7^th Grade Writing

AC2E Middle School

Mr. Hilario A. Patino

School: 956-488-6024

Cell: 956-437-5064

Email: hpatino042@rgccisd.org

Planning periods available to meet: 9^th (2:50-3:35)

Syllabus                                                                                                                                                                               August  21, 2014

To the student:

                  You are about to study writing in seventh grade. It requires more understanding and mastery of the rules of English grammar as well as a high level of skillfulness in crafting pieces of writing which expresses deep and carefully thought-out ideas. Skillful writing does not come easily for most people. It involves a lot of work and persistence in doing it right. But once it happens, the rewards are great. It is like a mother who has given birth to an adorable child! Take heart. You are about to embark on an adventure!

Course Objectives

Primarily this course requires the students to write a multi-paragraph essay in the form of a personal narrative or an expository piece. Each of these has its own requirements which will be examined in detail in the course of each six weeks. Secondly, this subject demands from the students a consistent command of usage rules as well as conventions of the English language as applied in the essays that will categorize the learners on an accomplished level.

Course Overview

Among the main topics of this subject are the parts of speech, sentences, sentence structures, combination of sentences, punctuations, conventions; drafting essays with a clearly defined focus, appropriate organizational strategy, precise word choice and vivid images, use of simple, compound, complex sentences, internal and external coherence, and effective introductions and concluding paragraphs.

Teaching Strategies

This course will employ various methods that have been found effective in enabling students to learn and are supported by data as to their usefulness. Cooperative learning,lecture, Socratic questioning to elicit student responses and understanding, the use of depth and complexity in planning and implementing lessons, journal writing, oral presentations, recitations, role playing, mnemonics, acronyms, diagramming of sentences, thinking maps, open response questions, and rubric scoring will be utilized as part of classroom techniques of instruction.

Standards

Standards for this subject will follow the ones specified in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) which could be broken down to Readiness and Supporting Standards.

STAAR Exam and TEA Holistic Scoring Rubric

Writing will be tested in 7^th grade. Cognizant of this fact, the score levels of the state test called State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) for compositions are determined by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) through a holistic scoring rubric. The levels are as follows

Score Point 1	Very limited	Weak in many areas
Score Point 2	Basic	Somewhat weak in some areas
Score Point 3	Satisfactory	Sufficiently strong
Score Point 4	Accomplished	Consistently effective

The student points for the revising and editing sections of the STAAR are combined with the scores of the compositions through a specific formula whose total shows either a passing or failing score.

Grades

Grades will be computed according to two categories: class work  (75%) and tests (25%). Class work involves participation, recitation, assignments, homework, projects, journals, binders, writer’s notebook, book reports, and others. Tests entail quizzes, six weeks exams, and benchmarks.

Concluding  Reminder

All learning happens when the student applies what have been communicated to him/her. But what is even more important is when he/she uses the knowledge gained for his/her own betterment as well as that of his fellow human beings.