Gregory-Portland Independent School District

Gregory-Portland Independent School District

Junior High School

COURSE DESCRIPTION GUIDE

2017-2018

4600 Wildcat Drive

Portland, Texas 78374

Phone: 361 777-4042

Fax 361 643-3187

GPISD Board Approved: ##/##/####

It is the policy of the Gregory-Portland Independent School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, or handicap in its programs, and services.

District Title X Coordinator

Assistant Superintendent

608 College Street

Portland, TX 78374

(361) 777-1091

District 504 Coordinator

Director of Special Education

608 College Street

Portland, TX 78374

(361) 777-1091

Es norma de el Escolar Independiente de Gregory-Portland no discriminar por motivos de raza, color, origen nacional, sexo o impedimento, en sus programas y servicios.

Gregory-Portland Independent School District

Board of Trustees

Randy Eulenfeld, Board President

Dean Atkinson, Board Vice President

Carrie Gregory, Board Secretary

Gilbert Cortinas, Board Member

Tim Flinn, Board Member

Victor Hernandez, Board Member

Reynaldo Rojas, Board Member

Central Administration

Dr. Paul Clore, Superintendent

Darla Czerwinski, Assistant Superintendent

Gregory-Portland Junior High School Administration

Alcario Gabriel Alvarado, Principal

Rosemary Vaseliades, Assistant Principal

Jaclyn Vasquez, Assistant Principal

Intent of this Guide

The provisions and information set forth in this Course Description Guide are intended to be informational and not contractual in nature. The District hereby reserves and retains the right to amend, alter, change, delete, or modify any of the provisions of this guide at any time, from time to time, in any manner that the Administration or the Board of Trustees of the District deems to be in the best interest of the students of this District. The contents of this guide apply to all students and programs in the District and do not amend, abridge, or replace Board policies or administrative regulations established by the District.

Table of Contents

Introduction...... 1

Junior High Courses for High School Credit...... 1

Intent of this Guide...... 1

Overview of Core Courses...... 2

EnglishLanguage Arts...... 4

Mathematics...... 6

Science...... 10

History...... 12

Elective Courses

Art...... 14

Music...... 15

Band...... 15

Choir...... 15

Theater Arts...... 16

Spanish...... 17

Touch System Data Entry (Keyboarding)...... 18

Clerical Practice...... 18

Introduction to Building Trades...... 18

Building Trades...... 18

Health Education…………………………………………………………………………………19

Physical Education/Athletics...... 19

Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID)...... 21

Grand Central Station Lab………………………………………………………………………..21

INTRODUCTION

The administration, faculty, and staff of Gregory-Portland Junior High School are committed to insuring excellence in the programs offered and to providing high quality learning opportunities for all students.

The number one priority of the schoolis to prepare all students to be healthy, productive citizens. It is crucial that Gregory-Portland Junior High School students receive a sound foundation in the four core subject areas as preparation for high school and thenhigher education or vocational educationor work options. These core subject areas are Mathematics, Science, English Language Arts, and History.

A variety of elective course options are also offered at the Junior High School. Elective courses allow students to explore areas of interest.Students may continue study in elective subject areasduring high school. Electives are important because these courses can provide students with early career preparation or life-long recreational orvocational interests.

This booklet provides information for the student and his or her parents to use as they discuss and consider course choices for the seventh and eighth grades. The counselors, administration, and faculty of Gregory-Portland Junior High School are available to answer questions and assist in these important decisions.

All students are required to take courses mandated by the state. The curriculum of each course minimally includes any state mandated TEKS and, if appropriate,preparation for state tests (State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness) (STAAR) andend of course (EOC)exams).

Junior High Courses for High School Credit

The following list includes junior high courses that provide high school credit. These courses are offered at the Junior High in order to allow students to take higher level courses or additional elective courses in high school. It is important that eighth grade students and their parents attend meetings conducted in the spring semester by high school counselors to explain high school graduation requirements and the four year plan. State laws and other guidelines continue to change these requirements and it is very important to understand the rules which apply to the student as they enter high school.

We strive for every student to be successful. Students need the necessary skills and academic foundation to progress to the next level of academic challenge. All efforts are made to have students scheduled into classes where they can be successful.

Students enrolled in a high school credit class will be enrolled in this class on a probationary basis. Failing any three week grading period will initiate contact with the student’s parent(s) to determine appropriate placement. Failing two consecutive three week grading periods may result in removal of the student from the high school credit course. If the student fails the first nine weeks or the first semester, the student will be rescheduled out of the high school credit class.

