Welcome to 7th and 8th Grade Reading Skills A

Biography

Hello! I am April Baker-Hage, I teach 8th grade Reading Skills at Bryan Middle School. I also sponsor the yearbook. The 2020-2021 school year will mark my seventh year in teaching, all of which have been at BMS. I have a passion for language and reading and strive to help every student appreciate the literature, but I also hope to impart how important it is to stay informed, and to become a participating member in our society, no matter what part they will come to play. I was born in Abilene, Texas and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. I have worked in a variety of jobs over the years including as a caregiver for adults with intellectual disabilities, a cake decorator, and a deli preparation person. I came to Omaha to finish my teaching degree at UNO, and when I was done I decided I loved Omaha so much I would stay! Both my undergraduate (Secondary education with a Language Arts focus) and graduate (Literacy) degrees are from UNO completed in 2014 and 2018 respectively, and I have begun work on a second master in School Library Science that I will complete in Spring 2021.

When I am not at school, I enjoy family time with my husband, daughter, Olive and our three cats, Merlin, Nimue, and Morgana. I love reading, drawing, journaling and writing poetry, short stories and essays. My husband and I also enjoy cooking together and exploring new places with Olive on mini vacations to places like Chicago, Minneapolis, and Kansas City. We hope to visit Nashville and New York City soon. The focus for myself and my students this year is overcoming adversity and learning to persevere. We are in uncharted times in history, but I believe with each other's support we can all come out on top.

I am excited for another fantastic school year! You can follow me on Twitter @mrsbakerreads and Instagram @mrsbakerhagereads where I post updates of what's going on in class . Also please don't hesitate to call, email, or stop by the school if you have any questions for me, or just to say hello! Bear P.R.I.D.E.! 


Course Information

Curriculum: 7th grade 21st Century Literacy is designed to reinforce the Language Arts curriculum, with a specific focus on advancing grade-level reading skills.  Fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension strategies are taught within the class. 

Themes: Our yearly theme is "Discovery" and our quarter lens themes include: Identity (Quarter 1), Choices (Quarter 2), Perspectives (Quarter 3), and Conviction (Quarter 4).

Resources: We will use the Reality Central text (all nonfiction) throughout the school year as well as texts through the Literature and Thought series (one per quarter): Who Am I? (quarter 1), Decisions, Decisions (quarter 2), And Justice for All (quarter 3), and To Be a Hero (quarter 4).  These texts have a variety of genres such as memoirs, essays, poems, and short stories.  We will also do literature circles using novels during 2nd and 4th quarters.

Mrs. Baker-Hage

April.Baker-Hage@ops.org

531-299-2300