Ms. Burnett’s 7th Grade Language Arts Syllabus
Contact Info:
Email: Instagram: ms. _burnett
Phone: 696-6289 Free Period: 6th
If you have questions or need help, I am here for you! I am usually available before school, after school & during lunch, so just make an appointment.
To make an appointment, you must first email me or talk to me in person. Then you must write your initials and the time we are meeting on the weekly whiteboard marked “Appointment Sign-Up” (located by my desk). I will mark days that I am not available on here as well.
Course Description
This class is designed to help each and every student grow as a learner, reader, writer, listener, speaker, and thinker. You will be working hard every minute of every class, but we will have some fun too! In addition to working hard individually, you will be expected to collaborate as a whole class, in small groups, and with partners for discussions and projects.
Together, we will explore Language Arts through a variety of texts, including non-fiction, fiction, short stories, novels, and poetry; our class novels this year will be A Long Walk to Water, The Giver, and The House on Mango Street. We will use additional mentor texts to learn grammar, sentence structure, and literary elements. Vocabulary will be addressed through studying Greek and Latin Roots and a Word of the Week. There's lots of learning to do, and I'm excited to get started!
Class Expectations
Top 3
Work hard.
Be Responsible.
Show Respect.
Just like the Amphi way, you will “work hard and be kind”. Your class will collaboratively create and agree upon specific "Class Rules". These rules will be posted in the classroom and followed throughout the entire school year.
Materials
Part of being responsible is coming to class prepared. Some days I may ask you to bring additional materials; however, the following items should be in class everyday:
- Binder (Must be organized!)
- Writing Utensils (pencils, different colored pens, highlighters)
- Assignment Notebook
- Interactive Notebook
- Class Reading Materials
- Independent Reading Book
- Completed Homework
Procedures for Absences from Class
When you are absent from class, it is YOUR responsibility to make up the missing work. If you are absent, you will be expected to turn in your work and make up any tests or quizzes the first day you return. I can be flexible if you need, but you must communicate with me! (I I will not usuallytake class time go over what you have missed, but you may make an appointment with me to get yourmake-up work at a time outside of class.
If you are able to, I suggest asking a friend or checking my website to find out what work you missed. Sometimes you may be able to come to class still prepared, not having any make-up work!
Grades
What matters most, is how much you learn and grow from this class, but your learning has to be measured somehow. Your final grade will reflect your effort, participation, hard work, and mastery of Standards and Objectives. I will always make expectations clear through thorough assignment sheets, specific rubrics, examples/ models, and conferencing. Only quality work will be accepted; if you do not follow the directions and meet my basic expectations, your work will not be accepted.
Late work and redo'swill be accepted under my discretion. Many homework assignments are meant to prepare you for class; therefore, this work cannot be made up after that class. I will allow redo’s and late work for many other assignments. For this late work, you must fill out a Missing Work Log, you will be penalized points, and it can only be turned in up until the week before the quarter ends. (I will remind you as this deadline approaches. Extra credit is not promised.
**Writing Revision Policy**
Writing is an on-going process, which naturally requires revision. There will be time in class during Writing Workshop for peer editing, teacher conferencing, and self-revising; however, if you are not happy with your grade on your final piece of writing, you CAN resubmit it.
First, you must make an appointment with me. We will then hold another conference to discuss the rubric, my comments, and the revisions you are going to make; there will be a form for you to fill out during the conference to track our discussion. You then must take a week to revise before resubmitting it to me–with all drafts, the original rubric, and the completed Revision Resubmission Form.
Grade Categories Break Down:
50% Class Work30% Assessments10% Homework10% Accelerated Reader
Classwork (50%)
Class work will take many forms, including but not limited to: worksheets, various activities (completed independently or in small groups), Entrance/ Exit Slips, Quick Writes, Sentence Stalking, informal presentations, discussions, etc. Much of your class work will be displayed in your Interactive Notebook. Classwork will sometimes be graded for completion and other times will be graded for accuracy/ thoroughness.
Assessments (30%)
Assessments will include weekly vocabulary quizzes, cumulative vocabulary tests, other tests and quizzes on reading and grammar material, final projects, formal presentations, and major writing assignments.
Homework (10%)
Homework is important because it gives you practice, provides important information on what we still need to work on, and helps prepare you to succeed during class. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to make up the work. Additionally, you are expected to be reading your Independent Reading Book at home (more info to come).
Accelerated Reader (10%)
This portion of the grade will come from the Accelerated Reader program. You may get some class time to work on this–either during library time or when you have completed work.
Again…I’m here for you!
Please reach out to me for help and support. I want you to do well and will do anything I can to assist you! However, you need to advocate for yourself and take responsibility for making the most of your education. You can and will succeed if you put your mind to it!