Algebra I
Art, Level I
Spanish I
Theater Arts I
Health: Semester Course
Touch System Data Entry (Keyboarding): Semester Course

Intent of this Guide

The provisions and information set forth in this Course Description Guide are intended to be informational and not contractual in nature.The District hereby reserves and retains the right to amend, alter, change, delete, or modify any of the provisions of this guide at any time, from time to time, in any manner that the Administration or the Board of Trustees of the District deems to be in the best interests of the students of this District.The contents of this guide apply to all students and programs in the District and do not amend, abridge, or replace Board policies or administrative regulations established by the District.

OVERVIEW

Regular and Intensive Core Courses,

Mathematics, English Language Arts,
Science, History

Gregory-Portland Junior High School routinely evaluates and adjusts its curriculum and instructionto ensure that the school is meeting district, state and federal standards in regard to the quality and rigor of the learning of all of its students. In many cases, this means that the curriculum and student expectations for courses may be higher than and/or different from prior years. Parents and students should carefully read and discuss the information provided before finalizing course choices.

Students may enroll in regular courses or intensive courses in any of the core subject areas.All core courses require in-depth study of the district’s curriculum through instructional processes and learning experiences that utilize higher order thinking skills. This means that students will demonstrate mastery of the curriculum from the lowest level of cognitive ability to the higher mental levels of complexity and abstraction. Students will demonstrate this mastery through their ability:

to recall required knowledge or content, (lowest level of complexity and abstraction)
to discuss the meaning of the content,
to apply the content,
to analyze the content,
to synthesize the content, and,
at the highest level of complexity and abstraction to evaluate the content.

Regular courses are designed to challenge and prepare students to meet rigorous academic standards. These courses reflect the high levels of expectations for learning for all students of Gregory-Portland Junior High School. Success in these courses requires students to not only participate fully during class but to study outside of class as well as complete homework, projects, and research assignments.

The unique interests, abilities, characteristics, and personality of the student should be considered in the selection of each course.

Intensive courses are designed to provide very rigorous learning opportunities for students who are seeking more difficult challenges in subject areas of particular interest or ability. The choice to participate in one or more intensive courses should include a consideration of the student’s willingness to pursue learning the curriculum at a depth and complexity beyond the rigors of the regular course. Intensive courses will require additional study and homework. Summer assignments may be required.The expectations for projects and research assignments will be more rigorous than those of regular courses. Success in intensivecourses requires maturity and self-discipline. It is important that students and parents discuss the impact that enrollment in one or more of these courses may have on the student’s free time and flexibility to explore other areas of interest.

The intent of intensive courses is to provide students with rigorous and demanding academic challenges. Students enrolling in intensive courses need to understand from the onset that the expectations and demands in these courses go beyond that of other classes. Students must also understand that it is their responsibility to master the rigor of the intensive course; therefore, students may need to plan on attending tutorials before or after school to ensure their success.

A parent may request the removal of their child from an intensive course at any time. However, in the student’s best interests, students enrolled in an intensive class will be enrolled in this class on a probationary basis. Failing the first six weeks will initiate contact with the student’s parent(s) to determine appropriate placement. If the student fails two consecutive three week grading periods or a nine week grading period, the student may be rescheduled out of the intensive class.

The technology applications curriculum has four strands: foundations, information acquisition, work in solving problems, and communication. Students receive integrated instruction in technology applications throughout Science, History, Mathematics, and English Language Arts.

English Language Arts

In English Language Arts (ELA) classes,the emphasis is on acquisition and refinement of grammar, conventions of writing, oral and written communication skills,improving reading fluency, comprehension knowledge and skills. ELA will incorporate reading,writing,and oral communication. A student may be assigned to a highly structured class for focused differentiated instruction in an effort to remediate their deficiencies.

ELAGrade 7

In Grade 7, students refine and master previously-learned knowledge and skills in increasingly complex presentations, reading selections, and written compositions. Seventh-grade students analyze a speaker’s persuasive techniques and credibility. Students evaluate a spoken message in terms of its content, credibility, and delivery. Seventh-grade students continue to read widely in classic and contemporary selections and informational texts. Students use knowledge of Greek and Latin roots and prefixes and suffixes in reading. Students recognize how style, tone, and mood contribute to the effect of the text. Seventh-grade students are able to select and use different forms of writing for specific purposes such as to inform, persuade, and entertain. Students vary sentence structure and use verb tenses appropriately and consistently such as present, past, future, perfect, and progressive. Seventh- grade students edit their writing based on their knowledge of grammar and usage, spelling, punctuation, and other conventions of written language. Students produce final, error-free pieces of written compositions on a regular basis. Seventh-grade students draw data from multiple primary and secondary sources for use in research reports and projects.

