Ms K Matlack

 Class Guidelines 2024-2025                 English III-British Literature               Ms Matlack     (kmatlack@hackettstown.org) 

1- Google Classroom: 

   Please remember to check your Stream/Classwork daily. When you have completed an assignment, please be certain you hit Turn In/Mark as Done. Do not submit it via email or under another assignment. If I can’t find it, it doesn’t exist (we’ll discuss solipsism later, but trust me, no one can be told what the Matrix is).

2- What to Bring, What to Leave at the Door, What to Remember, and What to Forget About Completely:

 A notebook or binder with pockets for handouts is required when you are in our class. Bring it, your assigned text, and writing implements with you when you come to class.

  Please ensure your charged  Chromebook is with you daily since most of our assignments and assessments will require it. Charging your   Chromebook before class is of paramount importance. Although we do have power, the outlets are sparse, and spare chargers are practically non- existent. If you want to find out what “gone forever” means, start a quiz in Google Forms and then have your Chromebook shut down. Furthermore, if we have an IXL assignment, class activity, or quiz and you’re not properly prepared with powered equipment, you may not use your phone as an alternate. 

• Phones must be deposited in the phone box on your way in every day. This is non-negotiable. It must remain there for the duration of the block. If I see a phone anywhere but the phonebox, you must put it on my desk and accept the established consequence of your noncompliance.  No earbuds either. Yes, I can see them. 

•    Don’t overstay your Smartpass and do not abuse my trust and goodwill by asking to use it every class.

•    You may not drink anything other than H2O in my classroom. If you bring a fancy drink from Dunkin, I will ask that you leave it on the counter by the window where it will cool off or melt, depending on the season. You may write a sad poem about its demise, but you may not drink it. 

• No food–none–may be consumed in this classroom. No exceptions. Don’t ask and don’t be tricksy.

• please do not touch the air conditioner nor open/close the windows without first asking me.

• Discipline yourself so no one else has to.

       3.    Literature:

   We will read, explore, interrogate, and explicate poetry, essays, plays, and novels. We will also read numerous parallel informational texts. There will be a unit test and/or project per unit. You are responsible for the security and condition of each assigned text. If a required assigned work is available online, a link will be provided on my Google Classroom; you are responsible for accessing and reading it on time. 

     4.     Vocabulary and Usage:

   Each week we will define and use words from a variety of sources, primarily Sadlier Vocabulary Workshop Level G. I will provide a Quizlet link for each unit so you can have access to the words at home. If you do not know the meaning of any word in an assigned text, look it up. You will be expected to learn and use these words along with any additional assigned vocabulary terms, correctly in context in all written assignments  You will also have vocab/usage quizzes on a regular basis.

     5.       Composition: 

You will write essays of varying lengths on a regular basis. All written assignments are to be handed in in Google Classroom with a full heading (below), double-spaced, in 12pt. font.         : D

•       “Research Paper(s)”:

 All papers—all writing, in fact—should comprise a claim that is supported by specific textual evidence. As such, all literary analyses—whether one paragraph, one page,  or several—are research papers. In some cases that may mean you must use HHS library texts or databases; in all cases, you will use proper MLA format, especially in-text (parenthetical) citations.

       6.     Grammar:

   We will use the grammar text, IXL, and sundry other sources in order to refine your skills. You are responsible for using each new skill appropriately in all subsequent writing.

        7.      Grading (Assessments in Realtime Gradebook):

   All assignments are given a point value. At the end of the marking period, your grade is determined by dividing earned points by available points. I post your grades on a regular basis on RealTime. Please check them on a regular basis as well. Do not ask me to “check your grades” in class nor act surprised at your grade at the end of the marking period (and before you ask with tears in your puppy-dog eyes, if you do all assignments with care and intention, and there will be no need for “extra credit”).  Further, use of Chat GPT or any other AI source, plagiarizing, or copying/sharing another student’s work on any assignment will result in a grade of zero, in accordance with the HHS rules of academic conduct. 

      8.     Participation (21st Century Skills in Gradebook):

   I cannot stress this enough: you are required to actively and intelligently participate in this class, not just attend. You have a voice. Please plan to use it every day. Positive participation includes: being on time and prepared for each class; asking relevant and insightful questions; responding thoughtfully and with erudition; contributing appropriately to collaborative assignments; completing assessments, groupwork, and individual classwork on time; making efficient use of class time; and being a well-informed citizen. Negative participation includes: not reading assignments in preparation for class discussions; refusing to engage in assigned classwork; having/using your phone; talking when a recognized classmate or I am speaking; overusing or overstaying your Smartpass; being inattentive, disruptive, disrespectful, messy, annoying, or contumacious.

     9.      Rules for Life:

   Think first. Listen well. Be curious. Speak up. Read the book. Take notes. It’s on the test. Proofread. Read the book. Believe nothing and say nothing that can’t be backed up with evidence from reliable sources. Look it up. Read the book. Do your own work. Stay awake. Be kind. Demonstrate integrity. Clean up your mess. Be on time. Remember your manners. 

     10.      Words to the Wise:

   Please refrain from uttering the following words, in any combination, following an absence: Did we do anything when I was gone? Or, Did I miss anything?  These questions reveal a lack of both common sense and decent manners.  Check Classroom first and then check in with a friend who was in class. If, after having done so, you still have questions, please email me and/or meet me during Flex Time. If you know you missed a test, don’t wait for me to remind you; arrange to make it as soon as is practicable. You will make up assessments after school in the library; the number of classes you missed equals the number of days you have to make up missed work/assessments.

   Finally, ours is a symbiotic relationship. I love what I do, and without you, I cannot do it. You are required to be here, Please do not hesitate to ask before, during, or after class for more detail, more information, or more help; schedule to meet me during Flex Time, and actively practice advocating for yourself.  There is no reason for either of us to be made unhappy by our time and work together. Assume I like and respect you (because I do) and will continue to unless you give me a reason not to. It’s OK not to love English –I love it enough for both of us—but treating your classmates and me with courtesy and consideration is a necessary element of gesibsumnes (an Anglo-Saxon word meaning the collective peace and happiness of a group). 

Reading List --may include but is not limited to:

News and academic articles from various sources, selected poems, essays, and short stories from the Elements of Literature text and Common Lit,  Beowulf,  Pygmalion/ The Importance of Being Earnest/Blood Brothers,   Lord of the Flies,  Grendel, Beowulf,   The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nite-time,  Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,  Mister Pip,   The Canterbury Tales, The Fifth Child, The Encyclopedia of  Early Earth