Mrs. Doll's 7th Grade Language Arts

Welcome to 7^th Grade Language Arts

Mrs. Doll   Room 708 

2009-2010

"Every job is a self-portrait of the person who does it.  Autograph your work with excellence."

Course Overview

Throughout the year we will work on the following skills:

Writing

1. Demonstrate knowledge of and practice the writing process

(Prewriting, Drafting, Revising, Editing, Publishing)

2. Demonstrate knowledge of and practice the six traits of writing

(Ideas and Content, Organization, Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, Conventions)

Reading

1. Study the following genres and elements within: short stories, poetry, non-fiction, drama, myth/folktales, and novels.
2. Use literature to exercise the following thinking skills:

• Recognize and assess cause and effect.
• Evaluate and assess fact vs. opinion.
• Compare and contrast elements of literature in the following text types: narrative, expository, persuasive and technical.
• Make inferences from literature.
• Develop vocabulary skills by using context clues.
• Gain awareness of various cultures, languages, and heritages through literature.
• Choose and explore different types of text through Reader's Workshop.

Oral Communication

1. Practice and perform oral presentations.
2. Demonstrate group communication skills necessary to work with others.

Vocabulary and Spelling

1. Develop and improve vocabulary and spelling skills through a variety of activities.
2. Demonstrate knowledge in written and oral communication.

Curriculum areas under constant review and implementation:

text types: Narrative, Expository, Persuasive, Technical

text structures: Cause/Effect, Problem/Solution, Compare/Contrast, Sequence, Description

prefixes, roots, suffixes: super, -ant /-ent, post, a, semi, ist, mid, ism, be, ess, test, meter, geo, graph, dem, chron, bio, hemi, biblio, aqua, aero, phon, mort, tele, scrib/script, photo, mim, mirg, micro

figurative language:Simile, Metaphor, Onomatopoeia, Hyperbole, Idiom, Personification

parts of speech: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions

summarizing and paraphrasing text

making inferences and drawing conclusions

short story/novel  elements: plot, characters, theme, point of view

vocabulary: restatement, description, synonyms, antonyms, examples

Assignments

Late work will not be accepted.  If assigned work is not turned in on the requested date it will result in a zero.

Homework, projects, quizzes, and tests are all important components in the language arts experience.  Each component is given a set number of points with projects and tests given a greater number of points.  All points are weighted equally. Cheating on any assignment will result in a 30-minute detention and a zero on the assignment.

Extra Credit

Extra credit will occasionally be given to all students on an equal opportunity basis.

Contact Information

Feel free to contact me by e-mail at anytime and I will do my best to respond as quickly as possible.  My e-mail address is: dollk@usd385.org

If you need to reach me by phone, my plan time is everyday from 2:05 to 2:50.