Chen ELA 8th Grade Syllabus - Weebly



Welcome to 8th Grade ELA! We are looking forward to working with you this year. Each nine weeks we will be studying and developing skills in reading and writing.

This will be an exciting and rigorous year. Our ELA class will cover both the reading and writing portions of the state curriculum as well as building upon foundation skills for high school and college. That said, I will work diligently with the students and parents to ensure all students master the curriculum and learn life-long language skills. There are three pillars to a child’s education: the student, the parent and the teacher— I am committed to this triad to ensure the best educational foundation possible for each student.

READING: We will be reading and analyzing three whole-class novels: The Giver by Lois Lowry, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, and Night by Elie Wiesel. In addition, students will read independent novels for a literary analysis research paper. The independent reading novel list from which the students will choose are Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Hoops by Walter Dean Myers, Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan, and Monster by Walter Dean Myers.

I recommend you purchase The Giver, The Outsiders, and Night. I will have some available for in-class use only; however, we will be teaching comprehension strategies that involve annotating in the text. I will notify you later when will be the best time to purchase the independent reading novels. They will be available at our fall school book fair for students to purchase. It is extremely beneficial for students to purchase their own copy of the novels.

WRITING: Writing is a life skill that we will work on in ELA this year. There will be major papers throughout the year including a personal narrative, persuasive piece, research paper, imaginary piece, as well as some mini-writings. As the students write each of these essays, I will model and teach the importance of each step in the writing process.

ONLINE RESOURCE: Our 8th grade ELA website is . Class documents and resources, announcements, and calendars will frequently be updated on the website. It will not be possible to put everything online, so it is important that each student use their agenda, class spiral, and keep up with items distributed in class.

We will also be using a literature textbook this year that allows students access to an on-line version of the book as well as many interactive features. This will be a great tool for you to access at home. We will be assigning student usernames and passwords in the first weeks of school.

GRADING POLICY: As 8th graders, it is our expectation that students take responsibility for their success by turning in assignments up to expectations and by the due date. We will be strictly following the SMS grading policy. Late work is not acceptable. Late work is considered late if it is not turned in at the beginning of class or when requested by the teacher. The ZAP program and the late work policy will be implemented in our grading process.

Students will be issued one “No Foul” pass to be used for one major grade assignment each semester. The “No Foul” pass allows the student to turn in the major grade assignment one day late with no penalty, but the assignment MUST be turned in the next class day regardless of circumstance. Use the pass wisely.

The nine weeks average consists of 50% major grades and 50% daily grades.

MAKE UP WORK: Make up work is the student’s responsibility to obtain and complete immediately upon his/her return to class. Make up work is available at the front of the classroom. If students have questions and need further clarification, approach the teacher before or after school, not during class. For every day missed, he/she has one day to make up the work. IF the student does not make up the work within that time and has not come to talk to the teacher, then he/she will receive a zero. Additionally, if the student was assigned an assignment prior to the absence, it is due the day he/she returns.

If the student knew about the test before his/her absence, he/she will be expected to take it immediately upon his/her return. No class time will be given to a student to make up a quiz/test. The student must schedule a time with the teacher before or after school, or during another period with both teachers’ permission. If the student did not know about the test before his/her absence, he/she has the amount of days they was absent to make up the quiz/test. If the student fails to take the quiz/test, he/she will receive a zero.

TUTORIALS: The entire English department will be available for tutorials on Monday mornings from 8:00 to 8:40 AM.

ELECTRONIC DEVICES: In order to ensure that students are focused and not distracted during our valuable class time, the SMS cell phone policy will be strictly implemented. Cell phones, iPODs, mp3 players, and any other electronic devices will not be allowed in the classroom. Earphones/ear buds should not be worn in the classroom even if they are not connected to an electronic device. If students are caught with any electronic device in the classroom, it will be confiscated by the teacher and handed over to the student’s AP. Return of the device is per the AP and school policy.

RESTROOM/NURSE PASS: Time is tremendously limited in class and instruction is from bell to bell. As such, we expect you to take care of your business before or after class. However, if an emergency arises, passes will be issued in your agenda each nine weeks. Please make sure the pass is filled out before you ask for permission to leave.

CLASS EXPECTATIONS

Be On Time – As school policy says, the first two tardies will earn you a warning, the third will result in parent contact, and the fourth is an office referral.

Be Prepared – Please bring your spiral, highlighter, pens, texts, agenda, and most importantly, your assignments to class every day. Please be mentally and physically present each day this year. I give 100% of myself each day to my students and I expect the same degree of engagement from my students.

Be Respectful – We are all human beings learning from each other. Respect your teachers, administrators, our classroom guests, other students, and most of all, respect yourself.

Be Willing – There will be activities and assignments done in class this year that you will not be entirely enthusiastic about for various reasons. Nonetheless, these assignments have been thought through and created with your academic growth in mind. Therefore, please have a positive attitude and be open to do what is asked of you in class. “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.” Leonardo da Vinci

Be Honest – I will always be honest with you, and I expect the same in return. Honesty includes doing your own work. Integrity in every life circumstance is a characteristic I uphold in my classroom.

The 8th Grade ELA Team is looking forward to a fantastic year!!!

Class Supply List: All of the supplies listed below need to be in the classroom no later than Tuesday, August 27, 2011,

• 5 subject, 200-count spiral (5-Star brand preferred)

• box of Kleenex

• 3-pack of glue sticks

• pack of 3x3 Post-It Notes

• 5-colored pack of highlighters

• pair of children’s scissors

• Black/Blue pens

• Map pencils

• Notebook paper as needed

One of the major keys to a successful school year is communication. If you have any concerns, please feel free to call or email me. My classroom number is (281) 634-6847 and my email address is joy.chen@fortbend.k12.tx.us. I will do my best to return all messages and emails within 24 hours. Please fill out the contact form below and have your child return it by Tuesday, August 27, 2011 with his/her supplies.

Student Name _________________________________________ Period ________

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Guardian 2

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