8th grade Language Arts – Ms. Hamilton

Ms. Hamilton’s 8th grade

English/Language Arts Syllabus

Classroom Rules:

  1. Be prepared with materials, assignments, and your mind!
  2. Be responsible, respectful, and kind to all. You don’t know what a person might be going through or how you may make someone feel.
  3. Share discussion time with your peers. You will have a 30 second time limit per student during whole group discussions.
  4. Do not pack up early. You should be using every bit of class time for learning and working.
  5. Because these are Mrs. Lewis’s pet peeves, they are also mine:
  6. DO NOT HOVER AT THE DOOR! DO NOT SIT ON THE DESKS!!

Classroom Procedures:

  1. Bellwork:
  • As soon as the bell rings, students should begin working on the Bellwork and get materials and supplies ready for the day’s lesson or activity.
  • Bellwork will consist mostly of Daily Grammar Practice and/or Journal Writing.
  1. Exit Slips: At the end of the class period, an exit slip may be given in to show what you are thinking or what you have learned. This allows the teacher to assess if students understand the lesson.

8th grade ELA Overview:

  1. ELA 8 is taught from the A+ College Ready Curriculum which is aligned with the Common Core as well as College and Career Ready Standards.
  2. Each unit revolves around a main piece of literature (a novel or play) with a focus on literary analysis and analytical writing.
  3. Nonfiction reading, other genres of literature such as poetry and short stories, graphics and media, grammar and language are also integrated into the units.
  4. Daily Grammar Practice (DGP) will be a daily part of your student’s ELA class. A weekly DGP is one sentence that students work with throughout the week focusing on different grammatical elements each day. Through consistent exposure and practice of these grammatical elements, students will move grammar concepts to long-term memory so that they can apply the concepts into their writing.
  5. The goal of using this curriculum is to prepare students for success in high school English – hopefully honors or advanced English!

8th grade Gifted Curriculum : Please see attachment on Concept-based Learning and view the PPT on “How is Gifted ELA different?” on my Blog ( ).

Classwork & Homework:

  • Homework will mostly revolve around reading assigned chapters, completing classwork, vocabulary work, writing literary analysis drafts, and preparing for assessments.
  • Classwork time will be used for teacher instruction, collaboration activities, discussion, and guided practice.

Grading: Category Point System

  • Gold level: 60% (includes assessments such as tests, final draft essays, and projects)
  • Silver level: 30% (includes quizzes, completed packets of work, dialectical journals, vocabulary assignments, and certain homework or classwork that requires applied skills.)
  • Bronze level: 10% (weekly DGP checks, exit slips, Bellwork, short homework assignments, one-question quizzes)

Late Work:

  • Homework or classwork

One day late: drops 20% (25/25= 100% will drop to 20/25 = 80%)

More than 1 day late: Last Chance Café for half credit

  • Projects/Final Drafts

Drops a letter grade for each day late; not to drop below a 50%

Make-up Work:

  • Students have three (3) school days to turn in work from an absence of group of absences. For the most part, teachers will work with students to make sure they have ample time to complete work. If necessary, Last Chance Café will be assigned to make sure students have ample time to complete work.
  • Assignments will be posted on Ms. Hamilton’s Blog on the Montevallo Middle School website.

Supplies:

  • 3-ring binder (1 ½ “) with notebook paper
  • 5-8 Dividers (DGP, Literature, Vocabulary, Composition, ELA Toolbox,Graded papers)
  • Composition Notebook – Journal Writing or DGPs
  • Post-It Notes – We will use many of these since students cannot write in the books we read.
  • Thesaurus (pocket-sized or 3-hole kind that fits into a binder)
  • Jump/thumb drive (for transferring work between school and home if needed).

Textbooks:

  • All students will be issued 2 different texts at each grade level.

*Prentice Hall Literature bookand *Prentice Hall Writing Coach

I acknowledge the rules, procedures, and supplies for 8th grade ELA: (return for a grade!)

Student name______Student signature ______Date _____

Parent name ______Parent Signature ______Date ______

PLEASE COMPLETE

THE CONTACT INFORMATION BELOW AND RETURN IT AND THE SIGNED SYLLABUS TO MS. HAMILTON

VERY IMPORTANT!

PARENT CONTACT INFORMATION for ______

Student name

Parent/guardian name ______Relationship to child ______

Cell/home # ______Work # ______

E-mail address ______

Parent/guardian name 2______Relationship to child ______

Cell/home # ______Work # ______

E-mail address ______

Noteworthy information about family (confidential): ______

Program Description For Gifted Classroom

Concept Based Learning

Content is taught within the context of a bigger idea. Students will learn to generalize what they learn to other settings or content areas. Learning occurs as students construct knowledge using guiding questions and apply knowledge to other areas of study through essential understandings.

8th Grade Concept: PERSPECTIVES

Essential Understanding

A person’s perspective may shape or alter truth.

All narratives are influence by perspective.

Literature may be interpreted differently based on a person’s perspective.

An author’s perspective on life may influence the purpose of a piece of literature.

Different perspectives of the same event may be true simultaneously.

Perspectives may change with new information or new relationships.

Perspectives may influence a person’s decisions and responses to situations.

Guiding Questions

In what way does a person’s perspective shape or alter truth?

How does perspective influence narratives?

In what way does a person’s perspective determine how literature is interpreted?

How does an author’s perspective on life influence a piece of literature?

How might differing perspectives of the same event be true at the same time?

In what might perspectives change with new information and new relationships?

In what ways might a person’s decisions and responses to situations influence one’s

perspective?

Other strategies used include:Problem Based Learning, open ended activities, Talents Unlimited, deductive reasoning, inductive reasoning, analysis, synthesis, evaluation, analogies, working as a professional, habits of mind