A Reminder

Hello everyone,

     Please remember that tomorrow, Tuesday, September 12 is Picture Day here at BEMS. Students should come in prepared to get their photos taken; this will be the image used in the yearbook as well. Tomorrow evening is Open House (Back to School Night) from 6:00 – 7:00; come in and meet your teachers and get to see what their classrooms are like. This is not a conference night, and it is too early in the year to really discuss students' grades in any depth, but it is a chance to say hello and ask a few questions. Join us!

     If you have any questions ahead of time, please feel free to email.

Regards,
Mr. DeMaris

Week of Dec. 5 – Dec. 9

Welcome to Trimester Two!

     It has been a busy first trimester, but it is done at last! Grades are being calculated and posted by teachers at this very moment, and report cards will go home by the end of the week. Trimester One report cards will include, for Language Arts, persuasive writing, grammar, presentation, and timeliness scores. Before you know it, we will be on vacation again, and then it will be a new year. But that is getting a bit ahead of things, so let's focus on the present.

     This week in Barclay Language Arts, students will take the SRI (Standard Reading Inventory) to check on how their reading comprehension has improved since the start of the year. In the coming trimester, we will be focusing on that exact subject, so this will be a handy score to compare to the end of the trimester. Students will have all class on Monday to complete this, and may finish it on their own time at home. This must be completed by Wednesday so we can compare progress by Friday's in-class student-teacher conference about it.

     On Monday, before taking the SRI, students will get five vocabulary words for the week, which they will be expected to spell and match with a definition and part of speech on Friday.

     On Tuesday, students will dive into scene descriptions, examining one moment from their novels and identifying all the descriptive words from them. Proper reading comprehension means depth of understanding, so recognizing how authors describe a setting is key to success. Students will work on this in groups or individually, and will turn in their work by the end of class.

     On Wednesday, which is a two-hour delay start for students, they will engage in a similar activity regarding a character from their novel; this time, the descriptions may come from anywhere in the text, not just one scene. This is a more student-driven assignment, and so will be done in pairs or individually. Students must be prepared to present their characterizations to the class verbally (without a computer) on Thursday.

     On Thursday, students present their characterization to the class and attend to the characterizations by their peers. Any remaining time will be used to review the concepts of characterization and setting.

     On Friday, students will take a quick vocabulary quiz, write a Week in Review, focusing on how much they understand about setting and characterization, and will be brought up to talk about their reading comprehension one at a time as they write. Any remaining time in the period will be spent reading.

     After school this week, our boys play at home against Lincoln at 4:45 on Monday, and the girls play at home against Windham at the same time on Thursday. The Newspaper Club meets Tuesday afternoon immediately following school, and Chess Club meets on Wednesday.

     Get in touch with any questions or concerns, and welcome to Trimester Two!

Sincerely,
Mr. DeMaris

Presentations

Hello,

     Remember that tomorrow (Thursday) is presentation day here in Clan Barclay; each of you must be prepared to present your claim and your evidence aloud to the class. Students may ask questions of you, and to earn a four on your presentation you must be prepared to show that they learned something from your work. To earn a four on your audience part, you must not only show that you listened and learned attentively, but you also can justify how well you feel the presenter did in his or her argument.

     Rest well, and tomorrow attend well. Thank you for all your hard work. As we say in Clan Barclay, engraved on our crest:  do or die! I am excited to see how well you all do!

Regards,
Mr. DeMaris

P.S. — On an unrelated note, the staff soundly beat the students at the staff-student soccer game today; the girls half was won 3–0, while the boys half was won 2–0.

Week of October 17 – 21

Good afternoon,

     We started this week with a lesson on how to organize a bibliography entry; as students gather sources for their arguments, they can now cite the sources properly to avoid losing credit for plagiarism or an incorrect works cited page. Here is a nifty document we made today to help understand how it will look.

     Tuesday will be a silent reading day in class; students should bring their books and read quietly for the duration of the period. Remember to respect the other students in the room and not distract them from their stories.

     Wednesday will be another day to develop essays; students should continue finding sources and providing evidence to support their claims. By now, every student should have a solid claim, so the evidence is just a matter of sifting through the vast quantities of information on the internet to locate credible sources. Remember — just because it is a .org website does NOT mean it is credible. Consider the content and consider the source.

     Thursday will either be another silent reading day or a chance to reflect on the third Presidential Debate, which will have happened Wednesday evening. Should we go with the debate, students will watch and point out logical fallacies, errors of reasoning, and contradictions. As an audience, they will be assessed on their ability to express themselves clearly and listen attentively.

     Friday will be another day to work on the persuasive project. Students should finish finding their sources and begin wrapping up the organization of their essays. Remember that presentations begin on Thursday, October 27.

