This course will focus on the expectations described in the California Common Core Standards. You can access these standards at this link--https://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/finalelaccssstandards.pdf

We will achieve these standards by following the school adopted curriculum--

• College Board Pre-Ap Curriculum

• Novel and drama studies

• Short story studies

• Non-fiction text studies

Major Texts We Will Read

Grade 9

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

The Odyssey by Homer

Grade 10

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Night by Elie Wiesel

Go to pdtaylor.link/grading for more information about the grading policy for this class.

Absences/Late Work

-->Students will have the opportunity to complete assignments they missed while absent. It is the responsibility of the student to refer to the class calendar, or talk to Mr. Taylor about catching up with these assignments. 

-->If you are finishing an assignment late, you have a window of TWO days to submit assignments. After two days beyond the due date, assignments will not be accepted. 

FOR EXAMPLE: The class works on a paragraph response to a piece of literature. It is due on Wednesday. If a student who was present during the week does not complete it by Friday, it will no longer be accepted, and the grade in the gradebook for that assignment will be an F.

-->Policies for punctual assignments are the same whether it be physical or electronic. Having an assignment in your backpack does not count as turning it in on time. Having an assignment file uploaded to your Google Drive is not turning it in on time. Both will be considered late if not properly submitted by the time the assignment is due.

-->If a physical assignment cannot be read or has no name, it will not be graded. If an electronic assignment is submitted in a file type that cannot be accessed, it will not be graded. Any assignment turned in after the time frame described above will not be graded.

Extra Credit

-->Extra credit opportunities will not be offered. At any job, when one does not perform adequately, extra credit is not offered. The same is true for the classroom. Extra work will be offered during office hours to assist students with recovering credit on assignments that have not been completed.

Required materials

--We will use technology regularly to access the course material, so it is crucial that all students have the materials necessary to make this possible. This includes--

• A charged Chromebook, or personal device

• An active district Google account with access to Classroom, Drive, Docs, Calendar, Sheets, Forms, Sites, and Mail

• Reliable internet access

--We will complete nearly all work in class, so it is crucial that all students have the materials necessary to make this possible. This includes--

--Pen or pencil

--8½" x 11" college ruled, spiral notebook, 100+ sheets (will be left in class and used every day) 

--1 subject preferred. 100 sheets should be enough for the year. Smaller sized notebook or fewer pages may need a second notebook during the second semester to finish the year.  (Example 1) (Example 2) (Example 3) (Example 4) (Example 5)

--Calendar and/or school agenda

--Independent reading book

The class will create any needed accounts during class time, using @myds.us email accounts. The following accounts will be used throughout the year--

--GeniusScan App Account or comparable PDF capture app (https://www.thegrizzlylabs.com/genius-scan) 

--PaperRater Access (http://fp.paperrater.com)

--CommonLit Account (http://www.commonlit.com)

--Sora Account (http://www.soraapp.com)

--Padlet Account (http://www.padlet.com)

--Kami Account (Google Webstore Extension)

Students must have a free reading book to read each day.  Failure to read a free reading book will negatively impact student grades. 

WHERE DO I FIND A BOOK?

Expectations

The student handbook provides basic school guidelines for student behavior. These correspond with the class expectations, as listed below--

--Be respectful.

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 classroom neat & clean.

--Be responsible.

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 anyone else in class is doing.

--Be appropriate.

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.

--Be involved.

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.

--Be honest.

You are a valuable person, and deserve a quality education for a bright future. 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 mistakes. Accept consequences, and learn from them.

This class will be most successful when students complete tasks and handle content with a cooperative approach, taking responsibility for themselves and helping their classmates. By striving for the five expectations listed above, students will continue on that path to success! 

Starting Class

Upon arriving to class, students will put their backpacks below the counter in the back of the room in an organized manner. This will occur before heading to assigned seats. Students will take pencils or pens, books, and Chromebooks, as well as other supplies, with them to their desks. All cell phones, headphones, earbuds, and other personal items shall be left in their backpacks at the back of the room.

The first part of class is devoted to getting mentally and academically prepared for the day. Each student needs to complete the following three tasks immediately upon sitting down--

1. Writing journal--A prompt will be on the screen that you may respond to, or you may write about anything you choose that is expressive or creative. Just write.

2. Independent reading--Write down the name of the book you are reading, and the pages you are currently on.

3. Catch-up or continue work from yesterday--Resume your assignment from where you left it the day before.

Technology

Chromebooks will be utilized regularly in this class. However, misuse of technology will result in the administration of the Classroom Management policy and the DSUSD’s policy for the use of technology.

Upon arrival to class, cell phones will be kept in backpacks. 

Students will be using technology regularly in this class and are expected to maintain their logins and passwords, as well as keeping all their accounts in good standing. Should a student experience classroom, school, district, or network disciplinary measures for technology misuse, access to work on computers will be entirely the student’s responsibility.

In accordance with district policy, students are invited, if they so desire and choose, to bring and use their own device as an alternative to Chromebooks to use in class. 

Any damage, deliberate or incidental, physical or electronic, caused to any device or data contained on the device will be entirely the student’s responsibility. The expectations in place for personal devices are equal to those in place for school devices.

Tardy Policy 

There is no second bell to mark tardiness. Class starts when the teacher starts the class. This class starts with independent reading and journal writing, and therefore students must be seated in their seat, reading their independent reading book within the first six minutes after the first bell.

Discipline

Should a student make poor choices that impact the student and those in the class, the following procedures will occur--

1. Warning--Meeting with the teacher after class to create goals for improved choices.

2. Parent Contact--Phone call to the parent or guardian to develop a plan to assist with improving choices.

3. Office Referral--Discipline office visit to review the expectations and assist with improving choices.

Severe poor choices (violence, vandalism, harassment, hate speech, etc.) will result in an immediate referral.

Academic Honesty

--Policy

All class activities and assignments are opportunities for students to practice their skills and demonstrate their learning. Students should give their best effort to learn and grow as students by completing work they create with their skills and efforts. 

Plagiarism and cheating are severe offenses that have extensive and lasting consequences. Students who submit work not their own, whether taken from another student or lifted from a print or online source will receive an immediate F grade for all parties involved. This document and the lessons in class covering academic honesty are the only warnings students will receive. In addition to receiving no credit, further consequences will be handled by the discipline office. The school’s plagiarism policy is outlined in the student handbook under “Academic Dishonesty.”

Every day is different. This schedule will adjust as needed for changes. However, this is a typical flow of the day.

-Start of class activity--prompt or independent reading

-Review of previous day

-Guided activity--reading or writing prompt 

-Partner work

-Individual work

Every week is different, This schedule will adjust as needed for changes. However, this is a typical flow of the week.

Monday

Previous week review

Text introduction

First activities for text or skill

Tuesday & Wednesday

Partner/small group activity

Text analysis

Notetaking

Direct instruction

Guiding questions

Thursday

Library activities

Group discussion

Research

Collaboration

Presentations

Friday

Summative assessment

Response paragraphs

Learning reflection

If you need assistance with anything with this class, please do not hesitate to contact me. I check my email continually and will respond as soon as I am able. I want to help you, and I want all students to reach their maximum potential. My email is nathan.taylor@desertsands.us

I encourage you to utilize office hours to seek assistance on anything with this class. Sign up ahead of time to guarantee a spot. I am also available most days during lunch, especially if you contact me ahead of time.  

Please do not wait to reach out until the end of the grading period to start working to improve your grade. Seek help early so you have plenty of time to reach the score you want to earn!