Syllabus and Course Requirements 2015-2016

Thurgood Marshall Middle School

SYLLABUS AND COURSE REQUIREMENTS 2015-2016

English 8 Cluster

Instructor: Ms. Jean Chalupsky

E-mail:

Voice Mail: 858-549-5400 ext. 2225

Room: B205

Texts: Fifer, Norma and Nancy Flowers, Vocabulary from Classical Roots

Phillips, Dr. Wanda C., Easy Grammar Plus

Prentice Hall Literature: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes: Silver Level

Various texts as assigned (i.e. Short Stories, Poetry, IQBAL, To Kill a Mockingbird,

Fire from the Rock, Warriors Don’t Cry, The Crucible, The Metamorphosis)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

English 8 Cluster engages students in a vigorous, integrated study of reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. Through inquiry-based lessons and guided discussions students will develop language arts skills and strategies that meet the Common Core State Standards available to the public at http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/cc/ .

This course takes a balanced approach to English, and uses block scheduling to optimize the amount of time students may spend working on critical reading and writing strategies in the classroom. During the course of the year, students will work toward establishing a portfolio of work. In addition, special emphasis will be placed upon texts that are historically and culturally relevant to their studies of U.S. history and U.S. social doctrine (i.e. freedom, equality, individuality).

The essential learning objectives of this course are as follows:

Students will express ideas concisely, persuasively, and creatively in writing.
Students will master the use language conventions: form, grammar, punctuation, and usage.
Students will read with an analytical mind and reflect on textual evidence to develop logical interpretations and insights, leading to significant commentaries about text and profound, defensible resolutions about contemporary controversial topics.
Students will broaden their vocabulary and their understanding of etymology.
Students will debate authoritatively while addressing an audience effectively.

SUGGESTED MATERIALS

Pens, Pencils, and Highlighter / 1½” Binder (with 3 dividers)
to be kept in class
Composition notebooks / Independent Reading Text
(in backpack at all times)

Please let me know if the above items are not available and I will provide them for your student.

Citizenship Grades:

An evaluation of many factors are brought together to measure a student’s general behavior and effort in class. It is the culmination of a student’s willingness and efforts to help or hinder the progress of class and/or other students.

A student who is at the baseline (Satisfactory) exhibits behaviors such as being respectful, cooperating in class, using time appropriately, being engaged in assignments, and being prepared for class.

STUDENTS NEED TO EXHIBIT CERTAIN POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE BEHAVIORS TO DEVIATE FROM THIS BASELINE.

A student who earns an “E” (Excellent) is always respectful, dependable, positive, encouraging, prepared, self-disciplined, and punctual.

A student who earns a “U” (Unsatisfactory) disrupts the classroom atmosphere with attention-getting behavior, and is discourteous, negative, disrespectful, unprepared, off-task, or disregards school/classroom rules.

Citizenship grades are the balance of a student’s efforts and behaviors. They are not the result of one day or one action. Nor are they an evaluation of the child as a person.

Academic Grades:

The overall academic grade for each student is determined by his or her performance within two major categories: assessments, and projects (typically a combination of classwork and homework). Assignments are weighted according to point values. For example, short homework assignments are typically awarded ten to thirty points; whereas, essays and complex projects are awarded one hundred points or more.

Standard Academic Grading Scale:

Grades assigned at each reporting period are based on the following percentages:

90-100=A80-89=B70-79=C60-69=D59-lower= F

Electronic Progress Reports:

The SDUSD PowerSchool ParentConnection portal enables you to check your child’s academic progress online. Parents and students are encouraged to check PowerSchool frequently.

Types of Classwork:

Vocabulary: Students will study prefixes, suffixes, and Greek and Latin root words to build upon their existing understanding of word patterns (morphemes). Students will also develop their vocabulary through the analysis of context clues in authentic texts. Students will prove mastery of new vocabulary through a series of activities and tests.

Grammar: Regular grammar lessons and activities will guide students to improve their control of language conventions and fluency in their writing. An emphasis will be placed on capitalization, punctuation, parts of speech, phrases and clauses, parallelisms, and sentence combining skills.

Reading and Writing: Independent reading, guided reading, analysis, synthesis, class discussions, class collaboration, small group collaboration, independent study, directed instruction, Socratic questioning, etc. The atmosphere is dynamic and thought provoking with an emphasis on abstract thinking and opinion development.

HOMEWORK EXPECTATIONS

Students are given time at the beginning/end of each class period to note homework in their student planners. Assignments and due dates are posted on the board as well as on the MMS Homework site. It is the students’ responsibility to keep a clear record of homework. Parents should work with their child to develop a homework/assignment plan that works best.

Types of Homework:

Reading: Students are expected to read independently outside of school hours for a minimum of 30 minutes each day. Unless otherwise directed, students will self-select independent reading materials. Non-fiction, textual reading for other classes is acceptable and even encouraged. Students will be expected to comment on your home reading (in class) verbally and in writing.

