COURSE TITLE
/ English II
INSTRUCTOR
/ Carrie Staffen

Plan Time: 1:26- 2:12


My Philosophy
My goal will be to develop your interest in and commitment to the power of the printed and spoken word. I will help you improve your ability to communicate in various modes (verbally, visually, written) to the world around you. I believe that you will leave this classroom with tools that will allow you to continue to grow and develop into positive members of your community who continue to learn beyond the classroom.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is a sophomore level English course. Reading and writing are interwoven in the course and both will be assessed on a regular basis.
Because this course is in a computer lab classroom, many homework and projects will be completed utilizing technology so it is important that students have access to a computer with internet access. That does not mean that you must have a home computer, but that you should plan to devote a certain amount of time to finding access if you do not own one.
One of your most important resources as a student or parent will be the class webpage and Moodle (you will know what that is later in the course).
Class Objectives
GRADES & SCORING
40% of the grade will be homework, classwork, projects, and other graded material
60% of the grade will be assessments
The students will be completing various assignments throughout the year for the first category of the grades. Assessments will be structured differently and will only include material that in covered independently in the classroom. Most of the grade in this area will be from the common assessments. These assessments will consist of a multiple choice test and a writing prompt. The multiple chioce test will be worth 100 points and the writing assessment will be worth 50 points. No other assessment will weigh more than these. A benchmark or final exam will be comparable to these however.
Please see the district grading system for other information.
PAPERS & PROJECTS
There will be periodic projects in the class. These will vary in structure and point value. All projects will be detailed on the class webpage and due dates will also be posted.
Students will complete a research paper which will be career focused. The research paper details will be posted so that there is no confusion on the requirements.
Scoring rubrics will be made available which detail exactly how the paper or project will be scored. This is to ensure that students are graded consistently and fairly.
MAKE-UP PROCEDURE
When a student is absent, it is his/her responsibility to obtain make-up work the first day back to class. It is difficult to converse individually during class, so please refer to the course objectives first to see what assignments you have missed. Students may visit the teacher before the last bell at the beginning of class or two minutes before the end of class to discuss missed assignments and/or to schedule a time to make up a test, quiz, or essay. Make-ups will only be given during class if the situation permits; otherwise, plan to visit before or after school.
RULES FOR CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR
Students must know and follow all rules in the student handbook in addition to classroom rules mandated by the teacher.
  1. Be in your assigned seat and prepared to work when the final bell rings.
  2. Follow directions the first time given.
  3. No arguing in class. Concerns and/ or appeals must be discussed with teacher privately before/ after class or submitted to teacher in writing after class.
  4. Abstain from eating, drinking, chewing and grooming in our classroom.
  5. Respect the rights and property of others.
  6. Be courteous to your teacher and your classmates.
  7. At the end of the period, remain in your seat until you are dismissed.
  8. Heads must remain off the desks at all times.
  9. Do not write on the classroom desks or deface or violate the computer policy rules. This behavior will result in an immediate referral.

CONSEQUENCES FOR MISBEHAVIOR
Policy for Severe Behavior
Severely disruptive behavior such as repeated disruptions, fighting, cursing, physical assault, or verbal abuse of the teacher will result in immediate referral to the assistant principal.
Consequences for Disruptive Behavior
1st Offense: A verbal warning will be given when a minor classroom or school rule is broken, unless the misbehavior calls for a referral.
2nd Offense: A 2nd verbal warning will be given and may be accompanied by a telephone call to the parent/ guardian. If a conference is necessary, it will be scheduled through email or phone communication