Class rules
RULES IN ALBERT’S ENGLISH CLASS (4º ESO)
General matters
It is still compulsory to come to school until you are 16 so remember that all of you have got the right to education, but that implies that you have the duty to respect your classmates and their right to education. You mustn’t be a nuisance or disturb our class dynamics. Any negative attitude or bad behaviour will be reported to your tutor and your parents.
This school year is very important as you must get ready for the coming years (bachillerato), which will be very demanding. So the more you study, the better marks you will get in bachillerato and the easier it will be for you.
You don't have to worry if it is the first time you have me as your English teacher. It will be difficult at first to get used to each other, so we will give ourselves some time. I will establish different levels of difficulty in the exams and, anyway, this will be the last year I will be teaching you as I will never teach groups in bachillerato again. So we will all make an effort because I suppose our main goal is to pass English.
However, you should not be afraid because we have 4 hours per week, although you will have to be systematic and strict with all you are asked to do.
During the breaks I will be in the language department for those students who need help or some extra material, or just want to talk with me. Check availability here first.
Those students who didn’t pass English in 3º ESO or 2º ESO (pendientes) will have several opportunities all along the year and will have a control sheet to keep record of their academic effort. The first one is the Entry exam we will be doing shortly.
Remember that in this site there will be news about grants to go to English speaking countries (MEC and Junta de Andalucía). As well, we have already done 7 STUDY TRIPS TO UK (Edinburgh, Cambridge/London, Bath, Chester, Dublin, Edimburgh & York) at Easter. This year we will try to go to Dublin (Ireland) again if there are enough students. This year is going to be my last year organising this kind of activitivies. I will give you further details about this all along the year and we will have our first meeting in a couple of weeks so as to try to form the group as soon as possible in order to get cheaper flight tickets. Here's the FORM to fill in if you are interested. Post to have a look: The journey to nowhere
Many students at our school have passed the Language School English exams: the B1 (intermediate level) and the B2 (First Certificate of Cambridge), and there is at least one student who has already done it, so that should be our goal for next school year. You will also be able to register in the Language School in Motril in French at the end of next school year so that you can attend classes when you are in 3º ESO. Just imagine some of our students got their B1 in English and French before going to university, which is something that is compulsory to have for your future university studies (convalidación por 36 créditos de libre configuración en la Universidad) and for the search of a job. It is also interesting to have a look at this post in my blog:
Organise your week paying attention to the days of the week we have class and your school year not leaving things you must do to the end of the school year when you haven’t got so much time to spare. Be careful because the first part of the year is like a revision and it is from Christmas on when we have the hardest items to adquire. Always think that this year we prepare the basis for bachillerato.
I remind you that you can download into a pendrive some useful material for the subject (listening exercises, photocopies…) from the computer we have got in the Language Department (if you have it in your computer). As well, I remind you that in this site you have got my email address, my blog, our website in Helvia, some partners’ blogs and many other interesting weblinks for you. You can submit to my blog and the school’s blog.
COVID-19 effects >>> We will all try to minimize its effects ( BEATING COVID-19 new page to know exactly what we are doing ) by revising a lot (especially the last units of 3º ESO) and slowing down the rhythm, but we depend on the students' participation, commitment and honesty.The school has made an effort to have all our classes face to face.
In class and class dynamics
In order to learn your names, you should write them on a piece of paper and set them on your desk. I need all your personal data, so fill in this form at home. If you don’t do it, you will have to do it during a break.
The classroom and especially the language department must be always clean (with no litter at all on the floor) and tidy. This is not my task, it is everybody’s task.
CHEWING GUM is not allowed in class!!! and, of course, SMOKING IN THE TOILETS IS COMPLETELY FORBIDDEN TOO!!!!
Time is Money, so you must wait for the teacher inside the classroom on your chairs and be ready to start. When the teacher arrives, he will say ‘GOOD MORNING’ and you will have to reply ‘GOOD MORNING, TEACHER’. If you are ever late for any reason, you will knock on the door asking for permission to come in by saying: ‘GOOD MORNING, TEACHER. I’M SORRY I’M LATE. MAY I COME IN?’. I don't want to hear anything about strikes or stupid activities they may ask you to take part in.
Attendance to classes is essential, as well as doing your homework everyday to keep up with the class. You cand send me an email (albertomeditutor@gmail.com) or you will have to bring me a note from your parents or the doctor.
Silence is essential if we want to take advantage of the teacher’s explanations or your classmates interventions in class. So if one day you don’t feel like coming to class, it is better to stay outside because I am not going to allow you to disturb your classmates or me.
We will make an effort to use English in class as much as possible. Remember the possible inclusion of an oral exercise in the Selectivity exam or if you enter the Language School exam.
