Gajda’s

7^th Grade Language Arts

Guide

Contains:     

La/Lit Guidelines,        NEWs (No Excuse Words),        Bibliography Information,       Essay Information,    

7th Grade Novels,      Reading Log Sample Sheet,        Grammar Information,             Editor Checklist,     

NEwspaper Unit,        Poetry Unit,                                 Library Links

Materials

There are several materials that you must have for my Literature and Language Arts classes.  For Literature you will need to have a pack or 2 of note cards.  These will be needed for note-taking and for oral reports/speeches.  Some students may need more than 2 packs over the course of the year.  For Language Arts you will need to have 2 single-subject notebooks that are used ONLY for this class (one for Lit/LA notes and one for journal writing)  Other materials that will be necessary are markers, several packs of post-it notes, colored pencils, paper, pencils, red pens, and blue or black pens.

Absent Work

You are responsible for your own absent work.  Upon returning to school you should check the absent work area in my classroom for any worksheets with your name on them and check my homework calendar for any other assignments.  You need to do these assignments and return them according to the school policy.   According to the handbook, it is 2 days to make up work for every day you are absent.  One sure way to avoid falling behind if you are sick for several days is to have your parents call in for homework.

GUTs

GUTs are initials that stand for GUM, UNPREPARED, and TARDY.  I will keep track of these items on a daily basis.  If you receive 3 marks (any combination) you will have a detention.  Students who have not received any detentions over the course of the quarter will receive 10 extra credit points to be used toward either class.

Participation

Participation is expected! Several grades throughout each quarter will be participation grades and will be figured into your total.

Assignments

Assignments are given on a daily basis.  No, this does not mean that you will have an assignment every day, but you will most likely always have something you can be working on.  It is in your best interest to turn all assignments in on time.  Now, while I understand that every once in a while a student might turn something in late, there are consequences.  They are as follows:

*Any assignment turned in after it has been collected is considered late. 

*Late assignments that are turned in later in the period or later in the day will receive 25% off of the total.

*Late assignments that are turned in the next day or anywhere up to a week later will receive a mandatory 50% off of the total. 

*Large projects are 25% off each day late

*You are responsible for turning in late work as soon as possible in order to get points (some

points are better than no points)

*A zero will be entered into the grade book if the assignment hasn’t been received within one

week of the original due date (i.e. an assignment due Tuesday only has through Monday of the next week or it turns to a zero)                                                                

Reading Logs

You will be expected to read outside books, magazines, etc. each month.  Reading logs will be turned in every Monday.  Reading logs consist of 200 minutes a week and require parent signatures for assurance of reading (not having a parent signature will result in 50 % off of the total.  Late reading logs will only be accepted through Friday of that week before becoming a zero.  Late Reading logs are -10 points (of the total 55) per day.

No Names/Product Descriptors

Any paper without a name will receive 5 points off of the total and any project turned in without its product descriptor will receive 10 points off of the total. (for projects and assignments worth smaller amounts, the points removed will be less than what is stated above)

Grades

Your grades are your business.  You do not need to share your grade or id # with anyone.  It is up to you to keep track of your grades which will be updated on a weekly basis.   I post grades (almost) every Friday morning.   I work on a point system with a total number of points leading toward an average grade

Extra Credit

I give extra credit when I feel extra credit should be assigned, NOT when you think you need it!  To pass my class you should not need to rely on extra credit.  If you do the work I ask of you and participate, you will pass.

This Guidelines Sheet

Hopefully you are reading this and paying attention.  You have received 2 of these sheets.  One will go home to your parents which you will read together, sign, and return to me.  The second will remain in your binder.  At the end of the year, I will collect them.  If you have it in your binder when I ask for it and hand it in to me, you will receive 30 extra credit points to add to both of your grades.  Consider this the first and final extra credit opportunity of the year.

I have read and discussed Mrs. Gajda’s Literature and Language Arts Guidelines together with my child.  I have called Mrs. Gajda and discussed any questions, comments or concerns I have with these guidelines.  By signing this and returning this sheet to her, I agree with and fully understand the guidelines as stated above.

