Welcome to 7 th Grade ILA with Mrs. Mac

About Me Married to Allen McKemie for 37 years with two children: William, age 28 Meredith, age 23 Granddaughter Kara, age 5 months Two Pets: Golden Retriever – Max Tabby Cat - Atty Related Experience: Certified to teach English Grades Also certified ESL. High School Experience : 10 years Middle School Experience: 7 years Beginning 3rd year in Frisco ISD Hobbies: Reading, gardening, cooking, traveling

Springboard Focus for the Year … Vocabulary: Greek and Latin Stems, plus academic vocabulary Writing: Expository, Personal Narrative, Revising/Editing Reading: Comprehension, Annotating Springboard Curriculum: Unit 1: The Choices We Make Unit 2: What Influences My Choices Unit 3: Our Choices and Life’s Lessons Unit 4: Reflecting on My Choice Unit 5: How We Choose to Act

STATE TESTING 2015 STAAR Writing test will be a two-day test on March 30 and 31 STAAR Reading test will be on April 22 STAAR - State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness For Writing: Three essays (Personal Narrative and Expository), along with revising and editing passages For Reading: Reading comprehension passages and questions pertaining to those passages

Students will : learn new strategies for writing and techniques to help them understand what they read receive feedback on their writing as often as possible improve their grammar and increase their vocabulary through daily warm-ups and lessons be held to high expectations through challenging coursework work collaboratively with other students gain an understanding of the importance of reading and writing for future endeavors (high school, college and work) be amazed at their ability to write and have fun doing it!

Student’s Classroom Expectations Be Prepared Bring a pencil, eraser, highlighters, glue stick, scissors, and colored pencils every day. In this class, we will only use pens to edit our writing. We will keep your Language Arts Notebook (LAN) and composition notebook IN THE CLASSROOM. Also make sure you have plenty of lined notebook paper. All materials must be replenished as needed. Be Polite Keep your hands, feet, and attitudes to yourself. Respect the rights of others. Be Prompt Be in your seat when the tardy bell rings.

Independent Reading This year, students will also be required to read four (4) books independently—two will be assigned by the teacher and the other two they will choose from an assigned genre. We will take part in Literature Circles and collaborative activities and discussions after the students have read each selection. There will be a due date in which each book is expected to be read..

LAN Language Arts Notebook (LAN) with eight (8) sections, using tab dividers, in the following order: Students will be responsible for keeping this notebook organized well throughout the year. Expect RANDOM notebook checks! The LAN will stay IN the classroom at all times, unless you get permission from Mrs. Mac.

Composition Notebook We will use the composition notebook for SSW (Silent Sustained Writing). This notebook will stay IN the classroom at all times!

Writer’s Portfolios All of the writing we do during the year will be kept here in class, in our Writer’s Portfolio folders. I promise to send the folders home at the end of the year for you to treasure!!!

Grading 50% - MAJOR Tests, Major Writing Assignments, Projects, CBAPs 30% - MINOR Quizzes, short writing assignments, short term projects, or another minor assessment 20% - DAILY Homework and class assignments

Home Access Center Please check grades weekly. It is proven that students who keep track of their grades are more aware of their academic status and are, thus, more motivated to stay on track (or get back on track!). If you ever have questions, feel free to contact me.

Late Work Policy There is a NO LATE WORK policy for Pre-AP students in 7th and 8th grade on Daily grade assignments. This means that you will receive a ZERO in the grade book, should you turn a daily assignment in late. Papers and projects (MAJOR grades) turned in one day late will not receive a grade higher than 70%! An assignment turned in two days late can receive a grade no higher than 50%. If an assignment is three days late, a 0% will be earned. However, the assignment must still be completed.

Make-Up Work IT IS the Student’s RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE UP WORK! Students absent for ALL or PART of a class period need to check the ABSENT work folder for the class period (to the left of my white board) to see if there are any assignments AND check with me to make sure they have all of the assignments they missed. Also, if they were aware of an assignment deadline before the absence occurred, the assignment or exam is due the day they return to school. Tutorial time is a great opportunity to come in and get clarification and instructions.

NEW Retest Policy Students are allowed to retest if they have made below an 85 on the original test. They will need to attend a tutorial before they are eligible to retake the test. Test retake tutorials/test dates and times will be posted on my white board the day the original graded tests are returned. It is up to the student and their parent to decide whether or not the student will retake a test.

Tutorials Mornings (from 7:55 - 8:25 a.m.) - Monday, Tuesday, & Thursday I have duty on Friday mornings. Afternoons (from 3:35 - 4:05 p.m.) - by appointment only Instructional Tutorials for ILA will be on Wednesdays. Students will ne notified if they are to come for Instructional Tutorials. Morning Session: 7:30 a.m. - 8:15 a.m. Afternoon Session: 3:45 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Please feel free to contact me at :

msmacenglish.com