Language Arts

1. Mrs. Aounallah’s Class Bear Branch Junior High 2015-2016 School Year Language Arts “Literature is no one’s private ground, literature is common ground; let us trespass freely and fearlessly and find our own way for ourselves.” - Virginia Woolf Guiding Rules • Be prompt. • Be prepared. • Be equipped with supplies for classroom activities. • Demonstrate courtesy and respect to faculty and peers. • Strive for intellectual growth. *Special Rule*: This is a NO whining zone. Everything I do is for your best interest. Please respect that. Class Expectations • Be in seat when tardy bell rings. • Put proper heading on all papers. • Do not use electronic devices in class without teacher permission. • Use restroom during passing breaks or restroom pass wisely. • Maintain a clean and orderly work area. Take all of your belongings, pick up any scrap papers around you, and put your desk back in line before you leave each day. • Bring all of your supplies to class daily. • Complete all of your work and turn it in on time. • Do not cheat, plagiarize, or copy work. • No food or drink, except water unless you have a doctor’s note. • Never line up at the door before dismissal. • Use polite and appropriate language. Offensive, derogatory, and profane terms are not tolerated. • All BBJH rules and policies shall be observed within the classroom. Course Description Welcometo 7th grade Language Arts! Our focus this school year will be learning and developing our skills as critical thinkers, readers, writers, speakers, and listeners. The development and mastery of these important literary skills not only is important to achieving success in the Language Arts classroom, it is a critical component of achieving success in other school subjects, building strong relationships with others, and attaining a flourishing career as an adult. Basically, the quality of life you experience now thorough adulthood will depend a lot on how well you read, write, and communicate with others. What do I get if I follow class rules? Your appropriate behavior in class assures everyone of an environment conducive to learning. Some possible rewards for continuous appropriate behavior are: intrinsic value (satisfaction of learning), improved skills, verbal praise, positive note to parents, tangible trinkets, and special class activities / privileges. What are the consequences if I don’t follow class rules? 1. Warning: the teacher provides a verbal reprimand/reminder to student. 2. Lunch Detention: short time spent during lunch to contemplate conduct. 3. Call Home: a mark recorded for poor conduct. Parent will be contacted. 4. Referral to Administration: a student will be immediately referred to administration for severe behavior problems. What happens if I turn in an assignment late? Work not completed and turned in by the assigned date is considered late. If a student is absent on the date work is due, the assignment is due the first day the student returns to school. Students who submit late work one day past the due date will be given a grade that reflects level of mastery, with a 15 point penalty for lateness. Students who submit late work two or more days past the due date will be given a grade that reflects level of mastery, with a 30 point penalty for lateness. Assignments not submitted will be entered as missing which will calculate as a zero. daounallah@magnoliaisd.orgSchool Telephone: 281-356-6088 1

2. Mrs. Aounallah’s Class Bear Branch Junior High 2015-2016 School Year Grading Scale What do I do if I am absent? On-Level Classes Formative 34% Summative 51% District Common Assessment 15% Pre-AP Classes Formative 25% Summative 60% District Common Assessment 15% Always check the class website site for agendas, handouts, and assignment due dates. A student has one extra day to turn in any work assigned on a day a student was absent. If a quiz was administered on a day a student was absent, the quiz must be made up on the first day the student returns. If previously assigned work was due on the day of the absence, the work is due on the first day the student returns otherwise it is considered late. UNEXCUSED absences on the day of an assignment, test, quiz, project, presentation, paper, etc. will result in a zero. *Students missing more than 10 minutes of any given class period – beginning or end of the period - will be counted absent for that period. Do I have to read outside of class? All students will be expected to read independently on a daily basis. Students must bring a reading book to school so they are prepared for independent reading during Reading Workshop. *A book talk will be due every quarter and must be completed on an independently read book the student finished that quarter.* Re-Test Policy What types of writing will I do this year? Teachers have the discretion to provide retesting opportunities for summative assessments for all students who are willing to complete or redo practice assignments and/or attend tutorial sessions to enhance learning. Students must fill out a retest form. Only one retest is allowed per assessment and it may be a different version of the original assessment. The retest grade will only be used if it is higher than the original grade on the previous assessment. Students are not permitted to take a retest on 9 week tests, released STAAR tests, or major projects. Process Pieces refer to essays that students will complete on their Google Drive account. Numerous process pieces will be completed throughout the year (at least one per quarter). Even though the process pieces will be worked on and stored in the student’s Google Drive, the completed piece must be printed off and turned in to the teacher on the DUE DATE. What is an Interactive Student Notebook? The Interactive Student Notebook (ISN) is a portfolio of student work. The notebook is organized in a left-side and right-side format. Every right-side of the notebook will house teacher directed notes / activities, while left-side assignments will showcase student understanding of right-side material in a creative and unique manner. A college-ruled composition book will be used for the ISN. The ISN will be graded as a summative grade (51%). The majority of classwork, notes, study guides, AND vocabulary, will be completed in the ISN, so it is imperative that it be complete and up to date. Supplies Edlio and mrsaounallahs.weebly.com are our class websites. This site will house the weekly agendas, assignment due dates, PDF copies of class handouts, important announcements, and more. Please bookmark the following site and check it daily: mrsaounallahs.weebly.com Website: Google Classroom is where many class assignments, discussions, and projects will be posted and turned in. Class code: • Two composition books • 1 pocket folder with brads • Pen and Pencil • Suggested Supplies • One handheld pencil sharpener • One set of four or more highlighters • Glue or tape • Colored Pencils or markers daounallah@magnoliaisd.org School Telephone: 281-356-6088 2

