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Chris Garlock » English Language Arts

English Language Arts


Welcome to Mr. Garlock’s English Language Arts Class!

 

Course Description:

This year we will have the opportunity to explore a variety of texts, building our critical thinking, reading and writing skills through collaborative learning opportunities. As we dive into the world of reading and writing, I hope you continue to make connections to experiences you have had, historical events, and things you have learned in other classes (Math, Science, Social Studies). There is something in this class for everyone! Just keep an open mind, ask questions, and share your ideas. I look forward to working with all of you and cannot wait to see the amazing things you come up with this year!

 

About Mr. Garlock:

I grew up in Virginia where I studied English, Criminal Justice, and Business at Virginia Commonwealth University before obtaining my Master’s in Secondary English Education at George Mason University. Like you, I have many interests including reading, writing, information systems, criminal law and much more. Outside of school I am an avid sports fan and have always played and coached sports. Primarily soccer, basketball, and track. During the weekend I am usually riding my bike, hiking, on the slopes or at the soccer fields. Finally, I always enjoy hearing about what you are reading or watching. Tell me about your favorite or least favorite character in a show or text. What makes it great?

ELA 7 Quarter 3 Week 1
 

Dear Parents/Guardians,

 

I hope everyone is staying warm as we begin our 3rd quarter here together. It has been wonderful to see the students return this week. In ELA 7 we have started our shared reading experience as we dive into figurative language. The narrative is told in free verse and will provide a smooth transition into our poetry unit which we will start at the end of the month. Other things to note include our CMAS preparation. Every week, starting at the end of January, students will have either a practice passage with multiple choice responses, or a writing to complete. My objective is to review test taking strategies, writing organization and familiarizing your child with every type of question they might see on the assessment later this year. I look forward to the insightful discussions and the creative responses your students will provide as we progress throughout the unit.

 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend.

 

Sincerely,

Chris Garlock

 

7/8 Language Arts

Westgate Community School

ELA 8 Quarter 3 Week 1:
 

Dear Parents/Guardians,

 

I hope everyone is staying warm as we begin our 3rd quarter here together. It has been wonderful to see the students return this week. In ELA 8 we have started our mythology and folklore unit as we review figurative language. Currently, students are working in groups to create a presentation on a specified mythology. Next week, student will present their PowerPoints and we will look at popular myths before discussing folklore. As we progress throughout the quarter, we will talk about word choice and imagery, tying it back to author’s purpose before moving into poetry where we will also look at Shakespeare. Finally, we will begin our CMAS preparation. Every week, starting at the end of January, students will have either a practice passage with multiple choice responses, or a writing to complete. My objective is to review test taking strategies, writing organization and familiarizing your child with every type of question they might see on the assessment later this year. I look forward to the insightful discussions and the creative responses your students will provide as we progress throughout the unit.

 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend.

 

Sincerely,

Chris Garlock

 

7/8 Language Arts

Westgate Community School

Dear Parents/Guardians,

 

Last week in ELA 7 we finished our shared reading Long Way Down. At the beginning of the unit, students were given a progression packet to track the journey of the protagonist and identify forms of figurative language and poetry. If they did not complete this in class, it needs to be submitted by Friday. Today, students took their final assessment on the novel and were then given a brainstorming sheet to outline their writing which we will start tomorrow. This outline needs to be completed tonight for homework and will be graded at the start of class tomorrow.

 

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you for your time and support.

Sincerely,

 

Chris Garlock

7/8 Language Arts

Westgate Community School

Dear Parents/Guardians,

 

Last week in ELA 7 we finished our shared reading Long Way Down. At the beginning of the unit, students were given a progression packet to track the journey of the protagonist and identify forms of figurative language and poetry. If they did not complete this in class, it needs to be submitted by Friday. Today, students took their final assessment on the novel and were then given a brainstorming sheet to outline their writing which we will start tomorrow. This outline needs to be completed tonight for homework and will be graded at the start of class tomorrow.

 

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you for your time and support.

Sincerely,

 

Chris Garlock

7/8 Language Arts

Westgate Community School

ELA Quarter 3 Weeks 4 & 5

 

Dear Parents/Guardians,

 

Last week in Language Arts we finished our figurative language unit and reviewed imagery, tone and mood before creating characters, choosing a genre, describing a world, and picking a message for our short stories. We outlined our stories on Wednesday and began writing on Thursday. If drafts were not completed over the weekend, students need to have them submitted no later than Friday. 

 

This week, students are participating in their second CMAS practice. On Monday, students read and answered questions in a multiple choice assessment. Today (and for the rest of the week) students will use the same passage sets to write a 5 paragraph analysis of the texts based on the prompt provided to them. My goal is to show and simulate every style of writing assessment prior to our CMAS test. 

