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Mrs. Holly Smith's Webpage!
Welcome to my Webpage! This page was created so Parents or Students could read about classroom rules and expectations, check on homework assignments, or just see what's going on in our classroom.

A. Goal Statement:

The vision I have for your child is one I hope we both share: I want very much to help your child acquire the reading and math skills that have prevented them from doing grade level work. I believe most students who are in special education in the 8th grade can “outgrow” these services with a concentrated focus on “the basics”: phonics and basic math skills. I will do my best to help your child regain these skills.

B. Student & Classroom Expectations

Classroom Expectations:
Students in our class, along with Mrs. Smith, helped to develop our rules. We have agreed that:
- There are to be no "put- downs" in our class.
- Everyone is to speak with kindness and listen with respect.
- There will be no homework on Fridays.
- When Mrs. Smith is speaking, she expects the class to listen.
- "Classroom Cash" will be given for good behavior. Fines will be given
for bad behavior.
- Follow directions the first time they are given.
- Our classroom will be a safe place for everyone.

C. Reading Tasks and Classroom Activities:

1.) Phonics Training:

After assessing each student’s strengths and weaknesses, I use the Orton–Gillingham Method of phonics instruction and word decoding to re-teach any skills that are lacking .(This training is ongoing throughout the 8th grade year.)

Orton Gillingham focuses on:
-Sand Writing.
-Arm Spelling of non- phonetic words.
-Bumpy Board Writing.
-White Erase Board Decoding.
-Oral Drills of letter- sound recognition.

2.) Reading Can be FUN!!:

Newspaper articles happen to be a state reading recommendation for 8th graders. We use this to have some fun! My English class does a “Scary Story Unit” each October. Using stories that readers from the Detroit Free Press have sent in about “true” Michigan Hauntings, my students create “Story Theatres”. Using shoe boxes and odds and ends, student demonstrate their understanding of MEAP terms such as protagonist, antagonist, climax, setting, etc. in a 3-D format. This representation demonstrates deeper knowledge of the story’s plot – and it is fun! (100pts) (Look for these in the display case in early November, at Parent-Teacher Conferences.)

3.) Springtime:

Partner–Projects are the theme for spring! Our class reads a chapter book together and the partners summarize the main ideas from each chapter, depicted in drawings and sentences. These drawings are then placed in sequential order on a large sheet of bulletin board paper, to look like a patch-work “quilt”. Grades are based on neatness, accuracy of summaries and the overall understanding of each chapter in the book. (100pts)

Student Assessment

I assess students at least twice a year to monitor their progress. These are the assessments I use:

1.) Brigance Assessments:
  • Writing
  • Reading/Reading Comprehension
  • Math Word Problems
  • Math Computation
2.) El Paso Phonics Survey

Tips for Parents:

Free advice is worth just what you pay for it, but….. Here are some nuggets of my wisdom (use at your own risk)
-Set aside as little as 10 minutes a day in your home when reading is all that can be done. Research says that it doesn’t matter WHAT kids read- just that they read! (And our parents said comic books would rot our minds…)
-Homework: ( “But, MOM! I don’t HAVE any!!”)
Amazingly, even with a support class to do homework in, it is hard to keep up with 5 classes! Ask them about:
  • Mr. Hawley(English) / Ms. Spalding’s Class (English) : “Is your vocabulary work done?” ( Mr. Hawley gives 2 vocabulary words per day to be defined and used in a sentence.)
  • Mr. Lang(science) / Mrs. Quick( social studies): Are your chapter worksheets caught up?”
  • Mrs. Wagner (computers) : “What is this week’s internet assignment ?”
  • Mrs. Smith (English and Math): “What is the topic of the paper you have to write in her class about this week?” ( We write one paper per week!!) “Did you study your words for her spelling test this week?”
I hope you were able to find parent information, homework assinments, and what's going on in our class!

Thank you for visiting Mrs. Smith's webpage!!

Links

 

Beaverton Rural Schools

Mrs. Smith's Classroom Pictures


Contact Mrs. Smith
Click here to send an E-mail to Holly Smith if you have any questions.

Beaverton Middle School
Beaverton Middle School is located in Beaverton Michigan. Our school houses 4th through 6th grade at the north end, and 7th and 8th grades at the south end.
Address: 440 South Ross, Beaverton, Micigan 48612
Phone: (989) 246-3030
Fax: (989) 246-3420