Nowicki, Elizabeth

Mrs. Nowicki 

8TH GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS

ROOM 61

COURSE OUTLINE

“Believing that all children can, with effort, persistence, and motivation to succeed, is the heart of this belief.”  ~ Mary Cay Ricci

WELCOME TO OUR CLASS!

Parent Orientation – Thursday August 29, 2019 6:00 – 8:00 PLEASE JOIN US – WE WANT TO MEET YOU!!!!!

PREPAREDNESS

Everyday we expect you to have:

HOMEWORK

• Read  Every night
• Need to take pride in all your work
• Plan accordingly
• Publish with black or blue ink or using a computer
• Missing assignments – We are preparing for high school – missing assignments are the   

         student’s responsibility. The student will earn points upon completion.

 ASSESSMENTS

•  I-Ready to progress Monitor 3 times a year- Fall, Winter, Spring
•  Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) - in the spring
•  Quarterly ELA Midterms and Final Assessments-based on Common Core State Standards 

INDEPENDENT READING TIME IN CLASS

INDEPENDENT READING TIME AT HOME 

To become a better reader a person must read!   

Read 20 minutes on most nights  

Fill out IRT Calendar which is due the first day of the month.

Common Core Units

1st Unit – Journeys – Informational Theme

Essential Question:  How do societal problems shape an individual’s worldview?

Standards: RI 8.1 (Textual Evidence), RI 8.2 (Central Idea and Summarizing), RI 8.4 (Vocabulary) RI 8.8, ( Analyzing Argument) 

Fiction - Hero and The Third Wish

Poetry - “The New Colossus”, “Statue of Liberty Awakens with Tears on Her Cheeks  . . .”, I Hear “America Singing”, “I too Hear America Singing”

Multiple Texts - Analyzing Different Arguments

2nd Unit – Duality of Man – Fiction Theme

Essential Question: – Authors throughout history have dealt with the concept of the humanity of man. With all people, there lies a darker side.  Why does our society feel drawn to characters that show this inner darkness?

Standards: RL 8.2(Theme and Summarizing)  RL 8.3 (Analyzing Dialogue), RL 8.4 ( Vocabulary),        RL 8.6 (Perspective), RL 8.7 (Analyzing different mediums)

Main Text:: Multiple short stories by Edgar Allan Poe and other notable authors

3rd Unit – Survival Unit – Informational Theme

Essential Question – How is the will to survive a basic human instinct as depicted in the texts?

Standards: RI 8.2 (Central Idea), RI 8.4 (Vocabulary)  RI 8.5(Text Structure), RI 8.6 (Perspective)

Main Text :  An American Plague by Jim Murphy

Supplemental Texts: Multiple other non-fiction stories about survival

4th Unit – Freedom and Dreams – Fiction Theme

Essential Question – How does the idea of freedom as depicted through different texts reflect a common human desire?

Standards:  RL 8.2 (Theme and Summarizing), RL 8.4 (Vocabulary), RL 8.5, RL 8.9

Main Text:  Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Supplemental Texts:  TBD

GRADING POLICY

15%  Homework - All students start with 100% and will adjust as they turn in or do not turn in assignments.

25%  Projects - Which will include processes writing pieces and on-demand assessments.

20%  Quizzes - All assignments that are evaluated for mastery of a concept.

40%  Tests – This will consist of the midterms and the quarterly assessments.

PARENT ACCESS to GRADEBOOK

Please check Parent Access on the Conrady Website.  Grades will be updated weekly. Parent Access passwords have been mailed to your homes; however, passwords can also be attained in the school office.

SCHOOLOGY

Schoology is a central location where you can find your student’s grades, assignments, and past assignments.  You can also find a list of upcoming dates. Handouts are also located in Schoology.

RULES AND PROCEDURES

TARDIES

Students are expected to be in the classroom when the bell rings. Students will receive a verbal warning for their first tardy. Students will receive a written assignment for the second tardy and a teacher detention for the third tardy within a quarter. After the third tardy, students will be referred to the dean.

CLASSROOM LIBRARY

Students are welcome to use the classroom library. The library is the personal property of the teachers.  Books are to be returned in the same condition as they were originally borrowed. Books that are damaged or lost will need to be replaced or paid for by the student.  Book check-out procedures will be discussed in the first week of school.

CLASSROOM RULES

S School Rules and Safety: Follow Handbook

M Materials: Bring ALL necessary materials, pencils, homework

A Attitude: Respect Students, Staff, and be Positive

R Responsibility: Be Prepared, do the required work

T Time management: Be in Class, Be Prepared, Plan Ahead

BEHAVIOR PLAN

* First Warning – Verbal warning

* Second Warning – Assigned written assignments

* Third Warning – Parent contact and/or teacher detention before or after school (as determined by the teacher)

* Fourth Warning- Referral to the Dean of Students  

PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is defined as intentionally using another person’s words or ideas and claiming them as yours.  Don’t do it! This includes cutting and pasting from the Internet, copying another student’s work, or coping straight from a book or magazine.  This will result in an F and the assignment will be resubmitted.

We are always here to help you!  We are available between 7:15 and 8:00 am daily and 2:30 to 3:00 daily.

Mrs. Nowicki’s Contact Information 

Phone number: 708-233-4584

Email: [email protected]  

I look forward to working with you this year!

Student’s Name _______________________________________

Mrs. Nowicki’s  2019-2020 Course Outline

Please return ONLY this portion of the Language Arts 2019-2020 Course Outline by Friday August 23, 2019.

I have read and discussed the above expectations and policies with my student.

Date _____________________

Parent/Guardian Signature ________________________________________

Student Signature _________________________________________________ 

Parent Contact Information  - PLEASE PRINT NEATLY

Best person to reach during the day:

Name: ______________________________________________________________

Daytime Phone Number: ___________________________________________

Email Address: _____________________________________________________