Language Arts A (8th Grade)
Course Description:
This is the first course in a two-course sequence. Who am I? How do I fit into the world? How do I make sense of these changing times? This course will answer those questions and many more! In this course, students will develop their reading, writing, speaking, listening and viewing skills as they explore and enjoy a variety of materials (novels, short stories, poetry, biographies, articles, drama, essays and media). In addition, the course focuses on effective communication strategies that students need in order to succeed in this changing and challenging society. Students will explore the theme of "The American Quest: Past, Present and Future" while developing reading, writing, speaking, listening and viewing skills through a variety of materials (novels, short stories, poetry, biographies, articles, drama, essays and media).
Course Details:
| Course Title (District): |
Language Arts A (8th Grade) |
| Course Title (NCES SCED) : |
Language Arts (grade 8) |
| Course Provider : |
Michigan Virtual |
| Content Provided By : |
Florida Virtual School |
| Online Instructor Provided By : |
Michigan Virtual |
| Standards Addressed : |
Common Core State Standards |
| Alignment Document : |
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1elUg53YaPyxVgsPqqjC2Uj43eT5hxkFW/view?usp=sharing |
| Academic Terms : |
Semester, Open Entry / Fixed End |
| NCES SCED Code : 01036 |
| Subject Area : |
English Language and Literature |
| Course Identifier : |
Language Arts (grade 8) |
| Course Level : |
Elem/Middle School (Prior to Secondary) |
| Available Credit : |
0.5 |
| Sequence : |
1 of 2 |
|
How To Enroll:
Students and Parents: It is important to work closely with your local school counselor or
registrar to follow the school's enrollment procedures. By clicking the "Start Registration
Request" button below, you will be able to notify the school of your interest in registering for
the online course. However, it is the responsibility of the district or school to review the
registration request and approve or deny the request. Please make a note to follow up with
your school after submitting a registration request.
Start Registration Request
Additional Course Information:
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: (888) 889-2840
Additional Cost: $0.0
Additional Cost Description:
Students are expected to supply each of the following:
• Plenty of paper for computer printing
• One 2-inch, 3-ring binder, preferably the kind that has a plastic covering in which you can insert a cover sheet
• One 3-hole punch
• One set of subject separators or tabs for your notebook
• One flash drive for saving your work or create a folder on your hard drive to save your assignments
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to…
- Apply pre-reading strategies and active reading skills to literary works in a variety of genres, including poetry, prose, and nonfiction
- Analyze a novel
- Produce quality writing for a variety of purposes, including summarization and expository essays
- Utilize interviewing skills to gather information and research
- Identify story elements, including character, pot, setting, point of view, and theme
- Demonstrate the writing process, including brainstorming, drafting, revising, and editing
- Write an essay, employing a structure of introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion, with appropriate use of transitions
- Demonstrate knowledge of vocabulary related to literature and literary skills, and use appropriate and effective vocabulary in writing
- Demonstrate understanding of the ways that history, culture, and setting influence language
- Apply reference and study skills for a variety of purposes, body paragraphs, and conclusion, with appropriate transitions
iNACOL National Standards for Quality Online Courses
| Academic Content Standards and Assessments |
Rating
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Comments |
| The goals and objectives clearly state what the participants will know or be able to do at the end of the course. The goals and objectives are measurable in multiple ways. |
Fully Met
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This is provided as an overview in each unit. |
| The course content and assignments are aligned with the state’s content standards, Common Core curriculum, or other accepted content standards set for Advanced Placement® courses, technology, computer science, or other courses whose content is not included in the state standards. |
Fully Met
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The course is aligned to Michigan Standards. |
| The course content and assignments are of sufficient rigor, depth and breadth to teach the standards being addressed. |
Fully Met
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This is described in the "intro folder" in the Blackboard shell. |
| Information literacy and communication skills are incorporated and taught as an integral part of the curriculum. |
Fully Met
|
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| Multiple learning resources and materials to increase student success are available to students before the course begins. |
Fully Met
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These are listed in both the Blackboard shell and the FVS course. |
| Course Overview and Introduction |
Rating
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Comments |
| Clear, complete course overview and syllabus are included in the course. |
Fully Met
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| Course requirements are consistent with course goals, are representative of the scope of the course and are clearly stated. |
Fully Met
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| Information is provided to students, parents and mentors on how to communicate with the online instructor and course provider. |
Fully Met
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| Legal and Acceptable Use Policies |
Rating
|
Comments |
| The course reflects multi-cultural education, and the content is accurate, current and free of bias or advertising. |
