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Hi. My name is Mark Levine and I am the eighth grade English teacher. The kids will do a lot this year. They will be doing daily grammar drills, vocabulary and all of that basic stuff. They will read Much Ado About Nothing, A Christmas Carol, The Outsiders, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Year 1000, some short stories by Hawthorne and Washington Irving and work on Greek and Roman mythology. They will also study the history of the English language and the impact that English has on the rest of the world.
They will be doing a lot of writing. They will all write a seven-page research paper about mid-year. They will work consistently on the writing process: editing, revising, peer editing, outlining, etc. They will also be writing, once a month, a piece that may be a moon myth, a persuasive essay or something involving current events.
They will have homework, on average, every day. I put great emphasis on the completion of homework. Since reading and writing are both skills, those skills need to be exercised. The work on those skills that the students do at home is then used in the class for further their abilities.
I have high expectations for the kids and will hold them to high standards. I will give the kids the tools necessary to reach those expectations and to meet those standards, but ultimately the work is theirs. Success is theirs to earn. It is therefore imperative that the kids do their own work, particularly when writing. If they receive too much assistance, the work ceases to be theirs and their learning is diminished.
I am looking forward to my classes and I hope that the kids are as well. It’s going to be an exciting and fun school year. If you have any ideas, concerns, suggestions or thoughts, please feel free to call me at the school, (978) 486-8938 or via e-mail at mlevine@littletonps.org.
I look forward to working with you and your kids this year,
Mark J. Levine
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Littleton Middle School
Mark Levine
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