Course Title: Seventh-grade Language Arts

Instructor: Jessica Andrews

Email: ja02074@georgiasouthern.edu

Phone: (678)xxx-xxxx

Resources: The following textbooks and technology resources are required for this
course.

Beers, Kylene. Elements of Literature: First Course. New York: Holt McDougal, 2005.

Curtis, C.P. The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963. New York: Delacorte Press, 1995.

Kinneavy, James. Elements of Writing: First Course. New York: Holt McDougal, 1998.

Students are expected to have access to a computer with a reliable internet

connection. Dial-up internet connections are not recommended. Computers must be
equipped with software for word processing, PowerPoint presentations, and
downloading and opening PDF files. Students must also have access to an email
account. The course instructor must have a record of this email address and the
student and parent’s phone number. A webcam and microphone are also
recommended.

Goals and Objectives: This course is designed to help students become more critical
readers, writers, and thinkers. By completing several independent and collaborative
learning tasks and receiving teacher feedback, the student will accomplish several
objectives. By the end of the course, the student will be able to understand and
articulate the theme and author’s purpose of a fiction reading selection. The student
will write using precise, descriptive vocabulary in persuasive, expository, and
narrative texts. The student will use complex sentences correctly in their writing
assignments. The student will also improve their writing and develop their own
unique voice in writing assignments through self-editing and peer-editing
techniques.

Assessments: Students will complete several learning activities as they acquire new
skills throughout the course. Please be prepared to work collaboratively with other
students in the class throughout the year. Just because this class is online does not
mean that you will be working alone! Major projects and collaborative learning
activities will count as assessments. Writing assignments that go through several
drafts and include self-editing or peer-editing will also count as assessments. There
will be occasional multiple-choice quizzes or tests as well. There is a cumulative
final exam each semester.

Instructor and Student Interaction: All emails and questions posted in the “Help”
forum will be answered within 24 hours. I will be available for help during office
hours each Tuesday and Thursday afternoon from 1-2 pm. Students are expected to
log-in and attend class each Wednesday from 10-11 am. New class material will be
posted by 8 am each Monday morning. All assignments are due at Eastern Standard
Time as stated in the specific assignment. Each student may have two attempts on
multiple choice quizzes or tests.

When responding to other students’ posts or questions, please be polite and

respectful. All posts are to be on topic! Please realize that this is an open discussion
board. Do not post personal information. Offensive remarks, insults, and personal
attacks will not be tolerated. Failure to abide by these guidelines may result in a
referral to the school administration.

Learner Guidance: This may be your first experience with online learning. Just
because the class is online does not mean that you can work at your own pace. It is
highly recommended that you log in more than once a day and preview upcoming
assignments. You are still responsible for all of the work and making sure all
assignments are handed in on time! Make sure you know how your computer works.
Help is available through the school’s IT department! If you have questions, call
them at (404)xxx-xxxx. Computer problems are not an acceptable excuse for
missing a deadline and losing points on an assignment! I am also here to help you if
you have questions about what we are learning in class. Please feel free to email
me, post a question in the Help forum, or chat with me online during office hours.

Grading System: Missing work will only be provided for excused absences. Late
work will not be accepted after three days. Ten points will be deducted for each day
that an assignment is late. After three days, the missing assignment becomes a
zero. Extra credit is not provided in this course.

Technology problems (computer crash, bad internet connection, etc) are not
acceptable excuses for late work or missing an online test.

All assignments are due at Eastern Standard Time at the time stated in the specific
assignment.

The following categories are used to weight grades for this course:

Practice (classwork/homework/journal) 40%

Assessments (projects/tests/quizzes/writing) 45%

Semester Exams 15%

The grading scale is as follows: A 90-100

B 80-89

C 70-79
 D 60-69

F Below 60

Academic Honesty: All students are expected to complete their own work at all
times and on all assignments. If a student uses a resource, they are expected to
give credit and acknowledge where they received the information. Cheating will not
be tolerated at any time. Examples of cheating include copying another student’s
work, plagiarizing, not giving credit to sources in research projects, or unauthorized
help during an online test. A first offense of cheating may result in a zero for the
assignment. Further offenses may result in a referral to the school administration
and forced withdrawal from the course.

Class Organization: The class is organized into hourly daily sessions. The class is
completely online. Each daily session will open with a warm-up activity to get the
class started. The rest of the hour may include mini-lessons, group discussions, or
small group learning activities. The class will close with a reflection of what was
learned and a preview of the next day’s lesson. You may be required to spend time
outside of this working on readings, practice activities, or writing.