September 1, 2011

Mrs. G. Olson’s Expectations for Seventh Grade Classes

                Seventh grade students will have me for their English (formerly Reading), Language Arts, and  Social Studies classes.  We will use the McDougal Littell Literature text for English, reading a variety of styles of literature.  Language class will incorporate grammar, writing, and oral components of language.  Two book reports per quarter are required. In Social Studies we will continue to study the world from the Middle Ages to present, looking at different areas of the world.  We should complete that portion of study about the end of first semester so that second semester we can concentrate on learning about Latin America.

                During two hours of the day, the entire seventh grade will be together for class.  Second hour will be Social Studies and eighth hour will be Language.  These larger groups of 29 students can be challenging and stimulating as we work together on our learning.

                My educational  goal for all my students is to make as much academic and social progress as they can.  In order for this to happen, everyone in the classroom needs to be respectful to others.  Any behavior that distracts or disrupts from the educational process is inappropriate.  Examples of  inappropriate behaviors include talking out of turn, verbal putdowns directed at others, physical contacts, messing with other people’s possessions, loud/rude noises, etc.

                Students who exhibit inappropriate behaviors will be warned once.  The next time their behavior is inappropriate, the student will be given a recovery slip to fill out in another room.  They will take the completed slip home to be signed by a parent/guardian and return it the next school day.  If the slip is not returned, the student will call a parent/guardian during Grab ‘n Go .

                If a student accumulates three recovery slips, an after school detention will be assigned.  Future slips will necessitate a meeting involving a parent, the student , the teacher and  possibly the principal.

                More severe behavior disruptions will be directed to Mr. Olson and documented on the SDS system.

                I will be using the Middle School coupon system to aid students in developing their best study skills and habits.  In my room, students are allowed to make corrections on tests and quizzes to raise their grade.  The procedure is that when a test or quiz is passed back, students may correct responses using their book as a reference.  I believe better learning takes place if the student searches the text to find out why they made the mistake.  When they find the right answer, they correct it and also write the page where they found the correct information.   They put the corrected work in the basket and when I re-correct it, they receive half credit for each error fixed.  In this way, all students can improve their scores.  I do not have a hard and fast rule about how long the students have to do this, but it makes sense to do it quickly.

                Finally, I urge students to keep assignment papers, undone and corrected/returned, until a grade sheet has been sent home and we are both sure that the grades recorded are correct and complete.  I will try to send grade sheets home every three weeks.  Student s who have parents sign and return them earn a little extra credit.

                I hope this helps students and parents understand somewhat my expectations and hopes for all the students in my classes.

                                                                                                                                Sincerely,

                                                                                                                                Mrs. Gail Olson