Writing: Students will draft, revise, and publish research poetry, reports, persuasive essays, historical and biographical narratives, poetry, and technical documents. There may be times when students must complete these assignments at home.

Studying for Assessments: Students must plan to review notes and materials in order to prepare for quizzes, tests, and other possible assessments.

Absences:

Assignments can only be made up for full credit if the student has an excused absence. They need to submit make-up work within one week of the absence, or it will be recorded as missing. If the student is absent on an existing due date for a major project, that assignment is due immediately upon his or her return.

Late Assignments:

It is the student’s responsibility to alert the teacher to a missing assignment when it is collected insure that the teacher receives the late assignment.

Types of Classwork:

HOMEWORK EXPECTATIONS

Types of Homework:

Studying for Assessments: Students must plan to review notes and materials in order to prepare for quizzes, tests, and other possible assessments.

Absences:

Late Assignments:

It is the student’s responsibility to alert the teacher to a missing assignment when it is collected insure that the teacher receives the late assignment.

Tutoring:

Tutoring is available during lunch. Students are asked to sign up for tutoring in advance and to bring his/her lunch to school on tutoring days.

COMPUTER TROUBLE SHOOTING

If a student does not have a computer at home they should:

Plan ahead! Students will be assigned a personal folder on the school’s network to save schoolwork. They should make arrangements with the teacher to use the Media Center, Computer Lab, or classroom computer to type final projects.

If a student’s computer crashes:

As a precaution, they should ALWAYS make a backup copy of their writing on the computer, and save it on a USB drive (or flash drive) in Rich Text Format (.rtf). Printing occasional hard copies is also a good habit. If the data becomes corrupted or the computer crashes, it’s easier to recreate the document—even if the information is partial. Having something is better than having nothing.

If a student’s printer breaks he/she should:

E-mail the document as an attachment to the teacher’s e-mail account.
E-mail the document as an attachment to a homework partner; have him/her print out a copy.
Save to a USB drive, bring it to school, and print the document.

TEACHING STRATEGIES FOR GATE STUDENTS

The following is a list of approaches used to differentiate instruction for GATE students as prescribed by the district Gifted and Talented Education Department. These approaches are posted in the Program Guides and Manuals at Some or all of these strategies may be used to effectively reach the variety of learners found in this class.

Curriculum Compacting: A three-step process whereby students are able to test out of material they have already mastered, thereby freeing up time for independent study in an area of passion or continued in-depth study in the same content area.

Exploring Depth and Complexity in Curricular Areas: The opportunity to examine content in a more critical fashion by identifying elements of depth and complexity in what students study (e.g., Kaplan’s ICONS regarding details, patterns, trends, rules, unanswered questions, ethics, big ideas, change over time, point of view and the language of a discipline).

Tiered Lessons: A process through which students of differing levels of skills and readiness to learn may all master the same concept. The method to reach mastery will be different, with challenging and interesting activities at all levels. Generally, lessons are designed to move from concrete to abstract, simple to complex, more structured to more open, fewer facts to multi-facets, or slower pace to quicker pace.

Problem Based Learning (PBL): A process through which students learn about a subject by being given a real-world, open-ended problem to solve. In the process, students assume roles, develop solutions, make observations/ decisions, evaluate their choices and reflect on what they have learned.

Socratic Seminar: A highly structured process in which students seek a more in-depth understanding of complex ideas through rigorously thoughtful dialogue instead of memorizing bits of information or meeting arbitrary demands for simple “coverage” of a topic.

Independent Study: A process through which student and teacher identify a topic of interest to the student. They plan a method of identification and investigation as well as products resulting from independent study. The product should demonstrate the student’s ability to apply skills and knowledge to a specific topic.

Kohlberg’s Theory Of Moral Reasoning: A method to examine moral dilemmas through class discussion and individual reasoning. The objective of this approach is to have students reach an understanding of the existence of universal ethical principles and to apply these principles to real life problems.

Taba: A process that uses inductive reasoning to develop concepts, interpret data, apply generalizations, and to resolve conflicts. In this process, the teacher facilitates the discussion and challenges students to use higher level thinking skills as they brainstorm.

Parnes Problem Solving: A structured method for approaching problems in an imaginative way; it is a process sometimes used by businesses to resolve problems in the workplace. It begins with the identification of the problem, moves to fact-finding, generates alternatives, builds consensus (convergence) and finally selects or implements a solution.

I understand the curriculum and policies of Ms. Chalupsky’s English 8 Cluster class. I understand the citizenship policies at Thurgood Marshall Middle School. I also understand the dress code and gum chewing restrictions.

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Student Name (please print)Period

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Student SignatureDate

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Parent SignatureDate

PARENT EMAIL:______

(If you are not able to provide the suggested supplies, please let me know via email ASAP so I can purchase them for your child. There are no extra funds at the school for these supplies but I will purchase them myself in order to create a successful environment for all students.)