Benjamin Holt College Preparatory Academy Humanities Syllabus
Target Grade Level(s): Sixth Grade Room: 404
Instructor: Mrs. Kether Dooley Phone #: 209-437-9899 ext 18318
Instructor's Email:
Office Hours: Mondays 3-4pm
Mission: In order to “ensure that every Ben Holt student is prepared to earn a college degree” (School Vision), the Humanities team has further aligned the SLOs (Student Learner Outcomes) of Ben Holt Middle School’s mission to complement the Common Core curriculum and its use in the classroom as follows:
1. Personal Responsibility
a. Students will know and follow the school and class rules and expectations.
b. Students will hold themselves accountable for managing their own behavior.
2. Social Responsibility
a. Students will act in a way that is safe, both emotionally and physically.
3. Critical and Creative Thinking
a. Students will engage in academic discourse and complete a variety of projects and classroom assignments that align with the Common Core State Standards.
4. Application of Knowledge
a. Students will create written, oral, and visual assignments that are a direct result of their learning.
5. Effective Communication
a. Students will demonstrate public speaking abilities through a variety of oral presentations.
b. Students will self-advocate in order to have their academic and social-emotional needs met.
Course Description and Goals
Students will be able to meet the Sixth Grade Common Core Standards in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language, which will be demonstrated through the completion of a variety of assignments, essays, projects, discussions, and assessments.
Attendance/Lateness
Students are expected to attend class regularly and arrive on time each day. Absences and tardiness will have a negative impact on the student’s grade due to the fact that they miss out on direct instruction. Attending office hours to make up for lost instruction is recommended.
Class participation – Tracked through Class Dojo
Students are expected to be responsible, participate in classroom activities and discussions and be respectful and considerate of others. Points are earned daily for a variety of things such as participation, completing assignments on time, use of planner, being on task, attendance, being prepared with all supplies necessary, etc. These points are recorded in PowerSchool once a week. Scouts will be expected to earn a minimum of 10 points per week (for writing their homework in their planner and for being on task.) You can check Class Dojo directly or check with me if your child has received less than the required points.
Classroom Discipline Plan- ALL SCHOOL RULES WILL BE ENFORCED ON THE GROUNDS AS WELL AS IN THE CLASSROOM.
Step 1: Verbal warning
Step 2: Verbal Warning-Clip down to yellow, recorded in Class Dojo as a Warning.
Step 3: Behavior written reflection, Recorded in Oncourse and Class Dojo, call or e-mail home
Step 4: Student is sent to office
Warnings are given for any off task behavior or disruptions that interfere with classroom learning.
Major Projects
Throughout the year students will be required to complete a variety of reading and writing assignments that focus on specific topics and genres. Examples include, but are not limited to, essays, research reports, presentations and the 6th Grade Exhibition of Learning.
Textbooks
History Book: History Alive! – Ancient Civilizations - Students may check these books out and/or books can be purchased from Amazon in used condition for a reasonable price if you are interested. Students who check out History Books will be required to pay for books that are not returned.
Class Novels:
Quarter 1 Boy of the Painted Cave,
Quarter 2 Egypt Game,
Quarter 3 Dragon Keeper,
Quarter 4 Lightning Thief
Other stories /articles will be provided throughout the quarters as they align to the units.
Students will be provided with a copy of each novel at the beginning of each the quarter as long as the prior novel has been returned, replaced or paid for. Students are responsible for returning these novels in the same condition as when they checked them out. Providing your student with a ziplock baggie helps in the prevention of water damage and creasing of covers/pages. Not folding the book helps in the prevention of spine damage. Condition of book will be recorded upon check-out.
Class work and Homework
Class work is assigned daily. Homework will be any unfinished class work and reading. Students who are on task and participating in class will have less homework than those who are off task and not participating. If your student seems to be bringing home tons of homework, it may be time to get in touch with the teacher to ask questions.
Absences and Late Work
Excused Absences: Students will have two days after their return to get all assignments in for full credit, with the exception of major projects, which are due on the day of their return. It is the student’s responsibility to get their missing work from the “While You Were Out” basket and ask any questions they may have about the assignments.
Late Work: Late work is generally not accepted and will receive 50% credit. Students are allowed two (2) weeks to turn in late work. After that, late assignments will be marked as a zero and students will be unable to turn in late work.
PLEASE KNOW… Habitual missing work will result in a failing grade. Failing grades will result in students being placed on Academic Probation/Accountability (prohibited from attending clubs, dances and participation in class parties.)
