ELA: January 6- 9

Happy New Year!
 
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I'm ready to tackle the next semester and I'm sure these 8th graders are excited to finish their time here at MCS! It's going to go by in a blink. 
 
This week in Grammar for 8th grade...
- Unit 5: Participles 
 
This week in Literature for 8th grade...
- Poetry continued
- We will be reading and analyzing poems in the Literature textbook all week and using their notes taken before break for some figurative language application.
 
This week for Culminating...
- Wichita Public Library card is due Wed, Jan 7th in person in the child's name. This is worth 5 points in the grade book. 
- Books will hopefully be printed and given by end of the week.
- Library field trip forms will come home.
 
This week in Grammar for 7th grade...
- Unit 5: Verbals (participles and gerunds)
 
This week in Literature for 7th grade...
- Figurative Language & Poetry
- This week we will be taking notes and beginning a figurative language project. 
- Q.3 Book Report Books are due in person for approval by: Friday, Jan. 16
 
Fastbridge testing will take place on Wednesday, January 7th for ELA and students MUST have their own headphones! The goal is to increase their score from when taken in the fall.

ELA: January 6- 9

Happy New Year!
 
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I'm ready to tackle the next semester and I'm sure these 8th graders are excited to finish their time here at MCS! It's going to go by in a blink. 
 
This week in Grammar for 8th grade...
- Unit 5: Participles 
 
This week in Literature for 8th grade...
- Poetry continued
- We will be reading and analyzing poems in the Literature textbook all week and using their notes taken before break for some figurative language application.
 
This week for Culminating...
- Wichita Public Library card is due Wed, Jan 7th in person in the child's name. This is worth 5 points in the grade book. 
- Books will hopefully be printed and given by end of the week.
- Library field trip forms will come home.
 
This week in Grammar for 7th grade...
- Unit 5: Verbals (participles and gerunds)
 
This week in Literature for 7th grade...
- Figurative Language & Poetry
- This week we will be taking notes and beginning a figurative language project. 
- Q.3 Book Report Books are due in person for approval by: Friday, Jan. 16
 
Fastbridge testing will take place on Wednesday, January 7th for ELA and students MUST have their own headphones! The goal is to increase their score from when taken in the fall.

7th & 8th ELA: Dec 1-5

Happy 1st Sunday of Advent! Wishing you all a wonderful season of preparation. Be sure to check out the Advent Challenge coming home with students this week. In ELA classes, we will be doing most of our starters/reflections circled around the season. You might ask them about what they have been thinking and writing about this week to drive some Advent conversations!
 
 
A look at 7th grade this week in Grammar...
  • Continuing with Unit 4: Verbs with our last half of the test on Thursday, Dec. 4
  • We will hop back into diagramming sentences on Friday and will delve into it all throughout next week! 
A look at 7th grade this week in Lit...
  • Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Ch. 10-12 with continued literature circle discussions
  • Ch. 6-10 Quiz will be Wednesday, Dec. 3-- sticky note check
A look at 8th grade this week in Grammar...
  • Continuing with Unit 4: Verbs (we split it in half) so the rest of the unit will be finished this week.
  • 4.8-4.11 Test will be Wednesday, Dec. 10
  • Students did not do as well overall on the first section of the test, so we will do some reteaching & relearning over those lessons this week.
A look at 8th grade this week in Lit...
  • The Giver Test: tomorrow, Dec. 1
  • The Giver movie vs. book comparison
A look at this week for Culminating...
  • Top 10 topics w/ parent permission slip due Tuesday, Dec. 2 (attached to this email in case it it lost)
  • Order of topic picking will happen on Wednesday, Dec. 3. All of 8th grade ELA will gather to draw a number from a bucket to determine their order for Friday.
  • Culminating Pick Party on Friday, Dec. 5. 

ELA: November 3-7

This week in Grammar for 7th grade...
- We will begin Unit 4: Verbs
- It's a longer unit again so we will split it in half and test halfway through the unit. 
- I'm hoping to do something a little more hands-on and fun with this unit. The workbook pages can get a little tedious and dare I say, boring? 
 
