1. Meet the Teacher & Curriculum Night
Mrs. Camarano’s Class 3rd & 7th Period: GATE (Advanced ELA) Room 214
Grab a supply list & complete an information sheet about your child.

2. Mrs. Camarano 4th Year at Kyrene! Starting my 13th Year of teaching!
Love my family! Gianna-7, Samantha-4

4. What to Expect
HOMEWORK – not daily, but frequent (2-3x a week) (classical roots, work from class, reading for book report/novels)
ESSAYS – 1 per quarter (argument/informative), 5 Paragraph Essay Format (Introduction, 3 Body Paragraphs, Conclusion), includes citing texts and using all unit vocabulary words
BOOK REPORTS – one per semester (Due December & April), must read one classic book (list on my website, students will receive a list soon)
READING AT HOME – novel studies, book report
DAILY BINDER – Warm Ups, Unit, Vocab, Grammar, Novels, Writing

5. What to Expect cont… TEXTBOOKS
- Holt Elements of Language (green book), stays at home
- Reading Curriculum is a workbook kept here (everything in binder)
INTERIM TESTING – Every Quarter, based on our unit’s focus
ASSESSMENTS – occur after sections/concepts, during novel studies, classical roots weekly

6. CURRICULUM EACH QUARTER IS A SPECIFIC UNIT - UNIT 1: Facing Adversity
- UNIT 2: Space Exploration
- UNIT 3: Turning Points
- UNIT 4: People and the Planet
Our class novels tie into the themed unit.
The essay at the end of the quarter relates to the unit.

7. GATE INFO

8. Grading
80% Assessment 20% Classwork/Homework Grades - average about 2 a week Essays - plan for about a month

9. ALA Novel Studies A Long Walk to Water - Linda Sue Park (Unit 1)
Across Five Aprils - Irene Hunt (Unit 1)
The Illustrated Man - Ray Bradbury (Unit 2)
The Cay - Theodore Taylor (Unit 3)
Lord of the Flies - William Golding (Unit 4)

10. Grammar Parts of Speech Review Sentence Types/Structures
Punctuation & End Marks
Expect to see homework on this periodically. Quizzes will follow concepts.

11. Classical Roots
Tests: every week-spelling & definition matching, comprehensive test every 2 weeks
Weekly Homework-due every Friday!
Flashcards (or Quizlet) are highly recommended.

12. Book Reports One per semester! Will accept anytime before due date
Independent Books (at students’ level)-read on own time
Must read a classic at least once. There is a list on my website.
Each book report must be a different method (PPT, diagram, poster, etc…)
Book Reports will be presented to the class. Students will be graded based on a rubric: preparedness, eye contact, & voice articulation.
Directions/Parameters will be provided on paper and my website.

13. Tardy/Absence
It is important for your child to be here and on time to every class. Tardy = Lobby Lunch Absences: For every day absent, your child has that many days to make up the work.

14. Late Work
Late Work will not be accepted. I encourage students to be proactive in contacting me if a situation should arise.

15. Helping Out at Home Place to complete assignments at home
Keep textbooks/books in a safe place.
Constant Communication
Checking Grades – ask anytime for clarification;
assignments are usually specific

16. Supplies (ELA Department)
Please make sure to get a Supply List before you leave.
7th Grade ELA has one collaborative supply list.
Binder and Subject Dividers are due by Monday, August 6th.

17. Getting to Teacher Agenda Pages
Go to
Click on “Schools.”
Click on “Altadena.” (
Click on “Classrooms.”
Find your Child’s Teacher.
Click on the labeled agenda page.

18. MRS. CAMARANO’S WEBSITE
If you have any questions about assignments or materials, ALWAYS go to my website. 

19. Thank you so much for coming!
I look forward to meeting you & communicating with you throughout the year. 
(MOST EFFICIENT!)
Phone: (480)
Feel free to check my website/agenda anytime!
Please reach out to me for anything!
After tonight, I will send out an with some information I mentioned tonight.
I will take the sheets about your child on your way out.