Syllabus for 7th Grade Language Arts*



Ms. Smith Email Address: Kashekia.smith@humble.k12.tx.us

Conference Hours: By appointment Telephone: 281-641-6000

For the students who are returning, Welcome back to Ross Sterling Middle School! For the students who are new this school year, Welcome! This syllabus will be a guide to help you understand the curriculum for seventh grade English Language Arts and Reading and to prepare you for another great year at Ross Sterling Middle School.

Course Objectives:

The objectives are to strengthen reading and writing skills in such a manner that the student can transfer such learning to other subject areas as well as to real-world situations. Students will practice and improve reading skills by completing reading comprehension exercises, practicing and using a variety of reading strategies, and incorporating Common Core State Standards that will help students be better prepared for high school, college, and a career.

Students will be encouraged to use prior knowledge and critical thinking skills to analyze and interpret what has been read. The textbook along with the outside reading sources we are using this year will provide the students with many genres of literature and many opportunities to improve their critical thinking and reasoning skills. We are also going to be learning, practicing, and implementing various reading strategies that will prepare the 7th grade students for the next grade.

We will also spend a considerable amount of time on class discussions that will deepen their literacy comprehension. My focus is to have the students improve their reading and literacy comprehension skills so that they may pass the 7th grade STAAR Assessments, as well as to become skilled and fluent readers.

Course Goals:

❖ To improve and develop skills in reading, comprehension, and writing through insightful analysis of various literature genres.

❖ To gain personal and educational growth through the reading of quality literature.

❖ To improve skills in reading, grammar, usage, composition, vocabulary, spelling, listening and speaking.

❖ To work collaboratively and respectfully with other class members to enhance appreciation, connections within the text, and comprehension of quality literature.

❖ To analyze and improve individual writing and reading by keeping a RELA journal of various literature assignments.

❖ To prepare students for assessment of State and Common Core standards in the areas of both reading and writing.

Resources

 The textbook that we will use include the following: 

( Holt McDougal Literature Texas: Student Edition

Holt McDougal Literature Common Core Edition textbook:

This textbook is a comprehensive resource that addresses all key points of the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts and Reading (RELA). The tables of contents boast a strong balance of classic and contemporary literature and diverse informational texts that progressively develop and apply students' RELA skills.

Comprehension and critical analysis of complex information are crucial for the demands of college- and career-level reading. Each reading selection helps students cite specific textual evidence and create written and verbal arguments based on sound reasoning and substantive claims. Writer's workshops, media studies, and research units holistically address the integrated nature of the Standards. Students practice reading, writing, and speaking and listening by analyzing and producing an array of media. Language skills are addressed in every writing workshop, within each selection, and after selections to emphasize the contextualized nature of vocabulary. All selections are complemented by visuals that enhance comprehension and add background knowledge.

Nine-Week Plan/Bundles of Study: The seventh grade English Language Arts and Reading curriculum has been developed to cover a broad range of topics dealing with reading, writing, and critical thinking.

First Nine Weeks:

Bundle 1: Literacy Text

Literary Skills/Informational: Theme, central idea, purpose, and point of view

Reading Skills: Context Clues, author’s purpose, main idea, and fact/opinion

Writing Workshop: Descriptive essay, autobiographical narrative, how-to essay, and comparison/contrast essay

Vocabulary Workshop: Using a dictionary, thesaurus, and words with multiple meaning words

Communications Workshop: Delivering a project based assignment that reflects comprehension and mastery of this unit

Second Nine Weeks:

Bundle 2: Analysis and Comparison of Text

Literary Skills/Informational: Informational/Literacy text, Poetry, and Drama

Reading Skills: Predictions, Inferences, Summarizing, Synthesizing, and Paraphrasing

Writing Workshop: Response to Literature

Vocabulary Workshop: Word Origins

Communications Workshop: Writing an expository composition that clarifies or explains something

Third Nine Weeks:

Bundle 3: Making Connections across Genres

Literary Skills/Informational: Cross Genre Study and Multi-Genre Study

Reading Skills: Complex Inferences, Use textual evidence to support understanding, Make connections between and across text

Writing Workshop: Utilization of the writing process to compose text

Vocabulary Workshop: Connotation, Denotation, Borrowed, and Foreign words

Communications Workshop: Development and presentation of a Greek mythology, poetry, and drama project

Fourth Nine Weeks:

Bundle 4: Genre Connections and Research

Literary Skills/Informational: Power of Persuasion, STAAR Writing Review, and STAAR Reading Review

Reading Skills: Make inferences about text and use textual evidence to support understanding

Writing Workshop: Write expository and procedural or work-related texts to communicate ideas and information to specific audiences for specific purposes

Vocabulary Workshop: Figurative language, Tone, and Mood

Communications Workshop: Research presentation

Novel Study – The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, and The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis

Grades

• *** I will specifically use the 1000 Point Grading System. When a teacher uses the “1000 Point Grading System”, students can always figure out where they stand on the grading scale at any point throughout the nine weeks by simply adding up the points they have earned.

