Welcome to English 7 2017-2018: Needed Supplies

While the sales on school supplies are available, it's a good idea to stock up on the things you'll need later, but that will be much more expensive then !   If you are able to, you might want to get enough paper, pencils, and pens to last for the school year. 


Note: If your family cannot afford school supplies, please speak with a teacher or administrator. 

⇒  Parents, please sign the AUP (computer/internet use) agreement as soon as possible.  Parents must sign into Skyward under their parent account to do this.  Look for a link to "Computer and Internet Use Permission Form." 

Here are some required and suggested items.
1. Required (You will definitely need these):  

• Composition books -- Ms. Dorsey asks her students to bring a composition book to use for readers' and writers' workshop. You might want to buy a couple when they are on sale.  You should have it at school by the beginning of the second week of school. Sooner is better!

• Plenty of lined paper (Get enough to last for the school year, since it costs so much more when it's not on sale.)
• Plenty of pencils (Teachers usually keep some on hand for students to borrow in an emergency, but students should supply their own, and should not break or throw pencils.) If you like to use mechanical pencils, have extra lead on hand. Teachers likely won't have it. 
•  I'd really appreciate it if you could donate 
• some pencils to the class! 

• Pens with black or dark blue (indigo) ink

  

  http://www.tigerpens.co.uk/blog/blue-black-ink/
  This link leads to some interesting
  information about choosing a pen color.

A red pen might be used sometimes, but do not do your homework and in-class writing with it or with other odd colors of ink.

• Parents, please don't send sharpies or other permanent ink pens to school with your students. They can quickly become a nuisance item. If they need to use them to mark binders, notebooks, P.E. clothes, etc., please do that at home.

• Colored Pencils (This can just be the regular pack -- a larger variety of colors is totally optional!)  We will use these to color code grammar exercises, paragraphs, and essays, and to add snaz (coolness, awesomeness, excitement, greatness) to some other assignments.  

A couple of three ring binders. Some students do better with everything kept in one binder, and others prefer to have one binder for A-Day classes and another for B-Day classes. (A few students organize better with folders, but in my experience most students do better with a binder and dividers.) 

• 
  
• Binder dividers -- You can buy these or make your own with index or construction paper.

Be prepared each class day to bring to class a book to read. You could bring one from home, from the public library, from the school library (media center), or you could check out a book from our classroom library. To begin the school year, you may pick your own genre, but later on your teachers will let you know what sorts of books you should be reading. You will likely receive points for bringing your book and for being prepared to read quietly during reading time.

 
2. These items are suggested, but not required: 

• Your Colored pencils may also be needed for history class, and come in handy at times in other classes.
• Spiral notebooks -- Watch for those that go on sale for seventeen or twenty-five cents each.
• A three-ring hole-punch that fits in your binder is very helpful if you receive handouts that haven't been punched.
• A small manual pencil sharpener is nice to have.
•  A small pack of Kleenex -- We usually have facial tissues/Kleenex available in our classrooms, but they are not soft on a tender nose.
• Hand sanitizer
•  If you find a good deal, you might want to have on hand some poster board. Sometimes teachers will assign students to create posters, and it's helpful not to have to run out to the store at 10 pm when the student remembers he or she has a poster due the next day. [Yes,  I've been there, done that with my own children!]
• Sticky notes and highlighters

Don't forget Back-to-School Night on August 17 from 3:30 to 5:30 pm.

and 

7th Grade Day (Optional 1/2 Day)

When?Monday, August 21 -- 8:15 am to 11:00 am
__________________________________

     To donate to our classroom -- pick up a form or go HERE 

and specify Ms. Dorsey's classroom under "Purpose of Donation."

We always need more books for students to read!

I'd like to purchase a couple of standing desks for students. 

___________________________________
For our Class Disclosure Document

Download the disclosure document from here:

7th Eng Disclosure Dorsey 2017-2018 Aug.doc

To open it, click on the link above, then click on the download tab.

