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CLASS PROCEDURES:
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Look at the Agenda Board to see what you might
need for the day
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Take out those items necessary for that day's work
and place them on your desk
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Put your backpack completely under your desk, or
on the back of your chair
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You should be in your seat by the time the bell
rings!
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Have your homework ready, out on the desk, to be
collected or stamped
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Do not turn in homework unless told to do so.
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Before you leave the classroom:
Please return all handouts to the proper box (these handouts
will be numbered in the upper corner, and are not to be taken home).
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At the end of the period, Do not pack up before
I dismiss the class. The bell alone, does not dismiss the class.
HOMEWORK:
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Check the weekly schedule in class, or on this
website to plan your week in regards to homework. Usually, there will be
homework every night of the week. On weekends, the homework will, generally,
consist of typing up class notes and/or reading. I will try not to assign
homework on a Friday that is due Monday.
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When you come to class on Monday, you should copy
down the week's homework in your Agenda Books during morning
announcements/during attendance. You can also find the homework on this
website, under, "Homework."
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Homework is considered late if it is not on one's
desk at the beginning of class. Larger projects and papers are considered
late if not turned in by the end of that school day.
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Broken printers, out-of-ink, etc. are the new,
"My dog ate my homework." These excuses don't work. Set up
an internet-based email account for yourself so
that you can email to yourself the work, and print it at school. Or, better
yet, purchase a FlashDrive and move your work to the drive, bring to school,
and print at school. But, this printing must take place before class/the
due date. You will not be able to do the printing during class.
BEHAVIOR POLICY:
Be kind. Be safe. Be respectful. Be responsible.
Failure to follow school, pod, or classroom rules, i.e., being on time, will
result in the following:
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Verbal warning.
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Removal from classroom, and
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Detention after school,or during lunch, with
possible phone call home.
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If you miss the detention without a valid excuse,
you will receive a referral.
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After accumulating a succession of detentions, a
referral will be issued.
There are, of course, situations where an immediate
referral will be issued (fighting, harassment, etc.). I will also issue
immediate detentions (without the warning) for the following:
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If you are not quiet and attentive when I ask for
your attention.
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If you pack up before I dismiss the class at the
end of the period.
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If you leave your materials at home (Independent
reading, Conlaw Textbook, Notebooks, etc.).
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IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT DETENTIONS: The
detention you receive for one of the above infractions, is a detention FOR THE
DAY OF THE INFRACTION. Let me repeat that: for the day of the infraction
. This means, if you have an appointment, or otherwise can't make a detention
because of a previous commitment, it does NOT mean you don't serve the
detention. On the contrary. It means, YOU SHOULD NOT DO SOMETHING THAT WILL
EARN YOU A DETENTION ON A DAY YOU KNOW YOU CAN'T SERVE ONE!
GRADING POLICY:
My grading practices and policies are influenced
by William Glasser’s Quality School principles. Basically, this means that I
have found that children: a) need the opportunity to improve their work; b)
often learn more during the improvement process than during the initial
attempt; and c) need to be given clear standards for what is expected of them
in any given activity.
To this end, therefore, my grading policy is as
follows:
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All substantial activities, projects and
assignments have Rubrics that will be handed to the students before
they begin the activity, and they will be able to see what is involved in
creating “Quality Work.” PLEASE GO OVER THESE RUBRICS/INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE
BEGINNING ANY LARGER ASSIGNMENT!
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All assignments, except Tests, Quizzes, some
Homework and Participation Grades will be “improveable.” Students
will have one week from the date the assignment was given back to them to work
on the specific revisions and re-submit that assignment. You may re-submit
as many times as you would like to get the grade you want. Hopefully,
however, after learning what makes "quality" work, the need for these
revisions will lessen as the year progresses.
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Assignments will be accorded a point value,
based upon the "weight" of the assignment. For instance, most essays are 100
points; less demanding assignments, accorded less points. Grades are quoted as
points awarded over points possible. For instance: an essay grade may look
like this: 92/100. A less demanding assignment, say, a homework response,
might look like this: 8/10.
