Assignments & Grades

Contract Grading

What is Contract Grading?

In this class, you can predetermine your success by choosing a contracted grade.
- In other words, if you want an A in the course, you can select that grade, and complete those assignments for an A. That's it!
There is no point-based system in this class. This means all assignments are graded as complete/incomplete.
Each assignment has a set of requirements in order to be deemed complete; simply turning them in does not guarantee the completion. In other words, if students complete the work according to the guidelines/directions, demonstrate an eager willingness to learn and implement new skills, including revision and editing, the student will earn a complete.

Assignments for English 101

Here are all of the assignments we have for this semester.

3 Blue/Green Book with In-Class Writing Exercises
6 Peer Reviews
1 Persuasive Essay
1 Cause/Effect Essay
1 Compare/Contrast Essay

Notice anything? That's right! I'm not grading by points. There is no grading scale, just a list of assignments. That’s because in our course we use a contract grading method.

Grading Contracts

A Contract

Stipulations

Students will need to complete the following 10 assignments to earn an A in the course:
This actually means you don’t have to submit or earn a complete on 2 assignments.

Required Assignments

3 Blue Books (1 Exercise Missed)
5 Peer Reviews (1 Missed)
1 Persuasive Essay
1 Cause/Effect Essay
1 Compare/Contrast Essay

B Contract

Stipulations

Students will need to complete the following 8 assignments to earn an A in the course:
This actually means you don’t have to submit or earn a complete on 4 assignments.

Required Assignments

3 Blue Books (2 Exercises Missed)
4 Peer Review (2 Missed)
1 Persuasive Essay
1 Cause/Effect Essay
1 Compare/Contrast Essay

C Contract

Stipulations

Students will need to complete the following 6 assignments to earn an A in the course:
This actually means you don’t have to submit or earn a complete on 4 assignments.

Required Assignments

3 Blue Books (3 Exercises Missed)
3 Peer Review (3 Missed)
1 Persuasive Essay
1 Cause/Effect Essay
1 Compare/Contrast Essay

Q & A About Contract Grades

Can I still fail; it seems impossible?

Students who do not meet the requirements of A, B, or C contracts will receive an F in the course.
Students can still earn a D in the course by breaching their C contract.

What if I mix and match absences and assignments?

Contract grading does not allow you to mix and match requirements.

If a contract states that you need to complete x assignments and have a certain amount of days that can be missed, you have to complete those assignments and are required to attend class/participate online. If a student breaches their contract by missing more than the assignments, they will drop a full letter grade or more depending on the severity.

Assignments

Blue Books and Kinetic Writing

Blue Book assignments house all of the in-class writing we will work on each day in class. Your participation to complete the activities is vital to your understanding of the larger essay assignment. In other words, the writing exercises will help you generate material for your peer review or draft. Completion is dependent on your presence and on your efforts to make the most of your in class writing time. If you are absent, the assignment will be counted as incomplete. Depending on your contract, students are permitted so many missed exercises. All blue books will be checked and marked at the end of class.

Peer Reviews

Peer Reviews are designated days where students will bring a complete hard copy draft to class for feedback. Drafts are considered complete if they contain and introduction with thesis, and body paragraphs with evidence, and meet the page requirement. Students who do not bring their hard copy or a complete draft will not receive completion despite their attendance and participation.

Persuasive Essay

The persuasive essay is a 3-page paper containing a persuasive argument surrounding a particular musical influence of your choice. You will argue if gender, race, sexuality, and any other facets of identity determine who can listen to the musical artist of your choice. You will need to support your claim with analysis of the artist’s lyrics, personal experience, and relevant information from required readings. In addition, writing will reflect MLA style requirements, such as: introduction with thesis, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Cause and Effect Essay

The cause/effect essay is a 4-page research essay containing an argument about a protest song. The argument can either explore if the protest song had any effects on the subject it was protesting, or what lead to the cause of the song’s creations. You will need to support your claim with outside research from the library databases. In addition, writing will reflect MLA style requirements, such as: introduction with thesis, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Compare and Contrast Essay

The compare and contrast essay is a 5-page research essay containing an argument about analog vs. artificial intelligent musical production. The argument will explore which of the musical creations has more validity as far as its production value is concerned. You will need to support your claim with outside research from the library databases, personal experience, and other relevant information from web-based materials such as social media, blogs, and video content. In addition, writing will reflect MLA style requirements, such as: introduction with thesis, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

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