Grading Policy:
Class work, homework,
class participation, quizzes, projects, and weekly reading journal will be 75%
of the six weeks grade.
Six Weeks or Novel Final
Exam shall have the value of 25%.
A minimum of 2 grades per
week will be given.
The semester grade will be
the average of the three six-week grades.
Materials Needed:
3 composition books
1 plastic folder with
pockets
The assigned reading novel
(*Students are required to
have a pen or pencil to write with. Students will have projects to do
throughout the school year and will need materials such as colors, markers,
scissors, and glue, but I will let students know ahead of time when they need
to bring them to class*
Expectations:
Throughout the course of
the class you will be presented with various genres of literature. The material
is designed to make you a more confident reader. Throughout the school year,
you will gain the necessary skills and knowledge to excel, not only in middle
school, but in high school and college as well. The class is designed to
discussion based student participation is a priority.
Assignments:
Students will be required
to read a different novel every six weeks. The students will read one chapter
to two chapters a night and be required to answer discussion questions for each
chapter. Homework will be given every night with each reading assignment. At
the end of the week the points will accumulate to 100pts and will be taken as
an assignment grade. Class participation on chapters assigned and discussion
questions, along with activities from the novel will also be graded.
Every day the students are
required to keep a journal, journal topics will be given by teacher, and be
turned in on Fridays; this will also be a weekly grade.
Projects:
There will be several
projects throughout the six weeks based on the novels we are reading. Students
should be prepared to work on their own or in groups. Projects will consist of
classroom activities as well as project that will be assigned to done at home.
The students will be given the information for the projects ahead of time and
will be given plenty of time to complete them.
Late Assignments:
Being present in class
every day is important. Every day will build on skills needed for completing
assignments. Students are responsible for missed assignments/topics when they
are absent. They may ask one of their classmates, or myself, for missed
assignments. Missed assignments must be turned in within five days of the
absence. NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCPETED AFTER THE FIVE DAY GRACE PERIOD.
If the student is not
absent and did not turn in assignment or homework they have to the end of that
week to turn it in, after that week the assignment or homework will NOT be
accepted, therefor the student will have a zero for the assignment or homework
in the grade book.
Attendance:
It is imperative that you
attend class on a daily basis, as failure to do so will result in you missing
out on important information. *AFTER 3 ABSENCES, STUDENT WILL BE REFERRED TO AN
ADMINISTRATOR*
Participation:
Participation in all class
activities is necessary to gain a better understanding of the material being
covered. A grade will be issued for participation and on class discussions over
topics and or chapter questions on novels.
Tardiness:
Be in (as opposed to near) your
assigned seat when the bell rings and remain there until the teacher dismisses
the class. In the event that another teacher or staff member detains you, a
signed excuse should be brought to me as soon as possible.
The teacher will decide whether the
tardy is excused or unexcused. Tardies accumulate all day and start over at the
new six weeks. They will be referred to the office for the tardy.
Tardies
1-4 Teacher records and warns to student
Tardy
5 – Referral to administrator. Parent contact
Tardy
6 – Referral to administrator. Parent, Teacher, Administrator Meeting
Tardy
7 – Referral to administrator. ISS at home campus assigned
Tardy
8+ - Referral to administrator. Student will be transferred to home campus
Hall Privileges:
You will have adequate time to take
care of business between classes. I will allow you to make restroom trips as
you feel necessary UNTIL it becomes an abuse. I reserve the right to take away
restroom privileges. If you have a medical condition that requires you to need
to go to the bathroom frequently please bring me a medical excuse so that I can
be aware of it.
School Wide Violations:
School wide rules are strictly
enforced. Violators will receive a warning as a first offense, a call home will
be the second offense, and a parent/teacher conference request would be the 3rd
offense. At this point, if you are not making an effort to correct the
inappropriate behavior, a disciplinary referral will be issued.
Cheating Policy:
Anyone who participates in cheating
on a test, project or other assignments will receive a zero for that grade.
There is no reason why cheating is ever excusable. If you did not understand an
assignment, then let me know and I will explain it to you and grant you an
extension.
Class Rules:
•Be prepared to apply yourself
•Be respectful of yourself and others
•Be responsible for what you say and do
•Be Diligent with your time
•Be safe for yourself and others
Daily Arrival Procedures:
I expect you to abide by the
following procedures without me having to call your attention before I make my
way to the front of the room:
• Come into the classroom. If the door is
unlocked and I am not inside, please make a line outside the door and wait
until I arrive. This prevents accidents from occurring inside the room while it
is unsupervised.
• Grab your Reading journals from the
appropriate shelf.
• Turn in any homework to the indicated folder.
Make sure it has your name on it. No name = trash.
• Take a seat.
• Have a pencil to write with. Not having a
pencil is no excuse to not be ready for class. If you need a pencil, find one BEFORE I start teaching.
•Make sure that all electronics are put away.
Unless you have my permission electronics are not to be taken out during class
time.
When We Have a Visitor:
- When we have someone
come into our classroom that is not part of our class (teacher, administrator,
student, parent) you are expected to follow the same classroom rules and
procedures. You are expected to be polite to the visitor. Do not talk to the
visitor unless he/she is talking to you directly. Continue working on your
assignment as usual.
- If the visitor needs to
speak to me privately, I expect you to remain in your seat without talking
until I finish speaking with the visitor.
Three minute dismissal checklist:
To have things run more smoothly, I
expect you to do the following when I say “3 minutes” & you hear the
appropriate alarm:
• Put your unfinished homework away; Turn in any
completed assignments.
• Put away your binder and journal in the
appropriate shelf, neatly.
• Gather all of your belongings; Throw away any
trash around your table and chair.
• Stand by your desk and wait to be dismissed.
This does not mean to crowd the classroom door waiting for dismissal.
Cluster Planning:
If you have any questions
feel free to come in and see me during my 8th and 9th planning
periods which are from 1:50p.m. to 3:35 p.m. You may call me at 488-6024.
Blog
This class will have a
blog where I will be posting reminders, due dates, discussions questions,
quotes to discussion, and other topics that pertain to the class. Sometimes it
will be daily and sometimes it will be weekly depending on the information that
needs to be given. Students should check the blog daily to make sure that no
new information has been added. Students will be able to comment on blog and
participate in discussions on blog. www.ac2emsp.garcia.blogspot.com.
Tentative Schedule for 8th Grade ELA:
Required Novels: 1st Six Weeks- To Kill
a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee
2nd
Six Weeks- To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee
3rd
Six Weeks- Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
4th Six Weeks- Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
5th
Six Weeks- Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
6th Six Weeks- The Maze Runner by James Dasher
*Novels are subject to
change but students will be notified in advance.
*Students are required
to purchase their own novels. They may purchase novel on electronic device.
However, they may NOT purchase audio version of novel *
(If you have any questions or concerns please let me know)
“Today a READER, Tomorrow a LEADER”
