Language ArtsMrs. Granja

Leewood K-8 CenterLGranja@dadeschools.net

Welcome to Language Arts class! I expect all of my students to work to their maximum

potential, and I will not accept anything less. This year will bring new challenges as we read novels, short stories, and poems through a variety of literary genres.

We will also be writing persuasive, expository, narrative, and informative essays. Students will have exciting and rigorous projects to coincide with the novels we are reading. Together, we will strengthen our reading and writing skills to achieve learning gains on the FSA.

Personal Greeting

McDougal Literature Textbook Assigned Novels that will cover various themes

Independent Novels on a challenging reading level

Wordly Wise Vocabulary Preparing for FSA workbook

Text for Curriculum

Sixth GradeBrian’s Winter by Gary Paulsen

Sixth Grade Gifted and Seventh Grade Chasing Lincoln's Killer: The Search for John

Wilkes Booth by James L. Swanson

Required Novels

Students will be able to:•Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text•Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.•Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.•Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone•Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.

Course Objectives

Compare and contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to

Listening to or viewing an audio, video, or live version of the text, including contrasting what they “see” and “hear” when reading the text to what they perceive when they listen or watch.

Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.

Write persuasive, expository, narrative, informative essays, and poems drawing from personal experiences with added support from multiple sources of information.

Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate while using citation.

Objectives continued

All assignments must be submitted on time. When a student has an excused absence, he or

she is responsible for any missed work. The missed work must be completed and turned in within the same amount of time frame the student was absent. Absences and tardies will seriously affect your academic progress. It is difficult to makeup valuable class discussions, which can lead to a student falling behind.

Home learning assignments must be completed. Home learning assignments may be graded for completeness or correctness.

Students will be required to read an additional 30 minutes every night. Parents must sign a reading log which will be collected each week.

Class Policies

Verbal warning Lowered Conduct Grade Lunch detention or Before School

Detention Parent contact via phone Parent-teacher conference Referral to Administrator

Consequences for Inappropriate Behavior

In addition to regular class work, each marking period will contain tests, pop quizzes and projects based on the assigned novels.

Students will also be graded on group work and assignments completed in rotating centers.

As we finish each novel, we will have a cumulative exam. Students will also be required to complete essays which will be

graded according to the Florida Standard Assessment Rubric Students will be required to independently read novels each nine

week period as well as complete projects from an approved list. Projects will be due at the end of each nine week period.

A homework grade will be given at the end of each nine week period. Each students starts with an A and drops to a lower grade for every two assignments that are not completed.

Students must complete two lessons of I-Ready weekly.

Grading Policies

The following Miami-Dade Grading Scale will be used: 90-100% A 80-89% B 70-79% C 60-69% D Less than 60% F

Grading Scale

Extra credit opportunities will be awarded throughout the nine-week period and all students will be notified of these assignments.

Reading Logs All grades on the report card are final. Each student

should take full advantage of each extra credit opportunity as they arise, and should not ask after the grades have been awarded for extra credit opportunities.

Extra Credit

Conduct grades will be assigned using the following scale, which is based on the number of conduct cuts given. Each student starts the nine-week period with an “A” in conduct.

Conduct cuts are given for the following infractions: Being off task, talking out of turn, out of seat without permission, unsatisfactory tardy to class (the first will be a verbal warning), disrespectful behavior to the teacher or other students, and any other behavior deemed inappropriate.

The following scale lists the grades that will be given based on the number of conduct cuts given. Students have the ability to raise their conduct grade by displaying exceptional behavior (it will be the teacher’s decision to raise the grade based on this behavior).

Conduct Grades

0-2 conduct cuts A 3-4 conduct cuts B 5-6 conduct cuts C 7-8 conduct cuts D 9 or more conduct cuts F

Conduct Scale

The effort grade will be assigned on the student completing all graded assignments, home learning assignments, and class participation.

The following scale will be used based on the number of missing assignments.

Classroom participation and attitude can help raise or lower a student’s effort grade. 0-2 missing assignments 1 3-5 missing assignments 2 6 or more missing assignments 3

Effort Grade

Homework can help or hurt a student’s grade Some homework is collected for a grade, but

everything is checked for completion A homework grade is issued at the end of each

nine weeks based on the following scale: 0-2 missed homework assignments A 3-4 B 5-6 C 7-8 D 9 F

Homework Grade

Complete two lessons each Monday Student must pass the quiz with at least an 80% Can write I-Ready on Reading Log (can substitute

silent reading three times a week)

I-Ready

Text 81010 Period 1 @period1sev Period 2 @period2six Period 3 @mrsgranj Period 4 @period4si Period 5 @period5sev Period 6 @period6six

Remind 101

E-mail is the best and fastest way to contact me. LGranja@dadeschools.net

Parents can contact me with any questions or concerns on grades and assignments.

It is very important to have parental involvement for you to succeed, and I am always willing to meet and discuss your progress with parents to offer ideas on how we can strengthen your reading and writing skills at home, as well as in the classroom.

Please have a parent or guardian sign this syllabus and return in by Thursday, August 27, 2015for a grade.

Contact Information

Sixth Grade Seventh Grade

Independent Reading Projects

Sixth Grade Independent Reading Projects Seventh Grade-Wiki Post

Project Choices

I don't think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.  ~Abraham Lincoln

Always walk through life as if you have something new to learn and you will. 

~Vernon Howard

The best of my education has come from the public library... my tuition fee is a bus fare and once in a while, five cents a day for an overdue book.  You don't need to know very much to start with, if you know the way to the public library. 

~Lesley Conger

Inspirational QuotesGood luck this year!