Efaw Expects Excellence

A Year-at-a-Glance--Aligning with Georgia State Performance Standards

During the summer, many talented Cobb County teachers got together to design curriculum and lesson plans that will align both with our new textbooks, as well as with the Georgia State Performance Standards and the Georgia State Frameworks.  For those of you who aren't familiar with these tools, the GSPS outline the criteria that the state uses to ensure that students from all over Georgia are learning, and the GSF show us how to get there.  The Georgia State CRCT that students take in April of each year assesses that students have been learning according to these standards. Our year, therefore, is planned out in accordance wth the Georgia State Frameworks (a curriculum guide recommended by the state) to ensure that students are learning the standards in the order the state of Georgia prescribes.  Below is a brief overview of our year-at-a-glance.  A course syllabus can be downloaded from the "pages" of this blog, over on the right hand side.

Semester One:

Unit One:  Narrative to include Style Builders (figurative language)--4 weeks

Unit Two:  Expository Writing--7 weeks

Unit Three:  Persuasive Writing--7 weeks

 

Winter Break

 

Semester Two:

**(2 week standards review for writing test)**

Unit 4:  Research and Exploration--6 weeks

**(2 weeks standard review for CRCT test)**

Unit 5:  Response to Literature--4 weeks

Unit 6:  Poetry/Drama/Response to Literatur--4 weeks

 

The idea is to prepare students to further develop their reading and writing skills in a variety of genres, so that by the time they get to high school, they are ready for anything!  This 8th grade year is a very important year to really pay attention and prepare yourselves for what lies ahead!

Getting to know Mrs. Efaw

Hi Everyone!  This is my second year here at Griffin, and I am so excited to be a part of the Griffin Family this year!  To tell you a little about me, this is my 12th year of teaching.  I moved here from Dallas, Texas because I got married to my wonderful husband.  Prior to teaching, I was a pharmaceutical sales representative--however, teaching has been the love of my life for as long as I can remember.  Teaching is in my blood.  My grandfather was a high school principal, and I have several aunts who taught their whole lives. 

As I mentioned, I am married, and I have two dogs, Gracie Girl and Bruce, and two kitties (Pider and Neko).  My husband and I grow our own vegetables, and we recycle and compost at home.  We use the compost that we create to fertilize our garden every year.  This year, we are growing tomatoes, squash, okra, eggplant, and watermelon.  We also grow our own sunflower and buckwheat sprouts, along with basil, thyme, cilantro, tarragon, peppermint, oregano, and lemon balm.  It's really fun to watch things grow!

 

   Grace Bruce

I am excited to teach 8th grade this year!  I know we will do remarkable things, and we will learn and grow together as we learn the art of self-expression.  See, oftentimes students start off by having a difficult time identifying the relevance of the work they do in school.  Language Arts was always a love of mine, because I knew that being able to express my thoughts in a variety of ways was the key to my success.  Using literature and honing our writing skills, we will perfect our abilities to communicate with each other and with a larger audience.  If you think about it, most of us are already doing that on social networks like MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter, to name a few.  Not only are we connecting with our friends, but to a large extent, we are communicating with the world.  Wow...what's not to love about that?! 

My greatest joy in life is getting to watch students learn and grow.  I like to have a good time in the classroom, and I like to be considered as both a teacher and a learner.  I like to consider my students both teachers and learners, too.  We make a GREAT team!  I think parental involvement is very, very important, and I invite all parents to stop in the classroom and visit; experience the great things that are going on at Griffin.  You will be amazed.

Students and parents, please know that my door is always open to you.  If you ever need help or have any questions, please never hesitate to call.  I look forward to a spectacular year, and I know that together, we will be successful!