Introduction

1. Introduction English 9 & 10

2. What to do • Please come in and have a seat. • Before the bell rings, quietly have a pencil or pen on your desk and start completing the assignment. • When you are finished, put your pen or pencil down and sit quietly so I know that you are done. • Thank you.

3. Who I am • Teacher: • Past Experience • College • Graduate School • Professor

4. Who I am • My Family • My Town Fireworks SIDEWINDERS

5. Who I Am • Free Time

6. Course Expectations/ Class Rules/ Behavior plan

7. Course Expectations • From the Beginning • Tardy IS…..not being in your seat with your pen/pencil and bell work on your desk. • Bell work IS….silent. • Group entry IS….your completed homework and your respectful behavior toward the instructor and your peers once in class. • Working independently while the class works in groups IS what happens when the above criteria have not been met. • Writing a 500 word, properly structured essay IS what happens if you argue with me about it.

8. I Need your attention • I will raise my hand and count down from five on my fingers. • Once you see my hand raised, you need to raise your hand and turn to face me. • If I get to one and it is still not quiet, I will face the clock and record how many seconds it takes for everyone to be silent. • I will write those seconds on the board, and this is how long the class will stay after the bell rings.

9. Classroom Procedures • Bell Ringers: You will have a short assignment every day that will be on the board before class begins. • You will need to turn these in for credit once per month. • If you are absent, you must get the Bell Ringer from a classmate. • You must be working on the Bell Ringer before the actual bell rings to be considered “On Time.”

10. Classroom Procedures • Passing Papers—wait until the person in front of you or behind you is looking at you to pass the papers to him or her. • Put Your Row Number on Your Paper

11. Work with others or work by yourself…you decide. • Partner or group work is a luxury not a right. When working with others, if you are caught off task, even once, even a little bit, you will be quietly asked to move to a less populated area of the class to work by yourself for the remainder of the period. • If an argument disguised as an explanation occurs, you will work independently the following day as well. • If a further “explanation” (aka argument) occurs, you will be asked to write an “Admission Back into the Classroom” essay before you may rejoin your classmates. • Let’s brainstorm what explanations/“arguments in disguise” may look like. • ***You may choose to work independently at any time. Independent work is not necessarily a punishment. Some people can be more productive on their own. Less homework can be a good thing!

12. Classroom Procedures • Electronics • These may not be used in class at any time. If caught using any electronic devices during a test, cheating will be assumed, and the student will receive a maximum of half of the total points possible. • Any electronics caught in use or “ringing, beeping, or buzzing” in class will be confiscated and turned into the office.

13. Classroom Rules • Let’s brainstorm a list of possible classroom rules. • We will vote, once the list has been formulated, on the top five rules for this class. • These will be typed up tonight, and you will sign your consent to follow these rules tomorrow.

14. Grade 9 Rules

15. Grade 10 Rules

16. Celebration of success (COS) • What this is…. • For every minimum day, there is the possibility of a Celebration of Success day. This a raucous, fun-filled day where the class decides how the lesson will be structured. Team Jeopardy? Pictionary? Slumber party where we eat popcorn and learn in our comfy clothes? Scavenger hunt? Movie that relates to the learning? You decide. • How COS is earned: • Any day I do not have to speak to any individual member of the class more than once, the class earns 5 COS minutes. Any day I have to speak to any single individual student more than once, the class loses ALL behavior COS minutes. I will keep track of the minutes on the board. I will also keep track of disruptive students on the board. • Any day ALL homework is turned in, by every student, the class will also earn 5 COS minutes. One person not having their assigned homework completed causes the class to lose all 5 homework COS minutes. • Each COS day costs 60 minutes. Once earned, minutes will not be taken away. • Let’s practice nonverbally letting a disruptive student know that his/her actions are not appreciated…. • ***Not that this is expected to happen, BUT…if I have to speak to any student three times in one period, they will be separated from the class and write an “Admission Back to Class” essay. This essay is 500 words, properly structured, and will be read by me before the student is allowed to rejoin their peers in the learning environment.