     After school, today the boys have a soccer game at home, and they have their last home game on Wednesday afternoon at 4:30. Come out and support them! Our field hockey girls have their last home game tomorrow (Tuesday) at 3:30; this is earlier than their usual time, so don't be late! Newspaper club meets Tuesday right after school, and chess club on Wednesday at the usual time, too.

     We have only two weeks until Halloween, which falls on a Monday this year. If you are wearing a costume to school, remember that it must conform to the dress code despite the festivities.

     That's all! Thank you for reading, and get in touch if you have any questions.

Regards,
Mr. DeMaris

Week of October 10 – 14

Good Evening,

     This week has three major components:  arguments, NWEAs, and reading. On Tuesday, students get introduced to their big persuasive project, which will include written, visual, and presentation components. Students will get rubrics for each section in time to ensure they all have the opportunity to earn a three (3) or four (4) in every aspect of the project. There will be ample class time over the next couple weeks for students to work on this in school and to ask questions so the work they do at home will be successful.

     Remember, as students you are responsible for your own success. You have reached an age where you can ask for help when you need it, and you can recognize when you are struggling. While we, as teachers, check in and offer support, you must take charge of your work and stay focused.

     On Wednesday and Thursday, students will have regular Allied Arts classes followed by NWEAs before lunch. After lunch, they will have their standard afternoon classes for those two days. This way, thanks to the Green / White scheduling, they will have all of their four core classes once each over the two days. Students will read silently in Language Arts on those days, taking a break from the computerized tests and the pressure.

     On Friday, students will have a chance to work on their persuasive projects in class; they should be prepared to get up and announce their topics to the class as a whole by the end of the period.

     After school this week, Yearbook Club meets on Tuesday, and the same afternoon sees our field hockey teams facing Scarborough and girls' soccer teams facing King at home. Wednesday is Chess Club, and 8th grade soccer faces SMC. Thursday we play Gorham in field hockey, and on Friday our girls are home competing against Westbrook in soccer. As always, you should take an afternoon out of your busy schedules and come support your Scots — there is always more room for fans to cheer them on!

     Yearbooks are still for sale, but prices have returned to normal — $25 for hardcover, $20 for soft. Buy them online at jostens.com or in person by bringing cash or check up to Room 83. Make checks to BEMS Yearbook. Students will get yearbooks delivered to their homerooms in the spring upon completion of design by the club and printing and binding by Jostens.

    Thank you for reading, and remember to get in touch if you have any questions!

Kind Regards,
Mr. DeMaris

Upcoming Absences and Assessments

Hello All,

     I will be out of the classroom tomorrow, Tuesday, May 3; rather than pay a garage hundreds of dollars to replace the exhaust system on my car, I am taking the day to do it myself. As a man who doesn't own a garage or a car port, or even a nice pop-up canopy, I need to take the only partly sunny day in this week of rain to accomplish that. I'm sorry I won't be around, but it has to be done.

     Next week, Thursday and Friday (May 12 – 13),* I will also be out of the classroom, attending a conference at King Middle School on classroom design, lesson design, and modern teaching practices. This is a great opportunity to learn more about my job and hopefully experience a few good things. Believe it or not, I do always want to be a better teacher, so I take these conferences seriously and get what I can from them. I hate to be out of the classroom, especially with the year winding down, but this should be worth it.

     Tomorrow (Tuesday) students take the Voice and Mood quiz; you all have the notes on Google Classroom. The quiz is entirely multiple-choice, and involves definitions and examples. Make sure you know the differences between active and passive voice, and ensure you can differentiate between indicative, imperative, interrogative, conditional, and subjunctive moods. Remember, subjunctive is NOT the same as conditional. Look it up.

     Thursday of next week students take the SRI (Standard Reading Inventory), the in-class assessment of reading level and ability they have taken twice already this year — once in October, and once in February. Please do your best on it, and take it seriously. I want to see growth on these, not dismal scores. Even if you aren't confident, you should at least do better than you have in the past. Remember, the goal is not always to outdo the other students, but to outdo yourself. Take the challenge, and succeed.

     As usual, if you have any questions, please email me. I won't necessarily be able to respond from under the car tomorrow, but I can certainly address any concerns before or after.

Sincerely,
Mr. DeMaris

* — That was an en dash inside those parentheses; see how it replaces "to" or "through" in the list?

Trimester Three Begins

Good morning,

     Monday is the start of Trimester Three here at Bonny Eagle Middle School. That means we have only three months until the end of school. While progress reports from Trimester Two will go home by the end of this week, students should be looking forward to see what they need to accomplish before the final wave of dismissals in mid-June.

     This week in Barclay Language Arts, students will reflect on how much they have accomplished so far this year, and how much they still need to accomplish. Reviewing their records, they will draft plans to finish the class as independently and productively as possible, based on the required skills they have yet to demonstrate.

