Course Syllabus

English 7

Section 1001 & 1001.2

Location: Online

Please review the CWCS Master Class Syllabus that will be used in the Parent/Student Orientation course.

 Instructor: Debbie Nishihama

Email: dnishihama@cwcharter.org

Office Hours: Mondays, 9 am - 10 am

Class Information

Class Time:

  • Semester 1 - First Class Meeting: August 15, 2022

Last Day to Add or Drop is 9/2/22 (Students will be charged the full price of the course if dropping the class after this deadline.)

  • Semester 2 - First Class Meeting: January 9, 2023       

Last Day to Add or Drop is 1/20/23 (Students will be charged the full price of the course if dropping the class after this deadline.)

CWCS’s 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 teacher.

Course Overview:  This course focuses on reading and understanding common core/state standards found 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, essays, or other writing projects. For this reason, it is important that they attend class regularly, arrive to 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 and literature, as well as more complex texts that provide facts and background knowledge in areas such as 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 that are required for success in college, career, and life.

 The state standards establish guidelines for English Language Arts (ELA) as well as for literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. Because students must learn to read, write, speak, listen, and use language effectively in a variety of 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, ESs can order curriculum using the OPS catalog which will have the most up-to-date pricing. Students will need the following: 

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 that includes the student edition (hard copy). 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 in the development of compositions or Performance Tasks. The web-enabled HTML5 digital format allows for device-agnostic access to all materials (works on all devices). 

Students enrolled in a Canvas English course will be instructed on how to use the digital components of their online textbook.

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 begin to lose participation points for the class. Class is much more engaging if all students can talk in class using their mic. 
  • Binder Paper
  • 1" Binder
  • Pencils & Erasers
  • Composition Notebook

Requirements: 

  • Class textbook/workbook
  • Gmail Account and ability to open/create word documents and pdfs (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 

CWCS English Department Homepage

Important ~ If an assignment is not submitted by the COLLECTION due date, students will automatically receive a zero for that assignment.  This procedure is in place to ensure that each student's grade reflects accurately throughout the semester.

Overall course grade: 

20% Attendance/Participation

30% Reading Comprehension Questions,& Quizzes 

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 a truancy.

  • Excused Absence is defined as:
    The parent shall notify the teacher by phone of the absence at least 24 hours* prior to the time the class meets.
  • Unexcused Absence is defined as:
    An absence that does not accompany a parent's phone call to the instructor at least 24 hours* prior to the time the class meets.

*If there are extenuating circumstances that do not allow for at least 24 hours, then the teacher must still be notified prior to 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 "back up plan" in case of unexpected computer problems 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.  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 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 who are using the course syllabi can follow the pacing guides’ weekly assignments.

 

Additional Resources: 

TurnItIn  

Turnitin is the most effective online technology used 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

English 7 – CP 1001 & 1001.2

Pacing Guide – 2022-23

This Pacing Guide is Subject to Change

Check Canvas each week for assignments including:

  • Weekly Reading Comprehension Questions
  • Collection Tests
  • Performance Task Writing
  • Novel Assignments 

 

Spring 2023

Weeks

Text

1

READ: “Remarks at the Dedication of the Aerospace Medical Health Center pgs 185-188

2

Read: Why Exploring the Ocean is Mankind’s Next Giant Leap pgs 193-197

3

No Class ~ Complete Assigned Work (Martin Luther King, Jr Day)


Read: Living in the Dark pgs 201-208

4

Read:  Your World pg 213

5

Collection 5 ~ The Stuff of Consumer Culture

Read:  Life at Home in the Twenty-First Century pgs 221-232

6

Continue Life in the 21st Century

Read:  Always Wanting More from I Want That pgs 233-236

7

No Class ~ Complete Assigned Work (Presidents’ Day 2/12 - 2/15) Read:  Dump pgs 241-243

8

Read: How Things Work on page 245

9

Read: Earth (A Gift Shop) pgs 249-245

10

Read:  Flesh and Blood So Cheap pgs 265-273

11

No Class ~ No Homework (Spring Break 3/1 - 3/15)

12

Read: The Story of the Triangle Factory Fire on page 275-277

13

Read: Uprising pgs 283-302

14

Read:  Craig Kielburger Reflects on Working Toward Peace pgs 307-312

15

Read: It Takes a Child pgs 317-318

16

Read: A Poem for My Librarian, Mrs. Long pgs 321-323

17

Last Class