English 1 Skinny

What can I expect in my English 1 class? 

Your English 1 class incorporates listening, speaking, reading, and writing to improve a student's overall communication and literacy skills in order to enable the student to be a more productive and effective citizen of Iowa and the greater world. So you, as a 9th grade English student, will read, write, speak, and listen every day.  In order to do that, obviously you will be thinking, thinking, thinking.  You will get the opportunity to read both independently and as a class from a variety of genres, learning how to think critically about what you read.  You will also learn more about and continue to practice good reading skills and strategies that will help improve your overall reading experience with whatever you are reading, whether that be in reading class, other classes, or any independent reading you do at home or school.   Additionally, you will learn more about and continue to practice the good writing skills of planning and organizing, composing, revising, editing, and publishing solid, coherent, original texts.  You will also learn more about how to use language effectively, working toward mastery of language goals with grammar, vocabulary, and writing techniques. In addition, you will be improving your listening and speaking skills by practicing them through a number of different types of discussions and presentations.

What are Mrs. Hartwig's classroom expectations?

There are three basic expectations that guide everyone and everything in this class: 

1)  Be respectful...no matter what.  Each of us wants respect; therefore, each of us will give it.

2)  Be here in both heart and mind.  You can't learn if you aren't here (either in-person or online) or don't care. 

3)  Be the best learner you can be (that's your job) who thinks, exercises his/her brain, takes responsibility for his/her learning, and contributes to the learning environment of the entire class.

Behavior inconsistent with the above expectations will be handled according to Mrs. Hartwig's Classroom Discipline Routine, which is intended to minimize classroom disruptions by handling behavior issues quickly and quietly.  If classroom misbehavior results in a parent/guardian having to wait to pick up the student or a student missing the bus or after-school activities, it is my hope that family members will hold the learner accountable so that this natural consequence will hopefully encourage respectful, productive behavior as a learner.  If parents/guardians have concerns about this policy, I sincerely welcome conversations on how we (myself, our school, and our families) can team together to best help our students succeed. 

What are Mrs. Hartwig's academic expectations?

Mrs. Hartwig firmly believes in the great potential of each one of her students. She also understands that we are all human and, therefore, oftentimes don't live each day showing that great potential. But in this literacy classroom, we will work hard to meet our potential as high school learners.  The following academic expectations will help learners do that:

1) Always engage in active listening and speaking, using discussion connectors to help any class discussions develop as thoroughly as possible.

2) Always actively read (including reading along in whatever your class, group, or partner may be reading), remembering to carry on a conversation with the text by using strong reading strategies.

3) Always practice your best writing skills, remembering to use complete sentences, scholarly language, proper punctuation/capitalization/spelling, your most legible handwriting, and always proofing all your work before completing and submitting any writing assignment or email.

5) Always use class time productively to complete all assigned work in class, remembering to timely complete assigned work that may occasionally require out-of-class time.

As a reward for being responsible learners and as extra practice in responsibility, a classroom manager will be chosen for each week of class. This student will get the privilege of providing the entry music for each day of class that particular week. This classroom manager will also be responsible to be the point person in class leadership, classroom discussions, and general helpfulness.

What is the grading policy?

Standards-Based Grading - Mrs. Hartwig's instructional goal is to help all students grow as much as possible in becoming successful, self-motivated learners. Therefore, she utilizes Standards-Based Grading, a form of grading based on the proficiency level demonstrated by each student on the standards (skills) taught in the classroom. This approach to grading is intended to shift students from a fixed-mindset focused on grades (with an eye on points) to a growth mindset focused on learning (with an eye on growth).  Because we are focused on growth, each student's proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking & listening will be based on the 4-point proficiency scale shown in the chart below.

Re-Assessment Policy - Additionally, because the goal is to help each student reach proficiency and continue learning beyond to mastery, students are encouraged to continue practicing their skills and to re-assess when they are not satisfied with their performance on any given standard/skill. Mrs. Hartwig offers re-assessment opportunities as follows:

• Reading Standards Proficiency - Students will demonstrate their reading proficiency in the areas of Key Ideas & Details, Craft & Structure, and Integration of Knowledge & Ideas. After any given assessment, students may work to improve their skills and request a re-assessment within one week of receiving their proficiency score and feedback.  Because reading skills are normally assessed in writing, Mrs. Hartwig provides prescriptive written feedback on assessments that score below proficiency. When that is the case, students may address that feedback and email Mrs. Hartwig to let her know they have revised their work and need re-assessed. If Mrs. Hartwig has not provided prescriptive feedback - either because of the nature of the assessment or because the student demonstrated proficiency - and the student wishes to revise in order to be re-assessed, they are to notify Mrs. Hartwig, either in person or by email, that they would like re-assessment. She will then provide prescriptive feedback for students to address through revising their work. When complete with their revisions, they will then need to email Mrs. Hartwig to notify her that she can re-assess the work.

• Writing Standards - Students will demonstrate their writing proficiency in Argumentative, Informative, and Narrative writing. They will also demonstrate proficiency in the areas of Production & Distribution of Writing and Research to Build & Present Knowledge. After any given assessment, students may work to improve their skills and request a re-assessment within one week of receiving their proficiency score and feedback.  Students may request re-assessment in one of two ways: 1) Students may immediately revise their work by addressing Mrs. Hartwig's prescriptive, written feedback provided in their writing and, when complete, emailing Mrs. Hartwig to let her know she can re-assess their work or 2) Student may file/make a copy of the Request for Student Writing Conference, complete the form as directed, and then email the form to Mrs. Hartwig to arrange a writing conference, at which time Mrs. Hartwig will provide oral feedback for them to address through revisions and then email her once those revisions are complete.

• Speaking & Listening Standards - Students will demonstrate their speaking proficiency in the areas of Comprehension & Collaboration and Presentation of Knowledge & Ideas through recorded Socratic discussions, classroom presentations (in-class or recorded), and regular classroom discussions. Because of the nature of formal and/or in-class discussion, these skills are not normally re-assessed. However, Students do have multiple and ample opportunities throughout the course to practice and demonstrate proficiency. Any requested re-assessment of these skills is left to teacher discretion. 

Late Work Policy - Work completion is the only way students will truly grow in the skills taught, practiced, and demonstrated in this class. Work completion and performance are also the only way Mrs. Hartwig can accurately assess your proficiency in any skill. Therefore, the following policy will be followed for all late work:  

• Due Date - It is Mrs. Hartwig's intention to mark assignments "turned in" or "missing" on or within a day of the original due date. 

• Missing Assignment Date - Assignments will remain marked as "missing" for two weeks past the original due date if not turned into Mrs. Hartwig. When students turn in their late work, they should email Mrs. Hartwig to advise her so she knows to revisit their assignment for grading and feedback.

• Zero Date - Students who choose not to complete assignments within two weeks of the original due date have chosen to earn a zero for the standard(s) associated with that assignment since they have not provided data/evidence with which to properly assess their proficiency. If Students later decide they would like to complete the work, they should email Mrs. Hartwig and visit with her about the assignment parameters.