     Enjoy the remainder of this gorgeous weekend; go out and soak in the sunshine before the rains come this week. Spring is on its way!

Sincerely,
Mr. DeMaris

Two Announcements

Hello Everyone,

     End-of-Trimester Progress Reports went home on Friday; students should have turned them over to parents by now. They include all the skills/standards we have covered in Trimester One, including the behavior and self-discipline skills as identified in the Guiding Principles.

     There is a two-hour delay for students on Wednesday, December 9; keep that in mind as you prepare for your week. Teachers will be meeting that morning, and school will start at 9:10 instead of 7:10.

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Words of the Week—Concern

Hello,

     Here are your Words of the Week; the theme is levels of interest or "concern." Each word, regardless of part of speech (and they are all adjectives), indicates a level of concern or interest held by the subject about an object. They are, in alphabetical order, as follows.

Word (Origin)	Part of Speech	Definition
1. ambivalent (G)	adj.	having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas
2. attentive (OF)	adj.	paying close attention to something; polite or courteous
3. fascinated (L)	adj.	irresistibly drawn or attentive to something
4. indifferent (L)	adj.	having no particular interest or sympathy; neither good nor bad
5. interested (L)	adj.	showing curiosity, concern, or a desire to know more

Apply these to today's Make a List assignment, and study them, including spelling and part of speech, for the Thursday Think.

     I will stay after tomorrow to help any students with work who need it. If you are missing assignments or do not understand some material, stay for help. This is not, however, social time for you to waste with friends; I expect results. Let me know if you have questions.

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Grades are Posted

Hello,

     All Language Arts grades for Quarter Three, including comments to parents, are posted on Infinite Campus. Many of you did far better than you have in previous quarters, but some of you have slipped behind. Take the opportunity that Quarter Four gives you to bring your grades up as high as they can go before you finish your eighth grade year.

     Quarter Four starts on Monday, April 6—tomorrow. Come to class prepared to do your best. This is a new quarter, with a fresh new gradebook, so take full advantage of it. This is your last chance to show your teachers, parents, and the high school what you are capable of academically. Take advantage of all opportunities to Review and Improve assignments, including time after school. Use the Learning Lab for a quiet place to study and do homework from Tuesday–Thursday, and ask your teachers for help all through the quarter, not just in the last week or two.

     You must be responsible for your own success; we are here to help, but we can not and will not do the work for you. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Final Quiz

Hello,

     Here is the link to the final quiz for the week:  http://goo.gl/forms/faVykbYyAe.

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Quarter Three Ends Friday

Hello All,

     Quarter Three ends this Friday, April 3, 2015. In Language Arts, you have until 2:10 PM on that day to hand in any assignments from this quarter; at 2:11, you may no longer submit anything toward your grade.

     I am staying after school today to help students with catching up, and you are all, as always, welcome to stay for Learning Lab after school on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Check Infinite Campus; you all should know how you are doing in all your classes.

     Let me know if you have any questions, and work hard. You have had all quarter to do well, and now it is crunch time if you have not. Don't waste your time.

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

High School and Progress Reports

Hello All,

     Don't forget to bring in your high school class signup sheets on Thursday, March 12! Also, you need to bring in your signed progress reports or you will begin dealing with the consequences of that lack of communication. Talk to your parents and get that taken care of.

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

This Week in Preview

    This week's standard is L.8.1:  "Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking."

    Our focus is on parts A and B:

"Explain the function of verbals (gerunds, participles, infinitives) in general and their function in particular sentences."

"Form and use verbs in the active and passive voice."

     This week's story selection is "The Cremation of Sam McGee" by Robert Service (1907). A link to a reading by Johnny Cash is included below.

Monday——Make a list!

Quickly review last week’s skills as needed, introduce the story selection and Words of the Week, and take a skills prequiz. The Words of the Week are the words you must be able to spell, identify parts of speech for, and define by Thursday. This week, they are:

brawn (n.)

grisly (adj.)

hearken (v.)

homely (adj.)

scowl (n.) and (v.)

Once we cover these items, students may read "The Cremation of Sam McGee," this week's story selection. It is a poem by Robert W. Service about an unfortunate southerner who travels north in search of gold.

Tuesday——Time for work!

Cover skills and story selection for the week. Students who demonstrated proficiency in the skills on the content prequiz may sit in the back of the room today and read the story selection as a group, then answer questions about it collectively. The majority of students will take notes on the skills and practice their use individually and as a class.

This week, we discuss verbals and verb voice.

Wednesday——Write!

This is writing day in Language Arts. Answer a series of questions about the story selection. The Wednesday Write will always relate to both the skills and the story selection. For full credit, use and identify a gerund, a participle, an infinitive, and active and passive voice in your answers. You may write a short story with a surprise ending for more credit.

