Dear Parents, Welcome to Class 703. My name is Paula A.

Gallego and I am your childs ELA teacher for the 2012-2013 School Year. I would like to share some background information about myself and then share my expectations, beliefs, and some of the learning goals for this school year. This will be my 7th year teaching. I have five years of high school experience and I am thrilled to say that this is my second year as a middle school teacher. I have a Bachelors Degree in Secondary Education and English. Currently, I am enrolled in UNE for the Masters program in Leadership. Seventh Grade is a critical year for the students. Please keep in mind that this is the academic year that the high schools check for recruitment. This means that the grades that your child earns in ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies will determine which high school your child attends. Mission Statement: My mission is based on a deep commitment to provide rigorous learning opportunities so that all students can achieve at high levels. Through a community-wide social-emotional approach I offer a comprehensive instructional program that equips students with the knowledge and skills to enter high school focused on college and career readiness. Lets Ponder: How can our students become life learners? How can we make sure our students work to the best of their ability? Motivation! Motivation! & more Motivation! Motivation plays a big role in our lives. Therefore, I would like to outline my teaching philosophy, the structure of the classroom, and the learning goals for this academic school year:

Insight to our Classroom:

In class students will always ask the why of an outcome. In other words, if they do not ask questions, there will be a misconception and/or achievement gap. Example: Student fails ELA test; therefore student questions why he/she failed test. Then student finds results and rectifies test. This means make-up tests will be available. However, I will average the final grade of both tests. Also, if a student doesnt understand a concept, then student questions why again. If its because he/she is inattentive, then student rectifies behavior. However, if Im going too fast, then student must address issue. A Glimpse at our Fundamental Rules: Next, we will be role models and lead by example. This means we are a classroom of put ups and not put downs. Class activities will vary depending on the unit and/or skill. Tasks will be done independently, think-pair-share model, groups, or whole class instruction. It is important for students to learn how to cope with one another. Hence, in the real world, they will be faced with it. The grouping of students for tasks will also vary. On some days students will be in leveled groups also called as differentiated instruction and on other days we will be in mixed-ability groups. There are four types of tasks: Memory tasks (recognize material from the past or reproduce specific information), Procedural/Routine Tasks (Grammar assignments), Comprehension/Understanding Tasks (Making decisions based on prior knowledge or learned information) and Opinion Tasks (state opinion and feedback). Also each task will follow Blooms Taxonomy and Gardeners Multiple Intelligences, which are targeted learning skills with multiple ways of learning concepts. Lastly, we will compete with ourselves and not with one another. Our goal is to master the ELA strategies for our personal satisfaction. This means we will have personal and group goals for every quarter. If we master these goals, then we move on and establish new ones. However, if we dont, then we will work harder to accomplish our set goals.

Fundamental Rules: Ask why

 Be leaders and/or lead by example Set quarterly goals Be a team player Compete with thyself A Preview to the 7th Grade Performance Indicators: Recognize at sight a large body of words and specialized-content vocabulary Use multiple sources of information including context, to self-monitor, self-correct for word-reading accuracy Identify and analyze points of view presented in written texts Express opinions and support them through specific references to the text Use a variety of strategies to plan and organize ideas for writing such as keeping a list of topic ideas and a writers notebook, using graphic organizers, etc. Engage in variety of writing activities, both student and teacher initiated, in response to listening to literary and informational texts Support ideas with examples, definitions, analogies, and direct references to the text Grading Policy: Class work & Participation= 30% Exams= 50% (Make-ups are available) Homework= 10% Responsibilities= 10% Final Thought: Achieving Starts with Believing! Thank you,

Ms. Gallego