WELCOME TO 7th GRADE ELA!

THREE C’s ……

Communication

Collaboration

Critical Thinking

Prayer Before Class

Dear God,I give you this class. I offer you now all of the

good that I shall do and I promise to accept, for the love of You, all of the difficulty that I shall meet. Help me to conduct myself during this class in a manner pleasing to You.

-Amen

Expectations:1) To be well prepared- Bring necessary

books, supplies, and most importantly…..YOUR THINKING CAP

2) Listen carefully 3) Respect your peers 4) Follow directions5) STUDY a little each night(you will retain

up to 80% more than cramming)6) To work to your full potential....Effort is everything7) To fully engage yourself in the lesson at hand (Participate!)8) To complete ALL assignments…PRESENT or NOT9) To keep the unnecessary chatter limited10) If you were to have a problem with something we are covering…TELL ME!11) If you have problems outside of school that are interfering your studies….TELL ME!

Homework Policy/Expectations

• Just Do it! • Make sure assignments

are written down correctly.

• Be sure all assignments are clear before you go home: don't be afraid to ask questions if necessary.

• Set aside a regular time for studying. • Find a quiet, well-lit place to study. • If you are going to be absent, keep in contact with your “buddy” for

assignments etc.• I will try to limit Homework to an hour when assigned (that is only

two episodes of a TV show!) • If you miss a homework (unexcused) assignment, you have that

night to complete it and turn it in the following day before you loose full credit.

• After two missed homework assignments you will stay for detention the following day.

• After three missed homework assignments I will contact your parents

• Projects: Each day it is late, you loose 10% of your mark. After five days you will loose full credit.

• Writing Assignments/Drafts: You will have an opportunity after every writing assignment to revise and submit for a better grade

Group Work

Group Work•We will have a lot of cooperative group work for various topics.•I will assign groups but you will eventually have the opportunity to pick groups for certain activities.•You will always treat your classmates with respect.•I never want to hear complaints while grouping. It is disrespectful to others and is not an attitude of a Catholic student.•If there is a problem with group members you can come to me for guidance. However, you must have justification for a complaint…Why is there an issue? Can you work it out on your own?•Always place yourself in the shoes of others before making comments about others.•Always do your part in the group•If group work becomes problematic, it will not be used in class.

Goals for each week:

• Utilize vocabulary words in a story, poem or some creative form

• Every Friday Vocabulary test• Have a “literary” discussion

Tentative Goals for each month• Assign Literary Discussion Groups• -Collaborate/discuss with literary groups• Blog about an ELA topic• -Author of the month• -Complete and present one current event• -Journals will be collected on the last Friday of every month• - Read one book • -One piece of written work will be completed, ex: essay, poem,

dialogue• Skype with someone: author, class, person in the English field etc. • Test will be given at the end of each unit

A typical English class…

• Objective/Learning Goal will be placed on the board

• “Do now” activity will be placed on the board (typically this will be a journal topic)

• Warm up grammar maintenance will be completed

• Reading or discussion of the text will be completed

• Vocabulary will be utilized

Reading and Writing WorkshopWe will conduct an ongoing Reading and Writing workshop.Reading Workshop-You will be expected to read a total of 9 books throughout the school year(DO NOT PANIC!)-You will be given independent reading time as well as expected to read 10-15 minutes per night as part of your homework-You will also have time to read during “transition time”-We will discuss as a class the books you have read-You will be expected to complete a given assessment about the books you have read.Writing Workshop-You will complete several pieces of writing this year. -Every trimester you will be expected to share a piece of writing that you feel the most proud of. -You will keep a portfolio of your creative and written work to track your yearly progress- At the end of the year we will compile a literary magazine. Everyone will contribute one piece of written work they feel the most proud of.

GRADING

• Your ELA grade will divided into three sub sections:• 1-Reading• 2-Writing• 3-Speaking and Listening• Grading Procedures/Language Arts: • *Homework/Class work (daily work, skills, enrichment

activities) 20%• *Minor Assessments (warm-ups, informal writing, reading logs, • mini-projects) 30%• *Major Assessments (unit tests, formal writing, unit projects)

50%

What is your Biggest Challenge with English?

What is your least favorite part about English class?