About me: I am a mother of three (2 boys and a girl), the wife of an Army veteran, and the youngest of 11 (yes you read that right!) children. I am a huge Steelers fan, so during football season you can expect to see black and gold everywhere!!! I love teaching and middle school is my favorite age group to work with! I am really looking forward to getting to know all of you as the year progresses. This is my second year teaching at Bassett, my first year teaching 8th grade social studies, and my second year teaching 8th grade Humanities. We may hit a few bumps along the road as I am still learning the ropes. Please bear with me and know that I am doing my best to make this a great year for all of us!!
About Social Studies: 8th grade studies American history from colonization through Reconstruction (after the Civil War). I will do my best to make this a year that inspires students to want to learn more about American history. I try to incorporate technology into my lessons and make them as interesting and interactive as possible. Students will take the social studies STAAR test near the end of the year. My goal is to help everyone pass the test.
About Humanities: The themes that we will study in Humanities this year include Challenge, Power, and Change. This year we will study American history and continue to improve our reading and writing skills. We will read several novels that will generally coincide with the time period we are studying. Some of the historical novels we will read will include A Break With Charity, Gone with the Wind, and Hiroshima. We also read a few novels that are not historical in nature, but will tie in to our themes for Humanities, such as The Once and Future King and Murder on the Orient Express. We will study colonial America, the American Revolution, and The Civil War. We will also work on a project for National History Day.
NHD: I am not going to lie to you....this project is HUGE! It is required and various grades throughout the year will come from your progress on the project. You can work individually or in small groups. Just remember that EVERYONE is responsible for the project whether you work alone or with a partner. Each of you will need to keep a binder, do the assignments, take notes on sources, and show me that you are contributing to the project. Class time will be provided to work on the project, but the majority of it will need to be completed on your own time. We will visit the UTEP library to help with your research, but again you will be expected to conduct most of the research on your own. Choose a topic and a group EARLY and WISELY!!!
About Social Studies: 8th grade studies American history from colonization through Reconstruction (after the Civil War). I will do my best to make this a year that inspires students to want to learn more about American history. I try to incorporate technology into my lessons and make them as interesting and interactive as possible. Students will take the social studies STAAR test near the end of the year. My goal is to help everyone pass the test.
About Humanities: The themes that we will study in Humanities this year include Challenge, Power, and Change. This year we will study American history and continue to improve our reading and writing skills. We will read several novels that will generally coincide with the time period we are studying. Some of the historical novels we will read will include A Break With Charity, Gone with the Wind, and Hiroshima. We also read a few novels that are not historical in nature, but will tie in to our themes for Humanities, such as The Once and Future King and Murder on the Orient Express. We will study colonial America, the American Revolution, and The Civil War. We will also work on a project for National History Day.
NHD: I am not going to lie to you....this project is HUGE! It is required and various grades throughout the year will come from your progress on the project. You can work individually or in small groups. Just remember that EVERYONE is responsible for the project whether you work alone or with a partner. Each of you will need to keep a binder, do the assignments, take notes on sources, and show me that you are contributing to the project. Class time will be provided to work on the project, but the majority of it will need to be completed on your own time. We will visit the UTEP library to help with your research, but again you will be expected to conduct most of the research on your own. Choose a topic and a group EARLY and WISELY!!!