Fully Met
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The content is not biased. There is no evidence of multicultural material. |
| Expectations for academic integrity, use of copyrighted materials, plagiarism and netiquette (Internet etiquette) regarding lesson activities, discussions, and e-mail communications are clearly stated. |
Fully Met
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MVS Acceptable Use |
| Privacy policies are clearly stated. |
Fully Met
|
MVS Policy |
| Instructor Resources |
Rating
|
Comments |
| Online instructor resources and notes are included. |
Fully Met
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Instructor resources are available onlie af FVS. |
| Assessment and assignment answers and explanations are included. |
Fully Met
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Assessment and assignment answers are available online through FVS. |
| Accessing Course Effectiveness |
Rating
|
Comments |
| The course provider uses multiple ways of assessing course effectiveness. |
Fully Met
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| The course is evaluated using a continuous improvement cycle for effectiveness and the findings used as a basis for improvement. |
Fully Met
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| Course Updates |
Rating
|
Comments |
| The course is updated periodically to ensure that the content is current. |
Fully Met
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| Certification |
Rating
|
Comments |
| Course instructors, whether faceto-face or virtual, are certificated and “highly qualified.” The online course teacher possesses a teaching credential from a state-licensing agency and is “highly qualified” as defined under ESEA. |
Fully Met
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| Instructor and Student Support |
Rating
|
Comments |
| Professional development about the online course delivery system is offered by the provider to assure effective use of the courseware and various instructional media available. |
Fully Met
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| The course provider offers technical support and course management assistance to students, the course instructor, and the school coordinator. |
Fully Met
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| Course instructors, whether face-to-face or virtual, have been provided professional development in the behavioral, social, and when necessary, emotional, aspects of the learning environment. |
Fully Met
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| Course instructors, whether face-to-face or virtual, receive instructor professional development, which includes the support and use of a variety of communication modes to stimulate student engagement online. |
Fully Met
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| The provider assures that course instructors, whether face-to-face or virtual, are provided support, as needed, to ensure their effectiveness and success in meeting the needs of online students. |
Fully Met
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| Students are offered an orientation for taking an online course before starting the coursework. |
Fully Met
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| Instructional and Audience Analysis |
Rating
|
Comments |
| Course design reflects a clear understanding of all students’ needs and incorporates varied ways to learn and master the curriculum. |
Fully Met
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| Course, Unit and Lesson Design |
Rating
|
Comments |
| The course is organized by units and lessons that fall into a logical sequence. Each unit and lesson includes an overview describing objectives, activities, assignments, assessments, and resources to provide multiple learning opportunities for students to master the content. |
Fully Met
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| Instructional Strategies and Activities |
Rating
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Comments |
| The course instruction includes activities that engage students in active learning. |
Fully Met
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| The course and course instructor provide students with multiple learning paths, based on student needs that engage students in a variety of ways. |
Fully Met
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| The course provides opportunities for students to engage in higher-order thinking, critical reasoning activities and thinking in increasingly complex ways. |
Fully Met
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| The course provides options for the instructor to adapt learning activities to accommodate students’ needs. |
Fully Met
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While the course content is not modifiable, assignments and assessments can be modified to meet learners' diverse needs. |
| Readability levels, written language assignments and mathematical requirements are appropriate for the course content and grade-level expectations. |
Fully Met
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Readability levels are appropriate. |
| Communication and Interaction |
Rating
|
Comments |
| The course design provides opportunities for appropriate instructor-student interaction, including opportunities for timely and frequent feedback about student progress. |
Fully Met
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| The course design includes explicit communication/activities (both before and during the first week of the course) that confirms whether students are engaged and are progressing through the course. The instructor will follow program guidelines to address non-responsive students. |
Fully Met
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| The course provides opportunities for appropriate instructor-student and student-student interaction to foster mastery and application of the material. |
Fully Met
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| Resources and Materials |
