Holy Family School - Auburn, WA
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Ms. Mina Starks

Eighth Grade Homeroom
Middle School ELA
​6th Grade Math

Contact Me

Welcome
Hybrid Teaching and Learning Protocol

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Hello parents and students of Holy Family School, I want to start out by thanking you for being so patient, understanding, and resourceful during this pandemic! I am so grateful to have the opportunity to teach your children and look forward to our academic, social, and emotional growth over the 2020-2021 school year. If you look below, you will important documents and information that will help you in navigating my classroom. 

Teaching Resources Used:
Google Classrooms
HMHCO
WriteSource
Vocab Textbook 
Zoom

Syllabi and Schedule

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Middle School Cohorts and Hybrid Calendar

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Year Long Learning Plan

8th Grade ELA Layout

1st half of the year: Reading comprehension and critical thinking skills focus.

2nd half of the year: Writing skills and structure focus. 
  • Unit 1: The Importance of Non-fiction
  • Unit 2: Greek Mythology
  • Unit 3: Science Fiction
  • Unit 4: EPIC literature
  • Unit 5: Narrative Craft 
  • Unit 6: Real World Documents





7th Grade ELA Layout

1st half of the year: Reading comprehension and critical thinking skills focus.

2nd half of the year: Writing skills and structure focus. 
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  • Unit 1: Literature Throughout History
  • Unit 2: Post Modern Novel Study
  • Unit 3: Introduction to Writing Purposes

 Unit 3 Projects 
  1. To Inform/Explain: Research Paper
  2. To Persuade: Create Your Own Bill Proposal
  3. To Argue: Group Project - Classroom Debate
  4. To Express: Creative Writing Assignment
  5. To Enterain: Play Study
  6. To Evaluate: Book Report Critique
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6th Grade ELA layout

1st half of the year: Reading comprehension and critical thinking skills focus.

2nd half of the year: Writing skills and structure focus. 
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WWII Novel Study Prep
  • Unit 1: The Giver
  • Unit 2: Animal Farm

Historical Fiction Novel Study
  • Unit 3: Create your Own Utopia (Dystopia)
  • Unit 4: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
  • Unit 5: Creative Non-Fiction Novel (Student Choice)

6th Grade Math Layout

  • Unit 1: 5th Grade Refresher
  • Unit 2: 6th Grade Concepts and Skills 
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Intro to Pre-Algebra
  • Unit 3: Algebraic Expressions
  • Unit 4: Ratios and Proportions 
  • Unit 5: Percentages
  • Unit 6: Polygons and Coordinate Planes
  • Unit 7: Area and Volume
  • Unit 8: Data Collection, Distribution, and Displays


Exams and Quizzes

6th-8th Grade ELA Policy

We will be alternating between grammar and vocabulary weekly. Every other Monday, you will receive a new set of vocabulary words, and the same pattern will be used for our grammar focus. Vocab and grammar quizzes will alternate, so you will have a quiz each Friday. This layout gives you two weeks to learn and process new material before being expected to showcase your understanding. Throughout the week, we will use lectures, discussions, writing exercises, and supplemental texts (articles, short stories, novels, etc.) to practice and strengthen your grammar and vocabulary knowledge.

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6th Grade Math Policy

Math will be taught in units and each unit will be made up of a combination of math skills. At the end of each unit, students will be quizzed on the material they have learned. Quizzes will build upon each other to ensure that you are able to use multiple skills at once. The length of each unit will depend on the difficulty of the math skill being taught.

All math exams will be preceded by a workshop and study guide session. 

Exams are graded on both effort and mastery with students recieving one point for attempting the problem and another point for solving the problem correctly.  

Student Progress Updates

In addition to midterms and progress reports, I do my best to keep parents updated about their child's academic, social, and emotional progress in my classroom.

Remote and Hybrid Learning Policy - Every weekend, I grade all of the previous week's assignments in order to identify areas of struggle/growth when it comes to the material students are interacting with as well as determine any missing assignments that could be hindering their understanding of new information. On Sundays, I send out emails to parents whose students have one or more of the following:
  • Missing assignment(s) - If a student is missing an assignment, an email will be sent to both them and their parents with a notification and an assignment extension due date. 
  • Exam or quiz grade below 70 - If it is clear that a student struggled on a quiz or exam, I will contact both them and their parents to schedule a time to have a one-on-one instruction session where we can go over areas of confusion. Taking time out of your day to put in effort in an engaging way will count as a test retake and points will be added back to the original test score. 
  • Overall class grade below 70 - If a students grade drops below 70, parents will recieve an email asking to schedule a Zoom meeting to discuss ways in which I can help the student improve in the classroom. 


 +  Holy Family School + 505 17th St SE + Auburn, WA + 98002 + (253) 833-8688 + Email:  hfoffice@hfsauburn.com