WELCOME TO 8TH GRADE ELA!

OFFICE HOURS

Mon - Fri: 9am - 4pm

8th Grade ELA Syllabus

​

Sections 801 - 804

Ms. Yeatie and Mr. Wollmuth

ymorgan@sbecacs.org

cwollmuth@sbecacs.org

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

• To expose students to a diverse selection of fiction, nonfiction, genres, informational texts and the Common Core Standards

• To build critical thinking, analysis and questioning skills

• To enhance grammar, spelling, comprehension, research, reading, writing, processing, speaking and listening skills

• To collaborate with partners on group projects and assignments respectfully and effectively

• To grow and mature and learners, individuals, SBECA community members and global citizens

• To develop one’s appreciation of and personal taste for a variety of media and texts

EXPECTATIONS:

SBECA Spartans are required to be ready for class each and every day. This means you are required to have all your materials ready to go at the commencement of class (binders, notebooks, pens, pencils etc.). You are required to be on time for class every day. Notebooks, binders, homework etc. are expected to be kept tidy and organized in chronological order. All annotations or notes that are put on the board are meant to be copied into your notebooks or handouts.

All assignments are expected to be completed and handed in ON TIME. Participation in class conversations and discussions is REQUIRED and will affect your overall grade. We want everyone to have their voice heard in our class so we can grow as a community and broaden our perspectives, but we can only do that if people participate.

Mr. Wollmuth and Ms. Yeatie will give you our best effort. We’re expecting you to give us yours. If you choose not to follow classroom and school culture norms by not respecting yourselves, your classmates, teachers, and the space the following actions will be put into motion:

• Warning: visual and oral

• Call home

• Referral to the Dean for next steps (i.e. reflection, detention, suspension…)

We will recognize students who bring their best efforts into our classroom. Positive phone calls home and some incentives will be offered.

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

Your materials will be provided for you. However, you are in charge of making sure you bring the necessary items to class each time. Material distribution will be tracked carefully. If you lose your supplies, it is your job to let your teachers know BEFORE class begins.

You will be provided with the following

• Spiral Notebook or 2” Binder with Loose Leaf  

• 2 black or blue pens

• Pencils

​

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

​

Independent Reading:

This will occur in class three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. You will be expected to read for the entire period of time (20 minutes at the beginning of the year, eventually building up to longer periods) allotted, and you will be expected to fill out a log to keep track of your reading and goals. You will be expected to write independently about what you are currently reading in order to show your engagement with the text. You will also conference with you teachers at specific times about what you are reading, and we will be asking you to demonstrate your learning through writing and conversation. Your participation will be a significant part of your grade.

Homework:

Please expect that there will be homework on a regular basis. Homework will be posted online as well as on the board each day.  Homework is due at the beginning of the class period. Late homework will receive partial credit, unless you are absent. If you are absent, any homework previously assigned will be due the day you return. Illegible homework will be returned to be redone.

Exams/Essays:

Exams and/or essays will conclude all major units this year, and will be worth a significant portion of your final grade. If you are absent, you will be expected to make up the assignment on the day you come back. Failure to reschedule exams in a timely manner, or turning in essays late, will result in a drop in your final grade.

Quarterly Projects:

There will be one collaborative or independent project that will assess what students have taken away from the units of that quarter. These projects will be more creative ways to demonstrate students’ knowledge of the content and will occur each quarter.

GRADING POLICY:

Your grade for this class will depend on your completion of the following areas:

There are four marking periods/terms in our academic year. The grades you receive for these terms will determine your academic standing at the end of the year. The following categories will be used for evaluating mastery of the required grade level requirements:

Exams/Essays              30%

Classwork                     30%

Quarterly Projects         15%

Quizzes                          15%

Do Now & Exit Tickets    5%

Homework                       5%

Total:                              100%

​

CLASSROOM ROUTINES AND PROCEDURES:

General Rules:

• Pay attention in class. Respect both the teacher and your classmates when they speak by giving positive body language and listening attentively.

• Respect the space. If you have trash, quietly throw it in the bin, pick up your materials when you leave, and push in the chairs.

• Raise a hand to talk in class. Never speak of anyone and wait your turn. Don’t shout out! As the school year moves on, we will use hand raising less (if you can handle it).

• The date is always on the board, and so is the homework. Look before you ask.

• Correcting your peers when they answer is not your job. That is our job as teachers. We are here to learn, not to be perfect.

• Seats and groups are often changed. You don’t have to like your classmates but you have to be professional and respectful every day. It is expected you will get your job done!

​

Bathroom and Water:

Students will not be allowed to use the bathroom during the first fifteen minutes of class and the last ten minutes. Only one student may leave for the bathroom at a time, and students must take a bathroom pass.

Silent Signals:

Students may use silent hands signals to participate respectfully in class or ask a teacher to leave for water or the bathroom.

To show you agree: Surf’s up (pinky and thumb)

To show you disagree: Finger wag (pointer finger wave)

To take a break/cooldown: Two fingers together

To use the bathroom: Sign language for bathroom (thumb between pointer and middle finger)

To get water: W (three middle fingers)

Noise Levels:

We will follow the 0-4 noise levels.

Level 0: No noise

Level 1: Low whispering

Level 2: Conversational tone; only your neighbor should know what you’re talking about.

Level 3: Used to address your classmates during specified times only (ex. Debate or presentation)

Level 4: Outside voice only to be used in P.E. or recess

Jobs:

Tech Supervisor: The tech supervisor will be in charge of making sure laptops are put away in the correct spots and that they are plugged in.

Materials Supervisor: The material supervisor will be in charge of distributing materials that students may need to complete class work, such as pencils, handouts, notebooks, etc.

SWAT Team: The SWAT Team makes sure the classroom is put together at the end of the class period, which means, among other things, that materials are cleaned up and chairs are pushed in, each station is cleared before leaving.

Classroom Entry Procedure:

Scholars will be responsible for lining up quietly in the hall, coming into class once instructed, grabbing their materials, taking a seat and getting to work.

Classroom Exit:

Scholars will follow end-of-class procedures. Scholars will form two lines inside the room at the allotted time.

Late Work:

Work is due ON TIME. Late work will receive a deduction in points depending on how late it is turned in, at a deduction of 10 points per week.

Example: An assignment is due on Monday. Chris turns in an assignment one week late that he would have received an 86% on. His grade will be dropped to 76%.

No entries for grades can be put in after the close of the quarter, so work from quarter one CANNOT be put in during quarter two or later.

Food Policy:

NO food is allowed in classrooms. Gum and candy are not allowed either. Water bottles are allowed. If you arrive late, you may get breakfast in the cafeteria BEFORE arriving at your classroom. If food is seen in class it will confiscated. The first time it will be a warning. Subsequent infractions will follow the school-wide disciplinary norms.  To avoid these issues, please keep your food in your locker.

​

​