Course Syllabus
Summary
Course Title: / English Language ArtsCourse Level: / 7th Grade
Start/End Dates: / September 2016 through June 2017
Term: / Full Year
Location: / Howard M. Phifer Middle School
Delivery Method: / Face to Face Meetings
Course Description and Areas of Focus:
Reading
● Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
● Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative meanings. ● Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators in a text.
● Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author distinguishes his or her position from that of others.
● Evaluate an argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claims.
Writing
● Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
● Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
● Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
● With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
● Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
● Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Speaking and Listening
● Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
● Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
● Describe a speaker's argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
Language
● Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
● Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
● Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on Grade 7 reading and content.
● Acquire and use accurately - grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases.
Instructor Information
Name / Elizabeth A. ProcidaEmail /
Phone / (609) 662-8511
Additional Contact Information / Remind.com
Philosophy and Management with Classroom Expectations
Students will work towards their personal best and be challenged with the rigor of the Common Core. ‘Thinking’ is a big part of learning. Learning for students should encompass thinking for themselves and evaluating text with a discerning eye.
I also believe in meeting your student where they are in their instructional needs so I can support them as they achieve equity in their education. In addition, student choice for independent reading will provide practice for newly acquired reading skills and strategies.
In management and expectations I will be using parts of:
· Whole Brain Learning/Teaching
· The Leader in Me
Student Engagement and Leadership
Growth Mindset
School is where we make mistakes (do-overs allowed)
*Class Requires: Engagement, Effort, and a Risk-free Environment
Materials/Required Texts
· Collections Textbook for 7th grade
· Collections Close Reader for 7th grade
Technology
*All accompanying websites will have usernames and password requirements that will be assigned to the student by the district and distributed by the instructor
· Google Classroom
· IMPORTANT: The Collections Textbook has an online component.
https://my.hrw.com/ (online textbook website)
· There are numerous tutorials in addition to the audio access of most of the reading material that can be utilized through this site.
· Students will have access to computer labs after school if access is not available.
Schedule Assignment Outline:
Subject Units / Text Readings, Activities, & BenchmarksSemester 1
Marking Period 1
Collection 1:
Bold Actions / Reading/Writing
Anchor texts with Associated Benchmarks:
1.Rogue Wave by Theodore Taylor
2.The Flight of Icarus by of Icarus
3.”Parents of Rescued Teenage Sailor Abby Sunderland Accused of Risking Her Life” by Paul Harris
“Ship of Fools” by Joanna Weiss
“Was Abby Too Young to Sail?” by CBS News
Comparing News Coverage Test
4.“Icarus’s Flight” by Stephen Dobyns
5.Women in Aviation by Patricia and Fredrick McKissack
Common Summative Assessments: Collection 1 Test
Supporting texts in the Close Reader:
1.Big things Come in Small Packages by Eleanora Tate
2.“Finding Your Everest” by Robert Medina
3.Arachne by Olivia Coolidge
Common Writing Assessments:
1. Performance Task pg.50 Writing a Report
2. Collection 1 Performance Task A- Write a Short Story pp. 53-56
3. Unit 2 in the Performance Assessment book: Informative Essay pp. 33-66
District Assessments: i-Ready Diagnostic
Semester 1
Marking Period 2
Collection 3:
Nature at Work / Reading/Writing
Anchor texts with Associated Benchmarks:
1.“from Mississippi Solo by Eddy Harris
2. from The Tempest by William Shakespeare
3.Allied with Green by Naomi Shihab Nye
4.Big Rocks’ Balancing Act by Douglas Fox
5.“Ode to Enchanted Light” by Pablo Neruda
6.Sleeping in the Forest by Mary Oliver
Common Summative Assessments: Collection 3 Test
Supporting texts in the Close Reader:
1.from Polar Dream by Helen Thayer
2. The Hidden Southwest: The Arch Hunters by James Vlahos
3. from Poems About Nature by Leslie Marmon Silko, Victor Hernandez Cruz, and Gwendolyn Brook
Common Writing Assessments:
1. Performance Task pg.142 Literary Analysis
2. Collection 3 Performance Task B- Write a Poetry Analysis pp. 179-182
3. Unit 3 in the Performance Assessment book: Literary Analysis pp. 67-96
4. Unit 4 in the Performance Assessment book: Task 2- Informative Essay pp. 109-120
District Assessments: i-Ready Diagnostic
Semester 2
Marking Period 3
Collection 6:
Guided by a Cause / Reading/Writing
Anchor texts with Associated Benchmarks:
1. from Flesh and Blood So Cheap… by Albert Marrin
2. from The Story of the Triangle Factory Fire by Zachary Kent
3. from Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix
4.Craig Kielburger Reflects on Working Toward Peace by Craig Kielburger
5. from It Takes a Child by Judy Jackson
6.” A Poem for My Librarian, Mrs. Long” by Nikki Giovanni
7. Train Time by D’Arcy McNickle
Common Summative Assessments: Collection 6 Test
Supporting texts in the Close Reader:
1.The Most Daring of Our Leaders by Lynn Olsen
2.“Speech to the Democratic National Convention” by John Lewis
3. from Doris is Leaving by ZZ Packer
4. Difference Maker: John Begman and Popcorn Park by David Karas
Common Writing Assessments:
1. Performance Task pg.304 Writing a New Chapter
2. Performance Task pg.314 Writing a Critique
3. Performance Task pg.334 Writing a Character Analysis
4. Collection 6 Performance Task A- Write an Expository Essay pgs. 337-340 5. Unit 1: Performance Assessment: Argumentative Essay pp. 2-32
6. Unit 4:Performance Assessment: Task 3- Literary Analysis pp. 121-128
District Assessments: i-Ready Diagnostic
Semester 2
Marking Period 4
Collection 5:
The Stuff of Consumer Culture / Reading/Writing
Anchor texts with Associated Benchmarks:
from Life at Home in the 21st Century by
from I Want That! by
Dump/How Things Work by
Earth (A Gift Shop) by
Common Summative Assessments: Collection 5 Test
Supporting texts in the Close Reader:
Teenagers and New Technology by
Labels and Illusions by
He-y Come on Ou-t by
Common Writing Assessments:
Performance Task pg.238 Discussion
Performance Task pg.248 Writing an Analysis
Collection 5 Performance Task - Multimedia Presentation pp. 259-262
Unit 4: Performance Assessment: Task 1- Argumentary Essay pp. 99-108
District Assessments: i-Ready Diagnostic
Benchmarks, in the form of the selection tests, will be given approximately every 2 weeks.
Writing Overview
Daily/Weekly
Writing will occur through the following: written responses to Close Reader Selection
questions, written responses to “ASK STUDENTS” in the Critical Vocabulary and Analyze Story Elements sections
Written responses to the “Cite Evidence” tasks, written responses to the “Practice & Apply” pages at the end of each text in the Collection
Grammar
Language Conventions Lessons at the end of each text
Critical Vocabulary to be introduced and discussed as it appears throughout the Collection, and used when speaking and writing throughout the rest of the Collection
Small Group Instruction
Groups will be based upon i-Ready Diagnostic scores, and other formative assessments. Materials to be used will include all of the following: Benchmark Literacy materials, i-Ready lessons, and intervention strategies within the Collections Teacher’s Guide.
Grading
Benchmark Assessments / 45% / A / 90-100Projects / 10% / B / 80-89
Quizzes and Tests / 15% / C / 70-79
Homework / 10% / D / 60-69
Classwork / 20% / F / 0-59
Link to Standards
http://www.state.nj.us/education/aps/cccs/lal/