7270 Lisbon St.
San Diego, CA 92114
(619)-263-9266
August 19, 2020
Dear 7th Grade KLA Leaders,
My name is Mr. Sullivan and this will be my fifth year teaching 7th grade Humanities at Keiller Leadership Academy! Before I tell you a little bit about myself I first would like to welcome all new and returning 7th grade students back to KLA. After much success in our last 4 years using, "Amplify," we will continue to develop our understanding of the English language and get familiar with new cultures using this curriculum through distance learning to start the year. Whether we are online or in the classroom, each student will love how fun and interactive Amplify makes learning and exploring the English Language Arts all while attaining all the Common Core State Standards of California. Because of the modifications that are necessary to teach Amplify in a distance learning setting we will be using a fun program called Peardeck so that I can assess your work more efficiently! I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am to get to know each one of you and to guide your learning of the English Language Arts and all of its history!
As many of my former students know, I am originally from Boston, Massachusetts and grew up in a little town called Sharon, which is about 5 miles away from where the New England Patriots play! I am a huge fan of the Patriots, Celtics and Red Sox, but will watch almost any game on TV. I graduated from Sharon High School in 2009 and then attended college at the University of Rhode Island where I obtained my bachelor’s degree with majors in Secondary Education along with English. In May of 2019, I finished my Master’s Degree in Education and School Leadership at the University of San Diego. Although it was a lot of work, I feel very proud of myself for continuing my education and learning how to be an even better teacher.
I really enjoy reading and learning about other cultures and experiences different people have in my free time. I actually just finished reading a collection of short stories called "Flying Lessons." What I especially liked about these short stories was that they were written by authors from different ethnicities and cultural backgrounds. Each short story is about a difficult time they experienced as a teenager. I will have this book on display in my class library for you to read and even sign out to take home.
This past summer I traveled to Cape Cod for a week to spend time with my family on the beach. Because of the Covid-19 virus I spent a lot of time reading inside and outside on my patio. One of the books, titled, "Educated," was an inspiring story about a girl who never was allowed to go to school, but taught herself on her own and eventually fulfilled her dream of attending college.
In class this year I will demonstrate Leadership qualities online and in person and will expect you to do the same. Respect for me and your peers, working hard, using class time wisely and most of all maintaining an attitude that strives for success are all part of my expectations for each 7th grade student. If you or your parents have any questions or concerns about class performance or any other issues you are welcome to call or email me and we can make an appointment to meet after school. I look forward to meeting you, and have a great feeling about this year!
Mr. Sullivan
7th Grade Humanities
Google Classroom Class Codes
Period A1: l2fsyy7
Period B2: 5kqlyuvPh: 619-263-9266 ext 2033
Welcome to 7th Grade Humanities!
Course Description:
Humanities class is a combination of both the English Language Arts and History. Students studying humanities will be able to make clear connections between the literature they read and the history behind it. This school year all Humanities students will be learning about different cultures and reading relevant literature through the new, “Amplify, curriculum.
The Amplify curriculum will take students on an interactive journey through online texts and quests that will engage students in a groundbreaking new way all while attaining the Common Core State Standards. Students will be accessing technology each day in class to help them comprehend works by Edgar Allan Poe, Lorraine Hansberry, Shakespeare as well as informational and historical texts.
HABITS OF MIND
Curiosity: the desire to know more about the world
Openness: the willingness to consider new ways of being and thinking in the world
Engagement: a sense of investment and involvement in learning
Creativity: the ability to use novel approaches for generating, investigating, and representing ideas
Persistence: the ability to sustain interest in and attention to short and long-term projects
Responsibility: the ability to take ownership of one’s actions and understand the consequences of those actions
Flexibility: the ability to adapt to situations, expectations, or demands
Metacognition: the ability to reflect on one’s own thinking
What do you know about Humanities class? I know that Humanities class is _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Grading Policy
10% Speaking/Listening/Partner Reading
34% Formative Assessments/Classwork
20% Rubric Based Writing
25% Summative Assessments/Interim Tests/Final Essays
10% Vocab App/Grammar Flex/Solo work
1% Citizenship
Rubric Based Writing Scale
10 Exceeding Standard/Advanced
8 Meeting Standard/Proficient
7 Approaching meeting the Standard
6 Not yet but getting there.
5 Incomplete
Numerical Grade Breakdown
100%-90% = A
89%-80% = B
79%-70% = C
69%-60% = D
59% and below = F
Write one question that you still have about the grading policy. One question that I still have about the grading policy is ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Class Expectations
ALL SCHOOL RULES APPLY TO THIS CLASS! PLEASE REFER TO YOUR STUDENT HANDBOOK.