IntensiveELAGrade 7

Prerequisite: Must have met the passing standard for STAAR Reading the previous academic year

The intent of intensive courses is to provide students with rigorous and demanding academic challenges. Students enrolling in 7th-grade intensive ELA courses need to understand from the onset that the expectations and demands in these courses go beyond that of other classes.

Independent reading materials will be at the 7th grade level and above. Students who struggle in reading and writing should carefully consider the challenges before signing up for an intensive class.

It is the primary responsibility of the parent to request the removal of their child from an intensive course, however, if the student fails two consecutive three week grading periods or a nine week grading period, the student may be rescheduled out of the intensive class.

ELAGrade 8

In Grade 8, students refine and master previously learned knowledge and skills in increasingly complex presentations, reading selections, and writing. Eighth grade students continue to read widely in classic and contemporary selections and informational texts. Students are able to identify characteristics of various literary forms. Eighth grade students are able to select and use different forms of writing for specific purposes such as to inform, persuade, or entertain. Students produce multi-paragraph compositions with varied sentence structure. Eighth grade students edit their writing based on their knowledge of grammar and usage, spelling, punctuation, and other conventions of written language. Students produce final, error-free pieces of written composition on a regular basis. Students use citations competently and write by following accepted formats for research reports. Eighth grade students present oral and written reports, including presentations strengthened by visual and media.

Intensive ELAGrade 8

Prerequisite: Must have met the passing standard for STAAR Reading the previous academic year

The intent of intensive courses is to provide students with rigorous and demanding academic challenges. Students enrolling in8th grade intensive ELA courses need to understand from the onset that the expectations and demands in these courses go beyond that of other classes.

Independent reading materials will be at the 7th / 8th grade level and above. Students who struggle in reading and the course subject matter should carefully consider their existing reading skills level and course subject matter skills before signing up for an intensive class.

Reading Reinforcement Grade 8

Eighth grade students are automatically scheduled into a reading reinforcement class upon not meeting standard on the 7th grade reading STAAR test. The purpose of this class is to provide those students additional instructional support to strengthen their reading skills to help them meet the standard on the Grade 8 STAAR reading test to enable them to be promoted to grade 9. This class takes the place of an elective. Students will be tested at the beginning of each semester to determine if sufficient progress has been made to exit the course and regain their elective.

Student Success Initiative (SSI)

The Student Success Initiative (SSI) was created by the Texas Legislature to ensure that all students receive the instruction and support they need to be academically successful in reading and mathematics. Under the SSI grade advancement requirements, students are required to pass the State of TexasAssessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR)Grade 8 reading and mathematics test to be promoted to ninth grade.

If at the end of the school year a student does not pass 8th grade reading,math or pre-algebra, summer school attendance and passing is required for promotion to grade 9.

Mathematics

Math Grade 7

Within a well-balanced mathematics curriculum, the primary focal points at Grade 7 are using direct proportional relationships in number, geometry, measurement, and probability; applying addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of decimals, fractions, and integers; and using statistical measures to describe data.

Throughout mathematics in Grades 6-8, students build a foundation of basic understandings in number, operation, and quantitative reasoning; patterns, relationships, and algebraic thinking; geometry and spatialreasoning; measurement; and probability and statistics. Students use concepts, algorithms, and properties of rational numbers to explore mathematical relationships and to describe increasingly complex situations. Students use algebraic thinking to describe how a change in one quantity in a relationship results in a change in the other; and they connect verbal, numeric, graphic, and symbolic representations of relationships. Students use geometric properties and relationships, as well as spatial reasoning, to model and analyze situations and solve problems. Students communicate information about geometric figures or situations by quantifying attributes, generalize procedures from measurement experiences, and use the procedures to solve problems. Students use appropriate statistics, representations of data, reasoning, and concepts of probability to draw conclusions, evaluate arguments, and make recommendations.

Problem solving in meaningful contexts, language and communication, connections within and outside mathematics, and formal and informal reasoning underlie all content areas in mathematics. Throughout mathematics in Grades 6-8, students use these processes together with graphing technology and other mathematical tools such as manipulative materials to develop conceptual understanding and solve problems as they do mathematics.