Mrs. Ellis' OLL Classroom

Welcome to my classroom at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School. I hope to share with you the accomplishments and academic growth of the students in my classroom. My room is the main "home" for 8th grade students, but I also teach 6th grade math and World History and 7th grade geography. 8th graders study English (spelling, reading and writing) and also Religion class. All students were given classroom manners expectations and a syllabus for academic expectations for each class. Please ask your students to share this information with you.

We have completed 9 instructional days of this school year. I feel we are off to a good start and have our feet on the ground. 8th graders completed a short excerpt from Maya Angelou's, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. They responded in their journals by choosing a meaningful quote from the story as well worked with a partner to share the answer to a critical thinking question in a group discussion. Students also completed the first complete week of vocabulary words. Our religion class has mainly been focused on the reflection of 9/11. Plus this week we had a wonderful and informative presentation by Father Mike and Father Alex: missionaries to Brazil. The students handed in thank-you letters to the Fathers on Friday. I hope on Monday that we can begin our studies in our new books, Church History.

7th Graders will be presenting their "fictional" island maps on Monday. This activity is designed for students to practice map skills: rose compass, longitude, latitude, map keys, etc. Each island map should include 5 high-interest activities for teens on the island.

6th Graders practice basic math drills each day plus are working on the first unit in their math books. The drills have included flash cards and hopscotch times tables. Friday, students worked on a poster that shows how we are surrounded by math in our daily lives. For World History, we have been considering the basic needs of humans. We are now considering the lifestyle of "hunters and gatherers."

You are invited to check this blog often. I will try to post expectations and major assignment deadlines. Feel free to comment and/or ask questions. I count it a privilege and great responsibility to share the journey of lifelong learning with your children. Please join us this Monday evening (Sept. 18) for the school family dinner and classroom/teacher visitation. Thank you for your support.