Solo/Reading Comprehension Work
Solo Reading Comprehension assignments will be given every day and checked the following class day. If you do not have computer access, then you must complete the workbook assignment and quickly input it into the “Solo” part of the Amplify website at the beginning of class. Depending on the day I will allow 5-10 minutes at the end of class to work on the Solo.
Beginning of Class Procedures
Gather all supplies that will be necessary to succeed in class out of backpack.
Leave backpack in assigned backpack area (you will not be able to access backpack for the rest of the period.)
Retrieve computer quietly.
Quietly walk to your assigned seat.
Sign into Amplify
Begin Vocabulary
Check the board for next steps.
Wait for further instructions from the teacher.
Restroom Policy
You will be allowed to leave the room ONCE per week. I expect that you will ask to use the restroom and you will need to sign out at the back desk. You must write the date, time, location and time back in on the sign out sheet. You must always wear the orange vest whenever you leave. The vest must be worn properly.
Hand Raising
Students must raise their hands to speak out loud in class unless specifically directed otherwise by the teacher. Talk only when permitted. Be aware of the situation since quiet talking is allowed in some situations and speaking to the entire group without raising your hand may be allowed in others. I will remind you once and expect compliance. Non-compliance will result in consequences such as lowering of the student’s citizenship grade, detention, and/or a call home.
Why do you need to raise your hand to speak? I need to raise my hand to speak because _____________________________________________________________________________.
Countdown = the teacher may count down from 5 to 1. At “1” students must be back to their seats, quiet, and ready to follow directions. Students not following directions will receive a loss of citizenship points.
Absences and Missed Work:
Students are responsible for all work missed work during their absence. All assignments will be posted online.
The student should set up an appointment with the teacher to go over and to turn in any missed work. Late work may only be submitted during the teacher’s tutoring time after school.
Missed work is the responsibility of the student to make up!
What should you do if you miss a class? If I miss a class, I need to
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Citizenship Points
You will be graded daily on Speaking and Listening, Participation, and Work Habits. You can also lose points for the following violations
Backpacks at seat
Not getting quick questions started within 1 minute of bell
Not facing forward/paying attention while the teacher is talking.
Dress Code
Off Task
Arguing
No Homework
Disrespectful to other students/teacher
Outbursts without raising hand
Walking around room
Spending too much time playing with mechanical pencils/not prepared with supplies
Tapping
Cross-classroom talking/yelling/giggling
REACH
Every student will be held accountable to REACH
Respect We treat others with kindness.
Enthusiasm We have a good attitude towards the learning.
Achievement We will succeed in all our classes.
Citizenship We take pride in our school.
Hard Work We complete all assignments on time and not waste a minute.
Student Name: ________________________________________________________
Parent Signature: ______________________________________________________
2. Illustrate 6 different scenes/parts from the short story in the story board comic strip. Underneath each illustration describe what is going on or use a quote. Storyboard must include color for full credit. A story board is what we did for "The Tell Tale Heart," it is basically a comic strip of the main events that happened in the story.
On the back of the story board write down 5 words from the text that you did not understand. Use google to find the definitions and paraphrase them on the back.Red Scarf Girl Poster Project
Due Date: Friday October 14th
Directions:
-Choose a scene from Red Scarf Girl that we read in class. This could be any excerpt from Lesson 1-12 in SubUnit 3.
-Illustrate the scene you and your partner have chosen.
-Include one quote from that scene about how Ji-Li feels during the moment. Quote must be written big and clearly on poster.
