Tammy T. Moon
Language Arts Team 8-C
Conference Time 12:30-1:20
206-252-5010 - ttmoon@seattleschools.org

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Language Arts 8 is a full year course that focuses on writing, reading, and communicating. Expository, narrative, and persuasive writing modes are expanded through classic literary selections. Helping the students make a successful transition to high school is also a priority.

Essential Questions:

1. How do student readers apply elements of literature to develop and understand their own identity and broaden their engagement in the larger community?
2. How do students determine which form of writing to use for addressing purpose and engaging audience? Students will write expository, persuasive, narrative, and poetry.
3. How will students improve their skills in discriminating, gathering and synthesizing information from a variety of sources and integrate the information into a final product?
4. How does the student writer integrate elements of literature: setting, character, plot, theme, symbolism, etcetera, in their writing?
5. How do students use their knowledge and understanding of conventions (punctuation, grammar, etcetera) to improve their writing skills?

Grading Policy:
The grading policy for Team 8-C Language Arts is as follows:

1. Grammar assignments: 10 points
2. Returning signed documents and portfolios on time: 10 points
3. Writing assignments:

   a.    In-class journals: 40 points
   b.    Book reports: 60 points
   c.    Short stories: 60 points
   d.    Term papers/projects: 120-180 points

4. Quizzes and Tests

   a.    Spelling tests: 20-25 points
   b.    Grammar quizzes: 20-25 points
   c.    Unit tests: 40-60 points

5. Late work is not accepted for academic credit, except in cases of excused absence. If a student does not turn his/her work in on time, he/she will earn a zero for that assignment. Late work is accepted for effort credit only. It is your responsibility to make up quizzes and assignments missed due to an excused absence within one week of the absence.

Grades will be calculated using a ten percent scale. For example, the grading scale for an assignment worth one hundred points is as follows:

• 100-90=A
• 89-80=B
• 79-70=C
• 69-60=D
• 59-0=E

All grades will be entered into Easy Grade Pro--a brilliant program that calculates the grades automatically as each new grade is entered. I will send home portfolios eight times a year--at the mid-term and end of each quarter. At this time parents/guardians and students can print their grades from the website, sit down together and look over student progress. If you would like to review your student’s portfolio in the interim, please feel free to call and request the information be sent home. Grades can be accessed at anytime by visiting the class website. Extra credit is not available in Language Arts.

Extra credit is not available in Language Arts.

Classroom and Eckstein Norms:
Any type of reference to a person’s gender, race, ethnicity, physical features or anything deemed to be oppressive behavior is unacceptable and will be dealt with swiftly and severely. The consequences will come from the instructor and from the Eckstein administration. I have a zero tolerance policy for this behavior.

Attendance:
Regular attendance is essential in this class. Because of the rigor of this course I will enforce the Eckstein school policy for attendance and monitor attendance closely.

Curriculum Outline:
The Seattle Public Schools has implemented Standards Based Learning. To accomplish the goals, each student will be tested in the areas of reading, writing, and communication. In addition the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) is administered in the spring.

The following is a brief curriculum outline for the 2003-2004 school year:

1. Grammar

   a.        Parts of speech
   b.        Phrases and clauses
   c.        Proper English usage
   d.        Irregular verbs
   e.        Good verses Well

2. Spelling and Vocabulary
3. Classic Short Stories

   a.        Analysis of plot, theme, setting
   b.        Analysis of author’s writing style
   c.        Satire, parody, exaggeration
   d.        Imagery (metaphors and similes)
   e.        Symbolism
   f.        Write a short story

4. William Shakespeare

   a.          Life and times
   b.          Read a Shakespeare play
   c.        Students will develop a project based on the play

5. The Diary of Anne Frank

   a.          Read the play version
   b.          Speaker from the Holocaust Foundation “Through the Eyes of a Friend”
                     (Parents/Guardians invited in December)

6. Multicultural Literature

   a.        Poetry and short stories
   b.        Teaming with Social Studies to include historical influences and achievements.

7. Punctuation

   a.        End marks
   b.        Commas
   c.        Colons and semi-colons
   d.        Quotation Marks (dialogue)

8. Two Term Projects

   a.        Research techniques
   b.        MLA citation format
                     (works cited page, parenthetical citations, bibliographies, pagination)
   c.        Library use
   d.        Organizational methods

9. Controversial issues

   a.        Journals
   b.        Contemporary issues project

10. On-going units

    a.        Journal writing
    b.        Creative writing
    c.        Book reviews
    d.        Poetry
    e.        Portfolios
    f.        Pre-college activities
    g.        Study skills

11. Other

    a.        West Side Story
    b.        Speech, Drama and Art
    

If you have any questions, please call me at 206-252-5010, or e-mail me at ttmoon@seattleschools.org. For more information on assignments please visit http://www.eckstein.seattleschools.org/ttmoon. It is a pleasure working with your children.

Sincerely yours,

Tammy T. Moon,
Language Arts
Eckstein Middle School