Welcome To Language Arts
~"Education is the way to unlock the golden door 2 freedom!" ~
Smokey Road Middle School
(SRMS)
965 Smokey Road
Newnan, GA 30263
INSTRUCTORS: Tanya Jones (www.tanya.jones@cowetaschools.org)
Josh Addis (www.josh.addis@cowetaschools.org)
SCHEDULE/PERIODS:
8:00 - 8:30 Homeroom
8:30-9:30 1st Period
9:30-10:30 2nd Period
10:35-11:15 Lunch
10:30-12:00 3rd Period
12:00- 1:00 4th Period
1:00 - 2:00 5th Period
2:00 -2:45 6th Period (Con.)
2:45- 3:30 7th Period (Con.)
3:30 Dismissal
4:00 Teachers Depart Time
SCHOOL PHONE NUMBER: (770) 254-2840 ext.264 Room 406
COURSE NAME: 6th Grade Language Arts
TYPE OF COURSE: Year Long
Holt, Rinehart, and Winstons Elements of Language (Introductory Course 6th Grade)-actual textbook; workbooks are included with the course.
SUGGESTED REFERENCES:
Variety of other reading material and reference sources:
Student Planners Utilize Student Agendas Daily (Strongly Suggested)
*Student agendas will be used this year for individual bathroom passes!
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Designed around the Georgia Performance Standards, this course will expose students to diverse writing experiences and thus prepare them for communicating in various formats. The basic goals for students are:
Improve fluency and mechanics.
Develop and refine the general purpose for writing for various audiences.
Expand communication skills and build a broad vocabulary.
EVALUATION:
A 90 - 100 D 70
B 80 - 89 F 0 - 69
C 71 - 79
* Cheating may result in a zero.
WEIGHT OF CLASS REQUIREMENTS:
Test 30%
Class work/projects 55%
Homework 10%
Class Participation 5%
HOMEWORK EXPECTATIONS:
Students are required to maintain a language notebook that includes all handouts and classroom writing prompts will be filed for classroom assessments.
All (DGP) assignments and other assignments are to be labeled with the correct information for full and last, date, subject and period) No exceptions!!!!!
(DGP) exercises are reviwed in class daily and are recorded for a daily grade on Friday.
Assigned homework will be due the following day.
Examinations and testing will be announced at least a day in advance and will be given at the completion of each unit/assignment. Study guides will be provided at random for unit test and impromptu quizzes. Some study guides will be conducted orally during class.
Weekly vocabulary test usually are on each Thursday.
Benchmark exams study guides have been prepared by the Coweta Board of Education for each subject taught.
No extra-credit assignments will be issued during the course of this class. Exams will be given on assigned dates that can be found in the student handbook.
HOMEWORK AND THE GRADING OF MISSING ASSIGNMENTS:
Daily assignments and homework turned in on time will receive full credit. Missing assignments will be recorded as a zero percent. Homework will be accepted up to three days after the due date, but one full grade will be deducted from this late work.
Warm-Up Exercises- (DGP) Daily Grammar Practice Exercises will be scored in class and recorded as a test grade. All exercises must be recorded in a language notebook and properly heading with the correct information for full credit. Class work/homework; counted as a daily grade. A total of four completed exercises (DGP) will be scored a one test grade during the middle of each week. A review of (DGP) will be conducted on that following Friday and scored as a participation grade.
Assistance: Assistance can be obtained by contacting Mrs. Jones as least one to two days in advance. Some assistance maybe provided depending upon other duties and responsibilities. Assistance can be generally obtained by students during lunch break or during the beginning homeroom.
Consequences:
1. Verbal Warning
2.Classroom Isolation Desk
3. Parent/Guardian Phone Call
4.Lunch Detention
5.Team Isolation
6.After School Detention Until 4:15
7.Office Referral
*consequences may vary upon the situation
Daily Grammar Practice Exercise (daily) All daily grammar practice exercises are kept on the side-board for reference! Exercises are discussed each day during class time. Students can copy what they have missed each day before actually leaving the classroom. (possible test or daily grade)
(Descriptive Writing and Expository Writing: (Brief Outline)
Student produces writing that establishes an appropriate organizational structure, sets a context and engages the reader, maintains a coherent focus throughout, and provides a satisfying closure.
The student consistently uses the writing process to develop, revise, and evaluate writing.
Student participates in student-to-teacher, student-to-student, and verbal interactions.
Student listens to and views various forms of text and media in order to gather and share information, persuade other, and express and understand ideas. The student will select and critically analyze messages using rubrics as assessment tools.
Daily Agendas- Students have the option of requesting a daily agenda each day before class starts. On this agenda is a lesson plan for that particular day and up-coming topics for the next day. Various assignments are listed on this agenda in order that parents can check-up of a listing of topics taught within the course of a regular day in Language Arts. I encourage students to keep all these agendas in their notebook for any assistance that they may need during the course of that grading period. Daily Agendas will be utilized as bathroom passes this school year.
Vocabulary- (workbook) Vocabulary workshop holt, Rinehart and Winston (individual workbook will be issued to student)
Content Overview:
Words in Context
Analogies
Multiple Meanings
Synonyms, Antonyms
Prefixes, Suffixes, Root Words
Word Origins
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For more information on the Georgia Performance Standards you can log-onto: www.georgiastandards.org
Overview Steps In The Writing Process for 2009:
brainstorming/prewriting
rough draft
revising (moving/adding sentences or words)
editing/proofreading (capitalization, spelling, punctuation, grammar)
final draft/publishing
Students will be evaluated on the following domains which are essentially components of the Georgia 8th Grade Writing Test.
Georgia Grade 8 Writing Assessment Scoring Rubric (all grades will be using basically the same scoring criteria)
Three Domains:
a. Domain One: IDEAS
b. Domain: Two: ORGANIZATION
c. Domain Three: STYLE
