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

How you can contact me: CHECK WEB PAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION Email wines.theresa@cusd80.com Phone: 480-224-3942 Tutoring Schedule: Monday/Thursday Afternoon 2:45-3:25 pm Monday – Wednesday Morning 7:15-7:40 am Students need to check or schedule with me about other dates and times for availability. There are always other times available; however, they may change from week to week because of meetings or duties.

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.

LATE/RETAKE PASSES 7TH GRADE ONLY Students are given 1 pass per quarter. Late pass used allows student 1 day late with no penalty of 20% or up to a week late with a 20% penalty. (May only be used on formative assignments.) Retake passes may be used on Vocabulary Tests and the second score, no matter what, is the score the student will receive for the retake. LATE/RETAKE PASSES 7TH GRADE ONLY

Absences: ALWAYS check Ms. Wines’ Website http://www.cusd80.com/Domain/6073 Missed Quiz/test check with Ms. Wines 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 by checking the web page assignment calendar and/or the classroom calendar.

Reading List: Novels Semester One: The Outsiders - Quarter 1 Across Five Aprils – Quarter 2 Semester Two: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Excerpts) – Quarter 3 (No need to purchase) 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 (Drama) – 3rd Quarter(No need to purchase) The Devil’s Arithmetic – 3rd Quarter Lord of the Flies -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.

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 as well as different projects or options. 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 8th Grade: Option flashcards or Cornell Notes 7th Grade Flashcards Required (need 3 x 5 cards, 60 per quarter) Story Practice Sentence Practice, etc.

Writing Focus: Research Writing – Write to answer a question, drawing on several sources. 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. Timed Writing will also be utilized in class Grammar studies will be ongoing throughout the year according to grade level standards.

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(Homestudy): Completed notes, readings, practice

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 (example: tutoring) Please don’t text or call you 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: Tissues Hand sanitizer Dry Erase Markers Post-it Notes Box Tops Fine tip Sharpies

Questions?