Hello my Intro students! I'm so excited you have chosen to start your drama journey with me!

Below you will find your course expectations you and your parents must e-sign. This must be completed before we can begin any of our fun activities. Please read it and be familiar with our classroom rules. After you have read it please make sure to follow the link directly below to the e-sign.

• Please carefully review the information outlined in the Course Expectations and use the link below to provide your electronic signature. (Parents and students complete this together)
  • Period 1: https://forms.gle/2m1PJpTaHSWWDF8P9
  • Period 3: https://forms.gle/TEdWzXCRNo1Y813Y9
  • Period 5: https://forms.gle/dw88CWbNiWAAaHLa6

Intro To Drama Course Expectations

Thurman White Academy

Ms. Candy Wilder, Drama Director

(702) 799-0777 ext. 3136

wildec@nv.ccsd.net

Website: https://tinyurl.com/Thurmanwhitedrama

Room 136

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is an elective for 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade students in their first year of Introduction to Drama. It is designed for students to learn about Drama and Theater concepts such as voice for theater, movement for theater, pantomime, stage combat, scene study, improv, history of theater, combating stage fright, puppetry, voice over and much more.

MATERIALS

• Writing Utensil (Pen or Pencil)
• Paper or Notebook
• Chromebook (Once available)
• Occasionally colored pencils if they want to use their own

COURSE FEE

All students enrolled in Drama are required to pay a $40 fee. This money covers the cost of costume rentals, prop rentals, supplies, set construction ect. All Drama fees are due by Friday, September 13th.

FUNDRAISING

Fundraising is a crucial activity for the Drama program at Thurman White. This enables us to purchase those materials necessary to enhance our theater program in ways that would not be possible through district funding (such as space rental, costumes, props, rights for performances, trips, etc.). The drama department will participate in several fundraisers throughout year.

PERFORMANCES

At the Introductory level students are required to attend a theatrical performance between 2019-2020 School year. This is only one time and we recommend seeing one of our own Thurman White academy performances; however, any Middle School or Higher quality performance will be accepted. Students will be asked to fill out a review for that performance that will be available on our google classroom.

GRADING POLICY

QUARTER GRADES WILL BE DETERMINED AS FOLLOWS:

Formative Assessments (Classwork & Homework) 20%

Summative Assessments (Tests & Performances) 80%

SEMESTER GRADES WILL BE DETERMINED AS FOLLOWS:

Quarter 1 grade 40% of the Semester 1 grade Quarter 3 grade 40% of the Semester 2 grade

Quarter 2 grade 40% of the Semester 1 grade Quarter 4 grade 40% of the Semester 2 grade

Semester 1 exam 20% of the Semester 1 grade Semester 2 exam 20% of the Semester 2 grade

GRADING RUBRIC:

A = 90% - 100% B = 80% - 89.9% C = 70% - 79.9% D = 60% - 69.9% F = below 59.9%

CITIZENSHIP

The citizenship grade will be based on the student's compliance with the behavior expectations.

O = Outstanding S = Satisfactory N = Needs Improvement U = Unsatisfactory

TURNING IN AND MAKE-UP WORK

• Turning in Assignments/Homework
  • Written Assignments
    • All written assignments are available on google classroom and should be submitted on google classroom. If google classroom is not available you may turn in a handwritten copy in your classroom box. (Students may always request non-digital copies assignment).
    • If absent you will have one school week from the last day of your absence to turn in work. (After one school week of the assignment due date the assignment will be locked and you will no longer be able to submit.)
  • Performance Assignments
    • Students will be called at random to perform their performance assignments. All students should be prepared on the day that it is due. If you are called on that day please quickly get in your spot perform and then return.
    • Most performance assignments cannot be made up. If a performance assignment is missed an alternative written assignment is provided. You will have one school week from the last day of your absence to turn in work.

Obtaining missing/absent work: Check your missing work binder (located by the turn in station) or your google classroom. If you have any questions please feel free to ask the teacher before or after class, or anytime that is “rehearsal or free times.” Please only ask about current assignments during lecture times so we don’t hold up the class on past work. See Turning in Assignments for how to turn in each assignment. GOOGLE CLASSROOM

We will be using Google Classroom to provide students and families with a complete and updated schedule of drama events, along with class assignments, drama resources and practice materials. All students will be given a link to join Google Classroom and will be required to use this program to turn in assignments and utilize practice materials, receive messages/reminders and calendar notifications.

BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS

To create a positive, focused and respectful learning environment all students must practice the following school rules for success, also known as

“The Three R’s”

RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, RELIABILITY

Be Responsible

• Come to class prepared, memorized, or with any materials you will need that day.
• Come into class quickly/quietly and begin your daily bell ringer.
• Do your homework.
• Bring your chromebook to class.

