1. Mrs. Granja Leewood K-8 Center LGranja@dadeschools.net
Language Arts
Mrs. Granja
Leewood K-8 Center

2. Personal Greeting Welcome to Language Arts class!
This year will bring new challenges as we read novels, short stories, and poems through a variety of literary genres.
We will also be writing persuasive, expository, narrative, and informative essays. Students will have exciting and rigorous projects to coincide with the novels we are reading. Together, we will strengthen our reading and writing skills to achieve learning gains on the FSA.

3. Text for Curriculum Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Collections
Close Reader Houghton Mifflin Online Workbook
Independent Novels on a challenging reading level
Wordly Wise Vocabulary
Preparing for FSA workbook
Readworks (online articles)
News ELA (online articles)

4. Required Novels
Sixth Grade The Giver by Lois Lowry Seventh Grade Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James Swanson

5. Course Objectives Students will be able to:
Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone
Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.

6. Objectives continued
Compare and contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to
Listening to or viewing an audio, video, or live version of the text, including contrasting what they “see” and “hear” when reading the text to what they perceive when they listen or watch.
Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.
Write persuasive, expository, narrative, informative essays, and poems drawing from personal experiences with added support from multiple sources of information.
Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate while using citation.

7. Class Policies All assignments must be submitted on time.
When a student has an excused absence, he or she is responsible for any missed work. The missed work must be completed and turned in within the same amount of time frame the student was absent. Absences and tardies will seriously affect your academic progress. It is difficult to makeup valuable class discussions, which can lead to a student falling behind.
Home learning assignments must be completed. Home learning assignments may be graded for completeness or correctness.
Students will be required to read an additional 30 minutes every night. Parents must sign a reading log which will be collected each week.

8. Consequences for Inappropriate Behavior
Verbal warning
Lowered Conduct Grade
Before School Detention
Parent contact via phone or
Parent-teacher conference
Referral to Administrator

9. Grading Policies
In addition to regular class work, each marking period will contain tests, pop quizzes and projects based on the assigned novels.
Students will also be graded on group work and assignments completed in rotating centers.
As we finish each novel, we will have a cumulative exam.
Students will also be required to complete essays which will be graded according to the Florida Standard Assessment Rubric
Students will be required to independently read novels each nine week period as well as complete projects from an approved list. Projects will be due at the end of each nine week period.
A homework grade will be given at the end of each nine week period. Each students starts with an A and drops to a lower grade for every two assignments that are not completed.
Students must complete two lessons of I-Ready weekly.

10. Grading Scale The following Miami-Dade Grading Scale will be used:
Less than 60% F

11. Conduct Scale 0-2 conduct cuts A 3-4 conduct cuts B 5-6 conduct cuts C
7-8 conduct cuts D
9 or more conduct cuts F

12. Effort Grade
The effort grade will be assigned on the student completing all graded assignments, home learning assignments, and class participation.
The following scale will be used based on the number of missing assignments.
Classroom participation and attitude can help raise or lower a student’s effort grade.
0-2 missing assignments 1
3-5 missing assignments 2
6 or more missing assignments 3

13. Homework Grade Homework can help or hurt a student’s grade
Some homework is collected for a grade, but everything is checked for completion
A homework grade is issued at the end of each nine weeks based on the following scale:
0-2 missed homework assignments A B C D F

14. I-Ready Reading Reports Are Being Sent Home
On grade level in reading=45 minutes recommended per week
One grade level below=60 minutes recommended per week
Two or more grade levels below=75 minutes recommended per week
Students will get a weekly grade if they complete their recommended minutes each week. This will help their grade; not hurt them. Highly recommended to complete I-Ready each week!

16. Contact Information
is the best and fastest way to contact me.
Parents can contact me with any questions or concerns on grades and assignments.
It is very important to have parental involvement for you to succeed, and I am always willing to meet and discuss your progress with parents to offer ideas on how we can strengthen your reading and writing skills at home, as well as in the classroom.
Please have a parent or guardian sign this syllabus and return in by Thursday, August 25, 2016 for a grade.

17. Independent Reading Projects
Sixth Grade Documents
Seventh Grade Documents