Language Arts III- 8th Grade



Doral Academy Preparatory School Syllabus- School Year 2014-2015Doral Academy Charter Middle School Language Arts III- 8th Grade Teacher: Mrs. Sardi?a School Phone No: (305) 305-591-0020.Classroom: 214A Email: JSardina@Parent Conference: Available upon Appointment; please contact the school counselor I would like to welcome everyone to the 8th grade. I look forward to a new and exciting year filled with fun learning activities that will keep students engaged and motivated.?? This year there will be a focus on the following themes of “Suspense, Civil War, A Moral Compass, and In the Time of War.” Students will analyze these concepts in the lives of characters as they read and analyze text and films. The new curriculum, Studysync, will allow students the use of technology to readily access the material presented in class. You will be exposed to a myriad of sources from literary novels to informational texts. A total of four books will be read throughout this course you will be focusing on improving your writing skills in order to master APA format and SAT writing examinations. Our goal is to make our students well versed in various texts and writing styles that predominantly focus on evidentiary based writing. Each student is expected to accomplish many goals that will not only prepare them for middle school, but will prepare them for life as they improve their grammar usage and gain knowledge of?various literature works and aspects of life.? I am extremely excited about this upcoming school year and I am confident that this will be a successful year for all of us! I welcome you to a challenging and rewarding school year and look forward in creating memorable learning moments.Reading Plus: Beginning this year ALL students that attend Doral Academy grades 6-12 will be REQUIRED to do Reading Plus to help with reading fluency, aid comprehension, and acquire superior levels of vocabulary. This in turn will help increase each students level of writing. During the first month of school we will be registering all students into the program. Here is some useful information: Website: login. Click "Student Login" to log in Student username: mdcps(no spaces and the student ID # - example: mdcps1645238) Student password: Student's ID # (example: 1645238) Site code: doral Students cannot register unless the school has already put them in the system. Our school will be registering students the last week in August once enrollment is finalized. Reading Plus technical help call: Customer Service Team: 1-800-732-3758 - option 3 Email: support@ Hours of operation: Monday through Friday, 7:30AM to 7:30PM (Eastern Time) Reading Plus will be assigned weekly to each child and must be completed every SUNDAY by midnight. Reports will be printed Monday morning and will count as a weekly QUIZ grade. Below you will see the details for grading: A grade of an "A" is given for weekly assignments completed with an 80% comprehension score or higher. A grade of an "F" is given for weekly assignments completed but with a comprehension score below 80%. A grade of a "Z"(zero) is given for weekly assignments that are not completed. Completion of weekly Reading Plus assignment is due by Sunday at midnight. It is either an "A", an "F", or a "Z" grade. Nothing else. No exceptions. It is imperative that you plan accordingly in order to complete your Reading Plus assignment in additional to your other homework assignments. Each task should not take up more than 1-2 hours in total for the entire week. You may do the assignment in sections every day. They do not have to all be completed in one sitting. We are very excited to see the amazing results our students will achieve while using this exceptional program. Ultimately, we want our students to reach Level M (college level reading) and with this program they will surely get closer to attaining this goal!Parents: Please return this form signed, acknowledging the workload and the expectation of the students. Your cooperation will be greatly appreciated. In addition, if you shall have any questions throughout the year I would recommend you to email me. This is the easiest, fastest, and most convenient way to reach me. Parent Homework:Parents please check your son/daughters’ grades online via our online grade book and please contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Summer Reading ActivityOn the Doral Academy website, you will find the information for the summer reading novel as well as the essay that correlates to the grade level you are currently entering. Please adhere to the directions and be prepared to present on Wednesday, August 20th & Thursday, August 21st. Summer reading assessments will be administered the first week of school. Homework Policy:Everyday there will be homework assigned. Homework will be posted on the school’s website on a weekly basis as well as, announced during