Class Syllabus
English 7 Syllabus 2023-24
Ms. Mathews
Welcome to 7th grade English! I am looking forward to getting to know each of you and your families. We will have a wonderful and challenging year full of growth, discovery, and collaboration. However, your level of success in this class depends upon how organized and prepared you are on a daily basis. Please read this syllabus carefully and be sure you understand what I expect of you.
Course Overview
Unit 1: Realistic Fiction
- Examine short stories to discover how published authors make magic on the page.
- Learn how to see the fictional possibilities in your own life as you create characters, develop plots, and explore true-life issues as a writer of realistic fiction.
Unit 2: Poetry & Poe
- Delve into the twisted world of Edgar Allan Poe, and learn to read like a movie director, imagining each sinister scene, appalling action, and complex character as it might come to life on the big screen.
- Debate the sanity of the narrator with your classmates, make a pitch to a Hollywood producer to sell your movie idea, and go on a murder mystery quest to answer the question, “Who killed Edgar Allan Poe?”
Unit 3: Book Clubs
- Collaborate with your peers as you choose a novel to read, discuss, and debate.
- Engage in the art of argument, writing about the theme of resilience in literature, film, music, and life.
- Practice public speaking skills in preparation for the year’s culminating speech.
Unit 4: Everything Has Its Cost
- Transport yourself to an idyllic society in which all the problems that plague our world have been solved, and everybody is finally equal … or are they? Lois Lowry’s award-winning novel The Giver will provide a jumping-off point for us to more deeply investigate issues that affect our school, community, country, and world.
- Create a comparative literature project in which you tie together The Giver, an independent novel, and a real-world event with one common theme.
Unit 5: Putting the Pieces Together
- You’ve reached the end of seventh grade, and it’s time to show off what you’ve learned.
- What have you always wanted to say but couldn’t? Now’s your chance! Create and deliver a culminating speech on a topic about which you feel passionate. Our class speeches will lead into the annual Fisher Speech Contest.
- How have you grown as a reader this year? Reflect on your reading journey and celebrate your accomplishments.
Required Supplies
Bring the following to English class EVERY DAY:
- Chromebook
- Earbuds or earphones
- Independent reading book
- Writing utensil (pen or pencil)
- English folder and composition notebook (provided by Fisher)
Independent Reading
You are required to have an independent reading book with you at all times. I will provide silent reading time for you in class, and, because homework will be minimal, you will read at home for at least 30 minutes each night. 7th-grade students are required to read at least 20 independently selected novels by the end of the school year. More information about our year-long reading challenge will be given in class.
Behavior Expectations
You have been in school for seven years or more, and I expect that you’ve learned how to behave appropriately. If you have a minor lapse in judgment and behave in a way that disrespects or disrupts others, you will receive a warning and may be kept after class. If the behavior continues, I will contact your parents and issue a referral to administration if necessary. Please make our classroom a pleasant place to learn by avoiding behavior that disrupts or disrespects others.
Reminder: In every Fisher classroom, any expression with any hint of racism, sexism, homophobia, classism, or any other form of discrimination, prejudice, or hatred is not welcome.
Academic Dishonesty: We will learn how to avoid plagiarism in class, but please know that any kind of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated under any circumstances. This kind of behavior will result in a zero on the assignment with no possible make-up, a referral to administration, and parent notification. If you have questions about how to complete an assignment or cite your work, ask your teacher.
Grading
Each assignment is awarded points, and grades are updated in PowerSchool routinely. Points will come from classwork, homework, essays, assessments, speeches, participation, and projects.
Fisher practices standards-based grading. As a result, 7th grade English will be weighting final grades in terms of process and product. Process grades will be related to participation, skill practice, timeliness, organization, active engagement during class, and preparation. Product grades will be assessments of student learning such as essays, tests, quizzes, and speeches.
- Process: 30% of Final Grade
- Product: 70% of Final Grade
Product assignments will have individual rubrics, and process assignments will be assessed using the following rubric:
Late and Missing Work
- Each student may use one late pass per quarter to turn in one completed Process assignment by the next class meeting for full earned-credit. This pass will automatically be applied to the first missed assignment each quarter.
- Partial credit will be assigned for any late Process assignments. Work will be accepted until the end of the unit of study.
- Late Product assignments will be reduced 10% of earned credit for each class day late, not to exceed a 50% penalty.
- Zeroes are used as placeholders for missing assignments when students are absent; students will not lose credit for late assignments during an excused absence.
Please track your grade using PowerSchool and tell me immediately if I’ve made a mistake. If you ever have a question about a grade, please speak with me directly. If you are absent, please check PowerSchool and Google Classroom for any missed assignments. You may also request a Flex pass if you need extra support. Honest and open communication is the key to solving questions and misunderstandings. Please be a self-advocate.
Attendance
It’s very important to be present in class every day. We strongly encourage you to plan your trips and appointments around our academic calendar. After you are absent, please check the Agenda Doc in the Resources section of Google Classroom to see what you missed.
I look forward to a fun and exciting year! Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Kelly Mathews
R.J. Fisher Middle School
English 7 Teacher