1. Be Respectful.

2. Be Responsible.

3. Be Appropriate.

4. Be Involved.

5. Be Honest.

Expectations

Treat everyone with proper consideration, regardless of whether he/she is in the classroom at the time. Use respectful language, in writing as well as in discussions. Show respect for your environment by keeping the classrooms clean and neat.

Arrive at class on time and with all necessary materials. Complete assignments on time, ask questions when necessary, and stay aware of deadlines. Be prepared for the start of class each day. Do what is right, regardless of what everyone else in class is doing.

Conduct yourself as a mature, well-mannered young adult. Think before speaking, and make sure all contributions to the class dialogue are meaningful and pertinent. Take care of personal business when the time is appropriate. Use your privileges wisely.

Participate to the fullest extent that you can. Stay awake. Take part in discussions. Ask questions. Answer questions. Stay on task. Take notes. Keep your head up. Do your homework. Use class time efficiently. Listen. Watch. Participate.

Do your own work. Do not cheat, and do not plagiarize. Do not attempt to sneak around the rules. Avoid inventing excuses to cover up for your mistakes. Accept consequences for your mistakes, and learn from them.

Grading Policy

Grades will be taken weekly. Graded assignments will include vocabulary quizzes and root tree assignments, Writer's Notebook entries, formal writing assignments, book projects, grammar practices, and any other assignments given during the year, including quizzes and tests. Vocabulary quizzes will be give once per quarter. Words can be found on the website, and we will have fun vocabulary games every other Friday. Every other week, a current events assignment will be given including a summary and correct citation of the source of the article you've read. Once a quarter, I will randomly choose TEN writer's notebook entries to grade for 100 points. Please make sure that you get assignments you've missed from a friend/classmate. First quarter, we will all do Book Fair projects. Rubrics will be distributed at a later date. After that, each class will have their own project per quarter. All projects will be accompanied by a rubric. You will be required to read independently each quarter, and you will be provided 5-10 minutes of class time each day for this. This is the equivalent of TWO or THREE books on your own, not counting the ones we read in class. By college, you will be expected to read almost four times that amount. It is so important that you read for at least 20-30 minutes independently every day. All writing assignments will be graded and returned to you with the expectation that you correct them and return them to me. A new grade can be given after corrections have been made at my discretion, however the best grade you can make after corrections is a 90%. Random practices, bell wringers, etc. will be worth 10-25 pts each. ******Always remember: I do not GIVE grades; you EARN them. Please refer to the student handbook for other guidelines pertaining to the grading policy.