Click here for Classroom Rules.

Suggestions for Summer Reading!

Spelling Test #1

Spelling List #2

Spelling Test #1

Spelling: My Personal Survival List 

1. On your own, right now, fill in the information you know how to spell.  Do as much as you can without looking up information or how to spell it.  

2. Place an x by the answers you're not sure of.   

3. Verify and correct information and spelling.

4. After the teacher checks for completion and correct spelling, this will come back to the student.

5.  File this in your binder under Vocabulary/Spelling.  Receive this August 28/29.  Your test will be on  September 6/7.  Record this assignment in your planner right now.                                                                  _____/20 points

My first, middle, and last names (capitalization counts):
My teachers’ names:	A1
	A2
	A3
	A4
	B5
	B6
	B7
	B8
My school administration		Principal
		Vice-Principal
		Vice-Principal
		Vice-Principal:

My school (not abbreviated):
My school subjects:	A1
	A2
	A3
	A4
	B5
	B6
	B7
	B8
My school address:

Spelling List #2

Outsiders Vocabulary/Spelling    Receive  September 6/7.   Test September 14/15.

Chapters 1 and 2 

1. conscious  
2. sympathetic
3. savvy
4. rebellious
5. suspicious
6. acquire
7. unfathomable
8. incredulous

conscious -- having awareness of surroundings and sensations and thoughts   [con scious]

I remembered Johnny—his face all cut up and bruised, and I remembered how he had cried when we found him, half- conscious, in the corner lot.

sympathetic -- expressing compassion or friendly fellow-feelings (feeling with someone else).  [sym  path   et   ic]

the feeling that you care about and are sorry about someone else's trouble, grief, misfortune, etc.

His eyes are dark brown—lively, dancing, recklessly laughing eyes that can be gentle and sympathetic one moment and blazing with anger the next.

savvy -- get the meaning of something   [sav   vy]

“Listen, kiddo, when Darry hollers at you ... he don’t mean nothin’. He’s just got more worries than somebody his age ought to. Don’t take him serious ... you dig, Pony? Don’t let him bug you. He’s really proud of you ’cause you’re so brainy. It’s just because you’re the baby—I mean, he loves you a lot.Savvy?”

"Savvy" is used here as a question that means the same as "you dig?" As a noun, it means "common sense" and as an adjective, it means "having common sense." So a savvy person has savvy, savvy?

rebellious -- resisting control or authority    [re    bell    ious]

Living in those conditions might have turned someone else rebellious and bitter; it was killing Johnny.

The adjective "rebellious" comes from the Latin verb "bellare" which means "to make war." Because Johnny is not rebellious, even though his parents make war on him, everyone in the gang takes extra care to make him feel like he's their beloved kid brother.

suspicious -- openly distrustful and unwilling to confide  [sus    pic   ious]

He had a nervous, suspicious look in his eyes, and that beating he got from the Socs didn’t help matters.

acquire -- win something through one's efforts      [ac   quire] 

He was famous for shoplifting and his black-handled switchblade (which he couldn’t have acquired without his first talent), and he was always smarting off to the cops.

unfathomable  --   impossible to come to understand   [un  fathom   able]

He liked fights, blondes, and for some unfathomable reason, school.

incredulous -- not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving 
 [in  cred  u   lous]
She gave him an incredulous look; and then she threw her Coke in his face.

Avoid these Phrases in your Writing

Phrases Not to Use

1.      I believe, I feel, I think, I know It is your essay—a compilation of thoughts—so I already assumed these are your beliefs, feeling, thoughts, and knowledge. Do not insult my intelligence!

2.      And also This is often redundant.

3.      And/or Outside of the legal world, most of the time this construction is used, it is neither necessary nor logical. Try using one word or the other.

4.      As to whether The single word whether will suffice.

5.      Basically, essentially, totally These words seldom add anything useful to a sentence. Try the sentence without them and, almost always, you will see the sentence improve.

