Grade 7, Room 7 - Mr. Mark Griffith
-
Email: mgriffith@simonandjude.org
A little bit about me, I graduated from Temple University in 2010 with a degree in Copywriting. After nearly 10 years of working in marketing and advertising, and moving around the country from Colorado to Boston and back again, I decided to share my love and passion for writing with others and earned my M.Ed and Teaching Certification in English Language Arts. My wife is also a 7th grade English teacher, my son Sawyer is named after Tom Sawyer, and my daughter, Harper, after Harper Lee. I guess you could say ELA runs in the family. I am passionate about reading and writing, and love nothing more than sparking that passion in my students.
WELCOME TO GRADE 7I am a firm believer that you must first reach a student before you can teach a student. In my classroom, it is of utmost importance that we treat each other with respect. English Language Arts comprises Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking. All of these areas will be covered in this class in a variety of ways. We will write in a variety of genres and styles throughout the year, read a variety of fiction and nonfiction texts and novels, and study vocabulary. A focus on grammar is a through line for all of the work that we are doing, be it reading or writing. There will be a variety of individual and group work, and a multitude of opportunities to share with the class in an effort to improve our spoken language skills.
Seventh Grade Social Studies takes us on a journey through the earliest years of American history. We will begin by learning about the European discovery and colonization of this country. Next we’ll explore its revolution and founding. We will continue with the development of our nation, and end our year with the early parts of the Civil War. Our history is our collective story, and as this country’s story continues to be told, I look forward to learning with each of you how we arrived at this place and the lessons we have learned.
7th Grade Expectations
Be prepared for class with materials and homework.
- Homework is given on a regular basis. It may be written, study, or both. All homework should be completed on the night it was given. It is the responsibility of the student to check homework daily on Google Classroom. Parents and students may access homework assignments on our Google Classroom page using the student’s username and password. The assignments will be posted on a daily basis. All materials and homework must be brought to class on the day it is due. If supplies or homework is missing or incomplete, the appropriate comment will be marked on his/her calendar.
- Charging Chromebooks is nightly homework and very important for class participation.
- If your child is absent, it would be a good idea for a sibling or a responsible homework buddy to pick up any missed classwork/homework assignments that he/she may have missed during his/her absence.
Grades:
- Please refer to Option C for the test scores, missing assignments (homework), etc. Tests will not be sent home to be signed and returned unless requested.
- Class participation is a very important component of your child's learning. This will be assessed under the Effort and Study Skills section of the report card.
- Generally, extra credit projects are not offered as there are so many different opportunities throughout the trimester to demonstrate student learning.
Respect yourself, as well as others.
- I respect each and every student. You do not have to earn my respect, but you do have to keep it. Respecting others starts with respecting yourself.
Positive Learning Environment:
- Behavior should be conducive to learning at all times.
- When walking in the hallways, silence must be maintained.
Conduct Calendar:
- Please look at your child's conduct calendar. A signature is required when a mark appears on the calendar. Accumulated marks may result in detention. Please refer to the school handbook for details on this and other school policies.