3. Mrs. Aounallah’s Class Bear Branch Junior High 2015-2016 School Year How do I turn in work? Restroom Work is due at the beginning of the hour when you come to class.  I will not accept work completed once class begins.  Turn in your work/homework to the alpha sorter.  Turn absent/late work into the absent/late work bin.  I reserve the right to not accept late work without a coupon, but you should turn it in anyway. You will be given a restroom pass each 9 weeks. The pass will grant you 6 restroom breaks. Please use them wisely, for you will not be given another pass until the start if the following 9 weeks. Lost or misplaced passes will not be replaced. It Is your responsibility to keep your pass in a safe place. What do I do if I am tardy? If you are tardy, I follow the tardy policy outlined in your student handbook. You are expected to sign in if you arrive to class after the bell has rung and sign out if you leave class before the end of the hour.  Be sure to note on the sign in sheet whether you have a pass.  If you do, leave it in the tardy pass box. *Excessive tardiness will affect your learning readiness grade and have other consequences, such as detentions, etc. Remind 101 On Level Classes To receive messages via text, text @levelen to 81010. You can opt-out of messages at anytime by replying, 'unsubscribe @levelen'. Pre-AP Classes To receive messages via text, text @daoun to 81010. You can opt-out of messages at anytime by replying, 'unsubscribe @daoun'. What is Plagiarism? Any act of plagiarism will not be tolerated at any level. Joseph Gibaldi in MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing states, “Forms of plagiarism include the failure to give appropriate acknowledgement when repeating another’s wording or particularly apt phrase, paraphrasing another’s argument, and representing another’s line of thinking. You may certainly use another person’s words and thoughts, but the borrowed material must not appear to be your own creation. In writing, then, you must document everything you borrow; not only direct quotations and paraphrases, but also information and ideas” (34). Any student who commits plagiarism will be facing one or all of the punishments as outlined in the BBJH Student Handbook. *Repeat offenders will be dealt with even more severely (35). What if I am done early? • Double-check your work. Make sure all answers are correct and complete, the heading is correct and there is a title at the top of the page when appropriate. • Work on missing or incomplete English work • Review vocabulary words • Complete extra-credit assignments when available • Read choice novel Methods of Communication School Phone: 281-356-6088 Email: daounallah@magnoliaisd.org Planning Period: 4th Conference Period: 7th Tutorials: Tuesdays 6:50- 7:20 or by appointment. daounallah@magnoliaisd.org School Telephone: 281-356-6088 3

4. Mrs. Aounallah’s Class Bear Branch Junior High 2015-2016 School Year PleaseReadthe course information, sign, andreturnthis sheet to Mrs. AOUNALLAH Students: Please sign below to signify that you have read the course sheet for Mrs. Aounallah’s class, will keep it in your folder, and will be responsible for the information throughout the year, and will check Parent Portal at least twice per week at school or at home. _______________________________ _____________________________________________ Student printed name Student signature Parents/Guardians: Please sign below to indicate that you have read the course sheet for Mrs. Aounallah’s class and that you will help your student be accountable for the information. If you have questions about the course or your student’s work, please do not hesitate to contact me; email is the best way to reach me quickly. See the front of this sheet for my email address. _______________________________ _____________________________________________ Parent/Guardian printed name Parent/Guardian signature _______________________________ ______________________________________________ Parent/Guardian e-mail Parent/Guardian daytime phone number (please print) Parents and guardians, please CIRCLE the best way for me to contact you: e-mail phone Check all the statements that apply to how you would like to communicate with Mrs. Aounallah about your student’s progress. I will, of course, call for major concerns or accomplishments, but with approximately 130 students, I like to know how you’d prefer to communicate. _____ I/We have internet access at home, so we will check Parent Portal at least twice per week to check on my/our student’s progress. I/We will contact Mrs. Aounallah about any concerns we have. _____ I/We plan to email Mrs. Aounallah weekly or monthly for an update. _____ I/We do not have internet access at home, but I/we would like to have regular contact with Mrs. Aounallah. I/we will call for an update on a regular basis. _____ Other:_______________________________________________________________________________ daounallah@magnoliaisd.org School Telephone: 281-356-6088 4