Introduction
I want this year to be filled with engaged and stimulating learning that will help you, not only succeed in the 8th grade, but also throughout your high school career and everyday life. This will be a respectful and disciplined classroom. To achieve these things, I have established a few simple policies and procedures we will follow as a class. As a student in this class, your behavior will decide the course the class will take. It is your responsibility to comply with the policies and procedures so that your education and your classmates’ education will not be hindered. If you choose not to comply, there will be consequences. Enforcing these policies will bring fairness and order to the classroom, and provide an exciting educational experience.
1. Classroom Rules
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Be organized and come to class prepared and on time.
Show respect at all times.
Act responsibly: stay on task and complete your assignments.
Only I can dismiss you, not the bell or another student.
There will be no food or drinks allowed in the classroom.
**Note: I reserve the right to add or edit any rules during the course of the year as I see fit.**
2. 8th Grade Rules:
Book bags and Heavy Jackets: On ___________, no book bags, drawstring sport bags, or heavy jackets will be allowed in the hallway between 8:30 and 3:30. The student may wear/bring them to school and then must immediately put these in their locker. At NO TIME will they be allowed in the classroom.
Agendas: Students will be given their agendas within the first few days of school. This is their student hall pass. No student will be allowed in the hallway, or outside of class, without these signed by a teacher. If students lose their agendas, they can buy another one from the office for $5. This is a school-wide policy.
Tardies: If a student is late to class, I will deduct points from their Survivor tribe. The student is responsible for making up any missed work.
Lockers and Locks: Each student will be assigned a locker by his or her homeroom teacher. If students have misplaced their locks from the previous school year, they must buy another one for $6. There will be absolutely NO locker sharing.
3. Classroom Expectations
The following list consists of the expectations I have of you in this class.
No person may interfere with another person’s right to learn. This means that I expect your behavior to not interrupt class, whether I’m talking, another student is presenting, we have a guest speaker, or you are working in groups. It is not fair for those students who want to learn.
When speaking to an adult, always say “yes ma’am/sir” or “no ma’am/sir.” This is just a common courtesy that everyone appreciates. When you become an adult, you will want young people to address you in the same respect.
Do not disrespect other’s comments, opinions, or ideas. We will be having a lot of discussion in this class regarding the ideas found in the literature we read. It is not your place, nor mine, to say whether or not another’s ideas or beliefs are wrong or stupid. This commentary will not be tolerated in this class.
ALWAYS say thank you when you are given something and never insult the gift or the giver.
Do not ask for a reward. Rewards are only given when one acts extraordinary.
Do Not Complain!
Clean your space. Do not ask someone else to clean it for you.
Treat others as you would want to be treated.
Be organized. You should come to class prepared with all required materials, which may include your textbook, notebook, pens, pencils, and paper. At home, reading and writing assignments should be completed before the day of class discussion. You must also bring any assignments or projects which are due that day. You WILL NOT receive a pass to retrieve the assignment.
Be successful. Even if English is not your favorite subject, I want you to be able to gain knowledge that you can apply throughout your middle school and high school career and in the everyday world. I expect you to leave this class with knowledge that will help you become successful in anything you do.
Be respectful to every person. Disrespect WILL NOT be tolerated in this class. I expect you to show respect to me, yourself, your fellow students, any personnel at this school, and any adult who enters the class. In return, everyone should show you respect as well. If you are respectful, it means:
o You will not talk when I or your peers talk.
o You will obey all classroom and school rules.
o You will display appropriate manners, i.e. saying thank you, please, yes ma’am/sir, no ma’am/sir.
o You will not vandalize property, whether it’s school property or your peer’s property.
o You will listen politely to your peers when they are speaking in class and never criticize anyone.
o You will participate in class.
These are just a few examples of respectful actions I expect to see in this class.
Observe all school rules in my class. This refers to cell phones, cheating, food and drink, dress code, etc.
3. Consequences
Like everything else, there are consequences for your actions. These are the consequences you will receive for inappropriate behavior and/or breaking any rules.
I. If a student misbehaves in any manner that disrupts the class or breaks a class/school rule, the student will receive one warning.
II. If a student misbehaves in any manner that disrupts the class or breaks a class/school rule a second time, the student will have lunch detention. We do not have enough time in the school year to waste on inappropriate behavior. If needed, I will also send a note home and/or call the parents/guardians about the student’s behavior.
III. If a student misbehaves in any manner that disrupts the class or breaks a class/school rule a third time, I will send the student to ISS, or the equivalent, and I will notify the parents/guardians of the student’s behavior.
**Note: There are exceptions, which depend on the student and his or her previous behavior in the class. Also, these consequences depend on the severity of the disruption.**
4. Rewards
Just like there are consequences for negative behavior, students are able to receive rewards for positive behavior. It will be possible for students to receive two types of rewards:
“R Buck” Students will be able to collect “R Buck” coupons. They may be collected to “pay” for things like bathroom passes or “forgotten” homework passes. They may even be used on a quiz for an extra point.
SURVIVOR: Students will be participating in a cooperative learning activity that will last all year long. I will be giving the students more information on this at the beginning of next week.
5. Grading
Grades will be comprised of the following components: Daily Grades, Quizzes, Tests, Projects, and 9 Weeks Test.
Daily Grades: These consist of journal activities, pop quizzes, homework, and in class activities. Each will count for 15% of the student’s grade.
Quizzes: Throughout the year, there will be quizzes on literature, grammar, vocabulary, and literary terms. These quizzes will count for 20% of the student’s overall grade.
Tests: You will have a major test at the end of each unit. Units may consist of literature, vocabulary, and/or grammar. These tests will cover all material in a unit and will count for 30 % of the student’s grade.
