8th Grade ELA Syllabus
Brian Ruth
[email protected]
Room 101
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Overview
In 8th grade Language Arts we will be writing, analyzing literature, presenting speeches, and conducting discussions. All of our work is to help prepare students to be successful in high school. To do this we will read and analyze a wide variety of literature, including short stories, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and plays. For a more detailed description of the year and individual units, open the file at the bottom of this page.
Classroom Expectations:
Behavior Expectations
My classroom is designed to be a respectful, positive, and productive place where all students have the opportunity to be successful. To this end, nothing any of us do should interfere with the rights of others to learn. In the classroom, we will establish procedures and develop routines to maintain student success. We will practice our established procedures so everyone has an opportunity to learn them.
Tolerance Expectations
Discrimination of any kind, whether it is related to ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, age, social class, or mental/physical disability, will not be permitted under any circumstances. The consequence for behavior the school considers discriminatory will result in an immediate referral to the school’s administration.
Academic Expectations
You are expected to be actively involved in all of the following: vocabulary and grammar; bell- work/warm-ups; note taking; small and large group discussions; reading (class literature as well as independent reading); writing (short responses and summative assessments); and any other activities asked of you. You are expected to complete all assignments, work samples, projects, and tests.
Preparedness
You must bring all necessary materials to class every time we meet. You must have a binder for this class. You must bring your iPad, fully charged, to class every day, we will be using it a lot. You must also bring a pen/pencil, highlighters, and an independent reading book every time we meet. Your preparedness will be checked daily and entered into the grade book as per our employability standards.
Absences
Daily attendance is incredibly important; the learning experiences you miss in the classroom are often impossible to make up. However, I understand that absences do happen so we have some systems in place to help you get the information you may have missed. When you miss a day of school you can reference the weekly schedule on the class website. There you will find the daily slides associated with the work in class for that day. In addition, when you return you will need to discuss what you missed with me and/or a fellow classmate to clarify anything you may need to make up.
Tardiness
Class will begin when the bell rings; please be in your seat at that time. Check the agenda at the front of the room for the schedule and/or special instructions each day. Tardies are recorded and the school-wide tardy policy will be followed.
Food
Eating snacks is acceptable in class as long as it does not create distractions or messes. This is a privilege that can be taken away at my discretion.
StudentVue
I will update StudentVue, the student login portion of my Synergy grade book, at least once per week. I encourage my students and their parents/guardians to access StudentVue/ParentVue regularly. Please remember that, as a result of the Credit by Proficiency assessment and grading policies, individual standards will always reflect your ability to demonstrate your understanding of the material.
Cheating and Plagiarism
Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated within my classroom. Just don’t do it. If you have any questions about what behavior constitutes cheating and/or plagiarism please see me immediately. If you cheat or plagiarize, you will be referred to the administration.
Grading and Assessment Policies
All credit will be awarded on a Credit by Proficiency (CBP) basis as demonstrated by the individual student on the national reading, language and speaking and listening Common Core Curriculum Standards. The following are the priority standards for the 8th grade as determined by EPSD:
L.8 English Conventions/Knowledge
L.8.01
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking
L.8.02
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing
RI.8 Informational Text
RI.8.02
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting and plot; provide an objective summary of the text
RL.8 Literature
RL.8.01
Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text
RL.8.02
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text
SL.8 Speaking/Listening
SL.8.01
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussion with divers partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly
SL.8.04
Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation
W.8 Writing: Types and Purposes
W.8.01
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence
W.8.02
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content
W.8.04
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
W.8.08
Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
Overall, 99% of your grade will be based on summative assessments which assess the previously detailed Common Core Standards. These summative assessments will be in the form of a combination of in-class on-demand writing assessments, projects, performance tasks, and various types of discussion.
Make-up Work
If a student is missing assignments or would like to improve on their initial score, they will have two weeks from when the grade has been posted to make-up this work. A student who has been absent for any reason will be expected to make-up their work within these same requirements with additional time based on the amount of time they were absent.
A Final Note to Parent(s)/guardian(s)
Please feel free to contact me about your child at the e-mail address listed at the top of this course syllabus. Additionally, the school district’s student information system, Synergy, is designed to help parents stay in better contact with the school regarding their child’s attendance and progress in class. I would strongly encourage you to utilize this system. The class website is also a terrific resource to see what is going on in class.
