Class Description

This full-year English course is designed for freshmen who need additional guidance, instruction, coaching, and practice than what is offered in only English 9.  All work is designed to help the individual student improve skills and gain confidence in the ELA field:  reading, writing, speaking, listening, and effectively using technology.  This is NOT a study hall for completion of English 9 assignments/assessments.  Credit of 5 for each successful semester will fall under the elective category.

Syllabus

Expectations:  

1.  Engage!  Students need to participate in their own education.  This means students will be both speaking & listening during class discussions, as well as taking notes.  

2. Be responsible:  Students are to charge their chromebooks at home, write down assignments & due dates, notice the items on the board, listen to & follow instructions, attend regularly, and do their own work.  Students should include first & last name, date, and class period on all submitted work.

3. Be respectful:  Students are to honor one another in word & deed.  So, students need to be mindful of what they say and what they do.  

4. As a teacher, I am engaged and passionate about learning, education, and my students.  

5. As a teacher, I am responsible:  The teacher should grade & provide feedback in a timely fashion, communicating regularly with students.

6. As a teacher, I am respectful of my students as valuable & unique human beings.

Extended Absence:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PDbg23bsZielRQrPqu4AIGkibD3JB5osF_OXP8k1o8w/edit 

Course Syllabus: SHS English 9 Intervention

Teacher:  Mrs. Sue Herdt, Room 131

sherdt@sbps.net

Welcome

I am so excited to have this opportunity to teach and to work together with you as we all become better communicators.  I’m pumped about this class specifically for freshmen through which each of you will be able to develop your reading, writing, and thinking skills.  You will find, also, that as you improve your abilities, your confidence will soar, as well.  English is -- and has always been -- my favorite subject, of course!  It’s incredible how much we read, write, speak, and listen every single day, and now we get to do that together.  It’s going to be a great year!

Expectations

Within the first few days, we will discuss what we expect of each other, actually.  I do, however, have a few non-negotiables:  primarily respect, responsibility, and readiness.  So many things fall under these categories. 

Respect for self, others, and property.  This includes behavior, language, identity, effort, ideas, and more.

Responsibility to take care of yourself and be there for others.  Your behavior = your responsibility.  

Readiness with your materials (chromebook, notebook, pen/pencil, completed work) and your whole self (attendance, notes, organization, presence, willingness, participation). 

I intend to create an environment where you feel safe and comfortable enough to learn and grow; to stumble, fall, and get back up to try again;to ask questions and search for answers; to express yourself; to find your voice.  I expect you to be decent human beings to yourself and to each other.  Everyone gets to become the best version of themselves, and we can be very successful . . . together.   

Curriculum

Obviously, this is an English class, so we will be focused on those skills of reading, writing, speaking, and listening through a wide variety of topics.  So, please note:  this is not a study hall class during which you can work on your assignments from elsewhere, English classes or otherwise.  Here you will be honing your skills and increasing your ability to successfully complete the 40 hours of English required to graduate. (That’s 8 semesters.) Comprehension of materials and application of concepts will be practiced, mastered, and assessed.  Students will engage in a rigorous variety of both writing and reading.  My focus is understanding and application, in both literature and writing.  We will also address a variety of life skills, particularly organization, because mastery of these often leads to mastery in school and several other areas of your life. I want you to be able to see the relevance in what you experience because of this class, so you can apply these skills to life today and tomorrow.  I teach students . . . not just subjects.  

Materials  (Please notify me privately if you cannot acquire these items for yourself.)

-- chromebook (charged daily)

-- one college-ruled spiral notebook for class notes

-- class folder to keep handouts and returned papers

-- writing utensils (black/blue pen and pencil)

-- (optional) An actual planner is the best tool to help you stay organized.  I know there is more to you than just being a student in an English class, so this strategy helps you efficiently and effectively balance the roles in your life.

Missing/Late Work

I realize you are required to attend, but I intend to create a classroom environment where you will want to be.  I can guarantee that if you are absent you will miss something and be missed.  If something is not in on time, I will issue you an “M” in the Infinite Campus gradebook, so you are alerted. Infinite Campus will also reveal details of an assignment that you can see by clicking on the little notebook icon. You are responsible for your work, so that means if you are absent, it is up to you to initiate that conversation about what you missed.  I do place some things in googleclassroom, but not a lot; I want you here, in this room, not just completing the work on line.  As a professional, I believe it is my responsibility to grade your submissions and provide helpful feedback in a timely manner.  So, late work will be accepted until the end of each quarter/unit.  I do, however, expect you to do all that is assigned; you get to do these things to help you learn, practice, master, and apply some very important lifeskills.  

Assessments/Credits

Assessments are 70% of your total grade, so, yes, they matter.  These “tests” may be literally a written exam, and other forms of assessment -- like speeches, final drafts, skill demonstrations, etc -- will also be used.  I do expect your best effort, and I will give you mine, as well.  