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Trimester grades
are total points earned divided by total points possible (usually,
approximately, 400-800 points per trimester). Students will keep track of
their own grades throughout the trimester, so there are no surprises; as well
as time to improve if need be. I will hand out a "Keeping Track of Your
Grades" sheet to make this easy.
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I give out
Progress Reports to those students who, at the time of the Report, are
earning a C or below. These reports are warnings (they do not go on any
permanent record) so as to help in improving the grades. They are not to be
used as "quotable" grades ("But you said I had a C at the
progress report...."), but as a type of "alarm" or warning! Please
see that they are interpreted as such.
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Grading Scale:
94-100=A
90-93 = A-
87-89 = B+
84-86 = B
80-83 = B-
77-79 = C+
74-76 = C
70-73 = C-
67-69 = D+
64-66 = D
60-63 = D-
Below 60 = F
Late Work: In
order to teach planning, organization skills, prioritizing, etc., I am a real
stickler for on-time work. Due dates are given for a reason (i.e., to teach
good planning, because classwork for a given day follows in sequence to the
homework, or my need to balance in-depth grading of 5 history classes'
assignments). I will not accept any work - no matter how small - for full
credit that is late without a written excuse from home. And even then, it is
not guaranteed that I will accept the excuse! Late work will receive a loss
of one grade per day it is late.
Absences:
It is your responsibility to use the website, your friends, your Agenda Book
to keep up with missed work. Missed work should be made up in a timely manner,
usually one day for every day you were absent. Speak to me personally - before
or after class - about any work you might have missed. Do not ask during
class, please.
NOTEBOOK GUIDELINES:
You will keep two separate notebooks for your
History class: a History notebook (spiral notebook) and an Essay Binder (to
keep finished essays, longer writing pieces in progress, and your ConLaw
Text). Most regular class and homework assignments will be completed in
one of these notebooks. Although I stamp and go over the Homework each day,
the notebook will be graded for overall quality and completeness, as well as
individual-assignment assessment, approximately twice a trimester. As all
of your work is in these two notebooks, the grades for them will represent the
major part of your trimester grade in History.
SPIRAL:
1. You need to keep a Table of Contents on
the front pages of the notebook. Record the Assignment Number and Assignment
Title as it appears on the classroom easel (and under "Notebook Contents" in
this Website). Add your own page numbers in the Page Column. Keep this page
up-to-date! Annotate the assignment on the TOC, when completed.
2. You may write on both sides as
long as your writing utensil doesn't "bleed" through.
3. Each assignment needs to have the Assignment
Number and the Assignment Title centered, on the top line of the
page. You should also prominently write the Page Number in one of the outside
corners; be consistent as to which corner.
4. Put only one assignment on each page.
5. All homework assignments must be stamped
to receive full credit. If you are absent, make sure to have me stamp your
completed work when you return to school.
6. All assignments must be complete and legible.
If you do not have time to finish something in class, you should complete it
at home. You should use ink in most cases; the use of a computer should be
used for longer pieces of work. If you type something for your Notebook, print
it out and paste neatly into the notebook, cutting it down if necessary.
7. Your notebook must be complete. Absences
are not an excuse. You should check with me, this website, or a classmate in
order to make up missed work. Don't forget to look in the Student Filing
Cabinet for any missed handouts. Do not write, "absent" on an assignment and
expect to get credit for it: you won't.
BINDER:
1. This is where you put/keep finished essays
, responses, process pieces, etc. Once an assignment has been graded to the
point you are satisfied with it, punch holes in it and put in this binder.
2. Keep a Contents Page that lists the
individual assignments in the binder. Put this page first, and keep it
up-to-date.
3. Keep an up-dated copy of Keeping Track of
Your Grades sheet. When an assignment has been graded, record it on this
sheet. You will lose points each trimester for not keeping track of your
grades!
4. Keep a copy of the 8th Grade Portfolio
Contents sheet. As we complete assignments that might satisfy one of the
Portfolio requirements, record it on this sheet.
5. You will also keep your ConLaw Text in this
notebook; therefore, when we are using the ConLaw Text, you must bring this
notebook to class with you each day.
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