-Include Ji-Li’s hopefulness during the scene. (From 1-10)
-With your partner write a brief summary of what is going on in the scene that you illustrated. (Can be written on lined paper, or typed.) (5-8 Sentences)
Rubric
20 pts- Presentation: Poster is illustrated using colors, words are written clearly, neatly done
30 pts- Quote: Quote is relevant to the scene, is clearly written,
30 pts- Summary: 5-8 sentences, documents important/key moments in scene and how they affect Ji-Li.
10 pts- Grammar/Spelling: capitalization/punctuation, no grammatical errors, Includes quotation marks
10 pts- Hope-o-meter: Include how hopeful or hopeless Ji-Li is during the scene chosenPh: 619-263-9266 ext 2033
Welcome to 7th Grade Humanities!
Course Description:
Humanities class is a combination of both the English Language Arts and History. Students studying humanities will be able to make clear connections between the literature they read and the history behind it. This school year all Humanities students will be learning about different cultures and reading relevant literature through the new, “Amplify, curriculum.
The Amplify curriculum will take students on an interactive journey through online texts and quests that will engage students in a groundbreaking new way all while attaining the Common Core State Standards. Students will be accessing technology each day in class to help them comprehend works by Edgar Allan Poe, Lorraine Hansberry and Shakespeare.
HABITS OF MIND
Curiosity: the desire to know more about the world
Openness: the willingness to consider new ways of being and thinking in the world
Engagement: a sense of investment and involvement in learning
Creativity: the ability to use novel approaches for generating, investigating, and representing ideas
Persistence: the ability to sustain interest in and attention to short and long-term projects
Responsibility: the ability to take ownership of one’s actions and understand the consequences of those actions
Flexibility: the ability to adapt to situations, expectations, or demands
Metacognition: the ability to reflect on one’s own thinking
Units of Study
____________________________________________________________________.
Grading Policy
10% Vocabulary
10% Reading Comprehension
20% Daily Writing
20% Daily Standards-Based Formative Assessment (tied to lesson focus/check sheet)
40% Summative-
Final Draft/Quest/Block and Interim Tests
Formative Assessment Grading Scale
10 Exceeding Standard/Advanced
8 Meeting Standard/Proficient
7 Approaching meeting the Standard
6 Not yet but getting there.
5 Incomplete
100%-90% = A
89%-80% = B
79%-70% = C
69%-60% = D
59% and below = F
_____________________________________________________________________.
Class Expectations
ALL SCHOOL RULES APPLY TO THIS CLASS! PLEASE REFER TO YOUR STUDENT HANDBOOK.
Reading Comprehension Homework
Solo Reading Comprehension assignments will be given every day and checked the following class day. At the end of each class period, the teacher will remind you to write down the Solo assignment in your agenda. If you do not have computer access, then you must complete the workbook assignment and quickly input it into the “Solo” part of the Amplify website at the beginning of class. . Homework will also be posted on the school website. Go to WWW.mykla.org, then access the link to the teacher’s class.
__________________________________________________________________________.
Beginning of Class Procedures
Restroom Policy
To use the restroom, I will require you to have your student agenda. You will be allowed to leave the room ONCE per week. I expect that you will ask to use the restroom and have your planner open and ready to be signed. If you do not have your student agenda, you will not be permitted to use the restroom.
Hand Raising
Students must raise their hands to speak out loud in class unless specifically directed otherwise by the teacher. Talk only when permitted. Be aware of the situation since quiet talking is allowed in some situations and speaking to the entire group without raising your hand may be allowed in others. I will remind you once and expect compliance. Non-compliance will result in consequences such as lowering of the student’s citizenship grade, detention, and/or a call home.
Countdown = the teacher may count down from 10 to 1. At “1” students must be back to their seats, quiet, and ready to follow directions. Students not following directions will receive a loss of citizenship points.
Absences and Missed Work:
What should you do if you miss a class? If I miss a class, I need to ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Citizenship Points
You will be graded daily on Speaking and Listening, Participation, and Work Habits. You can also lose points for the following violations
REACH
Every student will be held accountable to REACH
Respect We treat others with kindness.
Enthusiasm We have a good attitude towards the learning.
Achievement We will succeed in all our classes.
Citizenship We take pride in our school.
Hard Work We complete all assignments on time and not waste a minute.
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