ELA Welcome Letter

2 years ago

Welcome to a year filled with literature, writing, critical thinking and discovery. Seventh grade is an important year for YOU, the student, to take ownership of your learning, gain a greater understanding of responsibility, and to build independence.

I look forward to having you as a student and learning more about your unique characteristics both in and out of the classroom.

In order to be successful in ELA this year, it is essential that you enter the classroom each day prepared with completed assignments and a positive attitude. In order to do this, you must plan ahead and stay organized!

Seventh grade is filled with many collaborative opportunities. You will work with a variety of students in various group settings. As a member of the class, you need to be respectful of your classmates, their views, and their unique qualities. You DO NOT have to agree with your classmates on everything, but I DO expect you to respect their opinions. In addition, you need to be respectful of your classroom.





Along with independent reading (AR points), you will have assignments (including IXLs and Quizlets) for homework to enrich your learning. These will be posted on the TEAMs site, on the board in the classroom and you should record them in your homework folder. A student who does not complete an assignment by the due date will receive a missing assignment slip, after 3 failed attempts to complete they will receive a detention. Students should complete missing assignments for make up credit as soon as possible.

It is essential that you put time and effort into each assignment you are given. Assignments can be corrected but that is not an excuse for laziness.

If you are absent from school, it is your responsibility to check for missed assignments. If you know your are going to be absent, please ask me for upcoming assignments.


Parents: you will receive information about Remind. This is the main form of communication for 7th grade. I will try and update the course calendar on here but sometimes it does not cooperate. I will periodically send papers/calendars/etc. home with students, when I do this, I always send a REMIND message out. It is imperative that you have access to this on your mobile device. Homework folders/agendas should be checked daily.

Thank you so much for all you do and the continued support. 7th grade is one of the most challenging years in middle school. I look forward to a wonderful year with you!

By Jessica Watson

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ELA Course Description

2 years ago

"Some are born great, others achieve greatness.”

-William Shakespeare

“What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are.”-C.S. Lewis

The 7th Grade ELA Curriculum is divided into 4 Parts: 

Reading:

  • Literary (Fiction/Literature)

  • Informational (Nonfiction)

Writing:

  • Narrative

  • Informational/Expository

  • Argumentative/Persuasive

  • Research

  • Analysis

Speaking & Listening

  • Oral Communication

  • Interpersonal (Group Work)

Language

  • Conventions of Standard English (Grammar)

  • Vocabulary (Acquisition and Use)

The 7th grade writing curriculum follows the Writer's Workshop model where students progress through the writing process as they plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish their writing. Students are required to draw upon and write using evidence. Students are required to use MLA format.

Students are expected to integrate information from a variety of sources, evaluate sources, use media and visual displays to achieve communicative purposes.

In reading, we will be using a variety of sources. Our "textbook" is an online version called StudySync and students have access to a workbook portion with most of the materials included. We may also use Commonlit, Newsela or ReadWriteThink for articles. There are a variety of novels we may use this year as part of our learning some of these titles include:

  • Percy Jackson

  • The Giver

  • A Christmas Carol

  • Stargirl

  • Memoir

  • Written in Bone

  • The Book Thief

  • The Hunger Games

For assessments: I will use both formative and summative assessments. Formative assessments will be done in the classroom either on paper or through Socrative. We will use Mastery Connect for tests and quizzes. Mastery Connect will benchmark 3 times a year. Students will also track AIMSWEB twice monthly and benchmark 3 times a year. Student mastery levels will be determined through IXL diagnostic at the beginning of the year. 


By Jessica Watson

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