Sossaman Middle School

8th Grade Language Arts

Mrs. Melody Griffith

Email: ffice Hours: Monday-Friday, By Appointment

Phone:480.279.8500

Inordertoensurea successful academic year,all theinformation below should becarefullyreviewedand followed.

CourseDescription:

Inreading,studentswillfocusoncomprehension and analyticalreadingskills throughthestudyof avariety

ofauthors andgenres.Studentswilllearnhowsuccessfulreadersthinkandvisualize when they read, interact with, and examine text. Inwriting, wewillfocusonconstructionnarrative,expository,persuasive, andresearchpieces.Additionally,wewilllearnhowto writemeaningfuland concise shortresponses, summaries,and beabletocitetextreferences.

Curriculum:

The curriculumfor thiscourse alignswith theArizonaStateStandardsforLanguage Arts and thenew College and Career ReadinessStandards, whichmaybeviewedonthe ArizonaBoard ofEducationwebsite,

Textbook:

TheLanguage ofLiterature,McDougalLittell,2002

Class Novels, ShortStories, Plays andPoetry:

Wewillreadavarietyof worksin these genres.Therewillbeaminimum ofonein-class novelperquarter as wellas self-selectedindependentreadingswith guidelines. Students will be responsible for adhering to the assigned reading schedules for classroom novel studies. Classroom discussions/seminars, activities, reflective writing, and assessments will be based on the reading.

Novels:

1stQuarter:The Outsiders byS.E. Hinton

2ndQuarter:Nonfiction Unit

3rdQuarter:NightbyElieWiesel

4th Quarter:And Then There Were NonebyAgatha Christie

*Note: You will need to obtain a copy of the classroom novels from the library or bookstore for at-home reading.

Outside Reading Requirement:

In addition to classroom reading, students will be responsible for setting a reading goal for self-selected, level appropriate novels throughout the year and keeping pace with assigned readings for novel studies. Additionally, projects will be assigned to correlate to the self-selected and novel study readings. Project sheets, guidelines, and rubrics will be supplied.

*Important Note: Parents must approve all self-selected outside literature selections. Students should select new (not previously read) novels for outside reading.

Sossaman Middle School

8th Grade Language Arts

Mrs. Melody Griffith

Sossaman Middle School

8th Grade Language Arts

Mrs. Melody Griffith

Homework/HomeworkPolicy:

Studentsareexpectedtoread 20-30minuteseveryeveningfromtheir O.R.R.novels.Youwilloccasionally have additionalhomework inmyclass. These assignments areforenrichment,exercise, practice and review.Otherassignments mayinclude workthatwasnotcompletedin class. Iwillallot timeduringeach classperiodtohavestudentscopy the assignmentsin a planner of their choice and toreviewthedirectionsand expectations. Students can access homework via the teacher webpage.

After School Detention (ASD)

SMS staff and administration believe in the value and importance of teaching students responsibility and accountability. As a result, students may be assigned After School Detention (ASD). ASD will be held three days a week. Students who are assigned ASD will serve on the next scheduled ASD day. Students will not serve on the day it is assigned to allow parents the opportunity to make arrangements to pick up their child. District transportation cannot be provided for ASD. Students will need to be picked up no later than 4:30PM. ASD may be assigned by a teacher for the following reasons:

-Tardy to Class -Unprepared for Class (missing materials, uncharged iPad, etc…) -Failure to submit an assignment

iPad Usage:

All students will have the privilege to use an iPad during class. Students are expected to follow the classroom guidelines for proper electronics usage and show excellent digital citizenship. Failure to comply with the classroom iPad usage rules may result in the confiscation of the iPad and loss of electronic privileges. When iPads are not in use they are to be screen face down on the student’s desk. If the iPad is not listed on the Materials list it should be put away in the student’s backpack.

Plagiarism/Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is expected on all assignments. Plagiarism is defined as presenting the work of another as one’s own. Cheating on an assignment or assessment is another activity that violates ethics and school rules. Any work that exhibits cheating/plagiarism will result in a zero, parental notification, and disciplinary action may be taken.

Work Submission:

All submitted work must have a proper MLA heading written or typed in the upper left hand corner of the page. Essays must follow MLA guidelines.

Essays and Projects:

Work must be submission ready—this means typed, printed, and stapled. It is the student’s responsibility to type and print papers prior to the assigned due date. You must consult with the teacher before the submission due date if you have printer issues. E-mailed papers will not be accepted.

*If you do not have access to the Internet a hard copy of assignments will be supplied to your child.

