Dear Parents and Students,
Welcome to my website! My name is Mrs. Brenda Bates and I will be the reading instructor for your child this school year. I have been a teacher in Lee County for 37 years. This is my first year at Veteran's Park and I am very excited to be here.
I graduated from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. I also graduated from the University of South Florida, receiving my Masters degree in Reading. I have been happily married for 38 years. Mr. Bates is a retired elementary Physical Education teacher. Many of you parents may have had him as your P.E. teacher here in Lehigh. We have 3 adult children and 7 grandchildren. I am very proud of my family and enjoy spending time with them. My favorite hobby is reading. Ask me about a book that you like, I may have read it!
My Block 2 Class is composed of 7th grade students. We will be working in a new series called Rewards and Word Wisdom. The Rewards series will help the student decode larger words that they encounter in Science, Social Studies and other classes by teaching multisyllabic word strategies. The Word Wisdom series will help the students with word meanings by using Context Clue strategies and other reading skill strategies. Block 2 students will also work in A.R., have an A.R. goal each quarter, and maintain an A.R. Reading Log.
The Block 3-4 class is composed of 6th graders who are working in the Treasures series. It is designed to teach essential FCAT reading skills, vocabulary, and spelling. Students will take a weekly reading test, a unit test (every 6 weeks), a midterm, and a final exam. There will also be a vocabulary test and a spelling test each week. In addition, each student will have an A.R. goal for each quarter and must maintain an A.R. Reading Log.
My Block 5-6 and 7-8 is composed of Intensive Reading students. We will be working in the Language Series which will teach Phonic, Phonemic Awareness, Spelling, Vocabulary and essential FCAT reading skills. These students will tests on skills, vocabulary, and spelling after every fifth lesson. They will also have an A.R goal and must maintain an A.R. Reading Log.
Weekly Homework for all classes:
Each student is required to turn in a reading log every Monday. Students are required to read three times per week or more if possible for a minimum of 60 minutes per week.
Additional homework is given to students that relate to unit vocabulary, spelling practice, and reading strategies. All homework that is given reinforces the content that we are practicing daily in class