Rating
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Comments |
| Students have access to resources that enrich the course content. |
Fully Met
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Instructors add resources as needed in the announcements and discussions. |
| Evaluation Strategies |
Rating
|
Comments |
| Student evaluation strategies are consistent with course goals and objectives, are representative of the scope of the course and are clearly stated. |
Fully Met
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| The course structure includes adequate and appropriate methods and procedures to assess students’ mastery of content. |
Fully Met
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| Feedback |
Rating
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Comments |
| Ongoing, varied, and frequent assessments are conducted throughout the course to inform instruction. |
Fully Met
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| Assessment strategies and tools make the student continuously aware of his/her progress in class and mastery of the content. |
Fully Met
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Students frequently engage in self-reflection. |
| Assessment Resources and Materials |
Rating
|
Comments |
| Assessment materials provide the instructor with the flexibility to assess students in a variety of ways. |
Fully Met
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| Grading rubrics are provided to the instructor and may be shared with students. |
Fully Met
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| The grading policy and practices are easy to understand. |
Fully Met
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| Course Architecture |
Rating
|
Comments |
| The course architecture permits the online instructor to add content, activities and assessments to extend learning opportunities. |
Fully Met
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| The course accommodates multiple school calendars; e.g., block, 4X4 and traditional schedules. |
Fully Met
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| User Interface |
Rating
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Comments |
| Clear and consistent navigation is present throughout the course. |
Fully Met
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| Rich media are provided in multiple formats for ease of use and access in order to address diverse student needs. |
Fully Met
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| Technology Requirements and Interoperability |
Rating
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Comments |
| All technology requirements (including hardware, browser, software, etc...) are specified. |
Fully Met
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These are found in Blackboard and in the course syllabus |
| Prerequisite skills in the use of technology are identified. |
Fully Met
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| The course uses content-specific tools and software appropriately. |
Fully Met
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| The course is designed to meet internationally recognized interoperability standards. |
Fully Met
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MVS Policy |
| Copyright and licensing status, including permission to share where applicable, is clearly stated and easily found. |
Fully Met
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MVS Policy |
| Accessibility |
Rating
|
Comments |
| Course materials and activities are designed to provide appropriate access to all students. The course, developed with universal design principles in mind, conforms to the U.S. Section 504 and Section 508 provisions for electronic and information technology as well as the W3C’s Web Content Accessibility guidelines (WCAg 2.0). |
Fully Met
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MVS Policy |
| Data Security |
Rating
|
Comments |
| Student information remains confidential, as required by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). |
Fully Met
|
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Review Conducted By: Michigan Virtual
Date of Review:
02/27/2014
Module 1: Life Changing Innovation
Module 2: Social Invention
Module 3: Imagine Other Worlds
Segment One Exam
| Term Type |
Enrollment Opens |
Enrollment Ends |
Random Draw Date |
Enrollment Drop Date |
Course Starts |
Course Ends |
# of Seats |
Course Fee |
Potential Additional Costs |
| Drop Policy |
Completion Policy |
Term Type |
Enrollment Opens |
Enrollment Ends |
Students can use chat, email or private message system within the course to access highly qualified teachers when they need instructor assistance.
Students will require a computer device with headphones, a microphone, webcam, up-to-date Chrome Web Browser, and access to YouTube.
Please review the Michigan Virtual Technology Requirements: https://michiganvirtual.org/about/support/knowledge-base/technical-requirements/
Lightweight devices such as Apple iPads, Google Chromebooks, and tablets have limited support for Java or Flash which still appear in a small percentage of our catalog. While FLVS does not offer technical support for these devices, FLVS is working to remove Flash from their remaining course content. Students will need extra work-around steps or alternate browsers to engage with some portions of those courses. FLVS recommends students have a Windows or Mac based computer available to complete coursework in the event that your selected mobile device does not meet the needs of the course. Fully supported Operating Systems for FLVS courses include Windows (10 or higher) and MacOS (11 or higher). Supported Browsers include the most recent versions of Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Apple Safari on devices that support Java and HTML5. Browsers need to be up to date, and some FLVS courses may require installation or enabling of the following Plug-ins: JavaScript enabled, Cookies enabled, Java installed. https://www.flvs.net/student-parent-resources/more/system-requirements
