Welcome to Language Arts! Mrs. Melody Griffith Room 231 Sossaman Middle School Curriculum Night

In seventh grade, Language Arts is taught in an 60 minute period and it is divided into two main sections: reading and writing.

Novel Studies-7 th grade  Novels: Quarter 2 – The Giver by Lois Lowry Quarter 4 - The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen Students are encouraged to obtain a personal copy of the novel. Quarter 1 and Quarter 3 will be devoted to a thematic unit of short stories. Each quarter will be supplemented with non-fiction and poetry.

Writing In writing our primary focus will be on constructing summaries and responses to literature as well as narrative, expository, argumentative/persuasive essays. Additionally, we will learn how to cite text references and effectively use MLA formatting on all papers.

Outside Reading Requirement: The “Reading Challenge” Philosophy:The philosophy behind the outside reading requirement is quite simple:   The more students read, the more they know.   Reading is fun, especially if students choose what they read.   Students need to choose their own books whenever possible, guided by their level, interests and needs at the time.   The more students read, the better their vocabulary, the higher their test scores, the better they think in all their classes and situations.

Reminders:   Students should be reading from their O.R.R. novels every day/night for a minimum of minutes.   Reflective responses must be completed thoroughly as assigned by the classroom teacher. These will be evaluated using a 5 point rubric.   A reading log located in the Interactive Notebook is used to log progress toward reading goal. A parent signature acknowledges that you approve of the book selection.

Key Points  If your child does not meet the 20 or 30 book (accelerated) goal, his/her grade will not be lowered.  What will negatively impact your child’s grade is inconsistency with completing reflective responses and/or poor quality responses.  If your child is reading a thicker novel then it will be counted as two books.

 Homework: Homework load may vary at times based on student progress toward completion of long-term assignments and class work. Homework assignments are for enrichment, exercise, practice, and review. I allot time during each class period to have students copy the assignments and to review the directions and expectations. *Homework is regularly updated on my teacher webpage located in the Daily Assignments tab. Let’s take a look!

 Grading Policy: All grades will be based on points and weighted using the scale below. I also use rubric scales, 6 Traits, and Proficiency Scales for scoring for major writing assignments. The following is my classroom grading scale: Weighting Scale: Assessments (Tests/ Projects/Essays/Quizzes) 60% of grade 60% of grade Assignments (Homework/Class Activities/Interactive Notebook) 20% of grade Assignments (Homework/Class Activities/Interactive Notebook) 20% of grade Final Exam/Benchmarks 20% of grade --Grades will be updated and available online using the Synergy grade book system.

Synergy  Grades will be available on Synergy. Please use your Parent Vue activation code to access the website.

How to reach me:  Please visit my teacher webpage for regular updates.  Thank you for taking an active role in your child’s education!