Mrs. Warner's

RESPECT~ September

RESPONSIBLE~ October

TRUSTWORTHY~ November

FAIRNESS~ December

KINDNESS~ January      

PERSERVERANCE~ February

CITIZENSHIP~ March

SELF-DISCIPLINE~ April

INTEGRITY~ May

We will be covering several topics over the course of this school year and I want you to be aware of what we will be studying.

 NOTES:Throughout the school year, you will be required to read Accelerated Reader books at your appropriate reading level and then write book reports for each book.  I will provide the “Book Review” forms and you will need to turn in FOUR (4) reports per quarter. (This number is subject to change.)

 AUGUST:You were given your own copy of the novel The Gun when you registered for your seventh grade year. We will be discussing that book and related topics, such as tolerance, etc., in relation to literary elements and other language arts skills. Along with such skills, we will also engage in several creative projects that might include bringing some materials from home. ( I will give notices…. J) Also, during the first few weeks of school we will be reviewing my “Classroom Guidelines and Procedures”. I will send home a Guardian/Parent signature sheet during the second week to ensure you all agree with and understand my expectations.

SEPTEMBER: Continuing on with comprehension and reading skills, we will be reading several short stories from the Language Arts Text Book (which I will be passing out during the second week of school). These stories will enable us to look at how other middle school students deal with challenging situations, just like you, on a day to day basis. By the second or third week of the month, we should be starting our next novel Freak the Mighty which will lead into the following month.

OCTOBER: Completing the novel Freak the Mighty by discussing how one character influences another to become tolerant of others in a particular situation. Students will also develop an understanding of character analysis and author’s purpose, using specific examples from the text. We will watch The Mighty on DVD.

NOVEMBER: Throughout this month, we will be looking at different types of literary works to recognize the different literary elements and how they can be used differently. The poetry unit will also assist students with comprehension and fluency while still recognizing literary elements within different texts. Students will compare and contrast poetry with other works pertaining to the detail and word usage throughout specific types of literature.

DECEMBER: This entire month with be spent on the novel SLAM! which is a book about a boy who grows up in an inner city area and wants to become a basketball star. Students will examine short and long term goals while focusing on vocabulary, predictions, foreshadowing, inferences, comparing, and contrasting during the reading of the story. Students will also have an opportunity to use technology to express their thoughts along the way through “live” interviewing, commercial creation, and acting.  

JANUARY: The Watson’s Go to Birmingham-1963 is a novel where students will be determining main ideas, summarization, and relationships between/among characters. We will also be discussing the issue of tolerance in relation to people’s beliefs on equality.

FEBRUARY: This month we will be practicing writing skills related to narrative and persuasive writing methods. For the narrative essay, students will write about a time when they felt discriminated against. The persuasive essay will provide students with the opportunity to defend their views on an issue, i.e. one they are willing to stand up for or defend socially. Toward the very end of the month and into March we will play “catch up” and review anything we feel is necessary in preparation for ISAT.

MARCH: Complete ISAT preparations so students feel comfortable with the schedule, format, and procedures. Immediately following ISAT, we will begin reading The Outsiders which will help students examine different social groups that make up a society. Students will be developing a knowledge base of author word choice, extended vocabulary, and predictions. Preparing a PowerPoint presentation, including summarization and story elements will reinforce comprehension skills which were covered in the beginning of the school year. 

APRIL: We will be completing The Outsiders and starting the research paper process by examining appropriate research skills on the internet and book sources. The researching process will continue into the following month.

MAY: For the final month of the year, we will be having a blast with demonstration and informative speeches and a research paper. The end of the year research paper will be on tolerance and its effects. Students will answer questions such as, “How has society changed its’ view on tolerance of others throughout history,” etc.  The last few weeks will consist of demonstrating a talent or interest that makes them different from others. Finally, each student will organize, prepare, and give a short speech on the topic of tolerance. The students will also participate in a peer-review processes for additional grading.

Specifics for Syllabus (subject to change)

First Quarter:Comprehension and Fluency 

 Title: The Gun (Summer Novel)

Title: Short Stories: Seventh Grade, Stolen Day from Prentice Hall Literature

Title: Freak the Mighty

Second Quarter: Comprehension and Fluency (cont’d) 

Title: Riki-TIkki-Tavi- from Prentice Hall Literature

Literary Elements

Title: Literary Devices from Prentice Hall Literature

Title: Poetry

Title: SLAM!

Third Quarter: Literary Elements Cont’d

Title: The Watson’s Go to Birmingham

Writing:

Title: Narrative and Persuasive Writing

Title: ISAT PREP

ISAT TESTING

Fourth Quarter

Title: The Outsiders

Research and Public Speaking

Title: Research Paper-TOLERANCE

Title: Demonstration Speech- (talent)

Title: Informative Speech (tolerance), peer evaluations