Grading- VERY IMPORTANT- Progress reports are sent home every week in Advisory as a form of teacher communication for parents to look over, ask questions, and sign. However, throughout the quarter it is important to check your child’s grade regularly on PowerSchool. The office will provide you with your personal log-in information at the beginning of the year. It is the parents and students responsibility to be proactive about checking grades so that any discrepancies or failing grades can be tended to immediately.
Grades will be determined by student performance, which may include but are not limited to, class work, homework, assessments, writing assignments, projects, presentations, reading requirements, group assignments, student participation and behavior in the classroom
Grading information:
Students receive a grade for each individual assignment. Parents and students can keep track of missing work and grades for each class by accessing PowerSchool.
https://powerschool.aspirepublicschools.org/public
Contact the office for log-in questions/information at 209-437-9899
Academic Probation
Students who do not maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA in all courses enrolled, have “Ds” or “Fs” on their report card, or have outstanding Exhibition Projects, will be placed on Academic Probation/Accountability. Students who are placed on Academic Probation/Accountability can remove themselves by demonstrating Adequate Academic Progress on the next Progress Report.
Students on Academic Probation will not be allowed to participate in any clubs, dances, or other activity that is not directly tied (through class curriculum) to a class they are enrolled in.
Major assignments will be posted in PowerSchool on the day they are assigned with the due date.
Grades will be posted in PowerSchool within the following amount of time from due date:
Major Projects/Essay = within 2-3 weeks, however the assignment will be marked collected or missing on the date due.
Assessments = within 1-2 weeks
Classwork/Homework and Participation = within 1 week (Tuesday to Tuesday)
Grades will be weighted as follows for English and History:
Major Projects/Essays=35%
Assessments=35%
Classwork/Homework=25%
Participation=5%
Weighted grades are averages in each category to determine final grade.
6th Grade Things to Know for 2017/2018
Students need to know…
- the basic parts of speech: noun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun, proper noun.
- how to follow directions the first time
- that reading daily is important to building skills in all areas of academics
- that spelling, capitalization, and punctuation are must-do’s for writing
- how to use a planner/calendar to keep track of assignments and due dates
- it is the student’s responsibility to get information home via newsletters, notes, planners, progress reports, and homework
- completing classwork and homework, and using class time wisely is important to being successful in school and life
Important: Please make arrangements with your student about where he/she will work on homework every day after school. Students will need to have a set time/place to work in order to be successful at Ben Holt Middle School. Students receiving a “C” or lower in any class should be attending Teacher Office Hours.
6th Grade Required Supply List (All supplies are to be carried with you at all times)2 inch Binder (or larger)
15 subject dividers (approximately)
1 package binder paper to start the year
4-5 Spiral notebooks (may need more)
personal pencil sharpener
2-3 pencils, 2-3 black/blue pens, 1-2 red correcting pens
1-2 highlighters (yellow or orange)
1 eraser
binder supply pouch or pencil box
Ruler and protractor
1 pack index cards carried with them at all times
calculator
glue stick (no liquid glue, please)
Colored pencils
blunt scissors
Classroom Donations
any of the items listed above
colored copy paper
construction paper
slightly used novels/resource books for class library
poster boards for projects
Kleenex, paper towels, Lysol wipes
SIXTH GRADE STUDENT/PARENTINFORMATION CARD
STUDENT NAME: ______
Parent or Guardian name: ______
Relationship to student: ______
Daytime Phone: ______
Address: ______
Email: ______
Other contact: ______
Relationship to student: ______Phone: ______
Address: ______
Email: ______
Student Technology Survey: please circle yes or no
Do you have a reliable computer at home? YES NO
Do you have access to the internet at home? YES NO
Do you have a reliable printer at home? YES NO
Does student know how to send an email? YES NO
Does student know how to attach a file to an email? YES NO
Does your child have allergies? Yes No
If yes, what is your child allergic to? ______
Would you be interested in working in the classroom? YES NO
If yes, which days/times are best for you? ______
Please indicate
–Monday: VKR (vocabulary) Grading
-Tuesday: Vocab Quiz Grading
-Wednesday: Friday Folder Check
-Thursday: History Quiz Grading
-Friday: Copying
-Book Orders: 2x per month 1st Week- Book orders send out 3rd Week-Collection and Ordering
-Filing: Parent choice 2x per week
Anything you feel I should know about your child?
______
Parent Signature ______Date ______
Mrs. Dooley () 6th Grade Humanities, Room 404 – 2017/2018 School Year