Caroline Black | 355-7028 | csblack@greenville.k12.sc.us
Katie Daniels | 355-7044 | kdaniels@greenville.k12.sc.us
Becky Pope | 355-7047 | bpope@greenville.k12.sc.us
PARENT/TEACHER COMMUNICATION:
Email is preferred for communication and will be answered within 24 hours. My telephone number will directly connect you to my voicemail. Please leave your name, message, and a phone number so I can address your needs when I am finished teaching. Phone calls will be returned as soon as possible. Conferences are available during my first Planning period. I have Planning daily from 8:59-10:35 AM.
Student Backpack is an essential tool for accessing grades. Google Classroom will be your greatest asset for staying up to date (Please note that parents do not have full access to Google Classroom; it is the student’s responsibility to keep track of work in GC.)
REQUIRED TEXT / INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS AND RESOURCES:
HMH Into Literature Textbook (Grade 8)
Several previously adopted textbooks, novels and informational articles
Videos and music to accompany literature
*These materials will be provided to students.
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
Charged Chromebook
Pencil or Pen
Notebook paper
Earbuds (wired)
Suggested Materials: (NOT required)
Computer mouse
Highlighters
Scissors
Coloring utensils
Glue
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is designed to meet the needs of students needing additional support in reading and language arts. Instruction will continue to reinforce foundational skills in reading and provide ample scaffolding for those students whose reading skills are still developing. Writing instruction, vocabulary development, and research skills will be taught in conjunction with the literature studied.
UNITS OF INSTRUCTION ARE ALIGNED WITH STANDARDS:
This course is an integration of the language arts strands: Foundations of Literacy, Applications of Reading, Research, and Written and Oral Communications. The course is organized according to the Greenville County Curriculum Guide. Literature units will be theme based. There is repetition of the standards throughout the year.
2024 South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Standards for English Language Arts
Unit Overviews
Unit 1: Gadgets and Glitches
Suggested Pacing: 27 days
Thematic unit based on HMH Into Literature textbook
Writing focus: argumentative essay
Unit 2: The Thrill of Horror
Suggested Pacing: 30 days
Thematic unit based on HMH Into Literature textbook
Writing focus: literary analysis
Unit 3: Place We Call Home
Suggested Pacing: 30 days
Thematic unit based on HMH Into Literature textbook
Writing focus: short story or informative essay
Unit 4: The Flight For Freedom
Suggested Pacing: 30 days
Thematic unit based on HMH Into Literature textbook
Writing focus: research report/informative writing
Unit 5: Finding Your Path
Suggested Pacing: 32 days
Thematic unit based on HMH Into Literature textbook
Writing focus: argumentative essay
Unit 6: The Legacy of Anne Frank
Suggested Pacing: 30 days
Thematic unit based on HMH Into Literature textbook
Writing focus:narrative
Annotated Book List will be updated throughout the year.
ANNOTATED BOOK LIST
Novels for the year will come from this list:
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
No one ever said life was easy. But Ponyboy is pretty sure that he's got things figured out. He knows that he can count on his brothers, Darry and Sodapop. And he knows that he can count on his friends—true friends who would do anything for him, like Johnny and Two-Bit. But not on much else besides trouble with the Socs, a vicious gang of rich kids whose idea of a good time is beating up on “greasers” like Ponyboy. At least he knows what to expect—until the night someone takes things too far.
The Outsiders is a dramatic and enduring work of fiction that laid the groundwork for the YA genre. S. E. Hinton's classic story of a boy who finds himself on the outskirts of regular society remains as powerful today as it was the day it was first published.
(annotation from Amazon)
Grenade by Alan Gratz
It's 1944 and the world is at war. Hideki lives peacefully with his family on the island of Okinawa, near Japan. Until the day WWII reaches their door. Hideki is drafted into the "Blood and Iron Imperial Corps" to fight for the Japanese army. He is handed two grenades and a set of instructions: go off into the jungle, and don't come back until you've killed an American soldier.
Meanwhile, young American soldier Ray Majors has just landed on the beach in Okinawa. He doesn't know what to expect, or if he'll make it out alive, but he knows he must keep moving forward.
From opposite sides of the war, Hideki and Ray each fight their way through horrors and dangers. But when the two of them encounter each other in the middle of the battle, the choices they make in that single moment will change everything.
(annotation from Amazon)
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun. . . .
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
2024 NEW WRITING COMPONENT: Text Dependent Writing
GRADING POLICY/PRACTICES:
50% major assessments—tests and compositions including research papers
50% minor assessments—classwork, quizzes, short composition, homework
Quizzes and tests will be given periodically, and students will be made aware of these in advance, with the exception of some reading check quizzes. The dates will be posted on the board, communicated to the students, and posted on my website.
Grading Scale:
90 – 100 A
80 – 89 B
70 – 79 C
60 – 69 D
50-59 F
Grading Floor and Retake Policy:
The minimum grade a student will receive for any major or minor assignment is fifty (50). Students will have an opportunity for a review session and then to retake failed major assessments to receive a passing score.
Make Up/Late Work Policy:
Make Up Work:
Student work missed due to an absence is to be made up after the student returns to school. It is the students responsibility to request missing work from each teacher. A maximum of five school days is allowed to make up your work. It is the responsibility of the student to ask their teachers for any missed work.
On the day of returning to school after an absence, the student should report to the Main Office with a note from parent or guardian regarding the absence.
Late Work:
Late assignments may result in the loss of student participation privileges in celebratory events or reward times that occur periodically throughout the year.
Extended assignments that are not handed in on the assigned due date will be coded NHI. Students will have the opportunity to turn in the assignment for 5 school days. After the 5th day, the grade will be changed to a GFA, and you will no longer be able to make up the assignment.
In class assignments that are to be completed within the assigned class time DO NOT apply to late work policy.
ATTENDANCE AND TARDY POLICY:
Please see the Student Handbook.
CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS:
Follow the Expectations of a Knight:
Be on Time: Be working on the warm up at the tardy bell.
Be Prepared: Be ready to learn each day with a positive attitude and necessary materials.
Be Respectful: Demonstrate the qualities of a Knight! Be respectful to all adults and all classmates!
Any additional expectations and procedures will be outlined in the first week of school and posted on Google Classroom and my website for future reference.
PROCEDURES FOR NON-INSTRUCTIONAL ROUTINES:
Students must sign out using SmartPass before leaving the room. Students may go to the pencil sharpener or trash can only after the teacher's explanation is finished. It is vital that students follow directions, routines, and procedures as quickly and accurately as possible to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone in the school.
CONSEQUENCES FOR VIOLATING CLASS AND SCHOOL RULES / POLICIES:
Consequences follow the matrix that is outlined in the Northwood Middle Student Handbook. Severe disruption may result in an automatic referral.
Steps:
Step One: Warning
Step Two: Parent Contact
Step Three: Lunch Detention
Step Four: Referral
TEACHER’S DAILY ACADEMIC SCHEDULE:
FLEX- 8:25-8:55
2ND PERIOD- Related Arts 8:59-9:46 (First Planning)
3RD PERIOD- Related Arts 9:49-10:35 (Second Planning)
4TH PERIOD- 10:39-11:36 Social Studies
5TH PERIOD- 11:39-12:37 English Studies
Lunch- 12:39-1:14
6TH PERIOD- 1:17-2:14 English Studies
7TH PERIOD- 2:17-3:15 Social Studies