7th Grade Language Arts- Mrs. Nicole McCullough Room P-4

A Bit About Me – Mrs. McCullough B.A. History, M.A. Reading and Literacy Teaching credential endorsements in Language Arts, Social Studies, Humanities, ELL, Reading National Board Certified Teacher in Language Arts, renewing this year First year at Maywood, 12th year of teaching Military wife and mom of two boys

Best Way to Stay Informed Check the classroom website calendar or syllabus Check your student’s planner If absent, find a buddy in class you can call! Email me with any questions Remind.com- text @8eke2e to the number 81010 You will receive a welcome text from Remind. If anyone has trouble with 81010, they can try texting @8eke2e to (951) 579-4597.

Why Do I Teach? Classroom Culture All students are creative unique individuals with an important voice Reading/Writing – middle school critical time for literacy Choice reading! Guided choice writing! Focusing on conceptualizing self as reader AND author Growth mindset Meet each student where they are Mistakes are proof that you are trying Students are always encouraged to improve their work We become lifelong learners when we learn to ask critical questions! Conferencing –we always have a plan for improving our work and growing; we communicate with adults Engagement first/authentic learning

Goals for Your Student Become resourceful independent learners Become stronger readers, writers, speakers and listeners Learn how to set independent reading and writing goals and work towards achieving them Learn how to ask academic questions Learn how to go beyond comprehension with the texts in Language Arts Be able to support claims with reasoning and text evidence Be able to personalize and transfer the reading and writing skills we learn to different genres and tasks Know why the reading, writing, speaking and listening we learn and practice in this class are important for you in the real world

Homework Students should always be working towards their reading goals and reading at home and during Charger Time. Periodically, homework will be assigned if work is not finished in class or for longer projects. Any homework given is usually given with extra-curricular activities in mind (helping teach students how to manage their time)

Independent Reading – Why it is so important Important factors in middle school: motivation and engagement This is the time to the gap for students widens or closes At home Read with your student if you have time Ask your students about their reading Prompt them to explain their thinking Share your own thoughts about your reading Emphasize its importance See handout for sample questions/discussion starters.

Grading Policy Homework/class work – 20 percent of grade Performance (assessments) – 80 percent of grade

Language Arts Curriculum Reader’s/Writer’s Workshop Grammar Integration Vocabulary Integration

Workshop Model for Reading and Writing Mini Lesson 10-15 minutes Independent Practice and Work Time (Teacher meeting with small groups and conferring) 20-30 minutes Debrief/Wrap Up 5 minutes Opening/Walk-in-Work 5-10 minutes

Why Workshop? Educational research in the field of reading suggests that instruction focus on several main areas. Each of these is entirely necessary to the development of strong independent reading skills, but none, standing on its own, is sufficient to build meaning. In middle school, motivation and choice are key! (Scholastics Reading Report, 2014)

Goals for Reading The students in the Issaquah School District will: word analysis skills to decode words and text structure read fiction and non-fiction fluently at an appropriate and increasingly complex level use a variety of strategies to deepen comprehension beyond literal levels

Goals for Writing write to explain, to tell, and to support claims using text based evidence Students will write at least three pieces this year They will include: Narrative – Realistic Fiction Explanatory – Photo Essay Infographic Research-based project Argumentative – Editorial Book Review

Emphasis on Evidence! Claim, evidence, reasoning present in all of the CCSS Using evidence in reading and writing As we are learning we are always asking: Why? What makes you say that? What evidence supports your ideas?

Goals for Listening and Speaking present ideas through speaking as well as through technology supported media Individual presentations Groups presentations Socratic Seminars

Goals for Vocabulary Develop age appropriate academic and conversational language Discussion terms, strive towards academic conversation Power Vocabulary: Power words Personal Vocabulary List Academic Vocabulary Each unit will have academic focus words (Analysis, inference, narrative, craft, etc)

Supplemental Literature McDougall Littell Literature book (shared read-alouds, short stories) Scholastic Scope Magazine

Novels, Etc. Reading Workshop book bin – Courage to Be An Individual Reading Workshop bin – Dystopian Fiction Read alouds Scholastic Scope Magazine

Thank you Issaquah Schools Foundation and Maywood PTSA