Grading Scale:

Grade Scale with Points

|Letter Grade |Point Ranges |

|A+ |990-1000 |

|A |910-989 |

|A- |900-909 |

|B+ |890-899 |

|B |810-889 |

|B- |800-809 |

|C+ |790-799 |

|C |710-789 |

|C- |700-709 |

|D+ |690-699 |

|D |610-679 |

|D- |600-609 |

|F |0-599 |

Guidelines and Procedures

Students’ Rights

1. Every student has the right to a quality education.

2. Every student has the right to be informed of behavioral expectations.

3. Every student has the right to be informed of the academic requirements of his/her courses, to be advised of his/her progress, and have the opportunity for assistance.

4. Students are permitted to express themselves as long as the expression does not disrupt the operation/procedures of the school, is not vulgar, obscene, or profane.

Students’ Responsibilities

Each student has the responsibility to:

1. Attend school daily, unless ill or legally excused, to receive an education.

2. Be on time for all classes.

3. Come to class with necessary materials.

4. Complete all in-class, projects, readings, and homework assignments and meet deadlines.

5. Follow all school rules and the direction of all school personnel.

6. Cooperate with all school staff.

7. Respect themselves, others, and both the property of the school and others.

8. Take responsibility for their learning

Expectations

Students are expected to:

-Be respectful, honest, and cooperative.

-Be in their seats working when the bell rings.

-Participate in class and ask questions to clarify lack of understanding with topic covered or assigned work.

-Listen to and follow directions the first time they are given.

-Refrain from talking when others are speaking or reading.

-Value school and teacher property (writing/destroying/defacing any objects that belongs to the teacher or school will be viewed as vandalism and will be taken very seriously).

-Take pride in their work and do their best at all times.

Positive Consequences Include: Verbal Praise, Positive Emails, and Incentives

Consequences for inappropriate behavior

1st time: Verbal reminder/Re-direction/ Student conference

2nd time: Parent Contact

3rd time: Parent/teacher conference will be held

4th time: Student is referred to the office

Consequences are given according to the severity of the behavior of the student. Inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated in any capacity; therefore, swift attention will be given to any such infraction.

COMMUNICATION WITH PARENTS

Parents will be contacted throughout the year and are encouraged to call the school, e-mail me, or send me a note should a concern arise. I rely heavily on email correspondence and I am committed to regular communication regarding class assignments, projects, test performance, homework, and all other course related materials. Please ensure that you have a valid email on file with the school. Also please note that phone calls will be an additional avenue that I will utilize to keep the parents abreast of their child’s overall progress/hurdles. I will the parents desire to communicate with me via district e-mail/phone. Open and consistent lines of communication are essential in terms of bolstering academic success.

Extra Help:

Students are invited to make an appointment to stay on a certain afternoon for extra help. Typically, I will be available Monday thru Thursday after school until 5pm. I will also be free during my lunch break to assist students. This will be a very organized process. The student must request a lunch pass prior to coming to my room to receive extra help. During the entire time, the student is strictly expected to work on RELA work only. I must receive a parent or guardian’s permission before any student stays after school or come in during lunch to obtain extra assistance.

Make-up and Late Assignments: Any make-up or late work is solely the responsibility of the student. The student must be proactive in inquiring about all work missed while absent from class. Students will have the number of days he or she was absent to make-up missed work. (If the student is absent 1 day, that allots 1 day to make-up missed assignments, if the student is absent 2 days, that allots for 2 days to make-up missed work, ect.) If the student fails to make-up the missed assignment based on the allowable time he or she will receive a zero for the missed assignment. Late assignments should only occur in emergencies or due to an absence. If the student is absent on the day an assignment is due, the assignment is expected to be submitted upon the student’s immediate return. All assignments submitted late will be graded starting at the 500 point mark. After 3 days of the assignment being late it will be deemed as a zero.

Please feel free to contact me any time you have questions or concerns. I will respond as quickly as possible. I will typically contact parents by e-mail. However, if it is a matter of greater concern, then I will contact parents by phone or set up a conference at school.

August 22, 2016

Dear Parent/Guardian,

Thank you for entrusting your student into Ross Sterling Middle School’s care during this school year. I am delighted to instruct your child, and I know that we are on the cusp of a great year.

Please look over the online syllabus. It contains goals and standards for 7th Grade English Language Arts and Reading. Please discuss these goals and standards with your child, and please encourage him/her to succeed in this class. After you have read the syllabus, please sign the bottom of this sheet and give it to your child to return no later than 08/24/2016. The receipt of this document will be the 1st major grade to be recorded for the 1st nine weeks and it is worth 1000 points. If you have any questions please write them on the comment portion of this sheet or email me at Kashekia.smith@humble.k12.tx.us

Again, thank you for this wonderful opportunity.

Sincerely,

Ms. K. Smith

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I, (student’s name) _______________________, have read the syllabus for 7th Grade English Language Arts and Reading and agree to strive continually to meet the expectations for this class. I also attest that I will follow the following honor code.

Honor Code: In order to maintain honor in my relationships, I agree to do what is right, to speak the truth, and to strive for integrity in all that I do. Therefore, I will not be involved in lying, bullying, fighting, using profanity, negatively abusing social media/internet, cheating, or stealing. If I do vary from this path of honor, I will accept the correction from others and the established consequences of this school. Honor and integrity is a goal that I seek to attain daily.

Student’s signature _______________________

I, (parent’s name) _________________________, have observed that my child has read and understood the expectations for 7th Grade English Language Arts and Reading.

Parent’s signature ______________________________ Date _______________________

Comment:

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