 
This week in Literature for 7th grade...
- Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Ch. 2-4 with an emphasis on our Literature circles and sticky note annotations. Last week, we took it very slow to be sure expectations and routine of this unit was established. This week, we will hit the ground running! Students will almost ALWAYS have pages to read with sticky notes to write each night this week.
 
This week in Grammar for 8th grade...
- We will begin Unit 4: Adjectives
- It's a longer unit again so we will split it in half and test halfway through the unit. 
- I'm hoping to do something a little more hands-on and fun with this unit. The workbook pages can get a little tedious and dare I say, boring? 
 
This week in Literature for 8th grade...
- The Giver Ch. 11-14 with an emphasis on new vocabulary
 
We will also be using the ELA class to prep for our visit to the OKC Bombing Memorial. Students will watch an overview video for background on the attack, do a virtual investigation, and then research one of the victims. We will work on this a couple times this week and once more before the trip.
 
Future Crusader Day is at KMC on Thursday, Nov 6. Parents should drop off AT KMC by 8am and pick up by 11am. I'll be going and I'm excited!

ELA: Sept 29- Oct 3

I cannot believe October is here and the end of the quarter is in sight!
 
Here's a quick glance at this week for 8th grade...
 
Grammar
- Review of Diagramming Sentences
- Beginning Unit 3: Pronouns
 
Literature
- We will finish The Outsiders and take a test on Thursday!
- Article of the Week: We will annotate an informational text as a class.
 
Reminder:
- Students must have headphones to keep at school. Please confirm with them that they have some.
- Book Report work days are Oct 8-9. Books should be read by then and a project choice decided on. All requirements can be found on the Book Report slide of Google classroom. The final project is due: Monday, Oct 13.
 
Here's a quick glance at this week for 7th grade...
 
Grammar
- Perseverance peer edit writing activity
- Continue Unit 3: Pronouns
 
Literature
- Island of the Blue Dolphins continued. Ch. 1-13 Quiz is on Wednesday!
 
Reminder:
- Students must have headphones to keep at school. Please confirm with them that they have some.
- Book Report work days are Oct 8-9. Books should be read by then and a project choice decided on. All requirements can be found on the Book Report slide of Google classroom. The final project is due: Monday, Oct 13.
 
 

ELA: September 15-19

Here's a quick glance at next week for 8th:
 
Grammar
- Unit 2 Types of Adjectives continued- Test on Thursday! 
- We will be reviewing a few commonly missed concepts from Unit 1 each day this week with a few of those added to Unit 2's test. 
- We will begin writing an essay over this quarter's learning disposition: perseverance
 
Literature
- The Outsiders continued with lots of discussion about character development, conflict, and foreshadowing elements. 
- We will do a lot of fun activities with the novel this week like acting out scenes and Greaser vs. Socs posters. 
 
Here's a quick glance at next week for 7th:
 
Grammar
- Unit 2 Types of Adjectives finished & reviewed- Test on Wednesday! 
- We will be reviewing a few commonly missed concepts from Unit 1 each day this week with a few of those added to Unit 2's test. 
- We will begin a simple writing activity over this quarter's learning disposition: perseverance
 
Literature
- Island of the Blue Dolphins continued with lots of discussion over character conflict. 
- We will do our first AOW (Article of the Week), which are informational articles. For these, we practice active reading skills and annotate as a class. We will do these periodically throughout the year. 
 
Note: Since our 7th grade girls will be on retreat this Thursday and Friday, they will not have anything to make up those days. What the boys do this week, the girls will do next week. Please pray for our girls to have a fruitful retreat experience! 
 
One important reminder...
- Students should have wired headphones here at school at all times. We do use them frequently in the various classes and recently needed them for a portion of our new FastBridge testing program. If your child does not have some for here at school, please have them by NEXT Monday. 

