Welcome to Ms. DeWitte’s 7th & 8th Grade Honors English Language Arts Class!

How you can contact me: Email DeWitte.Christine@cusd80.com Phone: 480-224-3944 Tutoring Schedule: Tuesday and Thursday Morning 7:15 Unless we have a staff meeting

Late Work: Late work is accepted for assignments that are given a grade, but will have a grade reduction of 20% if turned in after the beginning of the class period that it is due or the next day. After 24 hours late, the grade is reduced by 50% for up to one week. After one week it will not be accepted and the grade will be a zero. Completion homework/homestudy may not be turned in late because it is usually related to the material being taught the next day (i.e. reading, editing, revising, studying for tests or quizzes). Not completing the assigned homestudy will affect the learning associated with the curriculum upon arriving in class the following day.

Absences: ALWAYS check Ms. DeWitte’s Website http://www.cusd80.com/Domain/6073 Missed Quiz/test inform Ms. DeWitte and arrange a time to make up the test before/after school within a week of the original date given. Students will not be able to make up any work if they have an unexcused absence. They will get a “0” for those assignments. It is the student’s responsibility to follow up on all missing work.

7th Grade Reading List: Novels Semester One: The Outsiders - Quarter 1 Across Five Aprils – Quarter 2 Semester Two: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Excerpts) – Quarter 3 Castle – Quarter 3 Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry – Quarter 4 It is not a requirement to purchase books for your student; however, having their own copy for reference, annotation, or review enables them to be able to analyze the text more thoroughly or make-up reading at home if certain passages have been missed. When a reading includes excerpts, it is not necessary to purchase the text, but students will need post-it notes to make annotations within the text from the library.

8th Grade Reading List: Novels Chains – 1st Quarter Fahrenheit 451 – 2nd Quarter Diary of Anne Frank (Play) – 3rd Quarter The Devil’s Arithmetic – 3rd Quarter Lord of the Flies -4th Quarter Animal Farm- 4th Quarter The school will provide a copy, however it is very beneficial to the student to have his/her own copy in order to annotate. Annotation is a powerful comprehension technique. **Check out the Amazon Wish List** Amazon Wish List of Literature

Outside Reading Book: Students must have a book with them at all times Students are required to read an outside book as well as complete a project each quarter. With each book a project will be assigned. The project will be presented toward the end of each quarter. Different types of Genres will be required in various quarters. For more information please visit my website under Outside Reading Project (ORP).

Vocabulary/Academic Vocab: Students are assigned 20 words in a unit of study from the Sadlier Vocab Book (3 units a quarter) A test follows the completion of assignments attached to the unit Complete the assigned practices Flashcards (need 3 x 5 cards, 60 per quarter) Story Practice Sentence Practice, etc.

Writing Focus: Argument Writing – Writing arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. Informative/Explanatory – Write to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information. Narrative Writing – Write to develop real or imagined experiences or events. Research Writing – Write to answer a question, drawing on several sources.

CLOSE READING AND ANALYSIS ANNOTATION OF TEXT IS A REQUIREMENT Students will be using various methods to analyze a variety of text types in class. When students break down the information it leads to deeper understanding and analysis of information.

Grades: Grading Policy Formative 40% (Examples: short writes, small projects, assignments for skill practice) Summative 60% (Examples: Tests/quizzes, essays, presentations, ORP projects) Homework practice and classwork (completion only)

Homestudy: Since assignments overlap, it is necessary for students to work on assignments nightly Possibly online Cornell notes based on PowerPoint or Printouts I update the assignment calendar daily based on the completed/assigned learning opportunities in class. Check website for daily updates! (The ELA Survival Guide will be a valuable resource to help students when working at home.)

My requests for parents: Check website and student grades frequently Encourage your student to be a self- advocate Please don’t text or call your child during the school day. Contact office in case of emergency. Please be mindful of attendance. Block day absences deny your child two full days of learning.

Classroom Donations: Colored computer paper