One Week Down...

One week down, and I can already tell what a great year it's going to be.  This week in class we discussed the syllabus and class rules and procedures.  Students, be sure you have handed back your parent/student acknowledgment letter that was connected to the syllabus by Monday August 30th.  Also, remember to bring back your Textbook Condition Forms for all 4 textbooks you received this week.  If you have lost your forms, I have extra copies on my homework online page!  If you have not ordered your Texas Travel Guide, please do so this weekend.


On Thursday and Friday we began working on the students' Interactive Notebooks, which are the center of everything we will do in class.  We use the notebooks for note taking, illustrations, group work, warm ups, and other activities.  The notebooks will also be used for study and review purposes as well as a resource material for open note quizzing and testing through out the course.  


This week we discussed their importance in our class, and had fun collaging and decorating the covers.  I wanted the students to feel ownership of their books, so we decorated them using "what Texas means to them" as the inspiration.  I was amazed at the creativity my classes put forward.  We had a great time, and everyone got to know each other better through this activity, as we talked about each other's interests while working on the projects.  I was excited see the kids' individual personalities and enthusiasm come out during this time.


Next week we will finish up our notebooks and jump into our curriculum.  Having had such a wonderful first week of school, I am anxious to get to know the classes better and continue on into the school year.  Go Cubs!

The first day of school is almost here!

Who would have thought that the summer would go by so quickly?  Here we are once again, coming to the end of another summer and getting ready to begin a fabulous 7th grade school year.  As the first day of school steadily approaches, I have been busy planning lessons and getting our classroom together, so that we can have the best year ever.  

Hopefully, my students have seen on my web page that we will be using the Texas Travel Guide during our first unit of study in class.  Remember to order your free copy online at The Texas Travel Guide Website.  They do take a few weeks to come in, so make sure you have placed your order!  

If you have any questions, please feel free to comment on this blog post or email me at leslie_marks@midlothian-isd.net.  I hope everyone is as excited about this school year as I am.  I can't wait to meet all my students.  We are going to have a great time in Texas History!