The Classroom

Classes Offered

Classroom Expectations

Expectations: 

• Students will act as part of an ensemble during class.

  • being encouraging, helpful, polite, and welcoming towards all staff and students in the classroom. 

• Students will act and speak in a respectful, school-appropriate manner towards all staff and students while in a theatre class, on stage, or participating in a Falcon Theatre Department show/activity. 

• Students will willingly participate in every classroom activity, and perform or turn in all assignments in a timely manner. 

• Students will ask for and gain consent before engaging in any physical activity during group work, scene study, rehearsals, and performances. (example: sword fighting). 

• Students will put backpacks away in the designated backpack area. 

• Students will not eat or drink during class time. Water is acceptable. 

Procedures/Rules:

• Students will not use their cell phones during class, and will not use any school or personal technology devices to text. This includes substituting texting for emailing. 

  • If students need to contact a parent/guardian, they can get a pass during advisory to call using the front office phone. 

  • If a parent/guardian needs to contact a student, they may call the front office and the receptionist will send the message to the student’s classroom. 

• Students will not swear or use inappropriate language in the classroom. 

• Students will not engage in physical or verbal violence. 

  • Students who are violent will be immediately removed from the classroom to maintain the safety of the other students. 

• Students will not walk out of the classroom without permission from the teacher. 

• Students will not engage in sniping remarks to staff members or fellow students. 

• Students will not distract others from their learning, or during classroom activities/performances. 

• Students will advocate for their needs during class time. This includes going to the restroom, needing water, etc. 

• Students are in a theatre class because they want to act, create, play, imagine, form new friendships, and perform! 

Grading Policy

Overview: 

I want you to succeed: 

• As an educator, what matters to me is that all my students will master the skills and knowledge in this class. And that they leave this semester/year having retained all content, and feel confident in applying their knowledge and skill outside of the classroom. 

• Excellence over the numbers. 

  • My goal is for all students to leave this class with a 100! 

  • All students can redo all assignments up to the end of the semester. If you don’t like your initial grade, you can try again. 

  • If a grade is late, or nothing is turned in, it will go in the grade-book as a zero. But that grade can be changed for FULL CREDIT if the assignment is turned in and meets all the grade requirements. 

Outcome based grading: 

• The final grade is based on the level of ability consistently demonstrated by the student to any observer. 

Objective, tangible grading: 

• All rubrics for grading will be designed for what is measurable. I can not grade things that are not measurable. For example, talent is not measurable. 

The grade is broken down into 3 categories: 

• Participation Grade (1 grade/wk) 

• Formative assessments (1-2 grades/wk) 

• Summative assessments (1-2 grades/3 wks)

Participation Grade “the ensemble grade” . 

• The student demonstrated the following: 

  • Engagement in all classroom activities.

  • Kindness, respect, encouragement to peers. 

    • Expressed verbally, and physically with body language and facial expressions. 

  • Not using a phone for the duration of class. 

Students who have an excused absence do not need to “make up” a participation grade. All students start at a 100, and can only lose points throughout the week. Students with an unexcused absence will lose 20% of their participation grade for the week, and will need to make it up with an alternative assignment. 

Formative Assessments: “ everything leading up to the final grade.” 

• Formative Assessments include: 

  • Memorization check for a scene study unit. 

  • Character development assignment. 

  • Demonstrating knowledge on how to use a sewing machine for the costume construction project. 

• There will be at least one formative assessment every week. 

Students who miss school for any reason will need to make-up their formative assessment grade. 

Summative Assessments: “Ta-da! Here is my finishing thing.” 

• Summative grades should demonstrate a full and comprehensive understanding of the material in the given unit. 

• Summative grades are the last assignment for a project or unit. 

• There will be a reflection following all summative grades. 

• Students may redo summative assessments if they are not satisfied with their grade.