Dual Language and Leadership Academy
Course Expectations
2016-2017 /
Teacher: / Ms. Gomez / Subject: / English Language Arts
Grade: 6 / Room: / 407
Teacher Contact Information: / 702-799-4700 ext3407 / Email: /
Course Description and Content:
This one-year course emphasizes the development of critical reading and writing skills. A variety of literature and informational text of steadily increasing sophistication is used. Through close reading, careful writing, class discussions, and presentations, students deepen their ability to independently write, analyze, evaluate, and critique text. Students demonstrate increasing sophistication in all aspects of language use. Students actively seek to understand other perspectives and cultures through reading and listening. Technology is used thoughtfully to enhance reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language use. This course fulfills the sixth grade English requirement. The standards for this course, the Nevada Academic Content Standards for English and Language Arts, correspond with the College & Career Readiness Anchor Standards for reading, writing, speaking & listening, and language.
Course Goals and Performance Benchmarks:
Course Goals:
1. To determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarizethe key supporting details and ideas.
2. To delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validityof the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
3. To write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, usingvalid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
4. To write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas andinformation clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysisof content.
5. To gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibilityand accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.
6. To collaborate, express and listen carefully to ideas, evaluate and integrate informationfrom oral, visual, quantitative, and media sources, use media and visual displaysstrategically to achieve communicative purposes, and adapt speech to context and task
Performance Benchmarks:
Students will demonstrate their knowledge at the end of each My Perspectives unit through an Embedded Assessment.
Students must also meet the following requirements:
Reading Requirements: Students are expected to have a book at all times and read on a daily basis for at least 30 minutes per day. We will visit the library every other week for book check-out. It is the student’s responsibility to keep track of due dates.
Book Projects: There will be one book project assigned per quarter. The project should be completed based on a book read OUTSIDE of class, and the requirements of the project will vary.
Media and Article Critique: Students will complete one media and one article critique per quarter to analyze different modes of media and different types of non-fiction texts.
Please cut along this line and return the bottom part of this form to your teacher.
Teacher: / Student Name:
Class Period:
I have read this course expectation sheet, and I understand what will be expected of my child. I will see that my child goes to school each day and does his or her homework. / I have read this course expectation sheet, and I understand what will be expected of me in the classroom.
Parent Signature / Date / Student Signature / Date
Grade Scale: / Grade Breakdown: / Citizenship:
90-100%
80-89%
70-79%
60-69%
Below 59% / A
B
C
D
F / Formative Assignments/ Practice / 40 / % / O = Outstanding
S = Satisfactory
N = Needs Improvement
U = Unsatisfactory
Citizenship Grades will be based upon Gibson’s school-wide citizenship grading rubric.
Summative Assignments / Assessment / 60 / %
100 / %
Attendance is required in order to be successful in class. Once a student has acquired 11 unexcused absences,
afailing grade of F will be given for the semester, and no credit will be given.
Assignments and Homework:
The class will be engaged in various activities. As a class, we will engage in these activities during the class period. There will be on average one homework assignment per week. Likewise, any unfinished classwork MAY become homework. Each student is responsible for making up all missing work due to absences. The student will have 3 days upon their return to class to turn in any work they missed for full credit. Late homework will not be accepted.
Late Work/Assessment Policy:
Students may re-take assessments to achieve mastery when possible. This includes revising writing assignments. However,
Days Past Due Date / Letter Grade Dropped
1 / 1 letter grade (A becomes B)
2 / 2 letter grade (A becomes C)
3 / 3 letter grade (A becomes D)
4 or more / Maximum 50%
re-takes and revisions must be completed 3 days before end of grading period to allow time for teacher to grade and update.
Expected Student Behaviors:
1. Follow Gibson’s Great 8 Rules.
2. Respect each other’s right to learn, and the teacher’s right to teach; any distracting materials will be confiscated.
3. Respect each other’s person and property.
4. Attend class regularly, be on time, and come prepared.
5. No food, gum or drinks allowed in the classroom.
6. Restroom use is to be limited and up to each teacher’s discretion.
7. Dismissal is given by the teacher, not the bell.
Other:
Criteria for Citizenship:
O=Outstanding: Student follows rules/expectations without being reminded; he/she is a class leader and role model in all aspects.
S=Satisfactory: Student follows rules/expectations most of the time and his/her behavior and interactions with others in the room is appropriate.
N=Needs Improvement: Student exhibits difficulty abiding by classroom rules and expectations and requires occasional teacher redirection 1-2 times per week.
U= Unsatisfactory: Student exhibits repeated or continual difficulty following stated classroom rules
and expectations. Student’s behavior interferes with the teacher’s ability to conduct a class
effectively and/or other students’ ability to learn as evidenced by three or more disciplinary
infractions per week.
Materials: Students are required to have….
- School Agenda
- Lined Paper
- Interactive Notebook
- Pencils
- Flash drive
- Novel/Book
- Headphones
- Composition Notebook
- Colored Pencils
- Crayons
- Highlighters (pink, green, blue, yellow)
- Scissors
- Glue/glue sticks
Textbooks and other school issued instructional materials and/or equipment must be checked in at the conclusion of the course or upon withdrawal of the student from the course/school