class. The students are responsible for checking the school’s website on a daily basis and the parents are encouraged to as well. The exact website to access the school’s website is as follows:: TeachersLanguage ArtsSardinaSelect the All Homework Tab.1. “Pink Slip” - a zero for that assignment (if it becomes consistent then steps 2 and 3 will be taken)2. parent contact3. parent conferenceHomework and classwork must be 100% COMPLETE in order to be accepted. No INCOMPLETE assignments will be accepted. In turn, the student will receive a zero for that homework/classwork assignment and will need to fill out a “pink slip” for documentation purpose. *This is a copy of the form you will receive and fill out if you fail to complete or turn in a classwork or homework assignment. You will receive an “F” in the gradebook and the slip will be filed in the student folder. Extra CreditPlease be aware that I give many assignments throughout the year but I DO NOT give any opportunity for EXTRA CREDIT. Therefore, make sure you do all of your classwork and homework since there will be no “extra” work given to help “raise” your grade at any point throughout the year in my class. Academic Dishonesty Academic dishonesty will NOT be tolerated. Any individual who is caught cheating on a test/quiz/assignment etc… or plagiarizing will receive an automatic zero and a written referral. Parents will be contacted for the student’s academic dishonesty and administration will determine the appropriate consequence.ParticipationParticipation is very important when creating an engaging environment. Participation includes being prepared with class materials and participating in classroom discussions. In addition to the list of materials, the student is to bring the assigned sections of the necessary unit. The class website will dictate what text/resource to print and bring to class for the following day. Students are required to bring all materials to each assigned class day. Daily Rules and ProceduresBE PROMPT: Be on time to class – in your desk when your class begins, doing the Daily Do’s. TARDINESS WILL RESULT IN A DETENTION. Passes will be only allowed under extreme circumstances.MATERIALS: Materials must always be in-class, including and not limited to the text book. Failure to do so will result in a detention and failing grade for the assignment not completed. In the event the classroom book has been misplaced. Students will be responsible for the printing of a new book, which can be costly. BE ORDERLY & NEAT: Enter and leave the room in an orderly manner. Sit in your assigned seats correctly. Raise your hand and wait to be recognized to speak or leave your seat. Do not talk while someone else is talking. Be neat, put trash in receptacles as you leave. Keep work area clean. Keep work and notebooks neat and organized. NO CELL PHONES OR IPODS: they will be dropped off in a bin at the beginning of classBE PREPARED Have the necessary materials for each class. Homework will be verbally announced, posted on the board, and available on . Write assignments in your agenda each day. Homework will be turned in to the appropriate basket by the time the bell rings to begin the class. Failure to turn in homework assignments will affect your grade, and NO late work will be accepted except in the case of an emergency. BE RESPECTFUL Show the same respect to students, adults, and their property that you would expect for yourself.Grading Policies: Late assignments will not be accepted- the student will receive a ZERO. An excuse will only be accepted under extreme circumstancesWritten assignments must be typed and cannot be printed by the teacher. The Media Center in the high school will be available for computer use, and printing. Printing will be allowed for a minimal fee. Contact the media center for further details. Participation grades are gained based on active, meaningful and well-thought contribution to the class. It is an important part of class work. IT IS THE STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITY TO ASK FOR MAKE-UP WORK; WHEN THEY ARE ABSENT! If it is not asked for it will not be given. Students cannot have make-up work when they have an unexcused absence.Your grades are not to be discussed in class or during class. If grades are to be discussed, set up an appointment with the teacher before or after class. Make-up exams must be taken before or after class within the same week of the exam date.Assignments are to be done on an individual basis, unless assigned as group work. Work assigned during classroom hours are to be turned in before the class period is over. Grades are not to be disputed the week I close grade books. If you are concerned about a grade come and speak to me at an appropriate time. Homework is due as you walk into class within the first 5 minutes. Once it has been collected, no one will be allowed to turn in any home-learning assignments. Homework