In 8th grade Language Arts we will be writing, analyzing literature, presenting speeches, and conducting discussions. All of our work is to help prepare students to be successful in high school. To do this we will read and analyze a wide variety of literature, including short stories, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and plays. For a more detailed description of the year and individual units, open the file at the bottom of this page.
Classroom Expectations:
Behavior Expectations
My classroom is designed to be a respectful, positive, and productive place where all students have the opportunity to be successful. To this end, nothing any of us do should interfere with the rights of others to learn. In the classroom, we will establish procedures and develop routines to maintain student success. We will practice our established procedures so everyone has an opportunity to learn them.
Tolerance Expectations
Discrimination of any kind, whether it is related to ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, age, social class, or mental/physical disability, will not be permitted under any circumstances. The consequence for behavior the school considers discriminatory will result in an immediate referral to the school’s administration.
Academic Expectations
You are expected to be actively involved in all of the following: vocabulary and grammar; bell- work/warm-ups; note taking; small and large group discussions; reading (class literature as well as independent reading); writing (short responses and summative assessments); and any other activities asked of you. You are expected to complete all assignments, work samples, projects, and tests.
Preparedness
You must bring all necessary materials to class every time we meet. You must have a binder for this class. You must bring your iPad, fully charged, to class every day, we will be using it a lot. You must also bring a pen/pencil, highlighters, and an independent reading book every time we meet. Your preparedness will be checked daily and entered into the grade book as per our employability standards.
Absences
Daily attendance is incredibly important; the learning experiences you miss in the classroom are often impossible to make up. However, I understand that absences do happen so we have some systems in place to help you get the information you may have missed. When you miss a day of school you can reference the weekly schedule on the class website. There you will find the daily slides associated with the work in class for that day. In addition, when you return you will need to discuss what you missed with me and/or a fellow classmate to clarify anything you may need to make up.
Tardiness
Class will begin when the bell rings; please be in your seat at that time. Check the agenda at the front of the room for the schedule and/or special instructions each day. Tardies are recorded and the school-wide tardy policy will be followed.
Food
Eating snacks is acceptable in class as long as it does not create distractions or messes. This is a privilege that can be taken away at my discretion.
StudentVue
I will update StudentVue, the student login portion of my Synergy grade book, at least once per week. I encourage my students and their parents/guardians to access StudentVue/ParentVue regularly. Please remember that, as a result of the Credit by Proficiency assessment and grading policies, individual standards will always reflect your ability to demonstrate your understanding of the material.
Cheating and Plagiarism
Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated within my classroom. Just don’t do it. If you have any questions about what behavior constitutes cheating and/or plagiarism please see me immediately. If you cheat or plagiarize, you will be referred to the administration.
Grading and Assessment Policies
All credit will be awarded on a Credit by Proficiency (CBP) basis as demonstrated by the individual student on the national reading, language and speaking and listening Common Core Curriculum Standards. The following are the priority standards for the 8th grade as determined by EPSD:
L.8 English Conventions/Knowledge
L.8.01
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking
L.8.02
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing
RI.8 Informational Text
RI.8.02
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting and plot; provide an objective summary of the text
RL.8 Literature
RL.8.01
Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text
RL.8.02
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text
SL.8 Speaking/Listening
SL.8.01
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussion with divers partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly
SL.8.04
Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation
W.8 Writing: Types and Purposes
W.8.01
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence
W.8.02
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content
W.8.04
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
W.8.08
Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
Overall, 99% of your grade will be based on summative assessments which assess the previously detailed Common Core Standards. These summative assessments will be in the form of a combination of in-class on-demand writing assessments, projects, performance tasks, and various types of discussion.
Make-up Work
If a student is missing assignments or would like to improve on their initial score, they will have two weeks from when the grade has been posted to make-up this work. A student who has been absent for any reason will be expected to make-up their work within these same requirements with additional time based on the amount of time they were absent.
A Final Note to Parent(s)/guardian(s)
Please feel free to contact me about your child at the e-mail address listed at the top of this course syllabus. Additionally, the school district’s student information system, Synergy, is designed to help parents stay in better contact with the school regarding their child’s attendance and progress in class. I would strongly encourage you to utilize this system. The class website is also a terrific resource to see what is going on in class.