BELL Academy
  • Home
  • About
    • Mission Statement
    • 2019-2020 Goals
    • Quality Review
    • STEM at BELL
  • Advisory
  • After School Programs
    • Commonpoint SONYC
  • Construction Updates
  • Counseling Corner
    • High School Admissions Information
    • Respect for All
  • Open House
  • Parents
    • Parent Coordinator >
      • BELL Academy Event Feedback
    • Prospective Parents
    • PTA
    • Important Documents
    • BELL Academy Uniform
    • BELL Academy Cell Phone Policy
    • Parent Informational Workshops
    • My Lunch Money
  • Photo Gallery
    • Photo Gallery Archive
  • Principal's Corner
  • Remote Learning 2020-21
    • 2020-2021 REOPENING FAQs
    • Parent Orientation
    • 6th Grade RL Schedules
    • 7th Grade RL Schedules
    • 8th Grade RL Schedules
    • A12/D12 RL Schedules
  • School Leadership Team
  • SEM
    • Renzulli Enrichment Model
    • A Message from the Renzullis
    • Dr. Renzulli Visits BELL
  • Social Emotional Learning
  • Staff Directory
    • BELL Academy Support Staff >
      • Dean of Students
      • IEP Coordinator
      • Communication Corner
  • Students
    • 8th Grade Information Page
    • Newsletter
    • Peer Mediation
    • Supply Lists/Summer Resources
    • Student Government
  • WBELL
  • Archived Letters to BELL Families
BELL Academy · A Renzulli Schoolwide Enrichment Model
​
 18-25 212th Street, Bayside, NY 11360 | Phone: (718) 428-0587 | Fax: (718) 428-0237
School Hours 8:20 AM to 1:50 PM

8th grade ELA

Alexa Tanney
​8th Grade ELA
atanney@thebellacademy.com

Welcome to 8th Grade ELA! 
I'm so excited to begin the 2019-2020 school year with each and every one of you! 8th grade is an imperative year for all students, as we will be working on strengthening their reading, writing, and speaking, listening skills to prepare for high school and beyond. My goal as the 8th grade ELA teacher is to ensure that all students have an engaging, rewarding, and informative year.

Updates for 2020 eLearning: 
With the changes made to the 2020 school schedule, please check Google Classroom for all 8th Grade ELA assignments, resources, rubrics, and information. I will be posting assignments on a daily basis to the eLearning Assignment Log with specified due dates. Additionally, I will be keeping in touch with all students and parents on Google Classroom, Jupiter, and via email.
 Google Classroom Codes: 
  • 801: [wtrelyk]
  • 802: [zu4pprz]
  • 803: [uybvjip]
  • 804: [alzwe37]

This year...
I have designed the course to be a rich, engaging, and thought-provoking experience to help every student become a better reader, writer, listener, speaker, critical thinker, and member of society. This year, we will focus on real world issues through literature and resources. My philosophy as a teacher is to equip students with transferrable skills that will not only help them in the classroom, but also in real life. Ten years from now, it will not matter if students can remember every little detail they learned in ELA. What will matter is their ability to think critically and creatively, respond to texts and media, communicate effectively with other humans, understand different perspectives, and use the power of literacy to change their life and this world for the better.

We will...
We will be reading several novels that focus on key, pivotal moments throughout history. Additionally, we will be expanding each of these novel's units using news articles, short stories, poetry, music and lyrics, photographs, videos, and more. I encourage all students to think outside-the-box in the ELA classroom and utilize supplemental texts and media as much as possible when focusing on themes, symbols, and central ideas. We will also be working on all students writing this year, ensuring that every student is able to grasp citing evidence with a strong, well formatted analysis. Along with this, we will be working on independent journals, Socratic Seminars, fish bowl activities, mock trials, debates, group projects, creative writing, and other creations that can help students become strong, critical thinkers. 

Essential Learnings:  
  • I can support my analysis and understanding of a text by citing relevant details from that text.
  • I can analyze similar themes across multiple texts by comparing and contrasting the development of those themes as well as the specific details surrounding them.
  • I can analyze the author’s choices regarding the development of characters, ideas or themes, the setting, as well as the structure of the text.
  • I can analyze and evaluate how effective an argument is.
  • I can determine the author’s purpose in a text and analyze the effect it has on the text itself.
  • I can analyze literary devices as well as word choice in order to better understand a text.
  • I can determine the meaning of words using context clues and roots, prefixes, and suffixes.
  • I can use English grammar and conventions appropriately and correctly.
  • Apply the writing process through planning, drafting, revising, and editing.
  • I can write an effective argumentative essay.

Grading Policy: 
25% Classwork, Discussions, and Participation
25% Homework Assignments
25% Test, Quizzes, and Projects
​25% Summative Assessments and Tasks 

Absent Work: 
Students who are absent with a note can make up all work when they return to school. I have a designated area in the ELA classroom that will hold all work for absentee students to collect when they return to school. 

Late Work: 
Late work will be accepted for 50% off the grade, with up to 2 days. Summative and final assessment work will be accepted late with 50% off, with up to 2 days. 

Academic Dishonesty: 
 Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Cheating, copying work, or plagiarism of any form will result in a failure of the assignment.

Google Classroom: 
Google Classroom will be used for online homework, in-class assignments, and workshopping papers. Students can login using their BELL Academy e-mail addresses. Additionally, I will post any important announcements and information on each class page.
  • 801: [wtrelyk]
  • 802: [zu4pprz]
  • 803: [uybvjip]
  • 804: [alzwe37]

I look forward to having a fun, engaging, and prosperous school year. If you have any questions at anytime, feel free to contact me!
Best, 
Ms. Tanney
8th Grade English Language Arts
atanney@thebellacademy.com

Translate this page:

Proudly powered by Weebly
Staff Attendance (submit Friday AM)

​​Teacher Website Login

BELL Academy Email

 DOE Email

Teacher Jupiter Login
​
Teacher Jupiter Help
We are working to make this website easier to access for people with disabilities, and will follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0. If you need assistance with a particular page or document on our current site, please contact the main office at (718) 428-0587 to request assistance.