Syllabus

JACKIE SHENDLER CHRISTINA VOWINKEL **7TH GRADE HUMANITIES COURSE OVERVIEW**
 * 7TH GRADE HUMANITIES **

Welcome back to TYWLS of Astoria, ladies! This year brings many new and exciting changes and beginnings. This year, we have decided to combine English language arts and social studies to make one class called “Humanities.” You will still be getting both ELA and social studies instruction; the combining of the two classes simply means that the two subjects will be more integrated, or closely connected to one another.

This year, our class will meet every day for block periods of 100 minutes. During that time, you can expect to be practicing your reading skills for fiction and nonfiction texts, collaborating with your peers in book clubs and group projects, honing your writing skills, becoming knowledgeable about current events, and learning all about geography and early American history.

These are the materials that you will need with you on a daily basis.
 * Materials:**


 * 1 composition notebook
 * 1 or more highlighters
 * 2 or more pens
 * 1 two-pocket folder
 * 1 glue stick
 * 1 pack of Post-It notes
 * 1 pack of looseleaf

Your grade for this course will be derived from a variety of considerations: projects, essays, participation, performances, oral presentations, and traditional quizzes being among them. TYWLS Astoria will continue to use outcome based grading this year, which means that all assignments will be graded as a Not Yet, Meets Standards, or Exceeds Standards. You can check your progress at any time through JumpRope. Login with the same information as you did last year. If you do not know this information yet, you will receive it soon from your advisor. The web address is: [|http://app.impactschools.net/ImpactParent.html#school=TYWLS]
 * Assessments:**

In mid-April, you must take the New York State English Language Arts Test. This exam is given over the course of three days and assesses learning standards in the reading, writing, and listening modalities. Our course of study will focus on enhancing these skills so that you will be prepared for the exam. In addition, you will be taking periodic assessments generated by the NYC Department of Education that mirror the state exam that you will take in April. This will help to familiarize you with the format and content of the test. You will receive scores for these assessments, which we will use to help monitor your progress and cater to your individual needs.
 * ELA Test:**

Jackie and Christina want to keep communication with students and parents as open, honest, and frequent as possible. You will receive progress reports throughout the year, report cards, phone calls from subject teachers and/or advisors, and two student-led conferences. Both Christina and Jackie can be reached at the school’s main number, 718-267-2839, during school and through e-mail (below) at any time.
 * Contact Information:**

Jackie’s e-mail: jackie.tywls@gmail.com Christina’s e-mail: cvowinkel@schools.nyc.gov

We also have a website that you can access at any time to see homework, assignments, notes, and rubrics. This is a great tool to use, especially when you are absent and want to catch up on what you missed. The website is: http://7thgradehumanities.wikispaces.com

If you would like to download this syllabus, click on the icon below: