Personalizing+the+Middle+School+ELA+Classrooms

Personalizing the Middle School Language Arts Classroom // The PDF below is a collection of successful activities, lessons, and strategies I have used to better meet the individualized needs and interests of my middle sc //// hool ELA students. //



Contents of Handout:
 * Interest Inventory
 * The students complete these on the first day of school, and I respond to them in our first teacher-student conference.
 * Parent Letter
 * Send this home to describe my class, my passion for teaching, and my expectations in this class.
 * Course Syllabus
 * [[file:6th Course Outline (Pre-CCSS).doc]]
 * Student Checklist
 * A "pact," so to speak, that my students complete so we're all on the same page.
 * Writing Log
 * S tudents kept a record of every major writing assignment (Title, Genre, Self -Assessment on a scale of 1-10).
 * Spelling Log
 * Each grading period, I test the students on their OWN misspelled words.
 * Reading Log
 * Students keep a record of all books read (Title, Genre, Rating), I referred to these a lot in our conferences too.
 * Journal Letter
 * A letter I write to my students, explaining what our journaling will look like.
 * Informative Poster Project
 * Students complete this personal form and design a poster depicting their responses. Rubric is included.
 * Letter to Parents about Personalized Research Project
 * My 8th grade students completed a research paper about themselves. Interviews with parents and grandparents were required.
 * Me-Quilt Instructions
 * My 6th graders created "quilts," each of the 9 squares containing research and essays about themselves. Quilt assessment rubric is included.
 * Letters to Myself
 * On the last day of school, my students write letters to themselves. They read these letters again the week before they graduate, one of my favorite days!
 * I Am Poems
 * Students create 10-12 "I Am" statements. Half are true. Half are false.
 * I Wish Poems
 * Each student writes 10 "I Wish" statements. After embellishing with transitions and vivid languages, each student gives me his/her favorite wish, and I create a class "I Wish" poem from those. Powerful!
 * Student Evaluation of Me
 * I always ask the students to complete these, so I know what I did right or what I need to do better. I value their opinions, and I want them to know it.