Seating arrangements for class-4 positions!

Personal Statement power point.

Welcome to English 9 for the 2014-2015 school year!

San Jose High School

2013-2014 School Year

Ms. Stewart-Room 33

9^th Grade English Expectations, Policies and Procedures

Welcome to 9^th Grade English,

This year will be a great year of learning together. We will be reading great selections of texts like The House on Mango Street and Romeo and Juliet, improving our writing, and increasing our ability to express ourselves in English through discussions, presentations, and essays. Together we will accomplish a lot in our class. Please read through this syllabus and see me with any questions. The last page is a contract you and your parent/guardian will sign to show that you have read, understand, and agree to follow all the expectations, policies, and procedures in this class.

Expectations

I expect that this will be a productive year for everyone in the class. We will work hard together to improve our reading and writing skills. We will commit to creating a culture of scholars within the classroom where we ask questions and take time to learn. I have high expectations for everyone in the class. Those high expectations lead directly to the big goals for our classroom this year.

Behavior Expectations

To achieve these big goals, it is key that our class time is spent on learning. The high expectations for academics also mean high expectations for behavior. We have four basic behavior expectations:

Behavior Expectation	What it looks like
Be Prompt.	·       Arrive before the bell rings (NO TARDIES!) ·       Be seated at YOUR desk when the bell rings ·       You are tardy if you are not in your seat when the bell rings
Be Prepared.	·       Bring all necessary supplies, which includes but is not limited to: sharpened pencils, pens, notebook, binder, books ·       Complete your homework on time and bring it to class
Be Polite.	·       Use appropriate language ·       Do not talk when others are talking ·       No electronic devices in class ·       Raise your hand and wait to be called on when you wish to speak ·       Wait for the teacher to dismiss you when the bell rings ·       Respect school and other’s property ·       Follow directions the first time they are given
Be Productive.	·       Put your full effort into your assignments ·       Class Time is spent on class work ·       All Students MUST participate in class ·       Remain on Task in all class activities

Also…

**Students are not allowed to have food or drink in the classroom.

**Students are expected to follow all SJHS rules as stated in the School Handbook

Class Consequences

Appropriate behavior is always your choice. I expect that class time will be used appropriately and for class work. If you choose not to follow a behavior expectation, there will be consequences.

1^st Consequence: Warning

2^nd Consequence: Lunch or after school detention

3^rd Consequence: A Call Home

4^th Consequence: Referral and possible suspension from class

Severity Clause: If your behavior is severe (very difficult), I reserve the right to skip consequences, refer you to the Dean, and/or remove you from the classroom.

Policies

Supplies

Being prepared for class is an important step to reaching our goals. In order to be prepared, you will need the following for our class:

• (1) One-inch binder or a Section in a binder with a Tab for English
• (1) Notebook and/or binder paper
• (1) Composition Notebook
• (2) sharpened pencils
• (2) pens

You will need to have these supplies EVERY DAY in class. If you do not bring in an item you will be considered breaking the “Be Prepared” class behavior expectation listed above, a consequence will be given and the class will lose a point. I will be checking that you have ALL these supplies on Monday, August 18^th. Having your supplies will account for a homework grade, so bring in these supplies for an easy 100%. If you have any questions about supplies, please see me after class or before school.

IB Program

San Jose High School participates in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program. The IB program aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.

The MYP is designed for students aged 11 to 16 years. It provides a framework of learning that encourages students to become creative, critical and reflective thinkers. The MYP emphasizes intellectual challenge, encouraging students to make connections between their studies in traditional subjects and the real world. It fosters the development of skills for communication, intercultural understanding and global engagement—essential qualities for young people who are becoming global leaders. It prepares students to meet the academic challenges of the IB Diploma Programme (DP) and the IB Career-related Certificate (IBCC).

The IB program is known worldwide and is incredibly prestigious. Students who complete the IB program and receive an IB Diploma have a better chance of getting into top colleges and a higher percentage of IB students complete college than those who are not IB. IB prepares you for higher learning, the type of learning you will do in college and in the work force.

IB Learner Profile

The aim of all IB programs is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world. In order to achieve this broad goal the IB learners strive to be:

Inquirers They develop their natural curiosity. They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.

Knowledgeable They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance.

Thinkers They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.

Communicators They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication.

Principled They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities.

Open-minded They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities.

Caring They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others.

Risk-takers They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies.

