Disclosure Document Name_________________________ Due____________ Period________ 8th Grade English Ms. Hoffmann, Payson Junior High School Email: leanne.hoffman@nebo.edu Class curriculum is centered on the Common Core (http://www.corestandards.org/) My website (under transition) which includes this Disclosure (#1 on the top left menu), a copy of the Honors Contract, Critic’s Corner Checklist, the Portfolio Rubric, essay specifics, etc., can be found under “Assignments” at http://leanne-hoffman.sites.nebo.edu/home
Required Materials (kept in the classroom) Due Friday, August 22nd. No points after Monday, August 25th:
Grade Break-Down and Grade Fluctuation
At the beginning of any term, your grade plummets when you miss an assignment. For example, if there is only one 5 point assignment, and you don’t turn it in, you will have an F or I (for Incomplete) after I enter the 0 or “M” for that assignment. It is not the end of world and you grade will rise as more points are entered. It does affect your freedom during Den time, though. And if it’s not something that can be made up, you can read in my class during Den until more assignments are due, graded, and entered. During those first few weeks, your grade can go rapidly between an A and an F from one day to the next. Note: Even though attendance only counts as 5% of the grade, if you miss a day or two at the beginning of the term, you will have an F until additional points are entered. Classroom Expectations. Citizenship, Personal Responsibility
Bell Work/Participation If you miss a day, excused or not, you can typically make up the Bell Work points with a half page journal entry (for each day missed). This is a poor substitute for verbal in-class lessons and participation. Bell Work and Participation points are entered at the beginning of the week and are subtracted when you don’t earn the points, or miss days. If you are in class, but not reading, or on-task WHEN the bell rings, you can lose these points. The points can not be made up. Late Work Late assignments create A LOT of extra work for both of us. I grade late assignments when I can, which might not always as quick as you would like (usually on the weekends). Oral class presentations can NOT be made-up (interrupts the flow of lessons after the window closes). Group work can NOT be made up (there’s just no way to recreate the group opportunity). The points for some assignments can be made-up by completing alternative assignments that are usually more challenging. Weekly Reading Logs, due every Friday, can not be turned in late because they show weekly accountability--but students can make up some reading points by reading in my classroom during Den (must sign-in and be focused). Most essays are due on Fridays. Late assignments are worth 50%. If an essay doesn’t meet minimum criteria for grading, or is late, you must hand in a hard copy of the paper to let me know it is ready to be graded--though it still needs to be typed and shared in Google Drive. Absences Reading at home, and turning in assigned essays, are standard assignments that are due on time whether you attend class or not (there is flexibility in the case of illness/emergencies). If you miss a Friday, for full points, you can turn your reading log in on Monday with ABSENT written across the top. Tests/Quizzes and some larger assignments can be made up within five days after you return to school. Often I get requests through the office, or individually from students or parents, for missed work. Missed work is usually in-class discussion and participation. I use very few worksheets or assignments I can actually send home. The perception that in-class instruction can be replicated through a worksheet is troubling. When you are absent, you have missed a 45-minute class period--which is almost impossible to re-teach on an individual level. I’d like to believe that most student learning takes place in class during discussion, exploration, and application (sometimes as a group or in teams) of topics and concepts. Because every class is different, and the pace of every class varies, it is difficult for me to tell you ahead of time what we will be doing in the future. Please ask how to make-up missed points when you return from your absence, ask other students, and please do not ask me to explain a missed assignment during class. If you need individual instruction, please see me during Grizzly Den or after school on Tuesday or Thursday. Homework You should read 150 pages or more at home weekly. See Reading section of Disclosure. I realize that you are trying to balance your school academic demands with other responsibilities and activities. Because of this, I try to keep homework at a minimum. However, in addition to reading nightly at home, you will have some written homework and/or research. Also, much of the Year-end Identity Portfolio will be homework.