ELA: September 8-12

Here's a quick glance at next week for 7th grade:
 
We will really hit the ground running this week, and I'm excited for a full week! We will be taking a benchmark test called FastBridge (a new program we are using) on Friday. Students will take it periodically throughout the year and we will utilize it for state assessment prep as well. No need to stress it- they should try their best and plan for increased learning over the year!
 
Grammar
- Review Noun Unit- tests will be returned and we will go over most commonly missed sections. 
-Continue Unit 2- Adjectives 
 
Literature
- Short Story Unit Quiz- this was moved to Tuesday, so that we could spend a little more time on different story elements. Students will be shown exactly what the quiz will have on it and notes we have taken have been uploaded to their Google classroom.
- We will begin reading Island of the Blue Dolphins as a class, but students should expect to read some at home.
 
Here's a quick glance at next week for 8th grade: 
 
Grammar
- Review Noun Unit- tests will be returned and we will go over most commonly missed sections. 
-Begin Unit 2- Adjectives 
 
Literature
- Short Story Unit Quiz- this was moved to Tuesday, so that we could spend a little more time on different story elements. Students will be shown exactly what the quiz will have on it and notes we have taken have been uploaded to their Google classroom.
- We will begin reading The Outsiders as a class, but students should expect to read some at home.
 
 

7th & 8th ELA: Sept 3-5

I hope everyone had a restful holiday weekend.
 
Here's a quick glance at next week for 8th grade:
 
Grandparents will be with us on Thursday and Friday this week! I love this tradition. Between visiting with grandparents and also being helpers these days, 8th graders won't have a lot of class time. I'm sure they will be bummed : )
 
Grammar
- Unit 1 Test is Wednesday, Sept 3- students did a review in class and are able to use their book on the test. 
- We will likely not start any new grammar lessons this week.
 
Literature
- Finish Short Story Unit and Notes
- Quiz will be next Monday, September 8
 
IXL
- I will begin assigning IXL this week through Google Classroom. Students will be given a week or more to complete them and should aim for an 80%. As stated in my syllabus, I don't want students spending forever on IXL questions. I highly suggest they work on it a little each day to get their score in the 80%, especially if it's a standard they are struggling with. If they continue to get them wrong, have them take a break and ask for help!
 
Next week we will start our first novel: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
 
Here's a quick glance at next week for 7th grade:
 
Grammar
- Unit 1 Test is Wednesday, Sept 3- students did a review in class and are able to use their book on the test. 
- Begin Unit 2.1: Descriptive Adjectives
 
Literature
- Finish Short Story Unit and Notes -- notes are currently posted on Google classroom and any additional that we take will be posted by end of the week. This is helpful for if a student was absent or doesn't have the most legible handwriting!
- Quiz will be next Monday, September 8
 
IXL
- I will begin assigning IXL this week through Google Classroom. Students will be given a week or more to complete them and should aim for an 80%. As stated in my syllabus, I don't want students spending forever on IXL questions. I highly suggest they work on it a little each day to get their score in the 80%, especially if it's a standard they are struggling with. If they continue to get them wrong, have them take a break and ask for help!
 
Next week, we will start our first novel: Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
 

ELA: August 25-29

Here's a quick glance at next week for 8th grade:
 
Tuesday, August 26 is our class Mass. The following have parts for Mass and should practice at home a few times prior to Tuesday:
Aubree Moore, Lila Mulkey, Grace Koster, & Olivia Siegrist 
 
Picture Day is also Tuesday, August 26. Dress guidelines can be found on page 14 of the handbook on the website: https://www.magdalenwichita.com/documents/school-1/parent-university/11063-handbook-2023-2024/file
 
Grammar
- Continue Noun Unit- we will have a lesson with HW each day this week. Unit 1 Test is Wednesday, Sept 3. 
 
Literature
- Continue Short Story Unit
- Q.1 Book Report Book is due in hand by Friday, August 29th. I will take a look and approve their book. I REALLY want them to choose a book they will enjoy and am not so concerned with an "on level" book, so I've been encouraging them to research and look into options, rather than just grabbing a random book. I'm happy to help with suggestions, too!
**Audiobooks are totally fine for busy nights, but they do need a hard copy of the book to have for in class reading.
 
