each stage. Provide a quote and page number that demonstrates your explanation.
After you finish your story, continue reading your current book and document the time and pages. You are still required to read 90 minutes and 50-150 pages. Due date: March 5
Here's the diagram and the questions.

Plot Bookmark (Due 2/28, B and 2/29, A)

It's homework time! In class we will be discussing plot soon, and then you will need to complete a plot bookmark.

Plot Bookmark Directions

-- Choose a short story from your textbook or another collection.
--Identify and explain the type of conflict. Include a quote that helped you decide the type of conflict in your book.
-- On your plot diagram explain what is happening at each stage.
--Answer one of the questions for each stage (see below). Provide a quote and page number that demonstrates your explanation.
--After you finish your story, continue reading your current book and document the time and pages. You are still required to read 90 minutes and 50-150 pages.

Due date: 2/28 (B) 2/29 (A)

duvalschools.org

We've got a new e-mail address. Please update your address books. We are excited about this shorter e-mail address that lets parents and students know exactly who we are.



Mrs. Izzo: izzok@duvalschools.org

Mrs. Jackson: jacksonm3@duvalschools.org

Books, and Dances, and Field Trips: Oh My!

BOOKS
We've just passed out Scholastic book catalogs. We'll send in the order on Friday, January 25th. Students can bring in the order form filled out with a check or cash. Alternately, parents can enter the order online and send the credit card information directly to Scholastic. To do this option, go to this website: http://pcool.scholastic.com/parentordering/login.jsp. You'll need to log-in using the information below.

Jackson's students: lavillajackson password: marbles
Izzo's students: lavillaizzo password: marbles

Students in our 1b class can use Mrs. Jackson's log-in (lavillajackson). Students in our 3a class can use Mrs. Izzo's login (lavillaizzo). The book orders will still be delivered directly to the classroom.

The Eighth Grade Trip

Bring $65 - cash or money order in a sealed envelope. On the envelope, write:

• your name,



• t-shirt size and



• bus number (1,2,3 or 4).

Turn the envelope into Ms. Chantal Graham in the main office before school. Deadline is February 29, 2008!

We take four coaches. Get with your friends and decide which bus you all want to be on – 1, 2, 3 or 4. (We reserve the right to change your seat if the buses fill up.)

Bring your own money for food and souvenirs.

Students with three or more discipline referrals will not be allowed to attend. (This does not include Tardy or ID referrals.

Annual pass holders still have to pay $35 for the bus.

You do not have to stay with the chaperone, just check-in at designated times

Dress Code-the official t-shirt must be worn at all times. You may wear a bathing suit under the shirt.

The Eighth Grade Dance: Kaleidoscope

$10 Cash or Money Order
To pay, place money in a sealed envelope labeled with:
Your name
8th grade dance ticket money
Name of your Language Arts teacher
Turn into Ms. Chantal Graham in the front office before school.
Receipts will be returned through the langauge Arts teachers. Official tickets will be sent one week before the dance.


Who can go?
Any LaVilla 8th grader
Who cannot go?
•Any other LaVilla Student
•A student from another school
•A LaVilla 8th grader with three or more discipline referrals. (Does not include tardy or ID.)


Suggested dress is funky-fabulous!
or as we like to call it,
K a l e i d o s c o p i c Dress Code Approved.


A professional photographer will be in attendance. You will soon receive a flyer with her prices for different packages. Money is due to her at the dance. (Do not turn into teachers.)
Any questions see Ms.Malkewitz in the tech room #129A

Editorial Final Drafts Due 1/14(B) 1/15(A)

EXTRA, EXTRA! Read all about it!
You have an opportunity to earn 10 bonus points if you turn your final draft in on time. They are due next week (1/14, B day and 1/15, A day). These bonus points can improve the grade you earned on the first draft. The actual final draft grade will count in the third quarter average.

As you revise, don't forget to apply all the feedback we provided on your first draft. Also, consider the lessons we've had in the past week: word variety, transitions, and weaving in a variety of support. Don't forget to create a works cited page using easybib.com. To view our original entry on editorials, click here.