8th Grade Language Arts – Course Syllabus

Instructors
Ms. Abbi Hurt, Team 8-1

Ms. Madeliene Bolden, Team 8-2

Ms. Christy Williams, Team 8-3

Ms. Cameryn Rivers, PEC instructional support
/ Planning Period: M –F, 10:05-11:20am
School Phone: (404) 802-3200
Voicemail:
Parent-Teacher conferences may be scheduled during the planning period.
Tutorial Schedule:
Ms. Rivers – Friday mornings, 7:45-8:45am
Ms. Williams – Tuesdays, 3:45-4:45
Ms. Hurt- Thursdays, 3:45-4:45
Ms. Bolden- Thursdays, 3:45-4:45
Description/Rationale: This is a rigorous course of in-depth study that moves at a challenging pace and focuses on developing the skills of vocabulary, writing, grammar, and literature. The Eighth Grade Language Arts program at InmanMiddle School will focus on the whole language process. The intent is to use authentic, purposeful, real-life, and student generated materials.
Inman is focusing on Differentiated Instruction to meet the varying needs of our students.
Evaluation
Evaluation will be
based on the following:
Writing 20%
Quizzes 15%
Tests 15 %
Projects 20%
Classwork/Participation 20%
Homework 10%
TOTAL = 100% / Classroom Rules
Respect yourself and others.
Come to class prepared to learn. (Be on time. Bring all material to class. Complete all assignments on time.)
Uphold a peaceful learning environment. (Be open to all opinions. Be sensitive to the concerns and property of others. Make positive contributions to your learning environment.)
Follow teacher’s instructions. / Inman Disciplinary Plan
1st Offense: Warning / Student Conference
2nd Offense: Parent Contact
3rd Offense: One (1) hour after school detention
4th Offense: Administrative Referral
SERIOUS OFFENSE: Administrative Referral
Grading Scale
A = 90 - 100
B = 80 - 89
C = 70 - 79
F = 0 - 69 / Course Requirements:
The criterion for promotion to the next grade level is as follows. The student must pass four subjects each semester. Language Arts and Mathematics must be two of the subjects passed. Two nine week Connections classes are equivalent to a one-semester course. / Academic Goals:
Students will demonstrate their ability to read for literary experience by examining, constructing, and extending meaning from stories, plays, poems, and other works of fiction and nonfiction.
Students will demonstrate the ability to write to inform by developing and organizing facts to convey information.
Students will demonstrate their ability to write to persuade by selecting and organizing relevant information, establishing an argumentative purpose, and by designing an appropriate strategy for an identified audience.
Students will demonstrate their ability to write to express personal ideas by selecting a form and its appropriate elements.
Students will demonstrate their ability to use the structures and conventions of the English Language in the written communication.
Homework Policy and Philosophy / Homework will be given Monday-Friday and is due at the beginning of class.
Once you are in class you CANNOT return to your locker to get your homework.
Daily homework assignments CANNOT be made–up, except when due to absences: Late Papers, Projects or major assignments will begin at 75%, pending teacher discretion. / Homework Philosophy
“The application of homework within almost every learning activity is a valuable means of reinforcement and evaluation. It is the teacher’s role to define such assignments and the responsibility of the students to complete them on time. Parents must also assume their responsibility in regard to student homework; therefore, proper communication between the home and the school are vital in establishing assignments, which can significantly contribute to the overall educational process.”
Consequences for Plagiarism**:
1st offense: Student will receive an automatic 0% for the assignment/project. Parent(s) will be notified and an administrative referral will be made. NO MAKE-UP ASSIGNMENT WILL BE OFFERED.
**Plagiarism s a very serious academic offense. Please educate yourself on what plagiarism is. IN middle school, you will receive a zero, but in high school, you may fail a class completely for just one incident of plagiarism. In college, you can lose scholarships and be expelled. Please do not get into the habit of stealing others’ intellectual property. / Examples of plagiarism:
  • Buying a paper online or downloading a paper from a free site.
  • Copying or using work done by another student.
  • Citing sources you didn’t use.
  • Turning in the same paper for more than one class without the permission of both teachers.

Make-Up Work:
  • Students on a pre-approved absence of more than one day will be expected to makeup any classwork and homework. This work is due NO LATER THAN two days after the missed class. It is the student’s responsibility to secure
  • Any missed work prior to pre-approved absences and IMMEDIATELY AFTER unanticipated absences.
  • For one day or one period school related absences (athletics/academic games, etc) – It is the student’s responsibility to make up the work upon their return to the classroom. It is recommended that they see the teacher ahead of time to determine what they will miss while they are gone.
  • For extended absences, make-up work will be completed according to the deadline established at the teacher’s discretion.

Texts Used /
  1. Glencoe Reader’s Choice and Glencoe Writer’s Choice
  2. Folgers Library edition of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream
  3. Barack Obama’s Dreams From my Father.
  4. Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God.
  5. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird

Required Materials /
  1. Large 3-ring Binder with Tab Dividers
  2. Composition notebook for journal writing
  3. Blue or Black pens. All final submitted work must be completed in blue or black ink OR typed.
  4. Loose Leaf 8 ½ x 11” ruled paper
  5. Colored Pencils or colored markers

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I have read and understood the expectations set forth in this Language Arts Course.

Student Name: ______Student Signature: ______Date:______

Parent Name : ______Parent Signature: ______Date: ______