English+I+with+Ms.+Ducko-Sweeney

** Welcome to Ms. Matos and Ms. Ducko-Sweeney's ** ** English I Class! ** Welcome to high school English! You will be reading some very good books, stories, poems, and plays dealing with the themes of conflict, struggle, and self-discovery this year. You will have the opportunity to build your writing skills this year. Writing will take many forms within the class including but not limited to: essays, personal responses, journals, and poetry. Talking is another important aspect of this class. Therefore, you will be expected to participate in class discussions and class performances of the literature. ﻿Course Expectations Materials

 **__BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS__**
 * Put forth your best effort in each activity you do, whether it is a writing assignment, a class discussion, or homework.
 * All school rules apply in this classroom...there is a focus in this class on //RESPECTFUL BEHAVIOR//. Show //respec//t for classmates, teachers, and yourself.
 * It is expected that you will display self-control at all times.
 * Be sure to **participate**!!! Please raise your hand to speak and LISTEN when others are speaking!

__**GRADING PROCEDURES**__
 * All assignments (classwork, homework, projects, group work, quizzes, tests, etc) will be worth a specified number of points.
 * Points will be earned for assignments based on completion, accuracy of work, student effort, promptness, neatness, and amount & appropriateness of participation (with group work).
 * At the end of each marking period, grades will be calculated by finding the percentage of points earned for all the assignments given during that marking period.

__**HOMEWORK**__ Yes, you will have homework in our class and we expect it to be done at home or in a HAP/Study Skills class. Homework should be neat and completed in its entirety. Homework not received when the teacher collects/checks it at the beginning of class will be considered late. Homework that is submitted late will lose points based on the number of days it is late and the number of points the assignment is worth. It is crucial that you do your homework, as many classroom activities are based on the completion of homework assignments assigned the previous class. If the homework is needed for the day’s lesson, and it is not completed, a zero will be given. <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif;">__**ABSENCES/MAKE-UP WORK**__ <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif;">If you are absent from class, it is your responsibility to find out what assignments you may have missed (call or email a classmate or a teacher, **check the class website**, or ask the day you return to school). It is also your responsibility to check the daily class log and hand in the assignment(s) in within a 2 day period from when you return to class. <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif;">If you are absent the day of a test, you will need to arrange a time (your own time – not class time) to make up the test on the day of your return. <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif;">__**LATES TO CLASS**__ <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Five lates to class earns you a lunch detention. You will be given two opportunities to serve you lunch detention. If you do not serve it a “failure to show” write-up will be submitted to the office. After five lates to class, the school late policy is in effect. <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif;">__**“NO QUSTIONS ASKED” CARDS**__ <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif;">You will be given two “No Questions Asked” cards to use each semester. You can choose to use your “No Questions Asked” card for any homework assignment, however, you will only be permitted four cards for the year – 2 for the first half of the year and 2 for the second half of the year. <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif;">It is your responsibility to hold onto these cards, and if you misplace them, you will not be given replacement cards. If you plan well enough and never need to use your cards, then you may turn them in at the end of each semester for extra credit! <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif;">“No Questions Asked” cards can not be used for essays or projects (or for other assignments specified by the teachers).

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif;">**MATERIALS NEEDED** – You have the opportunity to receive 10 points every 2 weeks for being prepared to class by bringing the following items __**EVERY DAY**__:
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif;">pen/pencil
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif;">planner/agenda
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif;">assigned reading text – textbook/novel/play
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif;">paper
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif;">homework, an open mind, a good attitude, and insightful thoughts and questions
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Read180 Binder (A Day)** - divided into sections: Reading Journal, Writing, Articles, Skills Wor
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif;">**English class binder (B Day)** – dived into sections: Literary Terms, Reading Guides, Vocabulary, Grammar/Skills Work, Writing Assignments