Language Arts
Teacher: Ms. Kester E-Mail: krkester@okcps.org
Team: 8-B Phone: 405-632-2341
Room: A-105 Website: http://krkester.educatorpages.com
Course Description: Eighth grade language arts will include a comprehensive study of grammar and mechanics, basic techniques in analyzing sentence structure, paragraph development, and the multi-paragraph essay.
1. BE PROMPT – Students will be in assigned seat and begin working when the bell is finished ringing. A student is tardy if he/she is not in the room and in his/her seat when the second bell rings. I will be following the school's tardy policy.
2. BE PREPARED – Students will come to class with all supplies, agenda, and textbooks. These supplies include but are not limited to a 1” 3-ring binder, loose leaf wide-ruled paper, 5 tab dividers, 1 composition book, black pen, red pen, highlighter, and a pencil. A textbook will be checked out to the student to take home and one will be in the classroom for the student to use while in class. If your textbook is lost or damaged, the student must pay for the book before another will be issued. Students will also be given a workbook that will be brought to class everyday.
3. BE POLITE – Students will respect the teacher, faculty, and staff, as well as, all other students of the school. While in class, do not get up to throw trash away or sharpen a pencil while the teacher is lecturing. It is rude and will not be tolerated.
4. BE POSITIVE – Students will attempt any and all assignments. I will always be available to help any student who does not understand the assignments. I am available before and after school and at lunch. An appointment should be made as duty and meetings may prohibit meeting on certain days. Just ASK! Sometimes a few extra minutes, one on one, will make the difference in understanding.
5. BE PRODUCTIVE – Students will turn in all assignments by the due date except in the case of an absence. According to district and school policy, there is a five day window after returning from an EXCUSED absence to make up work. It is the responsibility of the student or the student’s parent/guardian to request work missed due to an absence. All make-up work must be labeled as such and have the date that it is submitted written at the top.
Classroom Procedures:
1. Everyday at the beginning of the hour, students will be expected to copy the information from the board in their agendas and complete a bell work assignment, such as daily language or journal writing. If you are absent, it is the student’s responsibility to find out what was missed.
2. Homework from the previous day will be due at the beginning of class.
3. All work must include a heading. The heading should be written in the upper, right-hand corner of your paper. The heading should include: name, date, hour, and assignment.
4. Procedures for completing all of the above will be shared and practiced with the students during the first week of school.
Supplies:
1. 1” 3-ring binder – This is the student’s notebook for language arts. It will contain this syllabus and other pertinent information relating to this class.
2. 5 tab dividers – These are to help the student to organize assignments, notes, etc. Tabs will be labeled according to the teacher’s directions.
3. Loose leaf wide-ruled paper – All assignments will be completed on loose leaf paper.
4. 1 Composition Books – This will be used for a journal and your daily language and will be kept in the classroom. It will be graded periodically.
5. Black pen, red pen, pencil – The black pen is for writing of the essays. The red pen is for proofreading of essays. The pencil will be used for assignments and the writing of rough drafts of essays.
Grading Scale:
90 - 100 A
80 - 89 B
70 - 79 C
60 - 69 D
59 - below F
Students will be given a copy of this syllabus to bring home, have parents read and sign the appropriate page, and will keep the syllabus itself in their binder.
***The first assignment is to take this syllabus home, read it, have your parents read it, sign all appropriate forms and return to me. This is your first grade and it is worth 100 points! Do not leave any blanks on any form. If it doesn’t apply to you then put n/a in the blank. Please make sure that you bring back everything I have given you! Please see below.
Syllabus – This will be put in your binder.
Student and Parent Signature Page – This will be given to me.
Student Information Sheet – This will be given to me.
Also, you and your parents need to sign the last two pages of the Student/Parent Handbook (Pages 51, 52, 53) and return to me.
Student and Parent Signature Page
Student name: ___________________________________ (please print)
Student signature: ________________________________
Parent name: ____________________________________(please print)
Parent signature: _________________________________
Parent e-mail: ___________________________________