SIS--DON’T USE THE MISSING ASSIGNMENT OPTION I love that you are interested in a good grade! I suggest checking your grade online at least once a week with your parents (www.nebo.edu--choose the student pull-down menu). You have a student ID # and an SIS password. Be self-sufficient—please don’t ask me what assignments you are missing until you look them up. You must click on “English” to see what assignments have zeros. If you still have questions, then ask me during Grizzly Den, after school, or email me about the SPECIFIC assignment you have questions about. No generic “What am I missing?” queries. Note: I often enter assignments in advance so you know what’s coming up. If I haven't graded an assignment, it will be blank--that doesn't mean it is really "missing," but it will show up “missing” if you click on the "missing assignment" option on SIS. The blanks do not affect your grade. If I have graded an assignment, and did not get one from you, it will have a zero or an “M” (missing). Please LOOK FOR THE ZEROS and “M’s”, NOT THE BLANKS. It will have a “1” or a “2” if I received it, but it is not done, or doesn’t meet minimum requirements for grading (to show I’ve seen it, but it isn’t sufficiently completed to grade). Reading, the 40 Book Club, Exploring Genres, Logs The most effective way to improve English language skills is to read. For an “A” grade in English, you need to read 25 pages a day, six days a week, or any combination of days and times that gets you up to 150 pages per week (from a book on your reading level). You might be a “B” home reader, or a “C” home reader. That’s okay. All reading will increase your speed and comprehension. Listening to a book is not the same as reading it yourself--YOU must do the reading. On your Home Weekly Reading Logs, I need to see how many pages, and out of what book you are reading. If you like, you can also include the time, so I can see how long it takes you, but I MUST see the page numbers for you to receive credit. Weekly logs are due every Friday. I will not call for them, just drop them in the basket at the beginning or end of class. I do not take Weekly Reading Bookmarks late (it defeats the purpose: showing you read consistently). Before turning in the weekly logs, record the pages, and any book you’ve completed on your Term Reading Log. When I return the weekly logs, attach them to the Term Reading Log in your binder. The weekly logs do not require a parent signature; the term log does require a parent signature. Every student is expected to read 40 books within specific genres during the school year, so plan on reading a book a week, 10 books a term. At the end of each term you earn 3 points for every book, up to 10 books. Sometimes this takes some juggling--talk to me, sometimes I can help. Books have to be at your reading level or approved by me--but they don’t always have to be long. If you would like more information on the 40 Book Club, see Donalyn Miller’s “The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child “ and/or check out her blog in Teacher Magazine (online). To help you read 40 books by the end of the year, we will read in class every chance we get—so you MUST have a reading book at your desk EVERY DAY. Over the year you should read the following genres (I will give you a Genre Tracking Sheet to keep in your class binder and the list can be found on my website online):
Class Library, In-Class Reading, Book bins
Writing Proficiency and Standard-Based Grades I can not grade an essay until it meets minimum criteria (requirements are accessible on my website online). Basics include things such as MLA format (which I will teach you), capitalizing proper nouns, periods, other punctuation, spell-check, complete sentences, paragraphs, a beginning, middle and end, etc., and specific new (clarified and taught) skills. If your assignment does not meet minimum criteria, you will receive an “I” or a “1” which will negatively affect your grade until you turn it back in (corrected and revised to grade level writing), notify me by handing in a hard-copy, and I am able to grade it. After it meets minimum criteria--which is holding you accountable for basic writing skills hopefully mastered in grade school--THEN I can grade it for the specific skills you are practicing for that specific 8th grade essay--skills such as organization, figurative language, character development, dialogue, source citation, rhetorical argument, etc. Similar to learning an instrument, writing is a process--a skill--not a task (like the answer to a math problem or filling in the blank in science) that gets the grade the first time you attempt it. Usually, writing requires multiple revisions and editing before it meets requirements. Don’t fall in love with the first thing you put down on the paper. Grades are symbols that reflect what I value as a teacher, your effort, ability, and a strong work ethic. No matter how much you learn in school, if you don’t turn in the work, or don’t turn it in on time, there are few visible rewards (in class or in life) for what you have learned; what you know. I have to admit, I value learning over grades--but we live in a culture of tangible symbols. You want a jump start in life? Learn to navigate hoops, red tape, standard expectations, etc. to earn basic credit--but ohmygosh--keep going. Stretch. Go beyond minimum requirements. Typed Essays, Google Docs, District gmail
The due date for all classroom materials and the disclosure is Friday, August 22, 2014 No points will be given for late disclosures or classroom materials after Monday, August 25, 2014. Please sign below indicating you have read and understand everything. Please return the entire disclosure for full points so you can keep it in your English binder for reference. You and your parents can access the disclosure online by googling Leanne Hoffman Nebo. On the menu on the left side of the website, the disclosure is #1 under the welcome section. I can also share it with you upon request. __________________________ ___________________________ Student Signature Parent/Guardian Signature PJHS 8th Grade Honors English Honors Class
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