P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School

University of Florida

August 8, 2006

Welcome to 7^th grade Language Arts. I’m glad you’re here.

This letter is long (had all summer to write it) but very important. And there may be a surprise hidden in here somewhere…

I have in mind a few goals for you this year. I’ll list those, then explain what we need to accomplish for the FCAT and Florida’s Sunshine State Standards. I’ll then talk about what our daily routine will look like.

What’s fair: students being compared to other kids just like them, whether they’re all rich or all poor or whatever? Or students being compared to a list of grade-level skills that teachers all across the country have agreed to? People like me who believe in "standards-based education" think that all kids should be held to the same set of rules – that kids from poor schools, with perhaps less-skilled teachers, should have just as good an education as kids from rich schools.

Sounds nice, but if there is one set of "skills" for everyone, then there has to be a way to "measure" whether kids are able to do those skills. And teachers love to say "measurement" when what they really mean is a TEST!

Ta-da! The FCAT! Now, if you’ve read carefully to this point, you deserve a prize (shhh). The science of measuring kids is called psychometrics. Psycho means "of the mind," and metrics means "measure" (your definition of psycho is an abbreviation of psychotic or "diseased mind"). Quietly say "psychometrics is psycho" to me and I’ll give you candy.

Every teacher has standards, or a set of skills to teach. You can read them if you want, but they’re written in "teacher-speak" (where they say "measure" instead of "test"). The ones for my class are all about reading well, writing well, speaking-listening-watching well, knowing about the English language and knowing about literature. Hey! They’re a little like the goals from earlier. Hummm.

Units for the year will look something like this. See the unit plans for more information.

OK, let’s face it, as a group, people your age are…well…peculiar. But we have very important things to accomplish. My room has three very simple rules:

I can handle your "issues" in two ways: keep you in your seats and silent--under penalty of death or worse, or I can TRAIN you to move and speak in ways that are appropriate. The second choice is way more work - for all of us, but if done well, it can create a place for us that’s actually not so awful.

All these things will be explained in excruciating detail, but for now (and you really should look up excruciating if you don’t know it – if you do, look up ad nauseam, ‘cause I almost used that)…

Then there’s Direct Instruction time. Might be reading instruction, or writing, or conventions (grammar and usage). I tell you stuff and you listen.

Then there’s practice. It’s usually done in small groups or partners.

Then there’s silent time to read or to write. And it really is SILENT.

So, that’s enough to get us started. Again, I’m glad you’re here. I’m going to do whatever I can to make this your best school year ever! Don’t forget the "phrase that pays!"

Sincerely

P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School

Course Overview

Course Title: Seventh Grade Language Arts (1001040)

Teacher: Greg Cunningham

Work Phone: (352) 392-1554 x292

Home Phone: (352) 377-4416

This class will provide students with the skills to:

The year will be divided into the following units. See unit plans for more information.

Sharpened pencil or pen each class period

Filler paper

Floppy disk, Re-writeable CD or memory stick

Florida statues establish the following grading scale

A: 90-100

B: 80-89

C: 70-79

D: 60-69

F: 59 and below

Each quarter grade will be averaged as followed:

Home reading / homework 10%

Reading Response Journal 20%

Formal writing 20%

Quizzes and Tests 30%

Projects/presentations 20%

Each semester grade will be averaged as follows:

Semester I Semester II

Quarter 1 40% Quarter 1 40%

Quarter 2 40% Quarter 2 40%

Semester Exam 20% Semester Exam 20%

Year/course final grade will be averaged as follows

Semester 1 50%

Semester 2 50%

Academic success is based on active involvement in daily class activities. Students have 48 hours to complete missed work due to an absence. After that, the assignment(s) will be subject to the late assignment policy. It is the student’s responsibility to ask the teacher for the assignments he/she has missed, as stated in the Code of Conduct.

Late assignments will be lowered one letter grade for every class period they are late. Half credit will be given for any late work turned in after a progress report as long as it is received within one week from the time that progress reports are sent home.

If a student is absent, he/she will have the opportunity to turn in the assignment for full credit. Students have one day for each day they are absent to complete and turn in the missing assignment(s). After that, the assignment(s) will be subject to the late assignment policy.