__________________                        __________________

parent name (print)                     student name (print)

__________________                        __________________

parent signature                         student signature

__________________

date

to, too, two

to-I went to the store.

too-I went to the store, too.

two-The two of us went to the store.

there, their, they’re

there-The rabbit jumped over there.

their-We went to their house for dinner.

they’re-They’re not going to play the game.

because, cause

because-She wanted to go to the mall because    

               she needed shoes.

cause-A heart attack was the cause of death.

hear, here

hear-Can you hear me?

here-I am hiding from you over here.

where, wear

where-Where did my pen go?

wear-I am going to wear my new dress.

your, you’re

your-I like your binder.

you’re-Tell me where you’re going.

it’s, its

it’s-It’s your turn.

its-The dog can find its way home.

are, our

are-Are you going to the dance?

our-He will be attending our school.

whether, weather

whether-You need to decide whether you are

               going or not.

weather-Do you expect stormy weather?

know, now

know-Do you know what time it is?

now-You must enter the building now!

right, write

right-Turn right at the stop sign.

write-Please write your name on the paper.

were, we’re

were-At the park, we were playing football.

we’re-We’re winning the game by ten points.

which, witch

which-Do you know which one you want?

witch-My sister dressed up as a witch.

through, threw

through-I can see through the broken glass.

threw-She threw the ball over the fence.

one, won

one-My baby brother is one today.

won-We finally won the game!

went, when

went-The dog went to the vet yesterday.

when-How do I know when you want to go?

then, than

then-I want to go to the store and then the

         bank.

than-I am taller than John.

whose, who’s

whose-Whose car is blocking the driveway?

who’s-I want to know who’s going with me.

accept, except

accept-The president will accept the bill.

except-Jim liked all the veggies except peas.

principle, principal

principle-Curiosity is a principle of human

                nature.

principal-The principal is in charge of the

                school.

a lot-My baby sister eats a lot of food.

receive-Did you receive your grade?

Bibliography Format

*Whenever you use references to write a paper you must cite your sources in a bibliography or it is plagiarism.

*Bibliographies should be on a separate sheet at the end of your paper.

*The entries should be in alphabetical order by the first word of the entry.

*Entries are not to be numbered.

*All entries should be lined up along the left-hand margin.  If the entry is more than one line,

indent the second line and all lines following.

*If any part of an entry is not found in the source, simply omit it from the entry.

Entire Book With One Author

Author last name, full first name.  Title.  City Published:  Publisher.  Year Published.

Taylor, Mildred. Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry.  New York:  Puffin Books.  1991.

(if there is more than one author to a book—First Author last name, full first name and second author first name and then last name.  Johnson, Tom and Becky Fuller.)

Edited Book

Editor last name, first initial. (Ed.).  Title.  City Published:  Publisher.  Year Published.

Beringer, P. (Ed.). The White House.  New York:  Bantam Books.  1992.

General Encyclopedia Entry

“Entry title.”  Title of Encyclopedia.  Year of the edition.

“Astronomy.”  World Book Encyclopedia.  1993.

Dictionary

“Entry title.”  Name of Dictionary.  Volume number. City Published:  Publisher.  Date.

 “Zimbabwe.”  Webster’s Dictionary.  Vol. 7.  Danbury:  Grolier, Inc.  1997.

Magazine Article

Author last name, full first name.  “Article title.”  Title of magazine.  Date of magazine (day

month year): page numbers.

Barry, Jack.  “Future Shock.”  Newsweek.  24 July 1995:  32-37.

Newspaper Article

Author last name, full first name.  “Headline.”  Name of Newspaper.  Date (day month year):

Section.page.

Einstein, John.  “Clinton Strengthens Ties with China.”  Chicago Tribune.  5 July 1997:  Section 5.1.

World Wide Web

Author last name, full first name.  “Title of the page or document on it.”  Title of the site. 

Date document was created.  On-line.  URL.  Date document was researched. 

Clinton, Bill.  “The Benefits of Net Day.” Speeches of the President. 3 December 1996. 

On-line.  http://whitehouse.gov. 12 December 1996.

CD-ROM Computer Software

Name of Software [computer software].  City Published:  Publisher.  Year Published.

Microsoft Encarta [computer software].  Redmond:  Microsoft Corporation.  1994.

Personal Interview

Last name, first name.  Personal interview.  Date.

White, Donna.  Personal Interview.  25 December 1992.

Television Program

“Title of Program.”  Title of Series or Special.  Host.  Channel (name).  Date.

“Voyage to the Galapagos.”  Scientific American Frontiers.  Host Alan Alda.  PBS.  5 October 1999.

Essay Information

The five paragraph essay follows a defined format. The first paragraph introduces us to the thesis of the essay and directs us to the three

main supporting subtopics.

The second through fourth paragraphs are all similar in format. They individually restate the subtopics, and are developed by giving

supporting information.

The fifth and last paragraph restates the main thesis idea and reminds the reader of the three main supporting ideas that were developed.

All of these paragraphs are important.               

The introductory paragraph is the place in which the writer introduces the reader to the topic. It is important to make this a clear and

limited statement. This is where the writer grabs the reader's attention. Because of its purpose, it is often the first sentence of the paragraph.

It is followed by three subtopics that develop the thesis. Between this paragraph and  all paragraphs of the essay, there needs to be some kind

of a transition word, phrase, or sentence.

Next, the body of the essay contains paragraphs two through four. They are all similarly constructed. Their topic sentences are restatements,

often in original form, of the three supporting ideas presented in the first paragraph. The subtopic of each of the body paragraphs is again

supported by three or more supporting sentences. These cement, in the reader's mind, the relevancy and relationship of each of the subtopics

to the thesis statement.

Finally, the fifth paragraph is the summary paragraph. It is important to restate the thesis and three supporting ideas in an original and

powerful manner as this is the last  chance the writer has to convince the reader of the validity of the information presented. Because the

purposes of the first and fifth paragraph are so similar that some writers construct them at the same time. They will edit them, as necessary,

as they do with each and every part of the essay.

It is important to reiterate that each of the paragraphs is joined together by a transition word, phrase or sentence. Transitions help the reader

to follow the flow of the logic and sequencing. All of the essay types follow this basic transition format. However, there is more latitude

with the narrative essay because of its nature.

Introductory Paragraph

General Thesis Sentence

1. Subtopic One
2. Subtopic Two
3. Subtopic Three

Transition

First Supporting Paragraph

Restate Subtopic One

1. First Supporting Detail or Example
2. Second Supporting Detail or Example
3. Third Supporting Detail or Example

Transition

Second Supporting Paragraph

Restate Subtopic Two

1. First Supporting Detail or Example
2. Second Supporting Detail or Example
3. Third Supporting Detail or Example

Transition

Third Supporting Paragraph

Restate Subtopic Three

1. First Supporting Detail or Example
2. Second Supporting Detail or Example
3. Third Supporting Detail or Example

Transition

Closing or Summary Paragraph

Synthesis of main topic

1. Synthesis of Subtopic One
2. Synthesis of Subtopic Two
3. Synthesis of Subtopic Three

Weekly Reading Log-Name_______________________

*log at least 200 minutes for the week due each Monday (200/5=40 points +10 point back portion= 50 pts)

*each day late is 10 points off the total     *fill out a line for each time you read    *Type : M,B, N, O

*parent signature must be on this sheet (50% off for no signature)

Reply to two of the “connections” below in a brief statement.  Circle the third “connection” and expand upon that

“connection” in a complete paragraph. 

Text-to-Text-_____________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

Text-to-Self-

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

Text-to-World-

_________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

General Editor Checklist/Peer Edit Guide

Peer Editor__________________  Author____________________

Checklist:

___ capitalization       ___ punctuation         ___complete sentences

___ indenting (no extra space between paragraphs unless it is a business letter)

___ quote marks        ___ spelling                ___ NEW usage                     ___ heading

Response Guide:

What is best about this piece of writing?

Is the opening interesting and attention getting?  What, if anything, could help it more so?

What is the focus of this piece?  Do all of the parts work to support the whole?

Would it be possible to organize the ideas or events more clearly?  How?

Are the paragraphs and sentences clearly and logically connected?  Where could transition words be introduced to make connections more clear?

Has the writer told enough about each part of the subject?  Where are more details needed?

Where is the language precise and vivid?  Where is the language vague or confusing? 

Where are there errors in usage, spelling, capitalization, or punctuation that need to be corrected?

Poetry Unit (click here to see an overview of the poetry unit)

The poetry unit is a 7th grade unit which begins in March.  It is dedicated to the learning and appreciation of poetry. 

Students in my class will most likely begin the unit not having experienced much poetry or not even liking poetry. 

However, my goal is to get all students to like poetry by the time I am done with them.  I usually operate with a 95% success rate. 

The unit contains a poetry anthology  which is a personal book of poetry that students create as a final project for the poetry unit.......

students will work on the anthology throughout the unit and have their anthology on display at our poetry celebration (dates to be announced).

Poetry, Poetry, Poetry Links

Poetry Alive (one of our poetry unit activities)

http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/School_Bell/Language_Arts/Poetry/

http://www.teenink.com/Poetry/

http://wockyjivvy.com/poetry/acclaim/ind-auth.html

Poetry Contests

http://www.teenink.com/Contests/PoetryC.html

http://www.voya.com/Contests/index.shtml

http://www.weeklyreader.com/teens/read/contests.asp

Library Resources:

MSN Online Library Resources

Ela Library