Balanced They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.

Reflective They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development.

MYP Program

9^th and 10^th graders participate in the Middle Years Program (MYP) to prepare them for the Diploma Program (DP) in 11^th and 12^th grade. This class is considered Language and Literature in the MYP. The goal of this course is to enhance students’ speaking, reading, writing, listening, viewing and presenting skills to prepare them for the rigorous curriculum of IB.

Language and Literature Key Concepts

There are a total of 16 key concepts that students will explore throughout the MYP program. The 4 key concepts that will be covered in 9^th and 10^th grade English are:

1) Communication: Through exploring texts, we exchange, express, analyze and transform information, facts, ideas, meanings and opinions.

2) Connections: Linguistic and literary connections exist across time, texts and cultures.  This allows for the exploration of language and relationships between text, creator, and audience.

3) Creativity: Creativity includes the ability to recognize the value of ideas when developing innovative responses to problems.

4) Perspective: Perspective influences text, and text influences perspective. Through students’ language and literature studies, multiple perspectives and their effects are identified, analyzed, deconstructed and reconstructed.

MYP Global Contexts

Global contexts direct learning towards independent and shared inquiry into our common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet. The Global Contexts will be used throughout the year to help students explore the relevance of their learning (why it matters). A different global context will be selected for each unit to guide student learning. MYP Language and Literature can develop meaningful explorations of the following global contexts:

1)    Identities and relationships

2)   Orientation in space and time

3)   Personal and cultural expression

4)   Scientific and technical innovation

5)   Globalization and sustainability

6)   Fairness and development

MYP Required Tasks

By the end of the year students will have completed 3 tasks required for MYP Literature and Language Year 4. The three tasks include:

1. Response To Literature (500-1,000 words)
2. Creative Writing (up to 1,000 words)
3. Research Paper (500-1,000 words)

Texts

- Each student will be provided a personal copy of the required literature and textbook

- Students will be required to bring a copy of the required texts to class each day.

- When you are assigned a textbook or novel, you will be responsible for turning it in at the end of the unit. If you misplace it, you will be financially responsible for it.

- Class sets will be kept in class and are not to be taken home. At the end of the class period students must turn in the book to the teacher before leaving the classroom.

-In this class we will be using the following texts to assist with our learning:

-       Holt Literature & Language Arts- Third Course

o   By Holt, Rinehart, and Winston

-       Of Mice and Men

o   By John Steinbeck

-       The House on Mango Street

o   By Sandra Cisneros

-       “Romeo and Juliet”

o   By William Shakespeare

-       The Odyssey

o   By Homer

-       *NOTE: Other supplemental readings (articles, poems, short stories, fairy tales, legends, etc.) will be included throughout the course to assist with learning the standards.

Grading

Your grade will reflect your work, participation, and effort in this class. Your grade will be broken into five areas:

• Daily Work                                                                                    20%
• Work completed during class, including the D0-Now, handouts, and participation in class discussions
• Tests and Writing Assignments                                        30%

• Quizzes and Projects                                                     25%

• Homework                                                                         15%

• Class Participation                                                                   10%
• Following the behavior expectations will ensure you receive all possible points

PROCEDURES
Following procedures ensures that I can teach and that you can learn.

If I can teach and you can learn, you WILL be successful.

Beginning Work

-       Class begins the moment that you step in the classroom. Every day when you enter, there will be a Do-Now on the board, which is to be started as soon as the bell rings.

-       After you enter the classroom and turn in homework, you must begin work immediately and silently.

-       The first 10 minutes of every class, during the Do-Now, is completely silent

Think-Pair-Share

-       Throughout the year we will engage in what is called “Think-Pair-Share”. This is a type of partner discussion. During a “Think-Pair-Share” you will be given 2 minutes to think about a response to a question that I have posed to the class, 2 minutes to share your response with your partner, 2 minutes for your partner to share their response with you, and then I will call on different pairs to share out their responses with the class.

-        I will use a timer to signal the end of each 2-minute interval. Once the timer goes off signaling the end of the second round of sharing with a partner. Each pair will be silent and face me. I will then call on different pairs to share out their responses to the class.

Using electronics in class

-       Throughout this year we will be using a variety of electronic devices such as video cameras, cameras, computers, laptops, ipads, cell phones, etc.

