Welcome!Mr. BarhamEnglish 8

About Me• Steve Barham is starting his seventeenth year at

Seneca Ridge, and his twelfth year as Subject Area Lead Teacher (SALT) for the English department. He teaches eighth grade honors and academic English. Mr. Barham earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Middle Grades Education minor from James Madison University in 1994, a Masters of Arts in Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Virginia Tech in 2001, and a Masters of Arts in English - Teaching Writing and Literature from George Mason University in 2008. Mr. Barham is a Teacher-Consultant for the Northern Virginia Writing Project after completing the NVWP Summer Institute in 2005.

Units of Study1st Quarter

* Focus on Short Stories and Fictional Elements* Reading and Writing Fundamentals – Narrative Essay

* All – “Flowers for Algernon” short story version2nd Quarter

* Focus on Nonfiction Literature* All – Research Product – Listen to a Life/Life 101 Interview Project* Start The Giver by Lois Lowry

3rd Quarter* Persuasive Writing* Dis-Connect-It Project (possibly)

* All – Poetry Unit Activities* Academic – The Tempest by Shakespeare

* Honors – A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Shakespeare4th Quarter * All – Literary Analysis Paper* All – SOL Tests and Final Exams

Yearlong – Vocabulary study of Latin prefixes and roots, independent reading, Writing Notebook activities, creation of a Writing Portfolio, and read-write-think through Reading Bingo

Homework Policy• Your child should be reading a novel or some other

text for pleasure reading at all times. Please be sure your child has access to texts. Each student is expected to read between 6 – 8 books per quarter! The Reading Bingo year-long task found on my webpage is only part of the expected reading requirement.

• Homework can be found on the calendar of my website –http://www.lcps.org//Domain/4178

• Other homework includes finishing class activities, reviewing and studying for tests and quizzes, and the occasional paper to be signed.

Special Activity!American Education Week (AEW) – November 17th – 23rd

• During AEW I have a quiz on nonfiction literature and terms that we have covered in class. Parents are invited to come in on the day of the quiz and take the quiz as well. If the student’s and parent’s respective quizzes are within five (5) points, the student receives three (3) points added to his/her quiz grade for exceeding the expectation and teaching the material to a parent. If the scores have a difference greater than five points, a smaller amount of “parent participation” points are awarded to the student’s grade. Additional content-based questions are available for those parents cannot attend. A letter (to be signed as a homework) will be sent home closer to the quiz, with actual quiz dates, as well as asking for your response in regards to attendance.

Student Expectations• Students should write in complete

sentences.• Students should always have an

independent reading book on hand.• Arrive on time with all materials –

composition notebook, binder, textbook, and writing instrument.

• Work should be submitted on time!

Frequently Asked Questions• Honors students should be reading above

grade level and are expected to already have a thorough grasp of writing an essay.

• There are two different SOL tests – Writing in early March and Reading in May.

• Your child should be doing homework EVERY night – reading is homework!

Email – steven.barham@lcps.orgSRMS phone: (571) 434 - 4420 Planning periods: 3rd and 5th Blocks. See the school schedules for times due to Advisory group times on Wednesdays

After school help is available by pre-scheduled appointment

Tips for Parents from the National Council of Teachers of English

Helping Your Teenager to Write Better  http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Positions/tips-parents.pdf