Rivera Middle School:

A California Distinguished School

August 2016

To: Parents

Fr: Mr. Ron Leos

Re: Welcome!

Dear Parents,

Welcome to your son/daughter’s 7th grade school year. All of us teachers are looking forward to working with you and your child this year as we explore learning together.

Middle School is a challenging time for students with rotating classes, multiple teachers and high school not far away. It’s vital that we work together to keep your child focused and organized. I have attached a list of supplies, as well as rules, consequences, and rewards for our classrooms. Please discuss these standards with your child, and if you are in agreement, sign the the last page and return it to me by 8/22/16.

This course is designed to challenge students through critical literary analysis of novels, short stories, and poetry spanning from Slavery up to The Vietnam War. Historical context is extremely relevant in understanding the plot of all novels read in this course and participation in classwork, homework, and discussions is imperative as it will affect your student’s citizenship grade and placement in next year’s English courses. It is fairly safe to assume that whichever grade your student acheives in this course, his or her grade would be a full grade higher if your student were placed in a general Language Arts course since this class is demanding in terms of critical thinking and writing. Should your student continue with the honors track into high school, your student will be provided with a number of opportunities unable to be attained in a standard curriculum.

If you need to contact me, please feel free to call Rivera Middle School at (562) 801-5088 or email me at . Furthermore, you are welcome to visit my classroom any time. Simply check in with the office secretary for a visitor’s pass--no phone call is necessary.

Thank you for taking the time to read these materials. Together, we will ensure your child’s academic success this year.

Sincerely,

Ron Leos

Language Arts Honors

Course Work

I. Probable Novels to be covered:

a. The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jan Yolen

b. Lord of the Flies by William Golding

c. The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

d. Johnny Got His Gunn by Dalton Trumbo

e. Night by Elie Weisel

II. Response to Literature Essays: 2-3 pages typed, double-spaced (MLA) essays correlating with the novels read during the school year

III. Persuasive Essays: involving real-life issues that enforce critical thinking, research, and thesis development

IV. Autobiographical/Fictional Narratives: short stories written throughout the school year depending on the progress of the class

V. Summaries: to summarize informational materials and chapters of novels

VI. Vocabulary Tests: lists are provided and correlate to current novel

VII. Research Report: a seventh grade requirement assigned over winter breakwhich asks students to research a historical period correlating to a current novel

VIII. Projects: to be completed after each novel.

Supplies

Quantity

12 Pencils/Pens

1Reem of Paper

1Set of Dividers

1 2-3 inch Three-ring Binder

1 Hand-held Sharpener

Students should have all of these items daily. Not having these supplies will result in consequences for your student. Additional supplies may be needed throughout the school year.

Restroom Policy

Students are not allowed to use the restroom during classtime, unless he/she has a medical condition and documentation. If there are any issues, please contact me.

Tardy Policy

A student will be tardy when he/she is not in line when the tardy bell rings without a written excuse. Please refer to the Minder Binder for consequences. Remember: A tardy is a warning and will be recorded.

7th Grade ELA Pacing Month-to-Month Guide

The pacing guide has been created by extracting standards from federal Common Core Standards. This pacing guide is tentative and subject to change at any time based upon the school activities and assessment data.

August

  1. Rules, Procedures
  2. Team Building Activities
  3. Figurative Language (similes, metaphors, alliteration)

September

  1. Figurative Language (hyperboles, idioms, personification, onomatopoeia)
  2. Parts of speech (review of all parts)
  3. Interjections
  4. Conjunctions
  5. Simple sentences
  6. Supporting Claims
  7. Paragraph Format

October

  1. Compound Sentences
  2. Semicolons
  3. Plot Diagram
  4. Dead Words
  5. Bias
  6. Adverbs
  7. Point of View (first person, second person, third person)
  8. Writing and finding a thesis

November

  1. Point of View (third person limited, third person omniscient, third person objective)
  2. Appositives
  3. Author’s Argument/Message
  4. Brackets
  5. Cause and Effect
  6. Persuasive Essay Format
  7. Writing a Summary
  8. Transitions and Transitional Phrases
  9. Introduction Paragraphs

December

  1. Complex Sentences
  2. Compound Complex Sentences
  3. Context Clues
  4. Contrasting Simple, Compound, Complex, Compound Complex Sentences
  5. Counter Arguments
  6. Thesis Support

January

  1. Dashes
  2. Dialect
  3. Foreshadowing
  4. General vs. Specific Nouns
  5. Gerunds
  6. Hyphens
  7. Interrogative, Declarative, Imperative, Declarative Sentences
  8. Persuasive Essay Format

February

  1. Inference
  2. Imagery
  3. Infinitives
  4. Irony
  5. Main Point or Purpose
  6. Mood
  7. Parenthesis

March

  1. Prepositions
  2. Prepositional Phrases
  3. Pronouns and Antecedents
  4. Purposes of Works
  5. Quotation Marks
  6. Subjective and Objective Statements
  7. Theme
  8. Research Essay Format

April

  1. Tone
  2. Active/Passive Voice
  3. Review Past Concepts
  4. Federal Testing
  5. Greek Mythology Unit

May

  1. Federal Testing
  2. Greek Mythology Unit

June

  1. Greek Mythology Unit
  2. End of Year Activities

Grading Policy

Grading Weights

Tests and Quizzes20%

Writing30%

Reading25%

Grammar15%

Vocabulary10%

Grading Scale

90% or above = A

80% or above = B

70% or above = C

60% or above = D

50% or below = F

*If your student receives a grade lower than a C, he/she will be removed from the Honors’ Track and Course.

Late Work Policy

Late work will not be accepted. If a student is absent, it is the student’s responsibility to ask me regarding the work that has been missed. The number of days the student was absent will determine the amount of days the student has to complete the make-up work for full credit. If there are specific issues, please contact me.

Homework Policy

Homework is assigned M-Th and occasionally on Fridays. Generally, homework will consist of reading a novel selection of approximently fifteen pages. Upon returning to class the following day, students will receive a quiz on the previous day’s reading assignment. Students whom continuously score poorly on these quizzes assigned detention, and/or Saturday School. Any other homework assigned will be assignments not completed in class.

Film and Novel Policy

As part of our studies, I will show videos and we will read novels that allow me to improve your child’s learning experience. However, there are times when the films deal with mature themes; however, I believe the clips and reading to be of benefit to the mastery of educational standards, so they are presented. I can assure you that any discussions revolving around these themes will be conducted in a careful and professional manner. Please note that by signing this syllabus, you agree to allow your child to partake in these materials. If you prefer that your child not be exposed to these items, I will provide an alternate lesson for the days that these videos are shown. Contact me if you wish to discuss the issue or for your child to be removed from these activities.

Rules and Expectations

1. Be repectful.

2. Work hard

*Students will be held to all rules provided in the Minder Binder

Consequences

1. Warning.

2. Lunch Detention/ Time After Class

3. Phone call home

4. Referral

* Extreme misbehavior or defiance = Referral

Citizenship Grade

A verbal warning will be issued and recorded every time your student does not follow a rule. The amount of warnings and/or severity of infractions will determine your student’s citizenship grade. This chart will demonstrate how his/her citizenship grade is determined:

0 warnings = O for citizenship

1-3 warnings = S for citizenship

4-6 warnings = N for citizenship

7 warnings = U for citizenship

If a student recieves a referral or his/her name is left by a substitute for poor behavior, the student will automatically receive a “U.”

I have read the rules, consequences, and rewards for the ’16-‘17 school year and understand these expectations.

Student Signature______Date______

Parent Signature______Date______