Mr. Jost's Internet Classroom
8th Grade English Teacher
West Deptford Middle School
bjost@wdeptford.k12.nj.us
848-1200 X3090
  • Home
    • About Mr. Jost
    • My Pets
    • School Info
    • 8th Grade Rules
  • Daily Log
  • Class Stories
    • M.P. 1 >
      • "Priscilla and the Wimps"
      • "Wise Old Woman"
      • "I Go Along"
      • "Broken Chain"
      • THE COMPOUND
    • M.P. 2 >
      • Horror >
        • "The Landlady"
        • "Lamb to the Slaughter"
        • "Bloodstain"
        • "Bubble Bath No. 3"
        • "The Monkey's Paw"
        • "The Girl at the Window"
        • Shadows
        • The Phantom Hitchhiker
        • "The Tell-Tale Heart"
        • "The Black Cat"
        • "The Lover"
      • "The Lottery"
      • 2081
      • THE GIVER
    • M.P. 3 >
      • "Flowers for Algernon"
      • Ray Bradbury >
        • "There Will Come Soft Rains"
        • "The Veldt"
        • "All Summer in a Day"
        • "The Flying Machine"
        • "The Pedestrian"
        • "A Sound of Thunder"
        • Information
      • THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX
      • Argument Writing/Debates >
        • Debates
      • PARCC Training
    • M.P. 4 >
      • "The Diary of Anne Frank" >
        • Videos (Franks/Nazi Germany)
      • THE WESTING GAME
  • Homework
    • SSR
  • My Class
    • Novels
    • Short Stories
    • My Teaching Philosophy
    • Grading Scale
    • What to Expect This Year
    • Classroom Rules/Procedures
    • Materials Needed
    • Academic Integrity
    • Email Etiquette
    • References >
      • Literary References >
        • Plot Diagramming
        • Allusions
        • Symbolism
        • Tone vs. Mood
        • Characterization
        • Point of View
        • Irony
      • Sentence Patterns
      • Grammar
      • Symbolic Objects
      • Proper MLA Format
      • Links >
        • Writing
        • Reading >
          • Must Read Novels
        • Grammar
        • Poetry
        • Typing
  • CW
  • Use Your Noodle
    • Ethics
    • Free Will vs. Determinism
    • Identity
    • The Nature of Reality
    • The Nature of Dreams
    • Metaphysics
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Political Philosophy
    • Dark Side of the Moon
    • Existentialism
My teaching philosophy is simple - I want my students to enjoy reading, writing and, most importantly, thinking.  I want each story to come alive in a way that is not simply read, regurgitate facts, and forget.  Each story should have a life of its own.  The way we can accomplish making stories come alive is through discussion.  My class depends heavily on group discussion to come to conclusions, theories and, eventually, understandings.  

I try to take my students' learning past the simple comprehension and push them "beyond the book."  Instead of providing summaries, we will be analyzing stories for allusions and symbolism.  This class will provide students with the deeper reading skills that are taught in the higher grades.  The goal is that each child enters into the high school overly-prepared for their English class.  

In school, I learned best by teachers who were personable, down to earth, and approachable.  This is how I structure my class, as well.  No student should ever feel intimidated or shy about asking a question, so my classroom is typically very easy going in order to create a comfortable learning environment at all times. 
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