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Betsy Simons

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My name is Betsy Simons, and I have been teaching with Douglas County Schools since 2010. I have a Bachelors of Arts in English and a Masters of Arts in Education. I have been married since 2003 to my amazing husband, Jason. Our daughter Ella completed her IB Diploma at Douglas County High School in 2024 and is enjoying studying with the Engineering Honors Program at Colorado University. We have called Castle Rock our home since 2001, and love being part of this amazing community. 

I am a first-generation college student and attribute my love for the classroom to all of the amazing teachers who nourished me. Starting in Elementary School, then moving on to Middle, I have worked with both IB and PBL platforms.  I love how students find themselves in learning systems that support growth through understanding. 

I am an adaptive educator and truly believe that a student needs to feel emotionally supported and secure in order to thrive. I work hard to make sure my classroom is calming, welcoming and the perfect place to take risks and work hard. 

I encourage families to reach out, and I look forward to continuing to build relationships with the students and their families at Mesa Middle School.

I can be reached at bksimons@dcsdk12.org

 

 

 

Our Year at a Glance

We will complete the StudySync units in the following order:

Unit 1 → Unit 3 → Unit 4 → Unit 2

 

StudySync Unit 1

Testing Our Limits

Essential Question: What do we do when life gets hard?
Approximate dates: August–October

During our first unit, students will examine how people respond when life becomes difficult and their limits are tested. Through fiction and related texts, students will explore perseverance, problem-solving, resilience, and the choices people make when facing challenges.

Possible texts may include selections from:

  • “Eleven”
  • The Mighty Miss Malone
  • Red Scarf Girl
  • Hatchet
  • “The Magic Marker Mystery”
  • “Scout’s Honor”
  • “Good Samaritan”
  • “Jabberwocky”
  • Gathering Blue
  • A Wrinkle in Time

Students will practice:

  • Understanding plot, character, setting, and conflict
  • Identifying theme and central idea
  • Making inferences
  • Selecting strong textual evidence
  • Writing organized constructed responses
  • Participating respectfully in classroom discussions
  • Revising and strengthening writing

Genre Focus: Fiction
Major Writing Focus: Narrative writing

 

StudySync Unit 3

In the Dark

Essential Question: How do you know what to do when there are no instructions?
Approximate dates: October–December

In this unit, students will explore how people make decisions and take action when there is no clear path forward. Through informational texts, mythology, fiction, biography, and other genres, students will examine curiosity, uncertainty, discovery, creativity, and decision-making.

Possible texts may include selections from:

  • Heroes Every Child Should Know: Perseus
  • The Lightning Thief
  • “Elena”
  • Hatshepsut: His Majesty, Herself
  • “I, Too”
  • “Everybody Jump” from What If?
  • Hoot
  • “Donna O’Meara: The Volcano Lady”
  • “Dare to Be Creative!”
  • “Margaret Bourke-White: Fearless Photographer”

Students will practice:

  • Determining central ideas
  • Analyzing informational texts
  • Making connections across multiple texts
  • Examining how people respond to uncertainty
  • Analyzing an author’s ideas and supporting evidence
  • Synthesizing information from multiple sources
  • Supporting written responses with textual evidence

Genre Focus: Informational Text
Major Writing Focus: Informative writing

 

StudySync Unit 4

Personal Best

Essential Question: Which qualities of character matter most?
Approximate dates: January–March

During this unit, students will examine the qualities that help people overcome challenges, influence others, stand up for their beliefs, and become the best versions of themselves. Students will encounter both real individuals and fictional characters who demonstrate courage, perseverance, leadership, compassion, and strength of character.

Possible texts may include selections from:

  • I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
  • Malala Yousafzai’s Nobel Lecture
  • “Priscilla and the Wimps”
  • “All Summer in a Day”
  • “Bullying in Schools”
  • Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott
  • “Letter to Xavier High School”
  • Freedom’s Daughters
  • “Celebrities as Heroes”
  • “Famous”

Students will practice:

  • Analyzing character traits and motivations
  • Comparing fiction and nonfiction
  • Evaluating arguments and supporting evidence
  • Examining an author’s message and perspective
  • Comparing historical and modern examples
  • Supporting interpretations with textual evidence
  • Analyzing how individuals respond to challenges

Genre Focus: Argumentative Text
Major Writing Focus: Literary analysis

 

StudySync Unit 2

You and Me

Essential Question: How do relationships shape us?
Approximate dates: March–May

During our final unit, students will examine the ways relationships with family, friends, teachers, communities, and others shape who we become. Through poetry, fiction, and informational texts, students will explore belonging, conflict, empathy, identity, and the lasting influence people can have on one another.

Possible texts may include selections from:

  • Walk Two Moons
  • Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
  • “Teenagers”
  • “Tableau”
  • “The Voice in My Head”
  • “We’re on the Same Team”
  • “The Treasure of Lemon Brown”
  • “The Circuit”
  • “That Day”
  • “A Poem for My Librarian, Mrs. Long”

Students will practice:

  • Analyzing relationships between characters
  • Tracking character development
  • Determining theme
  • Examining point of view
  • Comparing experiences across texts
  • Analyzing poetry and figurative language
  • Supporting arguments with relevant evidence
  • Reflecting on growth as readers and writers

Genre Focus: Poetry
Major Writing Focus: Argumentative writing

Homework, Missing, and Late Work

Weekly Homework: Reading Reflection

Students will have one regular homework assignment each week: a Reading Reflection due every Friday.

Students should read independently during the week and complete the assigned reflection about their reading. The goal of this homework is to build a consistent reading habit while giving students opportunities to think about, respond to, and share what they are reading.

Reading Reflections are assigned weekly and should be completed by Friday. Students are encouraged to spread their reading throughout the week rather than waiting until Thursday night.

Missing and Late Work

Students are responsible for checking what they missed after an absence. Assignments and resources will generally be available through the Kodiak Planner, Google Classroom, and StudySync.

When absent, students should:

  1. Check the Kodiak Planner and Google Classroom.
  2. Ask a classmate or Mrs. Simons what was missed.
  3. Speak with Mrs. Simons about missed assessments or larger assignments.
  4. Complete and submit missed work within a reasonable amount of time.

Students should communicate early if they are confused, overwhelmed, absent for an extended period, or experiencing circumstances that make completing an assignment difficult. Asking for help is always encouraged.