should be in the tray on my desk no later than 5 minutes into the class. When you walk into class the first assignment you need to work on will be your Journals, you will be responsible for this on a daily basis. PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING WILL NOT BE TOLERATED!Consequences: Breaking the RulesAccording to the rule that is broken, the student will face the following repercussions: Verbal WarningCall or Email home Detention/ or Special Assignment – it is the teacher’s discretion If the problem is to persist- ReferralRequired Materials: Due by August 27th / August 28th for a participation grade!Each student will need to have the following materials by the second week of school a grade will be issued for bringing in these materials: 3 Ring Binder (1.5” inch binder is recommended): if the binder will be shared with another class it must be larger. 5 Vinyl Pocket Dividers (Please keep a copy of your syllabus in here) Bell ringer Studsync Vocabulary NotebookGrammar Hand-Outs College Rule PaperPack of Post-it’s; 1 pack of Post it Flags2 Red Pens; 2 Blue Pens; 2 Pencils; 2 Highlighters, EraserColor pencils or markersHole Puncher: (Ruler )Books: “Lord of the Flies” ISBN-13: 978-0399501487“Narrative of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave” ISBN-10:?1484826744“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” ISBN-10: 1495238954“Diary of Ann Frank: A Play” ISBN-10: 0822203073 Materials for Classroom Used: Each period is responsible for the following materials for the class. You will be given volunteer hours for these materials. Please bring the receipt and fill out the form. Each parent will be required by the school to complete 30 volunteer hours or donate $ 100 dollars in classroom expenses. Period 1: 1 Ream of Paper and Pens or Pencils Period 2: Hand sanitizer and Construction paperPeriod 3: Expo Marker pens or Expo Dry Erase MarkerPeriod 4: Tissue Paper and Scotch Tape Period 5: Lysol Wipes or Clorox WipesPeriod 6: 2 Air Wick wall plug-ins scent refills and markers or color pencils Period 7: Post it flags and Post its Period 8: Post it Wall Pad and colored highlighters Grade Breakdown Class work/ Home Learning:10%Quiz: 30%Project:/ Essay : 20%Exam: 40%Grading Scale: Grades Averages90-100 A4.00 – 3.51 A80-89 B3.50 – 2.51 B70-79 C2.50 – 1.51 C60-69 D1.50 – 1.00 DBelow 60 F0.99 – 0.00 F*Parents please contact me via e-mail for fastest response, I will be more than happy to assist you with any information regarding our class, or student. Remember Grades cannot be discussed via e-mail. Please reference my e-mail address above. Agreement to Course Requirements, Policies, and Rules.Please sign that you have read and agreed with the conditions stated above, cut on the line above and return this section to Ms. Janet Sardina. The class syllabus must be printed and placed in the front of the student’s class binder. We, the parent/guardian(s) and the student, have fully read and understood the course syllabus for the 2014-2015 school year. This syllabus outlines the requirements and expectations as well as rules and policies that will be followed. We agree with the course syllabus and will abide by all said rules, requirements, and policies. ____________________________________________________Student NamePeriod_____________________________________________________Student SignatureDate_______________________________________________________ ____________Parent/Legal Guardian’s NameParent/Legal Guardian’s SignatureDate_________________________________________________________ _____________________Parent/Legal Guardian’s EmailParent/Legal Guardian’s CellHome Number Instructional Film Consent FormDear Parent(s)/Guardian(s), ??During the course of the 2014-2015 school year I plan to show G, PG or PG-13 rated movies in full or as excerpts to enhance our class curriculum. Our school requires parental permission for your son/daughter to view movies that are used in our curriculum which are rated PG or PG-13. ?This is a permission slip to allow your child to view all of the films/clips assigned via Study Sync and the teacher’s discretion in reference to curriculum correlation.Sincerely, Ms. Janet Sardina *****************************************************************************************??____ Yes, I give my son/daughter permission to view curriculum and school appropriate full-length movies/excerpts rated G, PG or PG-13. ??____ No, I do not give my son/daughter permission to view curriculum and school appropriate full-length movies/excerpts. I understand alternate learning experience/assignment will be provided for my child while the movie is being watched. ?? ?Name of Student: _______________________________________________Parent/Guardian Signature:?_______________________________________Period:__________________Date: ____________________ ................
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