School: Valley High School Room: C-7 Teacher: Ms. Sanford Email: kSanford@egusd.net Class Website: www.sanfordreads.weebly.com Phone: 916-689-6500 ext. 6554
Course Title: Reading Intervention 4
Course Description The purpose of the Reading Intervention 4 class is to present research-based direct reading instruction. The focus of this course will be on improving both reading fluency and comprehension skills. Through direct, explicit instruction, students will be taught reading fundamentals to improve their overall literacy skills. Targeted literacy skills will include: fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, oral communication, and writing.
Course Objectives Students will improve reading, vocabulary, and writing skills as measured by an increase in baseline assessment data. Students will learn explicit skills to improve reading fluency. Students will practice reading daily and will engage in summarization activities to improve comprehension. Students will use critical reading (i.e., close reading, asking questions, marking the text, etc.) techniques to improve reading comprehension. Students will become active readers and learn reading comprehension strategies such as: talking-to-the-text, note-taking, inference, prediction, etc. Students will summarize various readings throughout the year and present their work using various presentation modes: oral, multi-media (i.e., PPT or creating a movie), graphic representations, storyboards, etc. Students will engage in Literary Circles and discuss various short stories. Students will learn basic affixes to increase vocabulary skills. Students will improve writing skills through dynamic writing, which will include pre-writing, editing, and revision.
Classroom Expectations Students are expected to adhere to the rules and guidelines of Elk Grove Unified School District as noted in the Valley High School Student Handbook. It is expected that you will be prepared each day, excited to learn, and that you will be an active participant in your education!
Behavior Expectations: Be Prepared Be Positive Be Polite Be Punctual
Homework/Grade Expectations One aspect of becoming a successful student is the ability to organize work and ensure that assignments are turned in on time. It is your responsibility to ask for help with any class assignments prior to their due date. If you are absent, you have three options to get the missed work: Check the class website to download the assignment. Make an appointment, either before or after school, to review your work/progress. Ask a classmate to get the assignment to you. 2
Tardies: Should you arrive late to school, you must have a note signed by your parent/guardian, which you should take to the office to get stamped prior to coming to class. Enter class quietly, and hand me your pass before taking your seat.
Missed Assignments Please be aware that all regular assignments must be completed in order to receive extra credit.
Make-up Work (Excused Absence): You have three days to submit make-up work without a grading penalty, and it is due at the beginning of the class period. If work is turned in after three days, a 10% grading penalty will apply for each subsequent day late. Missed presentations will need to be scheduled with Ms. Sanford.
Late Work: Late work will be accepted up to the end of the month in which it was assigned, unless prior arrangements have been made. For example, an assignment given on September 6 th , and due on September 9 th , will not be considered late as long as it is turned in during September. This accommodation has been implemented to allow students extra time to manage the myriad assignments from their other courses.
Missed Tests or Quizzes: Must be made up within one week before or after school. It is the students responsibility to make arrangements to make up this work.
Late Work Passes: At the beginning of each quarter students will receive 2 late work passes that may be used on any minor assignments throughout the quarter. The passes will enable a student to turn in an assignment anytime during the quarter for the possibility of full credit. Lost passes WI LL NOT be replaced. If a student does not use the passes, the complete privilege pass sheet may be turned in at the end of the quarter for 20 extra credit pointsprovided that all outstanding work has been completed.
Passes Out of Class Students will be allowed only two bathroom passes per quarter. Once the passes have been used, students will not be allowed to leave class unless there is an emergency. Please plan accordingly. If a student does not use the passes, they may be turned in at the end of the quarter for 20 points of extra credit (see above).
Food and Drinks Students are allowed to have something to drink in my classroom as long as it does not disrupt the learning environment. If a student abuses this privilege, it may be taken away. I do not allow food in my classroom unless it is for a project or in special circumstances.
Class Website The purpose of the class website is to have a place where students can find the resources they will need throughout the year. For access, go to: www.sanfordreads.weebly.com 3
Student Evaluation
Everyone starts out with an A. Semester work comprises 80% of the course grade. Assessments account for the remaining 20%. Grades are an evaluation of your current academic skill set. As such, it is unrealistic to expect an A on every assignment. Grades are based on skill masterynot effort. Assignments not turned in on time will be entered as zeroes in School Loop until the assignment has been turned in for credit. Students will keep every assignment that is returned to them as part of their portfolio of work. Students may be asked to re-do work in order to improve their grade. This is an opportunitynot a punishment.
Below is a description of each letter grade and the percent of mastery needed to earn each grade:
A Work completed is above and beyond what was expected. Student demonstrates mastery of the assessed skill. 100% 90% B Work completed is of great quality. Student demonstrates a high proficiency of the assessed skill. 89% - 80% C Work completed is of good quality. Student demonstrates proficiency of the assessed skill.
79% - 70% D Work completed is of okay quality. Student is working toward meeting the requirements of the assessed skill. 69% - 60% F Work completed is of poor quality. Student needs to begin working toward meeting the requirements of the assessed skill. 59%
o I view grades as a measure of how well a student is doing at any one point in time, which means there can be opportunities to improve upon them. o Students who have not mastered a skill are encouraged to resubmit a corrected copy of the assignment. o Any assignment that has been resubmitted must be turned in by the end of the current unit of instruction. o I encourage open dialogue about assignments, grades, and skill mastery so that students understand what their mastery level is on any given skill set.
Final Thoughts Reading is a fundamental skill that all students need to be successful students. Consequently, this course has been designed to teach a variety of literacy skills, such as increasing reading comprehension, improving vocabulary development, and helping students become critical readersto name a few. The assignments have been chosen to engage students, incorporate technology, and provide numerous opportunities for students to improve their reading skills.
Students will be expected to work diligently, stretch their current academic skills sets, and be a true scholar, which means that the learning may be challenging at times. That is to be expected! So, get ready, be excited, and lets journey toward great things as we learn together.
Ms. Sanford
Syllabus adapted from http://www.d300.org/~michellemarconi Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. Harriet Tubman