Mr.

Hagge
Class Syllabus
Expectations:
I honestly believe everyone is capable of success; therefore, I pursue rigorous expectations for
my students. I define success as discovery, creativity, and perseverance. All of the assignments
given revolve around these essential elements of new, purposed effort. You may expect to grow
in this class, but only if you put in effort. We will have a lot of fun in the process, that I promise,
but if you fail to try, we are in for a very long year.
It is with this logic that I openly condemn any form of cheating. Cheating is a subtle thief that
suffocates progress because it robs creativity and thought. As such, any cheating will be treated
as an incomplete, five-days-late assignment (a zero).
Rules/Procedures/Routines:
I have three rules in my classroom: respect yourself; respect others; respect property. A failure to
adhere to these rules will result in a yellow penalty card (you soccer players out there will get the
drift). Each card will have the rule number broken, your name, and the date/time written on the
front of the card. Receiving this card is a warning and a consequence together. If you receive a
yellow card you must meet with me one on one, on your time (that means in between classes,
lunch hour, or after school). Together we will come up with a reasonable consequence and
solution to the behavior. I reserve the right to adjust consequences depending on the severity of
the offense. Two violations in a single week will result in the same process, except this time your
parents will be involved. A third offense requires a red card, which is a one way ticket to the
office for a visit with our administration and a parent-teacher-student conference.
I have many procedures in my room, and we will be practicing them this first week.
1)
Bell Workwe wont always have it, but when it is there, do it and do it right.
2)
Hall Passeach student has a right to leave the room; however, no more than one student
may be out of the room at a time. The hall pass will facilitate this. If it is hanging up on the
board, you may use it. If it is not, you will have to wait. Excessive use or time gone will result in
lost participation points and/or a L in attendance for the day.
3)
Tardinessyou get one freebie. After that, every time you come to my class tardy you
will have to choose a productive penalty, such as cleaning the floor or the white board.
4)
Daily Preparation Pointsall students must show up to class everyday (unless
specifically told not to by the teacher) with a dedicated English notebook, a black/blue pen, and a
pencil.
Disclaimer:
I strictly adhere to the student handbook. You should all be aware of the standards set by the
administration, as I will be using the handbook as the basis of all management concerns which
arise in my classroom. This includes cell phone use, music use, insubordination, plagiarism,
excessive tardiness, dress code violations, slander, cursing, and any other violation that falls
under Administrative jurisdiction.

Course Calendar:
I will post specific assignments one week in advance; this will ensure the correct pacing for each
individual class. A general schedule can be viewed from my web page:
www.mrhagge.weebly.com.
MHS English Department Grading Scale
GRADE

PERCENTAGE

SCALE

A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
D-

94-100
90-93
88-89
83-87
80-82
78-79
73-77
70-72
68-69
63-67
60-62

4.0
3.7
3.3
3.0
2.7
2.3
2.0
1.7
1.3
1.0
0.7

I reserve the right to alter the scale as dictated by the needs of a specific class. I will also add that
every individual begins the trimester with a participation grade. You can lose points by breaking
rules, not following procedures, not participating, and not trying.
Grading Procedures and Assignments:
The class will be utilizing composition books during their coursework. These books serve
several purposes, but the most obvious purpose is to encourage students to keep their work in
one place. These books become a timeline for everything learned in class, and will be turned in
weekly for grading. I grade notebooks once a week to ensure accurate and systematic grading.
Any additional assignments will be provided with a rubric which can easily be accessed via my
Website (please see rubrics).
Normal grading procedures involve the use of a check system. Thus, a check minus indicates
that the student did not meet the expectations/guidelines of the assignment. A check indicates
the student met the expectations and guidelines. A check plus indicates that the student exceeded
expectations and guidelines. The grade breakdown for this system is as follows: check minus =
F C, check = C B+, check plus = B+ - A+. This does suggest that students need to exceed the
guidelines in order to receive top marks. I am also an advocate for authentic grading, meaning
that average is average (a C). Extra credit opportunities are rare, but occasionally I will offer
extension assignments for extra credit. Students who wish to boost their grade at the end of the
tri will have to turn in all missing work before any extension assignment will be offered. If the
missing work is 5 days late, they will receive no credit, but it still must be completed before any
make-up assignment will be given.

I also offer an unlimited resubmission policy; thus, students who are unhappy with a particular
assignment may redo the assignment for full credit. This policy is only offered to work that was
completely done, and turned in on time.
MHS English Department Late Work Policy
The following grade cut will be given to work received after the assigned due date:
1 days late
2 days late
3 days late
4 days late
5 days late

10% cut
20% cut
30% cut
40% cut
50% cut

After five days, no late work will be accepted.

With regard to absences, the following policy is taken from the Student Handbook under
Verifiable Absences. For a verified absence, the student will have as many days as they were
absent plus one day to make up their work. (e.g. If a student misses two days in a row, they
would have three days to make up all their work for an opportunity to earn full credit.)
Assignments that have deadlines given in advance, such as research papers, etc., are due on the
deadline date or it is a late assignment. Additional time may be granted at the teachers discretion
for extenuating circumstances. MAKE UP WORK AND EXAMS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED
FOR DAYS THAT WERE MISSED DUE TO TRUANCY, UNEXCUSED, OR UNVERIFIED
ABSENCES. If a student is absent, a parent must verify this absence in writing or via a phone
call within two (2) school days of their students absence.