-       Students are to use the assigned electronic devices only for the allotted purposes; if a student is not using the electronic devices appropriately the device will be confiscated, the student will receive a zero on the assignment, and they will receive a consequence

-       Students are not to use any electronic devices in class unless approved by the teacher. Should a student choose to break this behavior expectation, their electronic device will be confiscated by the teacher and returned at the end of the day. If a student breaks this behavior expectation for a SECOND time, their electronic device will be confiscated by the teacher and given to Ms. Mendez in the attendance office. It will not be returned to the student until the end of the week.

Getting student attention

-       I will use tw0 methods to get student’s full attention.  When students are giving the teacher their full attention, they are facing the teacher and they are NOT talking. The methods include:

o   Calling for attention. I will ask the class to return to “active listening” position.

o   Certain partner or group activities may be timed, when you hear the timer go off you are to stop talking and face the teacher. You are responsible for making sure that your partner or group members are quiet, facing the teacher, and waiting for instruction.

Using the restroom

-       You will receive four restroom passes per semester

-       When you need to use the restroom, raise your hand and wait for permission from me

-       Before leaving, you will need to turn in a bathroom pass to me, and will need to wear the bathroom life jacket located in the back closet

-       Only 1 person is allowed to be out of the classroom at a time for the restroom.

-       When you come back return the life jacket to its proper place and quietly return to your seat

Attendance

Your attendance in this class is expected each day. We have much to cover as we work to meet our goals and prepare you for your next step. It is important that you are in class daily and on time. You must be in your seat when the bell rings or you will be counted as Tardy. If you miss class or are tardy, it will be your responsibility to see me for any work you miss (including the Do-Now). I will NOT bring you the work. Take responsibility for your grade and your performance and turn in anything you missed.

Getting work if you are absent

-       If you are absent, you have missed important notes, activities, and homework. It is YOUR responsibility to collect the notes and complete the work.

-       You will have one week to complete missing work after you return from your absence. After that week, you are no longer allowed to make up the missing assignment, homework, test, or quiz.

-       Upon returning, speak with me before class, during lunch, or after school to pick up the worksheets from the day you missed and get the Do-Now Prompt.

-       For notes, ask someone in the class to let you copy them during lunch or after school

-       For tests or quizzes, it may be necessary to schedule time to meet with the teacher after-school

Homework

-       Homework will be assigned regularly in this class. Homework should be completed each night and brought into class when it is due (usually the next day). To turn in your homework place it in the tray that matches your class period. Homework must be turned in upon entering the classroom and before the end of the Do-Now (first 10 minutes of class).

-       All homework must have a heading in the following order, listed at the top right- hand corner of the paper:

o   Name, date, class period

o   The title of the assignment will be placed in the center of the page on the first line

-       Homework is worth 15% of your grade. Failure to do your homework will quickly lower your grade.

Taking a test/ quiz

-       When a test/quiz is being administered, all students must remain silent. A student who cannot follow those expectations will immediately receive a zero and a consequence

-       All students will keep their eyes on their own paper during a test. Cheating in any form (passing notes, telling an answer, using unauthorized study guides, etc.) will result in those students involved receiving a zero and a consequence.

Quiz re-takes

-       For each content related quiz, you are expected to reach 80% mastery for each objective

-       If you do not reach an 80% on an objective for a quiz, you will have the opportunity to meet for after-school tutoring with me

-       After you have received tutoring and extra practice with the necessary objectives, you will be permitted to re-take the quiz.

-       Re-takes must be completed within one week of receiving your original quiz grade

Dismissal

-       No student will be dismissed from class until the entire class completes the following-

o   Each student must clean up their desk and floor area

o   All textbooks and/or novels are neatly put away in their designated areas

o   All desks are in neat, orderly rows

-       Remember, the teacher dismisses students, not the bell

Contract

Students

I agree that I have read and understand the expectations, policies, and procedures of Ms. Stewart's  9^th Grade English class. I will commit to achieving what is expected of me academically, and I will follow the Behavior Expectations. I understand the grading policy, and I will follow the class procedures.

________________________________________              

Student Name                                                                               

________________________________________               _______________

Student Signature                                                                                    Date

Parent/Guardian

I agree that I have read and understand the expectations, policies, and procedures of Ms. Ramirez’ 9^th Grade English class. I will support my student in upholding these expectations, policies, and procedures.

________________________________________               _______________

Parent/Guardian Signature                                                                  Date

***This is to be returned to class on Monday, August 18^th***