Welcome to 8th Grade! I look forward to a splendid year! I welcome your phone calls (355-6100) and email (cadams@greenville.k12.sc.us) should you have any questions, comments, or concerns. I am also available for conferences after school.  The curricula for the classes I teach are aligned with South Carolina state standards as well as Greenville County district goals for eighth grade language arts and reading. Grades are classified as major and minor.  For language arts, they both count 50%.  For English I Honors, major grades count 60%, and minor grades count 40%. Below you will find general syllabus information, class expectations, and supplies needed for my classes. I wish you a wonderful year.

SUPPLIES:
composition book
3 ring binder with dividers
top-loading page protectors
loose leaf paper
pencil pouch, pencils, pens (blue or black and colored)
highlighters, markers
post-it notes
1 sheet of poster or project board (bring in when needed)
glue sticks (bring in when needed)
index cards - save your old stems cards if you have them!

General Syllabus Information:

Course Description: Students will expand their knowledge through reading, listening, speaking, writing, and research.

Objectives: By the end of 8th grade, the student should be able to:

• Apply information presented in selections to different situations
• Identify and use parts of speech correctly
• Identify subjects, predicates, and complements in sentences
• Use varied sentence structure in writing
  
• Recognize and use a variety of literary devices
• Recognize the genre of a literary selection
• Determine the writing style, tone, and form suitable for a given audience
• Prepare a presentation using research skills
• Write effectively in a variety of forms

Grading Scale:
A = 93 – 100
B = 85 – 92
C = 77 – 84
D = 70 – 76
F = Below 70

Grade Components:
Major grades:  Stems review tests, final drafts, tests, projects
Minor grades:  Caught'yas, weekly stems quizzes, other quizzes, quick-writes, homework

Student Records: Attendance and grades will be logged in grade book.

Missed work/ Make-up work: All work missed due to an absence may be made up. It is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements to make up work within one week of returning to school from an extended absence.

Attendance and Tardy policy: Please see Hillcrest Middle School Student Handbook.

Class Rules:
1. Stay on task from bell to bell.
2. Remain silent during all announcements.
3. Model respect for EVERYONE.
4. Maintain the workshop atmosphere

Consequences for not following rules:
1st offense: Warning
2nd offense: Phone call to parents
3rd offense and subsequent offenses: Referral

Units of Instruction:
You will find a time-line of instructional units under the page designated for the particular class.