Course Syllabus
English 7
Sections 1001 & 1001.2
Location: Online
Please review the CWCS Master Class Syllabus used in the Parent/Student Orientation course.
Instructor: Debbie Nishihama
Email: dnishihama@cwcharter.org
Class Information
Class Time: Mondays, 9 am - 10 am
- Semester 1 - First Class Meeting: August 16, 2021
Last Day to Add or Drop is 9/3/21 (Students will be charged the full price of the course if dropping the class after this deadline.)
- Semester 2 - First Class Meeting: January 3, 2022
Last Day to Add or Drop is 1/14/22 (Students will be charged the full price of the course if dropping the class after this deadline.)
Course Overview
Connecting Waters Charter School's (CWCS) English 7 online course offers students the opportunity to study at home while employing technology as a learning tool, meeting with other students in a virtual classroom, and receiving live instruction from a credentialed teacher.
This course focuses on reading and understanding common core/state standards in complex literature. Students will learn to think, analyze, and write thoughtful essays about literary and informational texts. They are expected to complete assigned readings, articles, or other writing projects. For this reason, it is essential that they attend class regularly, arrive at class on time, and come to class prepared to participate in meaningful discussions about literary and informational material.
The state standards require students to read stories, literature, and more complex texts that provide facts and background knowledge in science and social studies. Students will be challenged and asked questions that push them to refer back to what they've read. This stresses critical-thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills required for success in college, career, and life.
The state standards establish guidelines for English Language Arts (ELA) and literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. Because students must learn to read, write, speak, listen, and use language effectively in various content areas, the standards promote the literacy skills and concepts required for college and career readiness in multiple disciplines.
Curriculum
Required curriculum may be available at the Learning Center on a first-come basis. If needed, Education Specialists (ES) can order curriculum using the OPS catalog, which will have the most up-to-date pricing.
Textbooks:
Students will be using the online version of Collections; the publisher is Houghton Mifflin. The traditional text and the online version come as a package including the student edition (hard copy), a Close Reader, and a Performance Assessment booklet. When students check out the package, they will receive a username & password for the digital component. The digital version and the texts will be available for check-out from the learning center on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Integrated Online Student Edition has all the features of the print edition plus Digital Collections which provide comprehensive standards of instruction in writing, speaking, and listening. Close Read Screencasts provide an audio and visual model of an analytical conversation about the text. In addition, the media resources such as History®, Lifetime, A&E, and Bio are seamlessly integrated into the digital offering. The digital tool also includes the FYI site, which provides curated, contemporary informational text for additional reading and instruction. Digital tools within the eBook enable students to annotate the texts they are reading, save their notes and annotations and then use those notes to develop compositions or Performance Tasks. The web-enabled HTML5 digital format allows device-agnostic access to all materials (works on all devices).
Students enrolled in a Canvas English course will be instructed to use their online textbook's digital components.
Novels:
Semester 1
The War of the Worlds by HG Wells
ISBN-13: 9798665038988
Publisher: Independently Published
Price: $12.25
Semester 2
Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass
ISBN-13: 9780316058490
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Price: $8.99
Materials
- Working external headset with mic (computer speakers do not work successfully with the Canvas setup). Plug-in headsets (rather than Bluetooth) work best with Jigsaw. After the third week of class and no headset, students may lose participation points for the course. Class is much more engaging if all students can talk in class using their mic.
- Binder Paper
- 1" Binder
- Pencils & Erasers
Technology Requirements
- Class textbook/workbook
- Gmail Account and ability to open/create word documents and pdf (Adobe Acrobat Reader)
- Microsoft Word, PDF, or Google Docs are the only acceptable writing programs.
- Reliable Internet access
- Canvas Login link: https://cwcs.instructure.com/login/canvas
Grading
CWCS English Department Homepage
Students will be graded on attendance, participation, tests, quizzes, writing, and in-class reading comprehension questions.
Overall course grade:
25% Attendance, Discussions, & Participation
25% Quizzes & Checks
40% Writing & Projects
10% Collection/Novel Tests
Grading Scale:
E: Excellent - consistently meets or exceeds expectations of 7th grade English standards, attends class, completes all assignments, and participates in class.
S: Satisfactory - meeting expectations of 7th grade English standards, attends class, completes assignments, and participates in class.
N: Needs improvement - unable to or, with prompting and support, progressing towards meeting 7th grade English standards, poor attendance, and/or missing assignments.
Attendance:
Attendance is required. The Truancy Policy applies to Canvas courses. An unexcused absence may be counted as truancy.
- Excused Absence is defined as:
The parent shall notify the teacher by phone of the absence at least 24 hours* before the time the class meets. - Unexcused Absence is defined as:
An absence that does not accompany a parent phone call to the instructor at least 24 hours* before the time the class meets.
*If there are extenuating circumstances that do not allow for at least 24 hours, then the instructor must still be notified before the start of class; allowances may be made depending on the circumstances. Examples of extenuating circumstances: car accident, sudden illness, etc. Students should arrange a "backup plan" in case of unexpected computer problems on the day of the class (i.e., make pre-arrangements to go to a neighbor, friend, relative, library, etc.) When students are absent, they must contact the instructor via email or contact another classmate to obtain the homework assignment.
Absent/Late Work: Please email the instructor through Canvas if you will be absent. Students who turn in assignments late will not receive a grade higher than 75%.
Daily Homework:
All of the work for this course is assigned and graded by the instructor. Parents are encouraged to review their student's work before submitting it. Assignments are arranged to keep students engaged in English every day and will be submitted through Canvas. You can submit a Word document, PDF, or Google Doc (download as a PDF and upload to Canvas). Emailed assignments will not be accepted. All communication will be made through the Canvas messaging feature.
Please Note: Assignments are subject to change. Students enrolled in Canvas classes should log into the course regularly for up-to-date and detailed assignments. Students who are not enrolled in Canvas classes and using the course syllabi can follow the pacing guides' weekly assignments.
Additional Resources
TurnItIn
Turnitin is the most effective online technology to manage the submission, tracking, and evaluation of student papers online. Turnitin provides originality checking, interactive grading, and peer review and allows instructors to deliver rich, personalized feedback in less time, encouraging notably higher levels of student engagement.
Important Dates 2022-2023:
Aug. 10: First day of school for fall semester (Wed.)
Sept. 5: NO CLASS: Labor Day (Mon.)
Nov. 11: NO CLASS: Veteran’s Day (Fri.)
Nov. 18 - 25: NO CLASS: Thanksgiving Break
Dec. 5 - 9: a-g Finals
Nov 28 - Dec 2: Last Class session this week (a-g)
Dec. 5 - Dec 9: Last Class session this week (all other classes)
Jan. 3: First day of school for spring semester (Tues.)
Jan. 16: NO CLASS: MLK Holiday
Feb. 17 - 20: NO CLASS: President’s Day Observance
March 17 - 24: NO CLASSES THIS WEEK: SPRING BREAK
May 1 - 5: Last class session this week (a-g)
May 8 - 12: Last Class session this week (all other classes)
May 8 - 12: a-g Finals
May 19: Last day of school