Welcome!

Hey! Hi! Come on in! Welcome to Mr. Franco’s blog!

This is your one-stop shop for everything related to your AC Language Arts class, so familiarize yourself with this site because you’ll be using it A LOT. If you want to know more about me, you can check out the Meet Mr. Franco page. The information below should give you a pretty clear overview of the class, its policies, and the resources available to you and your student.

The Class

From the Cobb County Advanced Learning Program site:

The Vision of the Advanced Learning Programs Department is to promote rigorous curricular content in conjunction with critical inquiry, creativity, communication of complex thoughts, and an authentic approach to learning.  We support the balance of curricular depth and breadth while fostering the development of academic habits and skills.

The Advanced Content Language Arts class implements the Georgia Standards of Excellence in a way that is differentiated for gifted and advanced learners. This does not mean “more work.” Instead, the AC program uses research-based methods to push advanced learners to think critically, and it presents unique challenges to students, allowing them to find creative solutions to difficult tasks. The ultimate goal is to prepare gifted and advanced learners to excel both academically and personally as they transition from middle school to high school.

Syllabi:

6th-AC-Language-Arts-Syllabus-2019-2020

7th-AC-Language-Arts-Syllabus-2019-2020

8th-AC-Language-Arts-syllabus-2019-2020

The Blog

This blog is one of the primary modes of communication you have with me. I will be updating this blog daily (usually before 6pm). Each post will include:

  • A brief summary of the day’s activities (I’m teaching all three grade levels this year, so each will be posted under a separate heading).
  • Any Homework
  • Any graded work
  • Reminders of upcoming projects or important school-wide information (in bold, black font)
  • Downloadable links to forms/graphic organizers given out in class (NOTE: I can’t promise that I will always have a digital copy to post, but I will do my best). Whenever possible, all of these will be posted as Adobe files so they can be opened on any computer/device. If you don’t have Adobe Reader, you can download it for FREE here.

The Grade Level Tabs

I maintain a tab (accessible on the top menu) for each grade level. On these pages, I upload resources for extended projects as well as copies of class notes specific to that grade level. This way, students can access everything for a particular project in one place instead of having to scroll through weeks of daily blog posts to find necessary resources.

Office 365

In my class we use Office 365 extensively for assignments, so be sure your student knows how to access and use this resource!

Office 365 is free through the county and gives you and your student a whole list of great benefits, including the ability to collaborate online, submit assignments to me directly, and have access to all online work from anywhere that has an internet connection. More information about Office 365 can be found here.

Email Policy

Email me: justin.franco@cobbk12.org

I will do my best to respond to email inquiries within 24 hours.

Because I hold students accountable for their own education, I DO allow students to email me directly with questions or concerns (with parental permission, to my county email ONLY). Students are made aware that the content of any email sent to me WILL NOT BE PRIVATE. I will share pertinent information with parents, counselors, and administration when appropriate or requested.

Further Contact

You can also receive weekly Barber updates through our Remind 101 service. Just text @barberpa to (229) 589-8197