7^th Grade English Syllabus

 Teacher:  Mr. Maddix    410-472-9059    Cmaddix@SaintJamesAcademy.org  

Grading:            Classwork/Participation - 20%

                           Essays - 30%

                           Quizzes & Tests - 50% 

                            Homework - 20%

 Purpose  

7^th grade English places an emphasis on improving skills in preparation for higher level studies.  The goal of the course is to promote proficiency in reading, writing, speaking and listening.  This goal will be achieved through daily reading and vocabulary review and periodic assessments in grammar and writing. 

Reading

Reading will be conducted in and out of class, in assigned texts, as follow:

Hemingway – The Old Man and the Sea            Golding – Lord of the Flies

Scott – Ivanhoe            Shakespeare – King John     Homer – The Odyssey

-Students will also be required to submit periodic reviews of selected literature

-Reading speed will be routinely measured, using novel excerpts or short stories

-Students will be introduced to the lives and work of poets 

Vocabulary     

Students will be introduced to 20 new words every other week, and will become familiar with the words through six routine exercises. 

Writing  

Students will be required to submit monthly one of the following written products – descriptive, narrative, expository or persuasive.  The following skills will be taught/reviewed: creative writing, satire, paragraph structure, irony, foreshadowing, tone, literary analysis, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, business letters and resumes. 

Grammar        

On a minimum of a weekly basis, the rules of grammar will be reviewed. 

Listening        

Students will improve listening skills through analysis of lecture and motion pictures, and through group cooperative learning. 

Homework will be assigned a week at a time, on Fridays, posted at the St James web site, and will be collected and assessed when due. 

Assessments    

Students will be quizzed/tested on Fridays on alternate weeks. 

Missing Work

Work missed due to absence (drills, homework, class work) will be made up/submitted the day of return.  Work submitted after the day of return will not receive full credit.  Long term projects are due on specific dates.  Missed quizzes will be made up by appointment. 

Help is available on request.