Course Syllabus

syllabus 7th grade language arts a

Welcome

We are pleased that you selected this course to fulfill your unique educational needs. You are now a member of the Mizzou Academy global student body.

Course Description

Our Grade 7 Language Arts course supports you as you develop as a reader, writer, thinker, speaker, and listener. This course takes an integrated approach to genre studies, giving you opportunities and skills to analyze narratives, poetry, essay, nonfiction writing, and visuals. In the second semester, you also will study a novel.

Our Grade 7 Language Arts course asks how we can use hope to overcome challenges, and how we can learn from each other to make a positive difference in our communities. You will use active reading strategies to understand, enjoy, and respond to literature; develop creative and critical thinking skills; experiment with multimedia and art activities, and use the writing process to write creative and analytical pieces.

Required Materials

Many readings in the course are available from CommonLit.org. 

Here are the required readings for this semester. As mentioned, for resources located on the CommonLit website, you will need to log in/create an account and use the Mizzou Academy class code DGPWZ9. Materials not on CommonLit do not require a code since access is provided via various direct links on Canvas. The chart below serves as a comprehensive list of these readings, but also as a convenient quick reference for you throughout the course: 

 

SEVENTH GRADE - BOOKS AND READINGS - SEMESTER 1

LESSON

TITLE

1D

Cinderella (Charles Perrault)

1F

Coping Mechanisms (CommonLit Staff)

2B

All Summer in a Day (Ray Bradbury)

2C

Valentine for Ernest Mann (Naomi Shihab Nye)

2D

The Best Way to Deal with Failure (Selin Malkoc)

3B 

Cinderella (Charles Perrualt)-see 1D

3B

The Three Questions (Leo Tolstoy)

3C

Mother to Son (Langston Hughes)

3D

Why I Refuse to Say I Fight my Disability (Karin Hitselberger)

4B

David and Goliath (The Book of Samuel)

4C

Hope is a Thing with Feathers (Emily Dickinson)

4D 

How Autism Freed Me to Be Myself (Rosie King)

5B

Thank you, M’am (Langston Hughes)

5C

The Blind Men and the Elephant (John Godfred Saxe)

5D

Dreams (Langston Hughes)

6C

Snow White (The Brothers Grimm)

7B

The Dinner Party (Mona Gardner)

7C

Mountains (Rukiye Henderson)

7D

Malala Yousafzai: A Normal Yet Powerful Girl (NPR Staff)

8B

Sometimes a Dream Needs a Push (Walter Dean Myers)

8C

It Couldn’t Be Done (Edgar Albert Guest)

8D

Herd Behavior (CommonLit Staff)

9C

Today (Matthew Miltenberg)

10C

Charles (Shirley Jackson)

Technical Requirements

The most up-to-date requirements can be found here: 

Additional requirements for the course are below: 

  • audio and video recording capabilities (e.g. smartphone, camera)

Accessibility

If you anticipate barriers related to the format or requirements of this course, please let Mizzou Academy know as soon as possible. If disability-related accommodations are necessary (for example, a scribe, reader, extended time on exams, captioning), please contact Mizzou Academy.

Exams

Midterm Exam

The Midterm Exam is over Lessons 1-5.  Your exam is 50 questions (2 points each). As part of your exam, you will also turn in a writing assignment (100 points).

Final Exam

 The Final Exam is over Lessons 6-10. Your exam is 50 questions (2 points each). As part of your exam, you will also turn in a multimedia presentation (100 points).

 

 EXAM GUIDELINES

 The exams are not proctored, however, you are expected to follow these guidelines:

  • Do not use online material, course material, or other notes to take the exam.
  • Do not navigate away from the exam page during the exam.
  • Complete the exam in one sitting.

One of the ways that Grade 8 is different from Grade 7 is that exams will be proctored, which means an adult will monitor you while you take your exams. If you would like to prepare for this more formal requirement now, you can work with your family or a teacher/tutor to arrange proctored-like exam conditions.  For example, you could take the exam with a tutor, or in a library setting, or under formal conditions at home. If you can get some experience with these conditions in Grade 7, you may find it an easier transition to Grade 8 and beyond.

Grades

Your final grade will be based on the number of points you earn on assignments and exams.

The following grading scale applies only to students who meet this standard:

Grading Scale
Grade Percentage
A 90–100
B 80–89
C 70–79
D 60–69
F 0–59

After completing the course, unofficial transcripts will be available in the Tiger Portal. See this page for information on requesting official transcripts. 

Canvas and Technical Support

Canvas will be used as the primary platform for accessing course materials and assignments for this class.