Professional Documents
Culture Documents
My name is Summer
Ammons and I will be your eighth grade English teacher.
Heres a little bit about me. I earned my Associates in Arts
degree in English at Golden West College. I also attended
California State University Long Beach before transferring to
Arizona State University. My grandfather was my inspiration
for becoming a teacher because even after he retired his
former students would contact me and tell me what an
impact he had on their lives. In my spare time I love to read
and my favorite author is Jodi Picoult. I also enjoy playing
with my son, quilting, baking, and trying new dinner recipes for my
husband.
Contact Information: The best way to reach me is by email but please feel
free to call my office. I will be in my classroom an hour before and after class
for students who are struggling, have questions, or need extra help.
Although I will strive to respond to emails as promptly as possible, nonemergency emails received over the weekend will be addressed the following
Monday.
Phone: (714) 864-0272
sdammons@asu.edu
http://summerdawnammons.weebly.com/
Daily Schedule:
Period 1
Period 2
Period 3
Period 4
Period 5
Period 6
Lunch
Period 7
Period 8
8:05-9:05
9:10-10:00
10:05-10:55
11:00-11:40
11:45-12:35
12:40-1:20
1:25-2:15
2:20-3:10
Important Events:
1 This year, students are expected to complete essays and/or projects
for each unit, read the assigned material and participate in class
discussions.
2 Most of our reading will be done in class, but every student will be
responsible for reading four (4) books outside of class and giving a
written review of each.
3 Students will also keep journals that will require a one page entry each
week.
4 Agenda logs and Bellwork notebooks will also be checked for
completeness each quarter.
5 Students will also compile a portfolio of all of their class projects to see
the progress they have made from the beginning of the year as well as
reference the material for later courses.
Assignments: Assignments will consist of Bellwork, Journal Writing,
Extended Writing, Art and Drama, Grammar and Vocabulary Exercises, and
Project Presentations.
Homework Policy: All homework should be turned in on time by the date
specified unless otherwise arranged (such as an excused absence surgery,
going out of town) and may be turned in early. Students will be graded on
the highest 20 out of 28 homework assignments. There will be no late or
makeup work accepted. A zero grade will be given and can count as one of
the dropped grades.
Bathroom Policy: The students will receive 4 bathroom passes a year
that they must turn in upon use. Only one student may leave the classroom
at one time. Students can earn up to two additional passes by doing extra
credit work.
Late Work Policy: There will be no late work accepted unless there is an
excused absence (e.g. scheduled surgery, hospitalizations, out of town).
Students will have until the next school day to turn in their work for credit. If
Grading:
Portfolio
Applied Project I
pts
Applied Project II
pts
100 pts
200
200
Grading Scale:
90%-100%
80%-89%
70-79%
60%-69%
Below 60%
A
B
C
D
F
Grades will be posted online so both students and parents can see the
progress throughout the school year. I will strive for a quick grading turn
around so students can receive feedback as quickly as possible. Essays and
large projects will be graded and returned one week from the due dates.
Daily participation will be added to the posted grades at the end of each
week.
Print Concepts
Phonemic Awareness
Phonics
Vocabulary
Fluency
Comprehension Strategies
Comprehending Literary Text
Elements of Literature
Historical and Cultural Aspects of Literature
Comprehending Informational Text (will be used during daily warmups)
Writing:
Expository Text
Functional Text
Persuasive Text
Writing Process
Prewriting
Drafting
Revising
Editing
Publishing
Writing Elements (will apply to all written work)
Ideas and Content
Organization
Voice
Sentence Fluency
Conventions
Writing Applications
Expressive
Expository
Functional
Persuasive
Literary Response
Research
My Vision: When teachers show their acceptance of students, and students begin to see and
understand that teachers care, school can be mutually satisfying to both students and teachers.
Diversity is what makes learning in an English classroom environment possible because it
facilitates discussions and learning through different lenses at all levels. Influenced by Madeline
Hunter, Dr. Fred Jones, Dr. Harry Wong, and mostly by Dr. Richard Lavoie, I appreciate
multimodal learning in the classroom. Thanks to the research of Dr. Lavoie, I am now a
proponent to preventative discipline. Teachers have become too reactive with students and not
proactive. As a teacher I will set up my students for success and not wait for them to fail to
address any issues.
**STUDENTS: I AM REQUIRED BY LAW BY THE STATE OF ARIZONA TO REPORT SIGNS
OF ABUSE, OR NEGLECT, OR IF YOU THREATEN OR IMPLY TO HURT YOURSELF OR
SOMEONE ELSE.
____________________________________________________
I understand the policies and procedures that Mrs. Ammons has outlined
for her 8th Grade English Language Arts Class, and my student and I have
received a copy of the class syllabus and calendar for the 2017-2018
school year.