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My name is Dr. Julie A. Brua, and I am very excited to return as a member of the staff at St. Joseph Catholic School! I have been blessed to work in education for over 36 years, teaching students from grade kindergarten through adults.

 

I have earned the following degrees:
 
Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from University of Illinois at Urbana with 13 years of experience in teaching English Language Arts in grades 6-7-8 while at Deer Path and Northbrook Junior High Schools;
  
Master of Education with an emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction from University of Illinois at Urbana;
 
Type 75 Endorsement in Administration from DePaul University;
 
Doctorate in Educational Administration and Superintendent Endorsement from Northern Illinois University;
 
Chief School Business Official Endorsement from Northern Illinois University; and, 
 
English as a Second Language and Bilingual Endorsement from Benedictine and St. Francis Universities.
 
I have spent over 22 years in leadership positions while also serving in many roles associated with my faith: cantor, RCIA sponsor, religious education teacher, 8th grade Confirmation sponsor, Catholic school principal, etc.  My daughter Audrey, who went through religious education at St. Joe's, is going off to college this fall. My husband RJ and I live in Libertyville, and in our spare time, we enjoy exercising, spending time with family, and spoiling our dogs Paisley and Colsen. I feel blessed to be here.
 
About our English language arts program:
 
All of our middle school students will complete HMH Grammar lessons, and we will incorporate Gretchen Courtney's writing program and other genres of writing. 
 
Our program offers support to students in many forms.  In addition to the help and support I provide to all students in the classroom, IXL, an online practice program, offers additional support to students, including step-by-step demonstrations.    
 
All of our students will leave St. Joseph Catholic School with a solid foundation in grammar and writing and will be ready for the challenges of high school English language arts. 
 

Posts

Week at a Glance: ELA Sept 5 - Sept. 8

Grade 6:
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of capitalization rules: groups, organizations, religions, titles, structures, events, objects
    • Study Guide Review - Friday, Sept. 8
  • to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience by Bingo card writing/journal
Grade 7:
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through capitalization rules introduction and review: proper adjectives, school subjects.
    • Study Guide Review - Wednesday, Sept. 6
    • Assessment - Thursday, Sept. 7
  • to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience by narrative writing
Grade 8:
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through capitalization rules introduction and review: proper adjectives, school subjects
    • Study Guide Review - Wednesday, Sept. 6
    • Assessment - Thursday, Sept. 7
  • to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience by argumentation reading/writing

For Monday, September 11

All students must have headphones or earbuds at school by Monday, September 11. 

Week at a Glance: ELA August 28 - September 1

Grade 6:
  • to present All About Me poster (due Monday, August 28)
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of capitalization rules
  • to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience by gearing up for email and letter writing using capitalization rules
Grade 7:
  • to present Quotes 1/2 sheet (due Monday, August 28)
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through capitalization rules introduction and review
  • to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience by gearing up for email and letter writing using capitalization rules
Grade 8:
  • to present Values poster (due Monday, August 28)
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through capitalization rules introduction and review
  • to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience by gearing up for email and letter writing using capitalization rules

Week at a Glance: August 23-25

Grade 6:
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through getting to know you activities, gearing up for capitalization introduction
  • to convey ideas precisely and concisely using chosen language when writing through getting to know you activities
  • to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience by gearing up for email and letter writing using capitalization rules
Grade 7:
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through getting to know you activities, gearing up for capitalization review
  • to convey ideas precisely and concisely using chosen language when writing through getting to know you activities
  • to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience by gearing up for email and letter writing using capitalization rules
Grade 8:
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking, gearing up for capitalization review
  • to use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening through getting to know you activities
  • to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience by gearing up for email and letter writing using capitalization rules

Week at a Glance: August 24-26

Grade 6:
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through getting to know you activities, gearing up for sentence work
  • to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through getting to know you activities and gearing up for email and letter writing
Grade 7:
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through getting to know you activities, gearing up for sentence review work.
  • to convey ideas precisely and concisely using chosen language when writing through getting to know you activities
  • to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through getting to know you activities and gearing up for email and letter writing
Grade 8:
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking, gearing up for sentence review work
  • to use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening through getting to know you activities
  • to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through getting to know you activities and gearing up for email and letter writing

Week at a Glance: June 5 - 8

Grade 6:
  • to introduce/practice debates
Grade 7:
  • to present final added page to newspapers

Week at a Glance: May 30 - June 2

Grade 6:
  • to finish punctuation unit and to introduce/practice debates
Grade 7:
  • to practice argumentation and to add final components to newspapers

Week at a Glance: May 22 - 26

Tuesday: Please join us at 8:30 mass on Tuesday as Bishop Grob will be our special presider.
 