**If you do not have access to a printer a note with parent signature must accompany the hand written assignment.

Daily assignments:

A completed, quality effort assignment must include complete sentences for short answer responses.

Absences:

Itis the student’sresponsibilitytoretrieve missedhandouts/assignmentsfrom the“Missed Assignments” bin in the back of the room.Assignments for theweekare posted on thehomeworkboard, aswellasonmyteacherwebpage. Students haveonedayforeachexcused absence to turninmissing work.Intheeventof anextended absence, personalarrangementswillbemade.

Help Time:

Ifastudentneeds additionalhelpwith an assignmentbeyond theacademic schooldayorneeds access to technology, pleasenotifymebeforetheduedate.Students may schedule a help session for additional support.

Tardies:

You areexpectedtobein your seatwith requiredmaterialsreadyat the startof theclassperiod.Ifyou arerunning latefromanotherclass youmusthaveapass toexcusethetardy. Unexcused tardiesmay resultin a discipline referral.

GradingPolicy:

Allgradeswillbe basedonpointsand weightedusingthescalebelow. In8thgrade,gradesarecumulative for each semester(FallandSpring).Grades will be updated regularly; it is highly recommended that both students and parents login to the online gradebook weekly to monitor progress. The following are the weightedcategoriesforLanguageArtsclasses:

Weighting Scale:

Assessments(Test/Projects/Essays/Quizzes)60%ofgrade Practice(Homework/Warm-Ups/Class Activities/InteractiveNotebook) 20%ofgrade FinalExams/Benchmarks 20%ofgrade

*GradeswillbepostedandavailableonlineusingtheSynergygradebooksystem.

A=90%–100%B=80%–89%C=70%–79%D=60%–69%F=59%or below

SMS institutes a modified 50% floor policy. Any assignment submitted by a student that is accepted by a teacher will receive a minimum grade of a 50%. A teacher has the discretion not to accept assignments from students who do not meet minimal standards of completion.

On all assessments given by a teacher, there is no floor. Students will receive the mark/score they earned on the assessment. Any assignment that remains un-submitted at the end of the unit of study or two weeks after the original due date (teacher discretion) will remain/be entered as a zero in the grade book.

Sossaman Middle School

8th Grade Language Arts

Mrs. Melody Griffith

Needed Materials:

Sossaman Middle School

8th Grade Language Arts

Mrs. Melody Griffith

  • 3 subject spiral bound notebook with durable cover (to be used as an Interactive Notebook for LA class only)
  • 2 pocket folder with prongs (vinyl/plastic coated preferred)
  • Pencils and blue/black ballpoint pens
  • Tape
  • Editing pen (red)
  • Sticky notes
  • Index cards
  • 1 clear page protector
  • 1 pack of multi-colored highlighters
  • Colored pencils
  • Pencil sharpener
  • 1 Expo Marker
  • 1 ream of copy paper

Sossaman Middle School

8th Grade Language Arts

Mrs. Melody Griffith

*Copy paper and index cards will be collected by the teacher to support flee mapping and drafting during the writing process.

Classroom Donations: Tissues, Disinfecting Wipes, Tape, and Highlighters

Class Rules:

1.Respectyourself.

2.Respectothers.

3.Respecttheclasscommunity.

Behavior and Discipline

Students are expected to arrive to class on time, be prepared with books and materials, and show respect. Students are also expected to adhere to the school wide and classroom rules and expectations at all times.

  • Only pencils and blue or black ink will be permitted in class. Red pens will be used for grading purposes only. Work done in any colored ink, other than blue or black, will not be accepted. Occasionally, colored pencils or markers will be needed.
  • Electronic devices (cell phones, i-pods, video games, etc.) are not permitted unless they are being used for instructional purposes. If you are using your cell phone during class it will be confiscated and turned in to the front office for a parent to pick it up.
  • No gum chewing, eating, or drinking (juices, colas, etc.). Water bottles are encouraged!
  • Hats mustbe removed within the building.

Individual Consequences:

If a student is acting inappropriately or being disruptive the following steps will be taken:

1.Verbal Correction—student reminded to be on task

2.Refocus—student moves from the group to refocus his/her attention in my classroom

3.Buddy Teacher—student sent to a buddy teacher’s classroom to complete assigned work. Completes behavior form. Parent contacted.

4.Parent/Teacher Meeting-a behavior and/or work contract may be initiated

5. Administrative Referral

Spartan Success Tips

I am looking forward to an exciting and challenging year of learning. Parents, please email me at any time if you wish to discuss your child’s progress.

Mrs. Griffith