Projects: Periodically, you will have projects that you must complete, both as individuals and in groups. These projects will have due dates and they are due on that date. Ms. Ratcliffe will accept late work, but there will be a 25 point deduction per day late. Projects will count for 25% of the student’s overall grade.
9 Week Test: At the end of each 9 weeks, there will be a 9 weeks test which will cover everything that was taught during the 9 weeks. You will receive study guides to help you prepare for your test. However, you are responsible for keeping all notes and handouts throughout the year. After the first 9 weeks test, the following tests may consist of items previously taught. This is to ensure that you are constantly reviewing your notes and not just cramming to pass the test. This 9 weeks test will count for 10% of the student’s grade.
Daily Grades 15%
Quizzes 20%
Tests 30%
Projects 25%
9 Week Test 10 %
Total: 100%
**Note: Each student has the opportunity to earn an extra credit grade of 100 each time he or she turns in his or her progress report signed. **
6. School Work
All homework is due at the requested time. If you are present in the classroom and you fail to turn in a homework assignment, you will receive a ZERO. I DO NOT allow homework assignments to be turned in late.
o If you are absent, the work may be turned in the day you return to school.
o If there is an unusual circumstance, you parent/guardian may contact me at 756-3105 or at my email: Ratclin.agc@pitt.k12.nc.us
School related absences, such as club trips, band trips, and athletic events, are known far in advance. You may not use these events as excuses for not having homework. If this becomes the case, I will talk to the coach/teacher about your performance in class.
This is an English class. If you choose to work on any subject other than English in this class, I reserve the right to collect what you are working on and discard it.
I do not mind what color ink you write in, except for yellow. You may use any color pens or pencils.
7. Attendance Policy
I expect each student to be in class prepared and on time.
o ON TIME means that you are in the classroom before the bell rings and are ready to start class as soon as the bell rings. Once the bell rings, my door is shut and you will be considered late. You will receive a tardy pass and must report to ISS. YOU are responsible for the missed work because of your tardy. You will not interrupt class to receive materials or ask questions. Furthermore, if everyone is not ready to work by the time the bell rings, I will hold the class after the bell for the amount of time it takes for everyone to get settled.
If a student is absent, it is his or her responsibility to collect assignments for the day he or she was absent. (Please see the “What I Missed” Notebook and the corresponding folder for your period.)
You have five school days to make up tests and quizzes with the exceptions of pop quizzes. You cannot make up a pop quiz. The missed pop quiz will go in the grade book as an omit and does not hurt or help your grade. You must make arrangements with me before you make up a test or quiz; however, I will not remind you that you need to make up an assignment. This is your responsibility.
8. Required Materials
You will need the following materials for everyday use. There may be other times during the semester where you may be required to use other materials for projects or other assignments. You MUST have these materials no later than _________________________.
(1) 1 ½ -inch 3-Ring Binder
(1) 8-section Tab Divider: Please label the dividers as follows:
1. Literary Terms
2. Literature
3. Grammar
4. Vocabulary
5. Quizzes/Tests
6. Projects
7. EOG Prep. Sheets
8. Writing
Loose Leaf Paper
Pens (any color but yellow)
Pencils
The following materials may be brought in for 1 extra credit grade of 100. You will receive one 100 for each item you bring in up to a maximum of two 100s. If you decide to bring in more than two items, you will only receive two 100s, but I will be very appreciative.
Tissues, paper towels, Clorox/Lysol wipes, band aids, hand sanitizer, bright multi-colored Expo markers, bright computer paper
9. Daily Classroom Procedures
Time is very important in the classroom and I do not believe in wasting any time. We only have an hour and half to accomplish many things. The period will be split in the following ways:
Grammar: We will be covering as much grammar as possible. Grammar is important, not only for school, but for your life. When you get to high school, they will be expecting you to already know the basic rules governing grammar. If you can start a good foundation now, you will be better off in the future.
Vocabulary: Learning new words is important not only for testing, but for your future. Every Monday, you will receive a set of vocabulary words and will be tested on these words every Friday. We will use these words in class; however, it is your responsibility to learn these words on your own. Through the mid-point of the 9 weeks, you will be tested on all vocabulary words we have covered. The vocabulary words will also be on your 9 weeks tests. You must go over these vocabulary words for the whole year.
Literature: There will never be a point in your life in which you stop reading. I am trying to prepare you for high school and life. We will be reading a lot of literature from poetry, short stories, non-fiction, novels, etc. When we read, you will receive handouts and study guides. The study guides will be due the day of the quiz or test. There is no exception. You will also receive literary terms that go along with the piece of literature we are reading. You will be tested on these terms.
Independent Reading: There will be times in the class that I ask you to read independently. You may choose to read from an AR book, a graphic novel that is school appropriate, a non-fiction book, or any book that is school appropriate. If you have a question on whether or not something is appropriate, please ask me. I expect you to have something with you to read AT ALL TIMES. You will be keeping a log of items that you have read throughout the year.
Agenda: The school gives you an agenda. We will utilize this agenda in class. You must bring your agenda with you, EVERY SINGLE DAY for multiple reasons. First, you will not be allowed to leave class unless you have your agenda. This your hall pass. Next, I will periodically and randomly check to make sure you are writing down your due dates and are actually using your agenda. These grades will count as daily grades.
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10. Website
You may visit my website at http://literarycreativity.blogspot.com/ This website will help the students find information regarding homework, research, projects, and literature. Parents/Guardians may access the website to see what their student is doing in class as well as enable them to contact me about any questions, comments, or concerns.