MELP 
"At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice he is the worst." Aristotle 
​

Clayton Middle School
MELP Language Arts 7, 2018-2019
Disclosure Statement
Ms. Anna Christiansen, MLit, MFA, MAT
 
anna.christiansen@slcschools.org 
(801)481-4810 ext. 2027 
​www.msachristiansen.com
 
Course Description
The seventh grade MELP language arts curriculum is designed for students chosen for their high academic ability. Students in this class will acquire literacy tools they will use throughout their lives, including literary analysis and interpretation skills, oral communication proficiency, reasoning ability, linguistic competency, and writing mastery. In addition to the Utah Core Curriculum and district performance requirements, students will explore extended learning and enrichment activities.
 
Course Goals and Objectives

• Students will work to improve their communication skills. This includes:
  • text examination and interpretation from a wide variety of genres
  • vigorous writing instruction in poetry, narrative, informational, and argumentative writing
  • speaking and listening skills that will be refined through oral presentations, group work, discussions, debates, and      

   note-taking.

• Writer’s Notebooks will be used to improve conventions, sentence structure and fluency, ideas, voice, organization and word choice.  Students will complete the writing process in Utah Core aligned assessments.
• The state core requirements taught are located online at the SLCSD and the Utah State Office of Education websites.

 
Course Materials

• Collections 7, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; ISBN 978-0-544-09095-8
• Various supplemental materials that support the themes and events presented in this course, including websites like Utah Compose.
• Various novels and non-fiction texts (classroom and student selected) discussing themes and elements of literature featured throughout the year.
• Students are responsible for returning textbooks with the number assigned to them.  Returning a book of a different number does not replace the book that was assigned to you.  All lost books will be paid for in the main office.

 
Format and Procedures

• Our class will regularly use group and partner work, debates, inquiry, presentations, and the like.
• I expect your student will read at least twenty minutes each day. We understand that the amount of time per day      may vary as the schedules of the days vary but reading is as essential as breathing for increasing learning.
• Individual accountability and student responsibility is mandatory; students are expected to record their assignments and homework on a daily basis.  It is the student’s responsibility to complete class work and homework. Completing class work and homework will help the students improve their readiness for subsequent learning. This is integral for building student success.
• Vocabulary and reading logs will be assigned.  Current events topics will be studied each month.
• Students are required to have the following supplies in class everyday:

O One subject notebook and one subject composition book for each of the semesters (2).
O Pencils, pens, highlighters
O Student selected novel (independent reading book) and assigned class novel
O Flash drive or access to an email account

 
Course Requirements

• All class members are expected to work to create a positive learning environment. Appropriate classroom behavior is critical to effective learning. Any behavior that prevents learning is considered inappropriate.
• It is expected that each student will attend class on a daily basis. Due to the interactive nature of the class, there may be some tasks that cannot be made up; thus, regular attendance is strongly encouraged. If a student misses a class, the responsibility of getting the notes, activity sheets and assignments is that of the student.  It is also the student’s responsibility to speak with the teacher about any material they may not understand from the time they were absent.   Students can find their make-up work in the designated bin in the classroom. Work that is not made up will result in a zero in the grade book. For long absences, please contact the counselors to have assignments made up and testing arranged.
• Homework happens often in MELP. It is expected to be turned in on or before the due date at the beginning of the class period.

• Work submitted by the student should reflect their best work. While parental guidance is appreciated, the best assessment of growth in content, processes, and skills can be seen in the student’s own efforts.
• Plagiarism is not allowed.  Those who plagiarize will receive a zero and an opportunity to resubmit, receiving late credit.  Second offenders of plagiarism will not be allowed resubmission, the assignment will receive a final score of zero, and a meeting with parents and administration will be scheduled.
• Students caught cheating will receive a zero on the assignment.  If a student is caught cheating a second time, a meeting with parents will be scheduled.  Any subsequent cheating will include student, parent(s) or guardian(s), teacher, and school administration.

 
Grading Procedures

• Assignments past their due date will have a score of zero in the computer grading system (Power School). Some assignments will not be accepted late. Such assignments will be written in ALL CAPITALS in Power School, and clearly stated to the students. Work that is accepted late will be marked down by twenty percent. Late work will be due every midterm and end-of-term.
• Extra credit opportunities will be offered throughout the year; however, students should not depend on extra credit to significantly raise their grade.  Completing all work on time is the best way to ensure a good grade in this class.
• Parents and students can check student progress through PowerSchool, accessible through the CMS website.
• Citizenship (student behavior) will be evaluated within Clayton Middle School’s academic and behavioral expectations, as well as classroom citizenship guidelines.

 
Disclosure Signatures

• Please sign the last page.  Keep this document at home for reference and return the signature page to your teacher.