Class Assignments

  1. Literature (Glencoe Literature Textbook, Course 4, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, and Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare)
  2. Composition & Grammar
  3. Grammar: Grammatical rules will be addressed with ELA Bellringers and with the NoRedInk website.
  4. Composition: Narrative, informative, and argumentative writing will be covered. The 6 + 1 Traits of Writing strategies will be used as a model for instruction and assessment.
  5. Edmodo: Various daily assignments, such as The Reading Minute, ELA Bellringers, academic vocabulary, reading strategies, pre-writing strategies, writing activities, etc., will be submitted through the Edmodo app on the iPads.
  6. Newsela: Students will be assigned a news article at the beginning of the week to improve reading engagement and critical thinking skills. Assignments will be submitted through the Newsela app on the iPads.
  7. Choice Novels: Students will be required to read books other than what is assigned in class. The students’ independent reading progress will be measured weekly. They will be asked to have a book of their choice with them to determine a weekly reading goal. A two-minute video book report about a favorite “choice novel” that the student read will be required for each quarter.

Classroom Expectations

  1. General Rules
  2. Be respectful of peers, teachers, and school property. Insults to peers and teachers and damage to school property will not be tolerated. Consequences will depend on the situation and its severity. Be prepared for the consequence whatever it may be.
  3. Pop and candy will not be allowed in the classroom unless it is approved beforehand. Gum will be permitted, but I don’t want to see it or hear it. No blowing bubbles or snapping gum.
  4. Cheating will result in a zero.
  5. If more than one person is involved, all people involved will receive a zero.
  6. Talking is cheating (during a test). If you talk to another classmate during a test, I’ll consider it cheating. If you have a question, ask the teacher and not a classmate.
  7. Plagiarism (literary theft—work that isn’t cited): Any copying of another person’s work (published or unpublished) will result in a zero.
  8. Cell Phones: Students are asked to be responsible citizens by practicing social etiquette with regards to cell phones. Students may use their cell phones during class time for educational purposes with the teacher’s permission. Otherwise, phones must be silent during class. The use of a cell phone is a privilege. If cell phone privileges are abused, consequences will follow on a case-by-case basis.
  9. Late Assignments
  10. Students who are absent get two days to make-up work for every day missed.
  11. Unexcused late assignments will be half credit whenever they are completed.
  12. Tardiness
  13. Students are expected to be in their desks when the bell rings.
  14. If you think you might be late, ask permission beforehand, e.g., going to the bathroom or finding an assignment.
  15. Once class begins, don’t assume you’ll get permission to leave the classroom.
  16. Materials: Bring a pencil, folder, notebook, and a charged school-issued iPadto every class.

Grading Policies

  1. Grading Scale: A (94-100%), B (88-93%), C (80-87%), D (76-79%), F (75% and Below)
  2. Grading System:
  3. 60% for Tests and Larger Assignments (Projects and Essays)
  4. 30% for Daily Assignments (Edmodo, Newsela, Etc.)
  5. 10% for Choice Novels/Video Book Reports (Independent Reading)