Welcome! Please take a supply list & student info sheet Mrs. Megan Giron & Mrs. Cheryl Wright 7th Grade Language Arts Period 7 | Room 215

Meet Mrs. Giron I recently moved from Norwalk, Connecticut. My husband and I live in Phoenix. BA English from Fordham University MA Secondary English Education from Fairfield University. I have taught both high school & middle school, but middle school is BY FAR my favorite. I have taught students in Connecticut, the Bronx, Spain, and now, Arizona!

Meet Ms. Wright •25 years of teaching experience in special education •Graduate of The Ohio State University •Grew up in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio •Resided in Phoenix for last 20ish years with the exception of one year just outside New York City •Married my “Mr. Wright”, have a 16 year old son, and a dog •Enjoy hiking, yoga, and outdoor adventures with my family

My Goals & Philosophy My goal is to help all students: To be stronger readers. To be better writers. To enjoy our class. Reading= a strategy for strong writing Writing= a strategy for reflective reading

Year At A Glance: 7th Grade Reading & Writing Experience Units: Facing Adversity Space Turning Points People & The Planet Modes of Writing: Informational/Explanatory writing (response to literature) Argument Writing Multimedia presentations

Supply list Every day, students should bring: 1.5” binder with eight divided sections (so you need 8 binder divider tabs!) Pocket folder Highlighters Pens or pencils Loose-leaf paper Your agenda book Independent reading (SSR) book Students can keep your textbook and binder in my classroom when they are not using it.

ELA Novel Studies A Long Walk to Water (Park) Robot Dreams (Asimov) Freak the Mighty (Philbrick) Hatchet (Paulsen) Subject to change…

What to Expect Homework – not daily, but frequent (2-3x a week) Spelling, Weekly Reading Skills Practice, Work from class, Vocab Essays – about 4 total Short Writing Assignments Book Talks/Book Reports– one a semester Reading at Home– novel studies, textbook readings, independent reading book Textbook(s)– myPerspectives, Elements of Language Independent Reading Program: 10 minutes a day, every day.

Independent Reading We build time into our classroom for things that are important. 10 mins to start every class (and 10 mins at home) Reading self-selected books at an appropriate reading level increases vocabulary, reading rate, awareness of writer’s craft, and much more….but especially, LOVE OF READING. Source: Book Love by Penny Kittle

Book Reports (and Talks) Students will write a book report on one of their favorite independent reading books. Incentives given for doing a book talk, also! This helps others in the class to find good books, and promotes a reading culture One per semester Will accept anytime before due date (sign up sheet for book talks)

Grammar (Elements of Language) Parts of Speech Review Sentence Types/Structures Punctuation, end marks Expect to see homework on this periodically. Quizzes will follow concepts. Vocabulary (Vocabulary Workshop-- context clues) Weekly word lists with quizzes and tests.

Gradebook STAR Reading Interim Assessments 80% Assessments (essays, projects, writing assignments) 20% Classwork/Homework STAR Reading Three times a year to evaluate student achievement in reading. Students will use these scores to set goals during Advisory. Interim Assessments Every 6-8 weeks (reading & math)

On-Time Policy All assignments must be completed for the beginning of class. Late homework will not be accepted-- students should be proactive in contacting me if any situations arise Projects will be accepted late; however, you will lose 10% for every 3 days your project is late (school policy)

Tardy/Absence It is important for your child to be here and on time to every class. Tardy = Lobby Lunch Absences: For every day absent, your child has that many days to make up the work. (Ex: Absent for 1 day= 1 day to make up work).

How can I check on my child’s progress? •Synergy (grades) •Our Google Classroom website (homework, assignments & projects, Daily Class Recap, handouts, powerpoints, etc) •Google Drive (writing) •LA Binder You can always email me for clarification/confirmation!

Helping Out at Home Place to complete assignments at home Keep textbooks in a safe place Check Google Classroom for recap/handouts/assignments Checking Grades – asking for clarification Read some of the books from class

Please visit my website for... Copy of syllabus Materials list Lists/links to popular YA books Link to Google Classroom

Monday’s Class: Book Photos To jump start the year and inspire some good book ideas, I am asking each child to bring in a copy of either a) their favorite book, or b) the book they plan on reading next. I will take a picture of each child with the book and display it on our bulletin board. If you prefer for your child to not have their picture taken, please email me and let me know. mgiron@kyrene.org

A Final Note On your own time, please consider emailing us a short note describing your child, your hopes and concerns for him/her for 7th grade, and anything else that you feel is important for us to know, such as: What are his/her strengths? What are his/her challenges? How would you describe his/her personality? What do you love the most about your child? As his or her parent, you know your child the best, and the way you see them matters a lot to us. First, they are your children, then they are our students. It will help us immensely as we continue to get to know your kids! mgiron@kyrene.org

Thank you so much for coming! I look forward to meeting you & communicating with you throughout the year. I love teaching middle school students. Please reach out to me for anything! Email: mgiron@kyrene.org (MOST EFFICIENT!) Phone: (480) 541-6135 Please place the student info sheets in the gold wire basket.