Class Policies

Be Prepared Daily: Come to class each day with the following:

• Completed daily homework assignments
• Pencil with an eraser
• Blue or black pen
• Colored pen for editing
• Assignment notebook
• Loose-leaf paper
• A book to read (always!)

Be Organized:

• Have your first and last name, class period, and date in the top right hand corner of assignments before you get to class.
• Keep all assignments in your homework folder.
• Write down all assignments in your assignment notebook daily.

Be Committed:

• Ask questions
• Listen carefully
• Work hard…keep trying!!
• Follow directions
• Participate
• Take pride in your work. Make sure it is neat, complete, and on time.

Be Responsible and Respectful:

• Follow school rules.
• Be in your seat and ready to go when class begins.
• Stay quiet during announcements.
• Turn in all homework on time. NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED for daily assignments.
• Make up missed work promptly. You are responsible for asking for all materials you miss due to an absence.
• Use only blue or black ink (or pencil) on homework.
• Turn in assignments on a full, neat sheet of paper (no spirals).

Reading Workshop: School District 47 has adopted the reading workshop model, and the focus of the workshop will be placed on student’s abilities to implement reading strategies and will help students to become confident, lifelong readers. Students are given independent choices for the book they read, and because of this, I have extensively added to my classroom library. The library includes all genres with many different reading and maturity levels. Because of the size of my library, I have not been able to read every book on my shelves. If you have any concerns about the books your student reads, please discuss this with him / her, and feel free to contact me at any time with concerns or questions.

Projects: Various projects will be given throughout the year. Individual, as well as group, projects will be assigned. If a group project is assigned, I will allow ample class time for completion of the project. The only reasons a group would need to get together outside of class would be either the desire to put extra effort forth, or a poor use of class time, which caused work to not be completed. Late projects will drop one letter grade per day they are late.

Writing: Most writing assignments will be done in class. When there are writing assignments taken home, I ask that parents help their children proofread for spelling, grammar, and mechanics. Please leave the content to the students. It would be helpful for your student to purchase a 1 g flash drive. This will allow students to save their writing at school and work on it at home as needed.

Spelling / Vocabulary: Vocabulary / Spelling assignments and quizzes will occur most weeks.

Additional Vocabulary: Students will be given a “word of the day” each day. Quizzes will be given after each group of 15 words. These “WOD” words will increase vocabulary and reading comprehension, as well as prepare students for future SAT / ACT tests. Students should be looking these over five minutes each night. This will help with the retention of words as well as success on quizzes.

Book Reviews: Book review grades are contingent upon the amount of pages read per trimester. They will be due at each midterm and at the end of each trimester. Book reviews are worth 100 pts. per midterm and account for a large percentage of your student’s language arts grade. Books must be approved before reading, and credit will not be given until a book review sheet is completed and correct. For each book a student reads, a book review sheet needs to be filled out. This will be thoroughly explained to students. Students should be reading approximately 20 pages per school night in order to earn an A. This is completely independent, and students should be working on this throughout the trimester. This is not something that can be completed at the last minute. Please have your student explain this policy to you. I will also be explaining this on Parent’s Night.

Social Studies: We will be covering a myriad of American history throughout the year. We will pick up where 7th grade left off. We will begin after the reconstruction period, and we will end at present day. The United States constitution will jump start our year, and we will refer frequently to that framework in order to understand the events that have shaped our country. Please help your student study for the constitution test, as this is a very important test, one which students need to pass in order to go to high school.

Students will also be receiving a current event assignment that will typically be due every other Friday. A sheet with the assignment’s criteria will be given to your student.

Integration of LA / Social Studies: As you are already aware, our district has implemented a schedule that will allow your student to experience a cross curricular education. We will be integrating the subjects as much as possible. We will read and write about history, and we talk about writing traits and reading strategies in both subjects. This will allow for a better absorption and retention of covered material.

Make-up Policy: If a student is absent, the student will have the same number of days he / she was absent to make up the work. The student is responsible for asking for missed work.

Daily Journals: Students will keep a composition notebook in class for daily journal writing. I have purchased composition notebooks for this purpose. Please send $.75 with students to cover the cost of their notebook.

I am available for any student who may need or want extra help before or after school. Student should see me to set up an appointment.

I know that this school year is going to be a fun and successful one. I am very excited, and I am looking forward to getting to know your student. If you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact me at school (477-5897) or via the contact form.