English 10 Class Expectations 2011- 2012

Ms. Mello Room Number: 202 School cell phone: (323) 445- 9262 Email: [email protected] Office Hours: T/Th 3:45- 4:45 BIG GOAL: The BIG GOAL for English 10 is for students to become fierce readers, powerful writers, and critical thinkers in the digital age. Students will achieve this goal by scoring at least a 4 on 100% of the standards taught. This achievement will ensure that each student is on his or her way to not only being accepted to and succeeding in college, but also living a life full of opportunity. CLASS EXPECTATIONS: Students are expected to follow all classroom procedures as well as the school-wide policies for behavior (including the 6 pillars of character from CHARACTER COUNTS!). The following are criteria for acceptable behavior: Be respectful and courteous. Be on time and prepared. Make learning your top priority. Your Choices + Your Actions = Your Future. No gum, food, or cell phones CLASS DESCRIPTION: We will study reading, writing, grammar, and digital literacy. We will explore how language and society interact with literature and digital media. I will urge you to find your voice in writing. Critical thinking and open discussion are fundamental to the success of our class. You are encouraged to question and challenge the texts that we encounter, as well as express your own ideas through writing and other mediums. Using technology, you will interact with texts and your peers to build comprehension, generate new opinions, and interpret the different genres of literature. You will locate an authors argument within a text, create your own thesis on a topic, and support it with valid evidence. You will acquire new vocabulary words, practice various writing applications, and improve the mechanics and grammar in your writing. Course Materials: Students will be required to bring the following with them to class every day: 1 Composition book (for your Dictionary) 1 8.5 x 11 one subject notebook (for Achieve3000) 2 black/blue pens 2 colorful pens (e.g., orange, green, purple) Index cards (for vocabulary flashcards) Earphones CLASSWORK: Coursework will include reading, writing, and creative computer-based projects. Writing will include formal and informal responses to literature, creative writing (e.g., personal memoir and poetry), expository essays, persuasive essays, and business letters. You will be responsible for memorizing and using assigned vocabulary words everyday. You will also complete one outside reading book project each quarter. Major assignments will take the form of essays and projects. Your

essays will be a result of pre-writing, drafting, revising, and peer editing, which ultimately allow for stronger final products. Projects will reflect your understanding of the literature or the specific skill. HOMEWORK: Homework will be given on a daily basis and students are expected to have homework completed by the beginning of each class period. Students are expected to complete all assignments in accordance with the students ability. Any student who habitually does not complete a homework assignment neat and on time will be assigned to an academic intervention program as outlined by the student handbook. Homework will be checked for completion every day. ATTENDANCE: It is crucial that you are in class and on time every day. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to come before or after school to complete work that was missed while absent. If you are absent, you must turn in any work (homework or classwork) within 2 school days of returning, or you will receive zero credit for the missing work. MAKEUP EXAMS/RETAKES: Students will have one week to schedule a time to make up the exam that was missed. After one week has passed, students will suffer an automatic 1 on the exam. Students will have the opportunity to retake an exam if their initial grade was below a 4 (see: BIG GOAL). A 4 is the maximum grade a student can earn for a retake examination. Students wanting to prove their mastery of the content must arrange to do so within one week after the exam has been returned. Students must prove they prepared for the retake by attending afterschool tutoring or seeing me before or after school. LATE WORK: Any work turned in late will suffer an automatic full letter grade deduction. Late work will only be accepted until the end of the grading cycle. After a progress report has been sent home, work for that semester will no longer be accepted. ASSESSMENT/GRADING PERCENTAGES: There will be a life skills grade based on the overall neatness and completion of the Dictionary, as well as the students classroom conduct during the quarter. Classroom conduct includes being on time, participating in all class activities, and refraining from disruptive conduct. CHEATING & PLAGIARISM: Students are required to do their own work unless instructed otherwise. Students who cheat or plagiarize will receive a zero on the assignment and parents will be notified. CONSEQUENCES: Students who do not follow the appropriate guidelines for behavior and do not meet classroom expectations will incur the following consequences in sequential order: 1. Warning (Verbal/ Name on the board) 2. Intervention (Think Sheet) 3. Before or after-class detention and a phone call home 4. Parent-teacher-student conference 5. Referral _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________

By signing this form, I acknowledge that I have read the class outline and understand my responsibilities. STUDENT NAME: ____________________________ STUDENT SIGNATURE: ____________________________ PARENT/GUARDIAN NAME: ____________________________ PARENT/GUARDIAN SIGNATURE: ____________________________ DATE: _________________________ Preferred language of communication: ____________________________