You must re-take assessments where you score below a 60%, and you may retake (or correct) passed assessments in an attempt to raise your score.  However, you are expected to take the initiative to come and talk to me about this.  It’s your education, so you are in charge of scheduling re-teaching and re-taking as needed.  I will gladly help you understand the concepts to do well on the assessments.  Life is busy, of course, so we’ll need to plan a time that works for both of us, which may involve the Media Center or even Saturday School.  NOTE:  You can retake assessments until the end of the assigned quarter.  There is also a new tutoring opportunity available to you this year:  Free virtual tutoring through Nebraska State Colleges in Chadron, Peru, and Wayne.  nscs.edu/NebraskaSMART.

The other 30% of your grade is acquired through classroom participation, practice, daily assignments, and discussion.  I hope you’re all in!

The grading scale will be the same as all SHS classes:  A=90-100%, B=80-89%, C=70-79%, D=60-69%, and F=0-59%.  

For each passing semester, you earn 5 credits; you must have 40 credits of English to graduate.

Attendance/Tardy Policy 

We will follow the SHS policy that governs all high school students. PLEASE be certain you understand the changes for this year and moving forward!   It is your responsibility, of course, to come to class and to report on time.  You are first given the opportunity to take care of business.  If the evidence shows you cannot and you have multiple offenses, I will then reach out to your parents/guardians for assistance.  Please be in your seat – with your phone placed in the caddy – and ready to learn when class starts.  NOTE:  It is new this year, so be sure to read it carefully!!

PED

This classroom is a Red Zone, so there is to be no cell phone (or Smart Watch) use during the class period.  Phones and other PEDs are to be placed in an assigned slot at the beginning of each class period.  This gives you 45 minutes in each class to really engage in the experiences at hand; you get to be completely present!  PEDs are returned to the owners at the end of each class period.  Your cooperation is both expected and appreciated.  

Chromebooks

Let’s hear it for technology!  (I know you have been born into it, and I am grateful you are willing to help me continue upping my game.)  We will be using them often in class -- but not always.  Chromebooks can be both an attraction and a distraction.  I will help you manage both. Chromebooks should be turned off and closed unless I have provided specific instructions for use.  You are expected to come to school every day with a completely charged Chromebook.  Knowing this, you need to plan and set aside time and a location to plug it in every night.  (I don’t have enough outlets or electricity for everyone to plug in in the classroom.) 

Restroom/Drinks

Because you are human, I realize there are basic bodily needs that require your attention.  I expect you to know what yours are and respond accordingly and appropriately in the educational setting.  You may have a water bottle with a closed lid with you in the room.  You are to use the facilities as you pass from class to class, especially coming in at the beginning of the day; however, if an emergency arises, I expect you to communicate that privately to me, so you can take care of things.  You are required to sign out when you leave, take the pass, and sign in upon your return.  I believe you can take care of yourselves with maturity and respect for others; you can do so without creating an interruption.  Please know, you will be missing something when you are gone, so hurry back and return to business.  

Plagiarism

You are always expected to do your own work.  Give yourself the best chance to succeed. I would rather see your best efforts, so I can learn the truth about what you know and can do, and we can grow together.  And, yes, there are times when you’ll be quoting someone else or referencing another person’s ideas; I will help you use proper citation methods, so you can give the credit where it belongs.  Plagiarism is theft of ideas and words and claiming them as your own.  It is not only unethical; it is illegal, and there are serious consequences here and in college, as well.  

This cheating includes papers, assessments, assignments, and even test/assignment answers:  the one who provides the answers and the one who submits them as their own are equally guilty of cheating.

We may use turnitin.com as a place for you to first hand in your assignment, then submit to googleclassroom or print and hand in.  Please also reference Scottsbluff Public School Board policy 6288 regarding AI.

Googleclassroom

We have a google classroom set up for this class, of course.  I will post some – but not all – items here for you to use; this includes not just assignments, but also materials that I’d like to share with you.  Please be certain to join and be aware.  

Us

Each class is unique.  It is my hope that we get to know each other -- not just as teacher and student, but simply as human beings.  I believe respect is mutual, and I value the trust placed in me by you and your family.  I believe in your greatness -- even if you haven’t found it yet.  I look forward to each of you navigating your way to becoming more proficient and more comfortable with English and all it involves. I am here and available for you with regard to English (of course!) but, more importantly, about life.  I got you.  

Student Google Classroom Information

1st period: https://classroom.google.com/c/NzkxNzIyMTEzODU4?cjc=cenze2qk

Parent Google Classroom Information

If a parent would like to receive a summary from Google Classroom, then please email sherdt@sbps.net. The parent will then receive an email to accept the invitation.