SYLLABUS



SYLLABUSArvola 7th Grade Language ArtsIntroductionI am so excited to have your child in my class this year for Language Arts! My name is Angela Arvola. I have a BA in Psychology from Hendrix College out of Conway, Arkansas and a MS in Teacher Leadership from CSU. This is my third year at Heath, but I have served District 6 for 14+ years in a variety of ways: parent, coach, sub, and volunteer. If you ever need to visit with me, I can be reached at 348-3449 or aarvola2@. Please do not hesitate to contact me for any reason. Class ObjectivesAt the end of this course, your child willknow how to differentiate between genres of nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and dramabe able to write accurately and descriptivelyunderstand figurative speech versus literal languageunderstand the difference between formal and informal languagebe an expert at citing evidence and conducting short research projectsfeel comfortable presenting in publicRequired BackgroundTo successfully complete this course, your child must know how to write in complete sentences and understand correct grammarbe able to comprehend texts including finding the main idea and details of texthave a solid work ethic and get used to doing homework on a daily basiskeep his/her behavior in check at all times during classRequired MaterialsTo successfully complete this course, you will need anthology book (which will be checked out to you)access to the internetearbudsflash driveoutside reading books (which will be checked out to you)agenda (provided)school supplies, i.e., paper, pencils, pens, highlightersOnline ResourcesArvola’s web page Heath’s web page District Six’s web page Infinite Campus’ web page StandardsThere are four basic standards in Language Arts: reading, writing, presentation/listening as well as research/reasoning. Your child will be practicing and becoming experts in all four of these areas throughout the school year. ReadingReading is a huge piece of middle school learning. It supplies the children with increased vocabulary, historical reference including geographic, character development and analysis, and promotion of social skills. We will be reading every day in class. Students will be asked to read every night at home. They will read a total of six novels this year. They include The Giver by Lois Lowry, Anne Frank’s Diary, Dogsong by Gary Paulsen, Whirligig by Paul Fleischman, Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls, That was Then, This is Now by S.E. Hinton. The last novel, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor will be read together in class. These books will be checked out to the students and they are expected to bring them to class daily. Additionally, a reading log will be turned in weekly for a grade. Reading from the anthology book will also be assigned. WritingThere will be many opportunities to write. Each trimester, a project will be due involving writing. The first trimester project will be a Keynote Presentation using the iPads. The second trimester project will be a research paper. We will be participating in History Day, a national competition held at the University of Northern Colorado. The theme of this year’s event is Leadership and Legacy in History. The third project will be an iMovie produced on the iPad. PresentationStudents will be asked to discuss in groups as well as in front of the class on numerous occasions. Grades will be given on presentation skills such as speaking clearly, slowly, posture, etc. Becoming an outstanding speaker is a lifelong skill. ReasoningStudents will be asked to use their brains every day. Thought-provoking questions will be discussed daily. Students will be taught and expected to use resources in order to become problem solvers. Additionally, Socratic Seminars will be held once a month on Friday POLICIES AND PROCEDURESLate workLate work will be accepted with a 15% penalty. If a student is sick or has an excused absence, they will be given 48 hours to turn in their work without penalty. All work regardless if excused or unexcused must be accompanied with a Responsibility Card. No late work will be accepted without this card, explaining to me why the work is late. BehaviorWe have a grandiose amount of work ahead of us! In order for that to be accomplished, all students must be cooperative at all times. Off task behavior will not be tolerated. Verbal warnings will be given; however, after a verbal warning, if behavior is not corrected, the student will be placed on the four-step plan. Please support learning in room 8 by discussing and addressing any behavior brought to your attention as soon as possible. Not doing homework will be stepped in my classroom. When children get to step three, they will be asked to serve time in an afterschool program. Failure to attend Den Time will result in an automatic referral. Panther Paw Menu for room 8: I have developed a rewards program for my class. A list is included on my webpage at . Achievement Day is coming!! Once a trimester, I will offer an Achievement Day for those students will no missing work. This will be challenging as I assign a great deal of work to support the growth we are looking for this year. I can guarantee you Achievement Day is worth it! GradesI update grades every weekend. Monday morning is probably the best time to check your student’s grade in my class; however, sometimes, it may be updated as early as Sunday. You are able to check your student’s grades by access Infinite Campus. That can be found on the Heath home page at Students who are receiving a D or F will be asked to spend lunch with me that week. A lunch pass will be given to them. If they fail to show for my lunch opportunity, they will be asked to attend Detention which is an after-school program. If that does not work, they will be asked to show for Saturday school. Please help support your student by looking at progress reports, grades, and supporting me in my assignment of lunch detention, after-school detention or Saturday detention. Technology and Flipping the ClassroomMy room has been selected to be a demonstration room for iPads. I will have a classroom set of #25. That means we will be using the iPads every day. My goal is to become a paperless classroom. I will be asking that students and parents sign a technology agreement. iPads will not be in use until both the syllabus and the technology agreement have been signed and returned to me. This year, we will be “flipping” the classroom. Some of my lessons will be on video via the webpage. Homework will be watching the videos at home, answering a few questions and then returning to class ready to apply what they have learned. Please be aware that projects involving video, pictures and YouTube will be occurring in room 8. If you have any issues or concerns regarding that, please call me. WebsiteI have an extensive webpage for this class. This will have valuable information on it. Visit the site at Please sign the bottom, indicating you have read the syllabus and agree to form a partnership in your child’s learning in Room 8. I cannot wait to meet each of you which will be here soon.I have read and agree to the syllabus for room 8. Student Signature: _____________________________________ Date: ______Parent Signature: _____________________________________ Date: ______ ................
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