Fall 2007 — Spring 2008

ÒReading Our WorldÓ

Text: McDougal Little, The Language of Literature

Calendar | SSR | Homework Policies | Grading | Projects | Home

Welcome to English 7 with Ms. Craft in Room 18.  We will be accomplishing much together.  We will be exploring short stories (fiction and nonfiction), poetry, essays, and multitude of different genres.  WeÕll be discovering the many ways that we ÒreadÓ the world.  We will spend a great deal of time with various writing assignments, and weÕll be able to recognize the connotative power of language and apply what we learn in our own works.  WeÕll sharpen our knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, and writing conventions so that we can communicate more effectively.  Look forward to achieving academic literacy that will be invaluable in all your classes.  We will also be learning strategies that all good readers use to make sense of difficult texts.  We will be predicting, summarizing, paraphrasing, and asking questions – lots of questions. It will be a rigorous class, and I guarantee that you will be amazed at how much youÕll grow as a reader and writer.  Oh, weÕll have fun along the way, too.

 

Materials Needed

1Ó- 1.5Ó 3-ring Binder

Section dividers to organize your notes (Literature, Vocabulary, Grammar, Reading log, and Writing)

Loose leaf college-ruled binder paper

Pens, pencils, pencil sharpeners

 

SSR silent sustained reading

SSR will be a regular routine throughout the class with the purpose of gaining fluency, engagement, and agency.  You will be responsible for choosing your own books for independent reading.

 

Criteria for an independent reading book

1. It must be a book (no magazines, newspapers, or comic books);

2. It must have more words than pictures;

3. It must be something youÕre interested in;

4. It must be something your parents would allow you to read. 

 

SSR ground rules

Stay in your seat so others arenÕt distracted.

Do not work on something else.

Do not talk.

Do your best to read for the whole time

Write in your SSR log when finished.

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Homework Policies

 

1. For excused absences, make-up work will be accepted per school policy.  Students will have the same number of days to make up an assignment that they were absent.


2. Late work will be accepted within three days of when it was due for half credit.

Rationale

I believe this policy will enforce responsibility and organizational skills, which are important attributes for students to obtain. It is also the studentÕs responsibility to find out the missing work from an absence either by meeting with the teacher before or after school, checking the homework calendar online or in the classroom, or asking a peer from class. 
In the event of a home-network or printer issue, please either hand-write the assignment, e-mail a peer the assignment to print out, or come to school early with a CD and use the library or computer lab to print out the work. 
The daily agenda and homework are accessible from the class calendar, and are posted in the classroom.

 

Make-Up Exams

Make-up times for quizzes and tests are Tuesdays at lunch and Thursdays after school (IÕll have these hours posted).  There will be no exceptions, unless an appointment with me is made ahead of time.  Make-up tests must be given no later than the Friday of the week before a grading period.  ItÕs up to you to keep track of what tests youÕre missing.

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Grading 

Class work, homework, papers, and tests will be graded on a point system. Assignments are placed into the following categories and weighted as follows:

 

Homework 15% | Class work 15%  | Tests 30 % | Papers/Projects 30% | Participation 10%

 

IMPORTANT!

Class Participation is worth 3 points a day (15 points per week). To receive full-points, the following must occur:

1. Actively participate in class and always raising his/her hand;

2. Maintain respect for his/her peers, teacher, and speaker;

3. Remain on-task at all times;

4. No-talking during instruction or when a peer is speaking;

5. Full cooperation and participation during group activities.

 

 

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Projects (links to be constructed)

 

End of Semester Portfolio Self-Assessments and Reflections

 

Reading Log and SSR Assignments

 

Medieval Journal Project

 

Fall and Spring Semester Vocabulary Projects

 

Poetry Project - year long

 

Rhetorical Grammar Project (Common Place Book - year long)

 

Multi-genre Research Project (Spring semester)

 

My commitment to you

It will be my goal to establish a safe and caring environment conducive to learning and exploring new ideas.  Remember that I want you to succeed and will do all I can toward that end.  We will have an incredible year together, and IÕm glad youÕre in my class.  You are welcome to e-mail me with any questions or concerns.  My address is dcraft@jsusd.k12.ca.us.  IÕm looking forward to an exciting school year!

 

 

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