Here's a quick glance at next week for 7th grade:
 
Picture Day is Tuesday, August 26. Dress guidelines can be found on page 14 of the handbook on the website: https://www.magdalenwichita.com/documents/school-1/parent-university/11063-handbook-2023-2024/file
 
Grammar
- Continue Noun Unit- we will have a lesson with HW each day this week. Unit 1 Test is Wednesday, Sept 3. 
 
Literature
- Continue Short Story Unit
- Q.1 Book Report Book is due in hand by Friday, August 29th. I will take a look and approve their book. I REALLY want them to choose a book they will enjoy and am not so concerned with an "on level" book, so I've been encouraging them to research and look into options, rather than just grabbing a random book. I'm happy to help with suggestions, too!
**Audiobooks are totally fine for busy nights, but they do need a hard copy of the book to have for in class reading.
 
Here's to week 2!

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to school! I am so excited to get to know each of you this year. I will utilize this webpage to post our monthly plans for both Grammar and Literature. In the meantime, here's a little info about me:

Hi, I’m Chelsea Mellinger! I am a wife to Jordan and mom to five kiddos who will all attend Magdalen this coming year! 

I am originally a west-sider, and graduated from Bishop Carroll. I attended Kansas State University (GO CATS!) and got my Secondary Education Degree with an emphasis in English. My first teaching job was right here at Magdalen, where I taught middle school Literature for 6 years. The last 7 years, I’ve spent my time working from home in various online roles and raising my children! 

In my free time, you can find me sipping hot coffee, reading a book, listening to country music, and taking my kids to and fro! 

I am thrilled to be returning to Magdalen! I have a great passion for Catholic education and can’t wait to be back in the classroom. I look forward to working with Magdalen middle schoolers to help them become the best versions of themselves! 

January Update

Here are this month's updates from ELA!
 
Throughout the past month, we...
 
7th Grade
  • finished our Adverbs unit
  • continued reading and analyzing both fiction and nonfiction short essays
  • recessed for Christmas break!
  • began our next novel study on Navigating Early
  • started and finished our Prepositions unit (test tomorrow!)
8th Grade
  • finished our Adverbs unit
  • finished our Holocaust unit
  • took our Christmas break!
  • started and finished our Prepositions unit (test Wednesday)
  • began our Culminating projects, focusing on research strategies and reliable sources
In the next month, we will...
 
7th Grade
  • continue reading and analyzing Navigating Early, focusing on text-based writing strategies, characterization, and figurative language
  • start and finish our Sentences unit
  • begin our Conjunctions unit
8th Grade
  • continue our Culminating projects, focusing on research and developing thesis statements
  • start and finish our Sentences unit
  • begin our Conjunctions unit
  • (time permitting) begin reading The Giver
Upcoming Tests and Deadlines (Subject to Change)
 
7th Grade
  • Friday, January 17: Prepositions test
  • Wednesday, January 29: 8.1-8.5 Sentences test
  • Tuesday, February 11: 8.6-8.11 Sentences Test
8th Grade
  • Wednesday, January 22: Prepositions test
  • Friday, January 31: 8.1-8.5 Sentences test
  • Wednesday, February 12: 8.6-8.11 Sentences Test
  • Friday, February 7: Culminating main ideas due
  • Friday, February 14: First culminating project home work time check
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns.
 
Maternity Leave: As my due date approaches, I did want to send an update on my maternity leave plans. My due date falls over spring break! Unless the baby decides to come before then, I plan to teach up until spring break. After that, Mrs. Tiffany Salazar will take over as my long-term sub until the end of the school year. 
 
You may know Mrs. Salazar as an MCS Middle School parent, or you may recognize her from her previous or current long-term sub positions at Magdalen. She is extremely capable and I trust that your children will be in great hands with her at the helm! For my part, I am working hard now to set your children and Mrs. Salazar up for success with plans and implementing strategies that the students can put in their ELA "toolbelts" for later on.
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