FOURTH GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS SYLLABUS       SONORAN SCIENCE ACADEMY  BROADWAY  

Mrs. Houston                      (ADVANCED LEVEL)

   

TEACHER CONTACT INFORMATION

 

Mrs. Sharon Houston

Room# 123

Phone  520-751-2401

Email  shouston@sonoranacademy.org

You can reach me by Email or phone to schedule an appointment.  I will be available to discuss your needs, concerns, or child’s progress before or after school.  I will not be available for conferences during the instructional time of the school day.

 

GENERAL COURSE INFORMATION

The focus of the 4^th grade Language Arts Curriculum is for students to continue to work and improve on their writing skills – prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, & publishing.  Students will work toward improving their writing by incorporating the Six Trait Writing Rubric - Ideas & Content, Word Choice, Organization, Sentence Fluency, Voice and Conventions – into their compositions.  Students will read and write in a variety of genres.  The students will read sort stories from the Macmillan McGraw /Hill text and from selected Chapter books.  Students will continue to improve their comprehension skills in both fiction and nonfiction texts.  The concepts taught will meet the Arizona Standards and encourage students to challenge their levels of knowledge and learning.  Students will be required to keep a nightly Reading Log (turned in weekly) and will be responsible for completing at least one oral /written book report presentation each month.   The book report format and genre will be given at the beginning of each month.  Students will have weekly comprehension, vocabulary, spelling tests.  They will be completing assignments in their reading, spelling and grammar workbooks.  Students will be given a spiral notebook to use in the classroom for daily Journal Writing and Bell Work activities.

Assignments not finished in class will become homework; these assignments will be expected to be completed and turned in the next day.  Additional Projects will be assigned periodically.  These Projects will each have an overview sheet listing the project requirements, expectations and due dates.

     

TEXTBOOK

The textbook and workbooks we are using will be the Macmillan McGraw/Hill 5^th Grade Set.

We will also be reading Chapter books and working with supplemental activities to enhance skill review.  Students are responsible to keeping all books and materials that they are assigned in good condition.  If they are lost or destroyed, the students will be responsible for the replacement cost.

 

COURSE RULES AND POLICIES

I expect all students to try to do their best and show effort in their work. I expect students to follow our classroom procedures and rules and the procedures and rules set forth in the Student Handbook.  We will be going over and discussing these expectations the first week of school.

STUDENT AND TEACHER RESPONSIBILITIES

                Come to class on time, with required materials and work for the entire period

                Turn in assignments on time completed to the best of your ability

Treat all students, staff and guest with respect

Participate positively in class

Raise your hand before speaking and listen respectfully to others

Ask questions when you do not understand

Be respectful of school property and property of others

Always do your best

Be a responsible, caring member of the Sonoran Science Academy environment

 

DISCIPLINE PROCEDURE

   

GRADING

90-100% = A

80-89% =   B

70-79% =   C

60-69% =   D

Below 65% =   F

Your grade is determined by dividing the total number of points possible per assignment into number received on the assignment.  The final grade will be an average of all grades received on assignments for that grading period.  Grade averages are determined by: 50% = test scores; 20% = classwork; 20% = homework; 10% = participation.

 

MAKE –UP PROCEDURE

Students are responsible for getting and turning in make-up assignments.  I make-up folder will be provided for students to check for work upon returning to class.  Always check with the teacher to make sure that there is no additional work required.  If you fail to turn in make-up work in a timely manner you will receive no credit for that work.  Make-up tests, quizzes, and hands-on assignments can be completed after school.  Is students choose not to complete the missing work a grade of “0” will be given.  If a student is having trouble understanding or completing an assignment, it is the student’s responsibility to arrange a meeting for help time with the teacher.

1.        After an absence, it is the student’s responsibility to check the make-up folder for work, contact the teacher for additional work and to receive instructions on the work missed.

2.       Students can contact the teacher during their absence to obtain any work they will be missing during their time away from school.

3.       If a student missed a test he/she must come in within 3 days of returning to school to make it up.

HOMEWORK

Homework will be assigned to improve and review the understanding of topics. Homework will be written on the Homework/Assignment Board in the room.  There will be approximately 2-3 hours of homework weekly.  Is the student’s responsibility to check the board nightly and write down the assignments and due dates.

     

SSA’S HOMEWORK POLICY

No late homework assignments will be accepted.  If you do not have your homework at the beginning of the class, you will receive a “0”.  No DPS points will be assigned for late or missing assignments.

For extended Projects and Papers, the grade will drop 5% for each day the assignment is late (Example – if the project meets and receives 100%, but is one day late, the grade drops to 95%; two days lat = 90%, etc.)  Lat Papers or Projects will not be accepted after 5 days of the due date.

The teacher will inform the students when a Project or Paper that follows this policy is being assigned as stated in the General Course Information Section.

 

NO NAME POLICY

Student papers turned in without names will be put in the “NO NAME”  basket. It is the student’s responsibility to claim their paper, put their name on it and turn it in, however, the students will receive a -5% penalty on their grade.