Course Description:
This course is designed to meet the needs of academically gifted and talented students who were identified through the standard measures implemented by The School District of Greenville County. The curriculum designed specifically for this course meets the guidelines set forth by the South Carolina State Department of Education as criteria for Gifted and Talented instruction. Students should expect to find the curriculum challenging in a number of ways: text complexity, analytical writing, problem solving, creative endeavors, and accelerated pace.
PREREQUISITE: Identified as GTA (Gifted and Talented Academic).
Textbook Title
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) Into Literature 7 & Grammar Practice 7
Book List
This year we will be reading and learning from the following novels in our 7th grade ELA GT classes. In addition we will refer to excerpts from multiple books from our school library or recommended readings from our ELA textbook for practice and understanding.
The Watsons Go To Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis
Gossamer by Lois Lowry
Chromebook charged
Pencil
Composition notebook
Independent reading book
Earbuds/headphones
Highlighters
Sticky Notes
Grades:
3 majors and 8-10 minors will be assigned per quarter. Major assignments will range in the forms of essays, tests, and projects and they will each contain a rubric.
The grade students earn is what will be put in Power School; there is no longer a grade floor of a 50.
NHI’s will now be counted as a 0
MDA - Missing Due to Absence - once they return to school, the student has 5 school days to complete the assignment and turn it in for credit.
Grading Scale
90-100 A
80-89 B
70-79 C
60-69 D
Teachers will accept late work with no penalty to the student up to 5 days after the original due date. This does not include projects and multi-day assignments that occur during class time.
Students may attend the teacher's office hours to complete assignments in a timely manner.
A teacher may extend the deadline for accepting late work, but cannot reduce the 5-day time frame allowed.
The work, although submitted late, will not receive a point reduction. Work can be accepted late across grading periods only by special exception and approval of the teacher and/or administrator.
Since the goal is for students to master content and skills, students will be allowed to retake/redo major tests only; however, students must commit to doing their part in preparing for the re-test. Students must initiate the request to retake/redo a test within 5 days of receiving the grade on the test. Students are allowed to retake/redo a major test one time and only one major test per class can be retested each quarter. The student must complete a BRMS Request to Retest form, which can be found in the teacher’s Google classroom, and submit the form to the teacher. The form must be signed by the parent and student prior to being submitted. Following a re-test, the higher grade will be recorded in the grade book.
In order to retest the student must complete two of the tasks listed below to prepare for the re-test.
_X_ Attend a minimum of one tutoring session with the teacher during office hours. THIS IS REQUIRED.
___Review notes, study guides, and other related materials.
___Prepare flashcards, Quizlets, or use other strategies to review content.
___Other __________________________________________________________________
It is the responsibility of each student to inquire about make-up work upon returning from an absence. Students must also check google classroom for classwork and homework information for any days missed.
**Student Backpack is an essential tool for accessing grades. Google Classroom will be your greatest asset for staying up to date.