Spring has Sprung! March 20th marked the vernal equinox, the beginning of spring.
Welcome to English 7
Improving our skills in writing, speaking, and reading are our goals in the 7th grade. To that end, grammar, composition, spelling, and vocabulary will take up a substantial portion of our time. We'll be reading fine novels like The Great Gilly Hopkins, The Adventures of Ulysses, and Holes, among others. Short stories and poetry will also keep us entertained, along with several non-fiction selections.
Activities and Games
- Do the math. Take the dog to the vet. Fill the car with gas before the price goes up again. Can you spot the clipped words? That's the theme of the Lesson 30 spelling list--clipped words. Also see "Quia Activities" below.
- English sometimes isn't spelled the way it's pronounced. That's one of the things, of course, that gives us English speakers fits. But that sentiment often gets exaggerated. English often is spelled the way it's pronounced, and you can improve your spelling by pronouncing words correctly. Lesson 29 will give us that kind of practice and make us less fit to be tied. Also see "Quia Activities" below.
- Prefixes indicate number. That's the theme for Lesson 28. Also see "Quia Activities" below.
- More Greeks bearing gifts of Greek words. Lesson 27 gives us more Greek root words that we use in various combinations to make English words. Try your hand at the Lesson 27 word search. Also see "Quia Activities" below.
- How well do you know the characters from Ulysses? Play this board challenge game against yourself or an opponent to test your mettle. Also see "Quia Activities" below.
Homework Assignments
Homework assignments for English can be found by clicking the preceding link. Assignments for other core classes appear on each teacher's blog. Simply go to the middle school website, click the teacher's blog that you want assignments for in the right sidebar, and look for the link to the 7th grade assignments.
Expectations and Guidelines
Expectations and guidelines help to keep things organized and let you
know beforehand what is required for this class. Read through the
following list and if something is unclear to you, please ask for
clarification.- Be on time, please. Tardiness that becomes a
habit will result in a detention.
- Please have a pen and/or pencil (only blue or black ink please),
writing paper, handouts, class texts, and any other needed materials in
class each day.
- Please ask questions about concepts or assignments that you don't
understand or that are unclear to you. The best time to do that is
during class, before classes begin in the morning, at activity period,
or after school. Because of other duties and obligations that I have,
I may not be able to respond exactly when you need me to, but I will
make an effort to try.
- Daily work assignments (see homework link below for assignments)
must be done on time and turned in on the day and the time they are
due. Failure to do so results in an automatic zero for that assignment
and a detention in study hall during your activity period where you
must still complete the missing assignment and turn it in. I will
correct the assignment, but you'll still receive a zero for it. If
your work is not with you when class begins, I consider it not done and
the penalties above will apply.
- Other kinds of assignments, like compositions, may be turned in
late without the penalty of a zero. However, you must stay in for
study hall to work on the missing assignment until it is complete and
turned in. Although you won't receive a zero, you should expect a
reduction in points for each day the writing assignment is late.
- If you are absent and therefore not here to turn in assignments,
you will not be penalized (unless the absence is unexcused). However,
you must turn in the missing work in a reasonable amount of time.
Usually you get one day extra for each day you have an excused absence.
If you are absent on Wednesday, for example, and return to school the
next day (Thursday), then you have until Friday to get Wednesday's
assignment in (Note well: you would still be expected to turn in
Tuesday's assignment on the day you returned (Thurs.), not on Friday.)
It is your responsibility to find me to get any assignments, tests,
or quizzes that you missed because of absences. A zero will result for
each assignment not turned in or test or quiz not made up in a timely
manner.
- Percentage Grading Scale:
95-100 = A
92-94 = A-
89-91 = B+
86-88 = B
83-85 = B-
80-82 = C+
77-79 = C
74-76 = C-
71-73 = D+
68-70 = D
65-67 = D-
64 and below fails
- I use weighted categories to calculate your grade, as follows:
writing assignments—25%; tests—25%; daily work—15%; quizzes—15%; and
spelling—20%.
- Don’t give in to the temptation to cheat. It’s wrong and never a
good substitute for hard work. If caught, you’ll receive an automatic
0 for that assignment or test. Your student handbook--you received a
copy the first day of school--also explains further consequences for
cheating.
- Neither eating nor drinking during class is permitted.
- Please respect school property.
- Most bathroom needs can be taken care of before you arrive to class
(you have three minutes between classes to take care of those needs).
Occasionally, you may need to leave class to take care of a more urgent
need, but please ask my permission first (unless it's an
emergency).
I know that I can count on your cooperation with these expectations.
We’re going to have a fine year and learn some valuable skills about
how to use our language well. I look forward to working with you.
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