 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. 

Thank you for your time and support.

 

Sincerely,

 

Chris Garlock

7/8 Language Arts

Westgate Community School

 
 

Posts

Q.4 and Testing

Hello 7/8 Families!

Welcome to April!

As we come back from Spring Break, we have a few things we would like to let you know. The Advocacy theme for April will be Social Awareness and Community Engagement. There will also be a focus on the global community with an emphasis on Earth Day and what we can to do keep our environment healthy for future generations.

April will also include both CMAS and MAPS testing which we will be starting the first week back. Below you can find a list for the testing that will be taking place. During testing we have divided up the afternoons so that students will get an even mix of their morning and afternoon content classes. We ask that do their best to get a good amount of sleep each night, they have a good breakfast and are present at school during testing.

Week

7th Grade

8th Grade

4/8 – 4/12
  • MAPS Testing Thursday and Friday AM
  • Science CMAS Tuesday AM and Wednesday AM and PM
  • MAPS Testing Thursday and Friday AM

4/15 – 4/19
  • ELA CMAS Testing Tuesday – Thursday AM
  • ELA CMAS Testing Tuesday – Thursday AM

4/22 – 4/26
  • Math CMAS Testing Tuesday – Thursday AM
  • Math CMAS Testing Tuesday – Thursday AM

 

Please email me with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

 

Chris Garlock

7/8 Language Arts

Westgate Community School

ELA 7 Quarter 4 (Spring Break)

Dear Parents/Guardians,

 

Over the past two weeks we have dived into our poetry unit. Students have been working hard on notes and creating a class poem. In 8th grade, students have completed reading multiple reading analysis of various forms of poetry. When we return from break, we will finish our poetry unit and look at various plays and sonnets from Shakespeare.  

 

The gradebook is up to date. If students have missing work, they need to complete the following assignments prior to returning from Spring Break:

  • The Charge of the Light Brigade
  • The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
  • Shakespeare Webquest

 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Wishing you a wonderful break.

 

Sincerely,

Chris Garlock

 

7/8 Language Arts

Westgate Community School

Dear Parents/Guardians,

 

Over the past two weeks we have dived into our poetry unit. Students have been working hard on notes and creating a class poem. In 8th grade, students have completed reading multiple reading analysis of various forms of poetry. When we return from break, we will finish our poetry unit and look at various plays and sonnets from Shakespeare.  

 

The gradebook is up to date. If students have missing work, they need to complete the following assignments prior to returning from Spring Break:

  • The Charge of the Light Brigade
  • The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
  • Shakespeare Webquest

 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Wishing you a wonderful break.

 

Sincerely,

 

Chris Garlock

7/8 Language Arts

Westgate Community School

Field Trips

Greetings 7/8 Families!

 

As we approach March and April there are some field trips, I would like you to know about. This way you can mark your calendars and be on the lookout in your email for the corresponding permission forms. Here are the field trip dates that we currently have.

 

Thu. 29 Feb.​

  1. 7th grade students will be going on a special field trip to Wild Bear Nature Center in Nederland for snow school. This permission form has been emailed. Please make sure you have both signed the permission slip and paid the $10 fee. If you need to pay, use this link: Westgate payment portal

Fri. 1 Mar.​

  1. 8th grade students will be going on a special field trip to Wild Bear Nature Center in Nederland for snow school. This permission form has been emailed. Please make sure you have both signed the permission slip and paid the $10 fee. If you need to pay, use this link: Westgate payment portal

Wed. 13 Mar.​

7th grade will be going on a field trip to the Museum of Nature and Science to learn about the mummification process used by the ancient Egyptians. The details and the permission form will be sent our shortly. We will need roughly 5-6 volunteers for this field trip. If you are available, please mark this on the permission form.

Wed. 13 Mar.​

8th grade will be going on a field trip to the Colorado History Museum to learn about the Native American tribes indigenous to the state of Colorado. . The details and the permission form will be sent our shortly. We will need roughly 5-6 volunteers for this field trip. If you are available, please mark this on the permission form.

Th. 21 Mar.

               8th grade will be holding a fundraiser for their Civil War reenactment in the High School from 6-8 pm.

Fri. 26 Apr.​

8th grade students will be participating in a Civil War Reenactment. Students will get trained and outfitted at Westgate on April 19th and then, along with other schools, reenact the Battle of Antietam at Chatfield State Park. More details and the permission form will be sent our shortly. We will need roughly 5-6 volunteers for this field trip. If you are available, please mark this on the permission form.

 

Please email with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Chris Garlock

7/8 Language Arts

Westgate Community School