Syllabus and other important information
Welcome to ELA! – I hope you all had a great summer and are ready to be back at MMS! This will be an exciting year in 8th grade ELA. We will be focusing on short stories, vocabulary, writing, and a novel study.
Cell phone Policy:
At Murray, we have the “Away for the Day “ policy. Phones are expected to be turned off, in your backpack, and not seen during school hours. While we do not recommend that students bring a cell phone to school, we understand it is used for communication with parents. A few minutes prior to dismissal students will have a chance to check their phone, if needed, for any transportation changes or important messages from parents. This policy includes smartwatches and other digital communication devices. The exception to this policy is a documented medical need for access to a device during the day.
Behavior:
Students are expected to follow the class rules set by the teacher, the student handbook, and school policy in regards to classroom behavior and expectations.
Class Rules:
Do not leave your seat without permission.
Arrive to class prepared.
Respect the people and property in the classroom.
Do not interrupt instruction by talking while I am talking.
Clean up after yourself.
Keep your cell phone turned off and in your backpack.
Keep airpods in your backpack.
Raise your hand before asking or answering questions.
It is your responsibility to:
Complete your work for the day(s) you missed.
Check Google Classroom every day.
Check your email every day.
Turn in assignments by the due date.
Contact your teachers if you don't understand something.
Bring the following to class each day:
an independent reading book
a pencil
your 3-ring binder
wired headphones
laptop
charger
Homework:
I typically do not assign homework unless it is to finish something that we are working on in class. I may assign homework a few times during the school year. The more efficiently you work in class, the less likely you will be required to finish something at home, so please come to class ready to work hard!
Grading and work submission: You will be graded on daily language reviews, classwork, writing assignments, quizzes, tests, and projects.
20% Classwork activities: These include, but are not limited to, daily reviews, independent reading workshop, and writing assignments.
35% Quizzes
45% Tests and projects
Late work will be marked as a zero in Infinite Campus (IC) and flagged as missing. After you turn it in and I grade it, I will update your grade in Infinite Campus. You will lose 5 points each day that your assignment is late.
Grades for assignments do not automatically populate in Infinite Campus. Your teacher has to manually enter grades in IC. You must notify the teacher if an assignment is late so IC can be updated.
Missed Assessments: If you miss a quiz or a test, it is your responsibility to schedule a time with me to take the assessment. Assessments cannot be made up outside of the classroom, including at home. You will have 2 weeks from the date the assessment was given to make it up.
Cheating: Any student who is caught cheating on an assignment will receive an automatic zero on the assignment and this grade cannot be made up. Cheating includes, but is not limited to, copying another student’s work or the use of AI to generate work and present it as their own. In addition to receiving a zero on the assignment, a parent/guardian will be notified of the offense and the incident will be recorded in our discipline tracker.