Be Reliable

• Be accountable for your makeup work.
• Stay on task, do your best to free yourself of distractions, be in the now.
• Be honest with your teacher and classmates.
• Keep trying. Have a "Growth Mindset." Failure is the greatest teacher of all. Don't give up.

Be Respectful

• Keep our Theater and Classroom clean this is our artistic space it should be respected.
• Audience Etiquette should be exemplified by our Drama Students.
  • Watch/Listen to presenters with the intent of learning (we can learn from good and not so great performances).
  • Be supportive, clap and show appreciation but avoid cat-calls and drawing focus to yourself.
  • Avoid standing up during a lecture or performance unless there is an emergency.
• Be supportive no matter what! We are all learning and growing together.
• Be mindful of differing opinions, we can disagree but remain polite.

FORBIDDEN IN MY CLASSROOM

• Playing on phones (Phones WILL BE confiscated if out during class time)
• FOOD (Some of our students have severe food allergies)*
• SODA/COFFEE/TEA/FRUIT DRINKS/ENERGY DRINKS ETC. WATER ONLY
• GUM
• KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF (Don't touch others or others items without permission)

ALLOWED IN MY ROOM

• Water
• Creativity

*If you have a particular medical concern with this policy see Ms. Wilder, I will work with you.

BEHAVIOR INTERVENTIONS

If students do not adhere to the behavioral expectations and procedures, the following school-wide interventions have been established to provide the student with opportunities to correct their behavior. Please select the following links for the school wide behavior policies.

School Wide Behavior Expectations

School Wide Behavior Intervention Flow Chart

CELL PHONE POLICY

Cell phones are not to be used in class. Because we are going 1:1 Technology our students will be provided with a Chromebook Laptop and will have no use for cell phones other than as a disruption to class time. If Cell phones are being utilized during class time:

1st offense: Cell phone will be confiscated by teacher and locked away until end of class

2nd and subsequent offenses: Cell phones will be confiscated and taken to the Student Success Center.

CLASSROOM TARDY POLICY

It is imperative students arrive ON TIME to class. Both feet need to be inside the door before the bell rings. Students who are not will be marked tardy. Any student who is tardy will receive the progressive discipline consequences outlined in the school tardy policy

PARENT COMMUNICATION

It is important that the director, students, and parents/guardians all work together as a team to achieve our goals. Communication, understanding, and commitment are essential for this team to be a success. Please feel free to call me at 702-799-0777 ext. 3136 or email me at with any questions or concerns about your child. All parents and students will be asked to sign up using REMIND to receive and send messages regarding performances, events, fundraisers, etc.

HALL PASS POLICY

• Students will receive three hall passes a quarter. They will bring the pass up to the teacher (or substitute teacher) who will sign them out.
• If Emergency GO! I will ask for your pass sign off when you get back.
• If non-emergency please wait until an opportune moment bring your pass to me I will sign you out.
• If you do not use all three hall passes you may turn them in at the end of the quarter for 5 R-bucks each.
• If you run out of hall passes you may purchase more with R-Bucks in my R-Buck store.
• (If you have a medical bathroom excuse noted in IEP / 504/ or health file those will be honored.)

Students who abuse hall pass privilege risk losing hall passes for the rest of the year. (Please contact Ms. Wilder in case of medical concern, or I will refer to individual 504’s if a plan is already in place).

OPPORTUNITY PERFORMANCES, FIELD TRIPS ETC.

Through the course of our year we have opportunities to perform for our school and community. For Introduction to Drama these performances will be optional but once the student commits it is imperative that they follow through. Examples of these performances are showcases, school magnet nights ect. We also have field trip opportunities that come up throughout our year. We don’t have those dates right now but we will inform parents of those opportunities as soon as we know about them. Again those dates and events will be optional, but once a student commits they will need to follow through. We will send parents updates through our calendars and through remind.

FILM/YOUTUBE CLIPS

Students will be occasionally viewing live musical and play performances, also a few film clips all within the district-wide regulation standards for educational purposes

INTRO DRAMA STUDENT AND PARENT CHECKLIST

• Please carefully review the information outlined in the Course Expectations and use the link below to provide your electronic signature. (Parents and students complete this together)
  • Period 1: https://forms.gle/2m1PJpTaHSWWDF8P9
  • Period 3: https://forms.gle/TEdWzXCRNo1Y813Y9
  • Period 5: https://forms.gle/dw88CWbNiWAAaHLa6

• Please download the REMIND app on your Smartphone and use the code to join THURMAN WHITE INTRO TO DRAMA

@cwilderwh

Students must use the code below to join the appropriate class in Google Classroom: (Only students can join a class in Google Classroom)

• Period 1: ezw50x
• Period 3: vkyq8b
• Period 5: fei69q

Thank you! I look forward to a great year in Drama!

Ms. Wilder