6.      Being that or being as These words are a non-standard substitute for because. Being that Because I was the youngest child, I always wore hand-me-downs.

7.      Considered to be Eliminate the to be and, unless it's important who's doing the considering, try to eliminate the entire phrase.

8.      Due to the fact that Using this phrase is a sure sign that your sentence is in trouble. Did you mean because? Due to is acceptable after a linking verb (The team's failure was due to illness among the stars.); otherwise, avoid it.

9.      Each and every One or the other, but not both.

10.   Now and days One or the other, but not both.

11.   Equally as Something can be equally important or as important as, but not equally as important.

12.   Etc. This abbreviation often suggests a kind of laziness. It might be better to provide one more example, thereby suggesting that you could have written more, but chose not to.

13.   He/she is a convention created to avoid gender bias in writing, but it doesn't work very well and it becomes downright obtrusive if it appears often. Use he or she or pluralize (where appropriate) so you can avoid the problem of the gender-specific pronoun altogether.

14.   Firstly, secondly, thirdly, etc. Number things with first, second, third, etc. and not with these adverbial forms.

15.   Got Many writers regard got as an ugly word, and they have a point. If you can avoid it in writing, do so. I have got to must begin studying right away. I have got two pairs of sneakers.

16.   Had ought or hadn't ought. Eliminate the auxiliary had. You hadn't ought not to pester your sister that way.

17.   Interesting One of the least interesting words in English, the word you use to describe an ugly baby. If you show us why something is interesting, you're doing your job.

18.   In terms of See if you can eliminate this phrase.

19.   Irregardless No one word will get you in trouble with the boss faster than this one.

20.   Kind of or sort of. These are OK in informal situations, but in formal academic prose, substitute somewhat, rather or slightly. We were kind of rather pleased with the results.

21.   Literally This word might be confused with literarily, a seldom used adverb relating to authors or scholars and their various professions. Usually, though, if you say it's "literally a jungle out there," you probably mean figuratively, but you're probably better off without either word.

22.   Lots or lots of In academic prose, avoid these colloquialisms when you can use many or much. Remember, when you do use these words, that lots of something countable are plural. Remember, too, that a lot of requires three words: "He spent a lot of money" (not alot of).

23.   Just Use only when you need it, as in just the right amount.

24.   Nature See if you can get rid of this word. Movies of a violent nature are probably just violent movies.

25.   Necessitate It's hard to imagine a situation that would necessitate the use of this word.

26.   Of Don't write would of, should of, could of when you mean would have, should have, could have.

27.   On account of Use because instead.

28.   Only Look out for placement. Don't write "He only kicked that ball ten yards" when you mean "He kicked that ball only ten yards."

29.   Orientate The new students become oriented, not orientated. The same thing applies to administrate -- we administer a project.

30.   Per Use according to instead. We did it per your instructions? Naah. (This word is used frequently in legal language and in technical specifications, where it seems to be necessary and acceptable.)

31.   Plus Don't use this word as a conjunction. Use and instead.

32.   Point in time Forget it! At this time or at this point or now will do the job.

33.   Previous as in "our previous discussion." Use earlier or nothing at all.

34.   So as to Usually, a simple to will do.

35.   Suppose to, use to. The hard "d" sound in supposed to and used to disappears in pronunciation, but it shouldn't disappear in spelling. "We used to do that" or "We were supposed to do it this way."

36.   The reason why is because. Deja vu all over again!

37.   Thru This nonstandard spelling of through should not be used in academic prose.

38.   'Til Don't use this word instead of until or till, even in bad poetry.

39.   Try and Don't try and do something. Try to do something.

40.   Thusly Use thus or therefore instead.

41.   Utilize Don't use this word where use would suffice. (Same goes for utilization.)

42.   Very, really, quite (and other intensifiers) Like basically, these words seldom add anything useful. Try the sentence without them and see if it improves.

www.materlakes.org/ourpages/auto/2013/10/3/.../dead-word-list.doc