Grade 6:
  • to create presentations about student choice argumentation topic to share with the class
Grade 7:
  • to submit student choice argumentation essays and to create presentations about argumentation topic to share with the class
Grade 8:
  • to share student choice multigenre projects presentations with the class

Week at a Glance: May 15-19

Grade 6:
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar when writing or speaking with appropriate punctuation
  • to introduce the writing genre argumentation
Grade 7:
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking with using punctuation
  • Module 15: Review -  Monday, May 15 or 16; Module 15 Assessment - Tuesday, May 16 or Wednesday, May 17
  • to introduce the writing genre argumentation
Grade 8:
  • to embed writing genre strategies into multigenre projects and to prepare a presentation on this project to share with the class
  • Note: WWII Veteran Don Carter presentation - Tuesday, May 16 during class

Week at a Glance: May 8-12

Grade 6:
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar when writing or speaking with appropriate capitalization
  • Module 11: Review - Tuesday, May 9; Assessment - Wednesday, May 10
  • to introduce the writing genre argumentation
Grade 7:
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking with using punctuation
  • Module 15: Review - Friday, May 12; Assessment - Monday, May 15
  • to introduce the writing genre argumentation
Grade 8:
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar when writing or speaking with appropriate usage and capitalization
  • Module 12: Review - Monday, May 8; Assessment - Tuesday, May 9
  • to embed writing genre strategies into multigenre projects

Week at a Glance: May 1-5

Grade 6:
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar when writing or speaking with appropriate capitalization
  • to introduce the writing genre argumentation
Grade 7:
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking with using punctuation
  • to introduce the writing genre argumentation
Grade 8:
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar when writing or speaking with appropriate usage
  • to embed strategies associated with mood and methods into one's dialogue writing including character and setting sketches, new writing strategies, and rhetorical analysis 

Week at a Glance: April 24 - 28

Grade 6:
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and capital letters when writing or speaking
  • to present tall tales 
Grade 7:
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking with using punctuation
  • Module 14 Review: Thursday, April 27; Module 14 Assessment: Friday, April 28
Grade 8:
  • Module 11 Assessment: Friday, April 28
  • to identify mood in classic passages and to embed strategies associated with mood into one's narrative/dialogue writing through character and setting sketches

Week at a Glance: April 17 - 21

Grade 6:
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking 
  • Module 10 Review - Thursday, April 20; Module 10 Assessment - Friday, April 21
  • to craft tall tales in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience
Grade 7:
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking with using punctuation
  • to study and craft components of a newspaper: editorials/bias, interviews, articles, and pictures with captions in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience
Grade 8:
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking with using modifiers
  • Module 11 Review: Thursday, April 20 and Friday, April 21
  • to identify mood in classic passages and to embed strategies associated with mood into one's narrative/dialogue writing

Week at a Glance: April 11-14

Grade 6:
  • to study and craft tall tales in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience
Grade 7:
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking with using pronouns correctly 
  • Module 10 Review: Thursday, April 13; Module 10 Assessment: Friday, April 14
  • to study and craft components of a newspaper: editorials/bias, interviews, articles, and pictures with captions in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience
Grade 8:
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking with using pronouns correctly
  • Module 10 Review: Thursday, April 13; Module 10 Assessment: Friday, April 14
  • to finish rhetorical analysis through a variety of classic literature writing styles (Steinbeck, Hemingway, Stevenson, Doyle, Shakespeare, du Maurier) and to introduce mood into one's narrative/dialogue writing

Week at a Glance: April 3-6

Grade 6:
  • to study and craft tall tales in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience
Grade 7:
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking with using pronouns correctly 
  • to study and craft components of a newspaper: editorials/bias, interviews, articles, and pictures with captions in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience
Grade 8:
  • to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking with using pronouns correctly
  • to introduce rhetorical analysis through a variety of classic literature writing styles (Steinbeck, Hemingway, Stevenson, Doyle, Shakespeare, du Maurier) and to apply within a text of one's choice