Thursday——Think it over!

In the first ten minutes of class, take the Thursday Think, a quiz on the Words of the Week; use it to spell, identify part of speech for, and define each word. After that, review the Wednesday Write as a class. In the remaining time, review verbals and verb voice in preparation for the Friday Finish.

Friday——Finish!

First, complete the Friday Finish, a review or quiz on the week’s skills and the story selection. Then, write a letter to Mr. DeMaris about your week; this Week in Review letter is only graded on completion, not on grammar or spelling.* Once complete, you may Review and Improve any missing or inadequate work. If you have none, you may read or write quietly or help a classmate with his or her work.

Each week is graded as follows:

Ten         (10) points apply to the     …    …    Wednesday Write.

Fifteen     (15) points apply to the     …    …    Thursday Think.

Twenty     (20) points apply to the     …    …    Friday Finish.

Five         (5) points apply to the     …    …    Week in Review letter.

This is a total of fifty (50) points per week. Extra assignments may be added or adjusted as negotiated by individual students and the teacher.


Sincerely, 


Mr. DeMaris

*——Mr. DeMaris always encourages proper spelling and grammar, though—— so try!

The Week in Preview

Hello All,

     This week we will review classroom rules and policies, and then jump into a new weekly schedule as identified below.

     This week's standard is L.8.2:  "Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing."

     This week's story selection is "The Last Leaf" by O. Henry.

Monday——Make a list!

Take the content prequiz, quickly review last week’s skills as needed, and introduce the Words of the Week. These are the words you must be able to spell, identify parts of speech for, and define by Thursday. Then, introduce the skills and story selection.

Tuesday——Time for work!

Cover skills and story selection for the week. Students who demonstrated proficiency in the skills on the content prequiz may sit in the back of the room today and begin reading the story selection as a group. The majority of students will take notes on the skills and practice their use individually and as a class.

Wednesday——Write!

This is writing day in Language Arts. Spend all class writing about the current material and story. The assignment may be an essay, a series of questions, a poem, a story, or any combination of the above, depending on the week. The Wednesday Write will always relate to both the skills and the story selection.

Thursday——Think it over!

In the first ten minutes of class, take the Thursday Think, a quiz on the Words of the Week; use it to spell, identify part of speech for, and define each word. After that, review the Wednesday Write in groups or, sometimes, as a class.

Friday——Finish!

First, complete the Friday Finish, a review or quiz on the week’s skills and the story selection. Then, write a letter to Mr. DeMaris about your week; this Week in Review letter is only graded on completion, not on grammar or spelling.* Once complete, you may Review and Improve any missing or inadequate work. If you have none, you may read or write quietly or help a classmate with his or her work.

Each week is graded as follows:

Ten         (10) points apply to the     …    …    Wednesday Write.

Fifteen     (15) points apply to the     …    …    Thursday Think.

Twenty     (20) points apply to the     …    …    Friday Finish.

Five         (5) points apply to the     …    …    Week in Review letter.

This is a total of fifty (50) points per week. Extra assignments may be added or adjusted as negotiated by individual students and the teacher.


Sincerely,



Mr. DeMaris
*——Mr. DeMaris always encourages proper spelling and grammar, though—— so try!

 

Prepositions and Conjunctions

Hello All,

     For your convenience, here is every single preposition out there:

about above according to across after against along along with among apart from around as as for at because of before behind below beneath beside between beyond but* by by means of

concerning despite down during except except for excepting for from in in addition to in back of in case of in front of in place of inside in spite of instead of into like near next of off on

onto on top of out out of outside over past regarding round since through throughout till to toward under underneath unlike until up upon up to with within without

     * "But" is usually used as a coordinating conjunction; it is only used as a preposition when used in the place of "except." For example, consider these sentences:

I ate everything but the Doritos.
Everyone is wrong but me.

In this case, you are speaking about all times but once, or all locations or items but one. I just used "but" as a preposition twice in that sentence, too.


     Now, concerning conjunctions, there are three categories:  coordinating, correlative, and subordinating. Here is the breakdown by category.

Coordinating Conjunctions:  For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So
     You can use the acronym FANBOYS to remember all seven of them.

Correlative Conjunctions:  both, and; not only, but also; either, or; neither, nor; whether, or; as, as; such, that; scarcely, when; as many, as; no sooner, than; rather, than.
     Correlative conjunctions work in pairs to connect related ideas. There are many combinations.

Subordinating Conjunctions:

Common Subordinating Conjunctions

after although as because before even if even though how if in order that

no matter once provided that rather than since so that than that though unless

until what when whenever where whereas wherever whether while why

Subordinating conjunctions start dependent clauses, and they answer the questions when, why, and if, or they show opposition.

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris