Ms. Houck



		Ms. Houck


	PHONE NUMBER: school 377-2356


	6^th Grade Reading Loop Syllabus


	7th grade


	8th grade

RESOURCES

Wild Side books – short, high-interest, non-fiction stories

Read one story per week & complete reading skills questions

Best-Selling Chapters books – various chapters from eight different novels that have proved to be favorites among young readers

Each chapter focuses on a new writing skill: character, setting, conflict, narrator, and theme

VOCABULARY

Receive words, discuss, & complete supplementary activity with new words on Monday
due Wednesday unless otherwise stated
VOCABULARY TESTS FRIDAY!
READING SKILLS/OBJECTIVES

Fact vs. Opinion Ex. 1-9
Finding the Main Idea Ex. 1-7
Summarizing Ex. 19-27
Analogies
Reference Materials
Improve Fluency There will be FINAL TESTS on these reading skills.

STORY ELEMENTS

Genre *Conflict
Plot line *Dialogue
Narrator/Point of View

LITERATURE CIRCLES - Literature Circles are student-led discussion groups where each student has a role for which he or she is responsible. Students are placed into small groups based on their similar interest in a novel. The circles will come together every Thursday to discuss the assigned reading and present their completed role sheets. These circles utilize reading comprehension, critical thinking skills, and cooperative learning strategies; however, they are graded individually.

READING REQUIREMENT

Students must read a required number of pages and at least one book from a certain genre (both of which vary from quarter to quarter). There requirements will be stated at the bottom of their reading records (see below).
They will keep a reading record, (which remains in the classroom), and record each book’s information as they finish reading it.
Students are encouraged to read books at their grade level or slightly above.
Students’ Literature Circle book will be counted and added to their reading record.
Any number of pages read below 400 will just be calculated as a normal grade based on percentage. For instance, if a student read 300 pages, I would divide 300 by 400 and the percentage would be a 75% or a C.
Students will be given time each week for Silent Sustained Reading. They will be graded on this as well and each student will start at an A+ 100%. Bringing a book to class and actively reading are the two requirements for the grade. If they forget their book and have to go back to their locker, they lose 5%. If I have to redirect their attention back to reading during SSR, they will also lose 5%.

GRADING SCALE: GRADING PERCENTAGES:

93-100 = A 40% Daily Work/Homework

84-92 = B 30% Reading Requirement & SSR

74-83 = C 30% Tests

65-73 = D

64 or below = F

ASSIGNMENTS

10% off for no names
10% off each day it’s late

CORRECTIONS

Students will be given the opportunity to correct daily work grades of a D+ or below, which will improve students’ overall grade. This work must be turned into the correction folder.


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	7^th Grade Reading Loop Syllabus


TEXTBOOKS Critical Reading Series books – short, high-interest, non-fiction stories Read one to two stories per week & complete reading skills questions Skimming and Scanning I – increases reading comprehension by teaching students how to locate main ideas and facts in paragraphs, graphs, schedules, dictionaries, etc. *note: All of these books remain at school unless checked out to complete homework. VOCABULARY Receive words, discuss, and complete supplementary activity with new words on Monday due Wed. unless otherwise stated VOCABULARY TESTS FRIDAY! READING SKILLS/STRATEGIES Inferences Ex. 1-9 Drawing Conclusions Ex. 18-23 Finding Main the Idea Ex. 10-18 Summarizing Ex. 28-35 Fact vs. Opinion Ex. 10-18 Analogies Fluency There will be FINAL TESTS on these reading skills. FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE Simile * Personification Metaphor * Hyperbole LITERARY TECHNIQUES Flashback Moral & Theme Characters & Characterization LITERATURE CIRCLES* - Literature Circles are student-led discussion groups where each student has a role for which he or she is responsible. Students are placed into small groups based on their similar interest in a novel. The circles will come together every Thursday to discuss the assigned reading and present their completed role sheets. These circles utilize reading comprehension, critical thinking skills, and cooperative learning strategies but are graded individually. READING REQUIREMENT Students must read a required number of pages and at least one book from a certain genre (both of which vary from quarter to quarter). There requirements will be stated at the bottom of their reading records (see below). They will keep a reading record, (which will remain in the classroom), and record each book’s information as they finish reading it. Students are encouraged to read books at their grade level or slightly above. Students’ Literature Circle book will be counted and added to their reading record. Any number of pages read below 700 will just be calculated as a normal grade based on percentage. For instance, if a student read 600 pages, I would divide 600 by 700 and the percentage would be a B 86%. Students will be given time each week for Silent Sustained Reading. They will be graded on this as well and each student will start at an A+ 100%. Bringing a book to class and actively reading are the two requirements for the grade. If they forget their book and have to go back to their locker, they lose 5%. If I have to redirect their attention back to reading during SSR, they will also lose 5%. GRADING SCALE: GRADING PERCENTAGES: 93-100 = A 40% Daily Work/Homework 84-92 = B 30% Reading Requirement & SSR 74-83 = C 30% Tests 65-73 = D 64 or below = F ASSIGNMENTS 10% off for no names 10% off each day it’s late CORRECTIONS Students have the opportunity to correct daily homework grades of a D+ or below, which will improve students’ overall grade. This work must be turned into the correction folder. ABSENCES Students are responsible for collecting their missed work and handing it in within the noted period in the WMS handbook.


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	8^th Grade Reading Loop Syllabus

8^th Grade Reading Loop Syllabus INSTRUCTOR: Mrs. Houck EMAIL: houckc@glendiveschools.com PHONE NUMBER: school 377-2356 TEXTBOOKS Critical Reading Series – short, high-interest, non-fiction stories Read one story per week & complete reading skills questions Skimming and Scanning II – increases reading comprehension by teaching students how to locate main ideas and facts in paragraphs, graphs, schedules, dictionaries, etc. *note: All of these books remain at school unless checked out to complete homework. VOCABULARY Receive & discuss new words every other Monday complete supplementary practice: due Wed. unless otherwise stated VOCABULARY TESTS EVERY OTHER FRIDAY! READING SKILLS/STRATEGIES Inferences Ex. 10-16 Using Context Clues Ex. 1-18 Point of View Ex. 19-35 Analogies Main Idea Summarizing/Paraphrasing FIGURATIVE and POETIC LANGUAGE Idiom * Symbolism There will be Denotation & Connotation * Imagery TESTS on these Onomatopoeia reading skills. LITERATURE CIRCLES - Literature Circles are student-led discussion groups where each student has a role for which he or she is responsible. Students are placed into small groups based on their similar interest in a novel. The circles will come together every Thursday to discuss the assigned reading and present their completed role sheets. These circles utilize reading comprehension, critical thinking skills, and cooperative learning strategies; however, they are graded individually. WEBLOGS – A weblog is similar to a Website, however, it can be easily updated and allows the author(s) to publish instantly from any Internet connection. We will have a classroom Weblog, which students will use to post and respond to Literature Circle discussion questions, read aloud questions, and for posting book reviews/talks. A parent permission letter will be sent home explaining this in further detail. READING REQUIREMENT Students must read a minimum of 1000 pages including a nonfiction genre within one quarter to receive an A+. They will keep a reading record and add to it as they finish books. Students are encouraged to read books at their grade level or slightly above. Students’ Literature Circle book will be counted and added to their reading record. Any number of pages read below 1000 will just be calculated as a normal grade based on percentage. For instance, if a student read 900 pages, I would divide 900 by 1000 and the percentage would be a 90% or a B. Students will be given time each week for Silent Sustained Reading. They will be graded on this as well and each student will start at an A+ 100%. Bringing a book to class and actively reading are the two requirements for the grade. If they forget their book and have to go back to their locker, they lose 5%. If I have to redirect their attention back to reading during SSR, they will also lose 5%. GRADING SCALE: GRADING PERCENTAGES: 93-100 = A 40% Daily Work/Homework 84-92 = B 30% Reading Requirement, Literature Circle, 74-83 = C and SSR 65-73 = D 30% Tests 64 or below = F ASSIGNMENTS 10% off for no names 10% off each day it’s late CORRECTIONS Students have the opportunity to correct daily homework grades of a D+ or below, which will improve students’ overall grade. This work must be turned into the correction folder. ABSENCES Students are responsible for collecting their missed work and handing it in within the noted period in the WMS handbook.

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