You should keep your folder tidy and clean. There will be frequent controls (when we do an exam you will have to bring your notebook the next day even if I forget to remind you to do so). We will also continue with our DIGITAL PROJECT: Our digital project. So, 70% of your mark will come from your folder and 30% will come from what you do in your site or blog.
IMPORTANT PIECE OF NEWS REGARDING THE FOLDER:
Rúbrica para evaluar el archivador/cuaderno y la competencia digital en la asignatura de inglés
You should hand in several writing exercises per unit that you will include at the end of your notebook. You will have a mark for it, too. Remember the importance of PASEN, , although it is not working properly, so we will think about a possible solution to keep you and your families informed of all your marks and everything you have handed in. You can post your corrected writing exercises and corrected comments in your blog. As well, in this site you can check the writing exercises proposed here: Writing exercises and all the daily routines in BEATING COVID-19.
Class material
The textbook is Smart Planet 4 (Cambridge Univ. Press). You don’t have to buy the workbook, but it is very advisable as it is the only thing you will keep. Remember that you can also borrow it from those who were in 3º ESO last year or you can buy it in our second-hand book market.
Graded readers. We will be doing projects and controls about the readers (you can also do the activities at the end of them to improve your marks, although they will be just optional). Although it is not compulsory to buy them, it is highly recommended to have access to them in order to prepare for the exam (possibilities: buy them and re-sell them next year, borrow them from someone or from our library). The names of the graded readers are:
- 1st term >>> “A Christmas carol” (Oxford Bookworms). There will be a control in December. By December you will hand in a project about the book and its writer, Charles Dickens, and write a comment in this post in my blog:
- 2nd term >>> “Rabbit-Proof Fence” (Oxford Bookworms). The control will be in March and you will have to hand in a project about Australia (the country).
- 3rd term >>> “Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” (Richmond). The control will be at the beginning of June. The project will include a reference to the author of the book: Robert Louis Stevenson and you will write a comment in this post in my blog:
Lack of commitment in our society and bipolar disorder
You must have all the listening tracks of your textbook and the graded readers. You can download them into a pendrive from the computer in the Language Department or I will send you a link to download everything.
A dictionary is very advisable, although you can also use the ones with have online on this site.
I also remind you of all the books, films, readers, dictionaries, grammar books… that are your disposal both in the school library and in the Language Department.
Evaluation criteria
What is our main GOAL THIS YEAR? Brainstorming.
You can look the English Department evaluation criteria up in our Helvia website.
Passing or failing is not an issue that depends on the teacher’s opinion. The teacher will just reflect what your exams reflect as if he were a mirror trying to avoid any partiality. As well, we will make an effort to implement the same evaluation criteria to all the students of the groups in the level of 4º ESO using similar exams and we will establish different levels of difficulty.
Due to the continuous assessment, the dates of the exams will not be announced in advance. However, we will do an exam once a unit is finished accumulating the previous ones.
Therefore, the final mark will come out of these aspects:
>>> RESULTS (70%) : After each unit and after each holiday there will always be an exam including: grammar, use of English, vocabulary, listening & comprehension, reading & comprehension and writing.
>>> PROCESSES (30%):
- 10% for your participation in class, homework + Notebook (& Digital project) + writing exercises (written at home) & comments
IMPORTANT PIECE OF NEWS REGARDING THE FOLDER:
Rúbrica para evaluar el archivador/cuaderno y la competencia digital en la asignatura de inglés
- 10% for the graded readers
- 10% for your effort and personal attitude towards the subject, class attendance, behaviour in class.
Possibilities to rise your mark: video sketch (it must be handed in by Easter) & making comments in my blog (in the first two terms I will give you 0.1 for each comment you make and in the 3rd term the mark will depend on the quality of your comments). DIGITAL PROJECT: Our digital project. And you can also hand in video sketches. This year I will make a difference between COMMENTS WHICH ARE NOT GENUINE and those who are really genuine.
During the summer time NOBODY HAS DONE ANYTHING, which is a pity (Check the SUMMER SCOREBOARD), so remember it for next summer.
TWO LAST IMPORTANT THINGS TO BEAR IN MIND (to make it clearer I will write them in Spanish)
Importancia de haber estudiado el ROF, donde yo tendría en cuenta dos aspectos muy importantes:
- Desde el punto de vista de los derechos de los alumnos, se hace referencia en el punto a) al derecho de todo alumno "a una formación integral, en un clima de comprensión y tolerancia, en condiciones de libertad, igualdad y dignidad".
- Desde el punto de vista de los deberes de los alumnos, se hace referencia en el punto a) al deber de todo alumno de "conocer y respetar este Reglamento cumpliendo la normativa que contiene"