+ Welcome to 7 th Grade English A Year of Character-Development

+ Welcome and Thank You Welcome to our classroom! Nuts and Bolts: Review and sign the syllabus with students Spiral notebooks 2 I supplied, please send 1 more Will need more as the year continues

+ A little bit about me … Fifteenth year teaching at Fisher Education B.A.’s in Elementary and Special Education M.A. in Education Administrative Credential BICM certified Originally from Seattle, Washington. 5 children and 2 grandchildren in my life.

+ My teams … In order to maintain a highly functioning Professional Learning Community (PLC), Fisher staff members collaborate with colleagues in order to do what’s best for kids. 7 th grade English: Mrs. Roon, Ms. Antunes, and Mrs. Mathews Interdisciplinary (core) team: Special Education Team: Thomas Smith, Kristie Mullikin, Robert Ruyle, Kelley Wager. Department: The full special education team.

+ Curriculum California State and Common Core We are transitioning from the California State Standards to the Common Core Standards.

+ Literature Textbook: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes Short stories Essays Plays Nonfiction articles Additional Historical Reader

+ Literature Novels Three core novels Stargirl Beowulf (fall) The Giver (spring) Other POSSIBLE Novel Selections The Watsons go to Birmingham, The Miracle Worker, Call of the Wild, Hoot, The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm. Informational Texts Biographies, “non-fiction” articles

+ Writing Frequently, Fluently, and Formatively Not “graded” Domains: Explanatory/Expository Non-Fiction/Informational/Summary Includes Response to Literature Argument Make a claim and defend it with evidence Narrative Elements of Narrative, emphasis on writing style

+ Writing Graphic Organizers—Shaffer, Step Up, Four Square, T-BEAR, etc. Gives students a structure for their writing Emphasizes use of EVIDENCE ANALYSIS (so what?) LANGUAGE APPLICATION—grammar assessed in writing Guided Writing followed by Application Revisions (versus Editing) State & District Testing

+ Speeches Two speeches are required December: Argument Speech May: Speech Contest (Individual Choice) Instructional emphasis Careful organization Clear thinking Frequent practice

+ Additional Weekly Work Word Study (spelling) Greek and Latin Roots Affixes Vocabulary—”common” will be formally assessed for grade level, classroom quizzes Based upon literature and academic vocabulary Saturate the curriculum—explain and use Grammar Weekly review using sentence editing, developing, diagramming, and combining Parts of Speech Phrases and Clauses (independent, dependent) Coordinate Adjectives

+ Parent as Partner Set up a homework spot in your house (well-lit, quiet, free from distractions) Monitor the class website Edit your child’s work together and discuss needed changes; it is a learning opportunity—but not an argument. Encourage your child to use word processing skills Communicate with me.

+ A word about advocacy … 7 th graders NEED opportunities to act as self-advocates Please encourage your child to … Talk to me personally when problems arise me with questions or concerns Track his/her own grade Be responsible for his/her own assignments This is a year to develop motivation for redemption, natural consequences, and identify priorities.

+ Grading Scores are calculated using points; categories are not weighted Nightly homework = 5-20 points Units of Study = 100 – 200 points (i.e. novel folders) Tests= points Writing & Speeches = points Emphasis is on mastery of the material rather than letter grades; students may redo and revise, improve along the way You may track your child’s progress on PowerSchool— but also ask for information. Grades are individualized and the computer is not.

+ Thank you for coming! Misty Hartung Please subscribe to the website for updates. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any comments, concerns, or questions!