17. Guest Teacher • If a guest teacher leaves a note that the class was disruptive in ANY way, the entire class will write a 500 word anonymous essay detailing the events that led up to the negative report. Names will be named, details will be spilled, consequences will follow. Know that up front. • Every positive, glowing, gratitude-filled guest teacher report will net the class 10 COS minutes.

18. Group Work/Course assignments/ late work/revision/when you are absent

19. Cooperative Groups • Throughout the year, this class will do many projects in a cooperative group environment. Every member of the group will have a task, and only by working together will the project be completed. • Midway through each cooperative group assignment, an anonymous update will be assigned, assessing each group member’s contributions. IF a member of the group is choosing not to participate fully, his/her group members may ask for that person to be removed. That person will then work on a modified assignment, independently, and the group will divide their former responsibilities amongst themselves. • Group work is a privilege, not a right.

20. Late Work • All work turned in late will be deducted a letter grade per day. One day late will be graded starting at an 89%, two days at 79% etc., etc. All work may be turned in before the end of the semester for a maximum of 50% of the original points. • Being absent during a long-term assignment does NOT allow the student to turn in their work late. For example, if you have a month to complete a project and were sick with the stomach flu for two days in the middle of that month, you may NOT turn in the assignment two days late for full credit. Don’t ask.

21. Make-Up Work • You have the length of the absence plus one day to turn in missed work due to an EXCUSED absence for full credit. You may make up work for an unexcused absence (i.e. an absence not excused with a parent phone call) for half of the total possible credit. • You may email me any questions related to the missed work. • You may come see me at lunch on Wednesdays to ask any related questions. • It is your responsibility to get the work you missed and ask me any related questions about that work.

22. Tests and quizzes • There will be no “pop” quizzes in this class. • All tests and quizzes will be announced ahead of time. • Tests covering expansive topic areas will have study guides handed out ahead of time. • Your grade is in your own hands. There will be no tricks. You will know what is due, how much it will be worth, and how everything in this class will be graded well ahead of each assignment. • There are no excuses.

23. Revision • Major assignments, projects and papers will all have the opportunity to be revised (tests and quizzes are excluded…they are a one-shot deal). • An assignment may be revised for half of the credit back that was originally missed (i.e. if a person receives a 90/100, they may revise for 5 additional points…if a person receives a 0/100, they may revise for 50 additional points, etc.).

24. Extra Credit…Not “Instead of” credit • Every once in awhile, an extra credit opportunity may be announced. Only students who have completed ALL assignments will have the opportunity to complete these additional assignments.

25. Bathroom Passes • Your first extra credit opportunity! • You get two per quarter. If you do not use them, you get ten extra credit points (five points each). • If you have a medical issue, I need a note from your doctor. • If you do not have a medical issue, use the restroom before class begins. Get the extra credit. These are the only “free” points you will get from me.

26. Cheating or plagiarizing • Student will re-do the test or assignment in an alternate format for a maximum of half the possible points if caught cheating or plagiarizing. • Student name will be turned into the office for further school-wide consequences. • Parents will be notified. • If the assignment is an essay, further essays must be turned in hand-written with all brainstorming, multiple handwritten drafts and a one-page explanation of the writing process stapled to the back to show how paper was developed. It’s not worth it.

27. Compiling A “Recommended” Book list • Please write the title and author (if you know) of the best book you have read in the last year. • Please write a 3-5 sentence summary of the book, making sure not to give away the ending. • Please write all of the elements that made this book your favorite…action, romance, humor, etc. Be as specific as possible without giving anything away. • Please write who you would recommend this book for specifically. • Please write if this book is similar to any other books you may have read or books you know that your classmates have read.

28. Diagnostic Persuasive Essay • Topic: • Some state legislators believe that school libraries should not provide Internet access for students. • Think about whether school libraries should provide Internet access for students. • Now write to persuade state legislators whether school libraries should provide Internet access for students. • 500+ words