7 th Grade Reading/Language Arts Ms. Kathryn A. Hopkins

About Me  Bachelors: DePaul University  1 st Year teaching 3 rd Year at Summit Hill Jr. High

About Ms. Kocna  Bachelors: Lewis University  Masters in Teaching & Leadership: Lewis University  4 th Year teaching at Summit Hill Jr. High

Reading Content Prentice Hall’s Literature: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes  The reading curriculum will consist of the literature text, independent reading, novels, and essays.  Tests, daily assignments, book reports, reading logs, Accelerated Reading Tests, etc. will be assigned throughout the year. Point values for each will be announced beforehand.  Students are to have a novel with them AT ALL TIMES.

Books needed for class…  Chains-Laurie Halse Anderson  Chasing Lincoln’s Killer-James Swanson  The Outsiders-S.E. Hinton  To purchase these books I have set up a classroom store on scholastic.com-parents-shop-scholastic reading club.  Our class access code is NCY28

Language Arts Content Prentice Hall’s Writing & Grammar: Communication in Action  The Language Arts curriculum will consist of the text, a workbook, Vocabulary Workshop workbook. writing assignments/essays, journal writing, and stem derivatives  Tests, daily assignments, essays, etc. will be assigned throughout the year. Point values for each will be announced beforehand.  Students must ONLY use wide ruled loose-leaf paper and wide ruled spiral notebooks.

Resources for your child  Ms. Hopkins – Please encourage your child to talk to me and we’ll set up a time for me to help her/him after school.  Study Hall- Teacher supervised  Academic Assistance- Monday through Friday after school  Website- SHJH Teacher Pages Hopkins  Weekly events are on the website

Grading Policy  Homework will be assigned daily. All unfinished class work is automatically homework.  Late work is graded as 70% the next day; and as a 0% the second day  If a student is absent, it is he/she’s responsibility to get the work they missed and complete it upon return.  Classwork/Homework is 15% of grade.  Quizzes (Formative) are 40% of grade.  Tests (Summative) are 45% of grade.

Stems  Tuesday/Thursday  25 stems per list  Each list will be broken into fourths for the first few lists Once the students get acclimated to their lists, the list size will be broken down into halves

Bell Ringers  Monday through Friday Literary Term of the Week Ethical Dilemmas Quote of the Week Video Journal Silent Reading  Written in journal that is kept in class

Discipline Plan  Occurrence Chart (Academic/Behavior) Occurrence #1-2 verbal warning Occurrence #3 parent contact Occurrence #4 reflection Occurrence #5 detention  Begin each quarter with a clean slate  No checks by mid-quarter earns reward  PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports)  Spartan Spirit

REMINDER  Check website on a weekly basis usually ready for viewing by Friday afternoon  s sent usually every Friday with weekly events