7 th Grade Language Arts Mrs. Andrews

Qualifications:  Bachelor’s Degree in Reading with a minor in English  I taught in the Alief District for a year.  I taught in Orlando Florida for two years.  I began teaching for Humble ISD at Whispering Pines Elementary.  This is my thirteenth year in the district and my ninth year at CMS!

Grading  Daily grades, class work, and homework count for 40% of a student’s grade.  Tests and projects make up the remaining 60% of the student’s grade.  There will be at least three test grades per six weeks.

Novels On-level: “Joey Pigza swallowed the Key” “Touching Spirit Bear” Pre-AP/GT Honors: “Christmas Carol” “Devil Storm” “Touching Spirit Bear”  Students will also be expected to read outside of class during the three six week periods when we are not studying a novel in class.

Independent Reading  Books must be at a minimum of 4.5 reading level or above.  Students will receive a study guide to fill out while reading the novel.  On the following due dates, students will bring their study guides and novels to class to use on a test  September 29 th  November 3 rd  April 13 th Students will not have an outside reading book during class novel units.

Other Reading  Students will also read several short stories, plays, and poetry throughout the year

Writing  Multi-paragraph essays  Imaginative Fiction  A script of an original play  A persuasive letter  Research in a multi-media format  Literary analysis

Vocabulary  Will be taken from assigned reading material  Could be literary terms learned in class: flashback, metaphor, etc.

Spelling  Will focus on commonly misspelled words  One point per word will be deducted (up to 10 points per assignment) for misspelled words on formative and summative assessments  Some common 7 th grade mistakes: there, they’re, there, your, you’re, our, are, we’re, where, were

Grammar  We focus mainly on the 7 steps to grammar, a strategy for identifying the parts of speech and diagramming sentences.  We will also practice correct punctuation and capitalization throughout the year

ZAP  Students may make up work on Thursday mornings or during D-hall before or after school.  All work must be made up before progress reports are due, or the zeros stand – three weeks to make up work

Contact Information Kelley Andrews Room ext# 4461 Tutoring Time: Monday – Thursday 4:00 – 4:30