Cooley Middle School
8th Grade Language Arts Syllabus
Instructor Information:
Tiffanie Clayton, M.Ed.
480-279-8331
Instructor Availability:
Office hours:
Tuesday 3:50-4:20
Wednesday and Thursday 8:20-8:50
Friday lunch
I respond to E-mails and voice mails within 24 hours. If you need to speak with me in person, please contact me, so we can schedule a time to talk.
Course Topics:
-Understanding grammar and its uses
-Expanding vocabulary and spelling capabilities
-Exploring the different genres of literature
-Becoming familiar with literary terms
-Using composition to accurately express thoughts (expository, persuasive, narrative, creative, and descriptive)
See my teacher page for Arizona’s College and Career Ready Standards for more detail.
Rules and Expectations:
Students are expected to follow all school rules and policies. In addition, students are expected to do the following while in my classroom:
1. be respectful to staff, students, and school property
2. be responsible for their learning (come to class with materials and assignments, complete practice assignments, use time in class wisely, and check grades weekly)
3. show good character (trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, citizenship)
If a student is struggling in one or more of the above areas, the following steps will be taken:
1. conference with student and teacher
2. behavior reflection sheet filled out by the student and signed by a parent and returned to Ms. Clayton
3. detention
4. conference with parent, student, and teacher
5. referral to administration
*Very serious offenses will result in an automatic referral to administration.
Cell phones are to be powered off and in backpacks while in the building. Cell phones will be taken and sent to the office if they are heard or seen. The first time a phone is taken, a student may pick it up at the end of the day. The second time a phone is taken, a parent must pick it up. If cell phones in class are an issue, students may have to check cell phones in to me at the beginning of the hour.
Nothing but unflavored water is allowed in the classroom. Anyone with anything other than plain water will be asked to dump it out.
Chewing gum or eating anything in class will result in detention.
Students are expected to be on time to class. This means that students’ feet are through the doorway by the time the bell finishes ringing. If a student is late and does not have a pass, it will count as a tardy. Students get one ‘freebie’ tardy per semester. After that one, a detention is assigned per tardy.
Once a student is in the classroom, they are expected to get started. Students should not come in, drop their backpacks off, and ask to go to the bathroom or get a drink. Those things should be handled on the way to class. Students may not go to the bathroom within the first ten or last five minutes of class. Students will get a bathroom pass. Once they have used all of the spaces, they are out of bathroom trips. If a student loses the pass, the student is out of bathroom trips. Students should be back within five minutes of leaving. Taking longer than five minutes may result in the loss of bathroom trips.
iPads will be used during class. Students are expected to have them daily. The iPads should be charged. Failure to have a charged iPad may result in lunch detention. iPads will not be charged in class. iPads are to be used as instructed only. Misuse will result in the loss of the iPad privilege.
Students will only be given one copy of each assignment. I have a very limited supply of copy paper to last for the year. If a student loses an assignment, he or she will need to print a new one from my teacher page or bring paper to me and I will print it for him or her.
Early Finishers: Students will read when they finish an assignment early. They may read books they bring from home, books from the library, or they may borrow my books. Students are expected to read whenever they have extra time in class. Students may also practice Language Arts skills at MobyMax.com on their iPads.
Late Work: Late work is accepted within two weeks of the due date with a late paragraph explaining why the work is late, what can be done differently to ensure timeliness, and why meeting deadlines is an important real-world skill. Any assignment that is over two weeks old will not be accepted. There are no exceptions to this rule.
Absences and Make-up Work: It is the student’s responsibility to check the teacher web page and the ‘absent’ folder in the classroom to see what was missed. All tests and assignments must be made up within two weeks. If students do not take a missed test within two weeks, a zero will be given for that test.
Practice at Home (homework): Practice at home may be assigned. This may be extra practice to reinforce something taught in class that day. It may also be something we started in class, but ran out of time to finish. Detention may be assigned if students are not completing assignments.
Academic Honesty: Academic honesty is highly valued at Cooley Middle School. A student must always submit work that represents his or her original words or ideas. If any words or ideas are used that do not represent the student’s original words or ideas, the student must cite all relevant sources. Words or ideas that require citations include, but are not limited to, all hardcopy or electronic publications, whether copyrighted or not, and all verbal or visual communication.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to:
- Having a tutor, parent, or friend complete any portion of the assignments
-Having a reviewer make extensive revisions to an assignment
-Copying work submitted by another student
-Using information from any source without proper citation
Grading:
90%-100% A
80-89 B
70-79 C
60-69 D
0-59 F
Percentage Values for Course Assignments:
Tests/Exams 80%
Assignments/Projects 20%
Extra credit is not available.
Retesting/Redoing Assignments: To help ensure every student has an opportunity to master the material presented in class, students will be given the opportunity to retake quizzes and tests and resubmit assignments. It is important to note that the retake policy is not intended to be used as a regular practice by students.
Any student can retake any quiz or test (except for district assessments).
Arrangements must be made with the teacher before any retake; this includes turning in the Cooley Middle School Retake Action Plan.
Retakes will not be given during class time; arrangements for before or after school drop off and pick up will be made on the Retake Action Plan.
Retakes must be taken within TWO WEEKS of the date the original quiz, test, or assignment was posted to Parent/Student Vue.
All practice materials for standards being assessed must be completed and turned in to the teacher (teacher may assign additional practice if needed).
The most recent score will be the one recorded in the grade book.
Diagnostic tests and all final exams do not have re-take opportunities.
Recommended Materials:
5 subject notebook
Loose leaf paper
Pencils
Pens
Dry erase marker
Highlighters
Glue sticks
Two pocket folder labeled ‘Language Arts’
Pack of pocket tissues (we run out of tissues very quickly!)
Donations welcomed:
Boxes of tissue
Pencils
Copy paper
Sanitizing wipes
Hand sanitizer
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