Meet the Teacher

1. Meet the Teacher Mrs. Pelton ELA 2019-2020 Amanda.pelton@dvusd.org http://www.dvusd.org/hm-pelton

2. Who’s Mrs. Pelton? • This is my 28th year teaching in DVUSD • Taught grades K,2,3,4,5,6,7 • BS degree from ASU in Business with a major in Transportation and Logistics • Master’s degree from NAU in Educational Leadership • K-8 teaching certificate, middle school endorsement, early childhood endorsement, ELL K-12 • Married for almost 31 years with three adult children, and two dogs • Loves spending time with family, going to the movies, gardening, decorating, camping, kayaking and riding ATVs.

3. Pelton Updates • Looks for emails every two weeks or as needed for class updates and scheduled tests • Look on website for important links~ Weekly lesson plans, Canvas, Collection book link • Check Power Schools for grades • Note: Grades in Canvas are only a portion of the grade. Grades in Power Schools are the final grade average.

4. Grading Policies • Late work will receive a loss of 10%, and will not be accepted the last two weeks of the quarter. Extra credit is not available per district guidelines. • Long term assignments (any task due 5 or more days after it is assigned). If a student is absent the day a long term project is due, the student may email the assignment, turn in the work early or have a friend/family member leave the assignment in the office by the due date. • Reading/Writing tests are generally open book. Students may also use notes for some assessments. • Weighted grading: Assessments/Projects 60%, Classwork 40% • Homework will be outside reading to complete monthly book blogs and will be counted as a long term project. • If a student is ABSENT, he/she will have one day PLUS one more day to make up the assignment. It is the student’s responsibility to pick up assignments in the designated area.

5. Curriculum • Collections textbook (directions and link can be found on my website) • Several novel studies will be planned (Example: Chasing Lincoln’s Killer, Outsiders, I Am the Cheese – depending on the class) • Supplemental short stories and articles will be used to support close reading strategies • Notice and Note Signposts (Six strategies for close reading) • Arizona English Language Arts Standards (Adopted December 2016) • http://www.azed.gov/standards-practices/k-12standards/english-language-arts-standards/

6. Areas of Study • Reading Standards for Literature: Independently and proficiently read grade-appropriate and increasingly complex literature from a variety of genres • Reading Standards for Informational: Analyze the interaction between/among individuals, events, and ideas presented in a variety of informational texts • Writing Standards: Develop and produce clear and coherent writing for a variety of tasks, purposes, and audiences using argumentative, informational, and narrative writing types • Speaking and Listening Standards:  Collaboratively discuss and analyze a variety of subjects • Language Standards: Demonstrate mastery of grade level conventions (grammar, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling)

7. Writing • On Demand and Process Writing • Students will use the RACE strategy( Restate, Answer, Cite, Explain) • Informative/Explanatory writing (see rubric on website) • Argumentative writing (see rubric on website) • MLA format required • Focus will be on citing evidence and elaboration

8. Assessments • Greek/Latin Roots/Affixes Quizzes • Collections textbook Quizzes • Novel Unit Quizzes/Presentations • Occasional Entrance/Exit ticket checks • District Assessments • Scholastic RI will be given 3x to measure Lexile level growth • AzMerit

9. AP Time • Academic Prep time daily for 30 minutes in Period 4 for students to engage in levels of intervention and study time.

10. Behavior Expectations • We will follow the Hillcrest matrix plan/Progressive Behavior Intervention • Classroom Plan: Be Prompt, Be Prepared, Be Positive, Be Productive • Positives~ Classroom raffle ticket for monthly drawing, school Falcon coupon for Rita’s Ice drawing • After initial warning, a behavior step form will be completed and parents will be notified • During any of the progressive step process, students may be required to complete a behavior reflection form and be sent to a teacher buddy class.

11. BOOK BLOGS • Students will be required to read a novel of their choice outside of class time to complete monthly book blogs. • Book blog rubric and directions will be on my website. • Outside projects such as Book blogs will be counted as long term assignments.

12. SETTING GOALS • Student Accountability~ • Students will set learning goals and track their progress in their ISN • Lexile level • District benchmarks • Formative Assessments (standards based short assessments to measure progress and guide instruction)

13. A DAY IN THE ROOM • Copy agenda board • Bell work • Lessons (I Do, We Do, You Do) • Individual, partner and small group work • SSR (Silent Sustained Reading) – Student must have a book of choice with them at all times. • Speaking and Listening standards~ Student centered discussions • Gallery walks, jigsaws, expert groups, literature circles, accountability, challenging work, and… hopefully, laughter! • Growth Mindset

14. A Few Thoughts…