Greensburg Salem Middle School 2010-2011

1. Greensburg Salem Middle School2010-2011 Miss Zeglin Language Arts 7th Grade House A Room 261

2. Welcome Students! • Language arts is the study of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. • We will read and write every single class period!

3. About Me • From Greensburg • Graduate of Edinboro University of PA in 1999 • Certified to teach art, social studies, and English in PA • Taught in Bangladesh and Egypt • 4th full year at GSMS

4. Curriculum Goals • Improve reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills in language arts according to PA state standards. • Use the Holt textbook series as a skills-based approach to language arts. • Prepare students for Reading PSSAs. • Foster a life-long love of reading. • Study spelling through student writing • Study grammar and usage to improve writing.

5. Class Information • Students will be evaluated through in-class writing, projects, quizzes, exams, Accelerated Reader, and cooperative learning activities. • Progress notices can be checked online. If you would like to request a paper grade report, please let me know via email. • Aside from daily reading, regular homework will not be given. However, if you were absent or tardy, you will be responsible for the missed assignments. • Students should still study for exams and read at home on a regular basis.

6. Language Arts Grading Scale A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

7. Holt Rinehart WinstonElements of LiteratureFirst Course http://go.hrw.com/gopages/index.html *To use the online textbook: USERNAME: gs+”student ID # PASSWORD: student ID # Students can reread stories, listen to stories, and much more on the online book.

8. Accelerated Reader Program Each quarter, students need to earn ten or more AR points. Students are given time in class and homeroom to read. However, students should be reading at home. In 7th grade, students are not required to complete reading logs. Students may go to the library every morning in homeroom, except Wednesday. On Wednesdays, students read silently in homeroom.

9. Class Rules 1. Raise your hand and wait to be recognized before speaking. 2. Sit and remain in your assigned seat unless you have permission to move. 3. Keep your hands, feet, and objects to yourself. 4. Use appropriate language at all times. 5. Be respectful to all.

10. 2010-2011 Highlights • Focus on turning all students into life long readers • Grammar is taught through student writing • PSSAs for reading • 40 Book Reading Challenge • Novel: The Giver in May • Field trip to Kennywood for math • New approach to studying spelling

11. Contact Information • *Email: mzeglin@wiu.k12.pa.us • Phone: 724-832-2930 Please check my GSMS website for additional information and handouts: http://www.greensburgsalem.org/2220207114155217/site/default.asp

12. Questions?

13. Whole Brain Teaching What is Power Teaching? (Now WBT) Power teaching is a teaching technique that gets students engaged and thinking. It is a free "idea" that was developed by some teachers in California a few years ago.  I have put my own spin on it to make it work in my 7th grade classroom.  It is free and fun to implement but teachers need to have a lot of energy and enthusiasm. Basically, it is a call and response techniquewhere students have to talk and respond.  Students are asked to repeat new information to his/her neighbor.  When students retell that information in his/her own words, they process that information.  Power teaching also encourages students to use gestures to express ideas and thoughts.  Power teachers use five simple rules as guidelines for students. We have a scoreboard in class to keep track of students' positive participation.  Each week, the class with the best score gets a small prize. 

14. More about Whole Brain Teaching From one of my former students: "My teacher, Miss Zeglin, is using Power Teaching in our classroom. I think Power Teaching is a great way to teach because Power Teaching keeps me active and always focused on the goal at hand. At the beginning of the school year before my teacher started Power Teaching, she went by the classic way of teaching. Meaning that students raised their hand and would wait to get called on. Most of the time, I never got called on because we would move on. Then, she started Power Teaching and everyone was involved. Unlike the old way to teach, you get to interact with your neighboring student. For example, Miss Zeglin would teach us something and she would say, "Teach!" and we would say, "Okay!" and clap. Then, we would turn to our neighbor and discuss what we just learned. That way if I missed something my neighbor would tell me and everyone would get his or her answer answered." -A student from period 4 http://www.powerteachers.net/ http://www.powerteachers.net/index.php?/Power-Teaching/power-teachers-of-america.html

15. Donations *We are always accepting donations of used young adult books and magazines. *If you have any old pens or pencils, I will gladly accept them for student use. *Hand sanitizer donations would also be appreciated! Thank you!