Mrs. Rice lrice1@ggusd.us English 1p Mrs. Rice lrice1@ggusd.us

Welcome to Room 129!!! Where you are sitting now, is not where you will be on Monday. ;D We will have a seating chart, but you will be moving around during the week.

Please Bring… A spiral notebook Pen or pencil (final draft essays in pen) Colored pen or pencil Text book If you prefer a binder with dividers, label Writing, Writing Conventions, Vocab, Content

You may… Eat anything but Corn Nuts Drink a beverage with a lid. Get up for tissue, pencil sharpener, trash, recycling, or to blow your nose outside whenever you need. You don’t have to ask.

You must… Clean up all of your trash or the whole class loses its eating privilege until the next quarter. Be responsible for your learning. If you are too busy doing other things during class, you will not learn.

You may… Get extra help or catch up on work every Friday. Talk to me about personal/academic problems.

You must… Be sure that any electronic devices are off and completely put away Use class time wisely. Prove to me that you have met your unit goals.

You may… Ask me to explain again, & again, & again… Make mistakes. Be yourself. Tell me what you think.

You must… Listen & stay engaged with the lesson Allow others to make mistakes & learn from them. Allow others to be themselves & learn without interruption. Be respectful & polite.

Tardies I am strict on the tardy policy. If you need to use the restroom, come to class first and check in with me. Do NOT even try sneaking in. It is your responsibility to be sure that I have changed your absence to a tardy.

Electronic Devices I do not want to see any part of your phone or ipod. TURN YOUR PHONE OFF DURING CLASS See me for extenuating circumstances.

Dress Code Your clothing must cover your under clothing. No hats other than the SHS cap or beanie. No drug, sex, violence references on clothing.

Consequences Verbal Warning Detention with me Phone call home Parent Conference I save referrals for the most serious or repeated problems. Lets just handle problems on our own, RIGHT?

Grading My grading system may be different than those you are used to. Grades will be based on how well you learned the unit. Every question is counted as level 2,3, or 4.

Grading Low scores at the beginning of the unit won’t hurt as much as long as you prove to me that you know the material. You will have many opportunities to show me that you have mastered the material.

Learning This system is based on LEARNING. If you learn the material, you will get credit for it. You will be given second chances. Scores will be entered in Aeries as units not individual assignments,

Learning You will make learning goals at the beginning of the unit. We will have lessons and assessments that give you an opportunity to show me what you have learned. Once you have learned it, you work on depth to get the 4! 

Formative Assessments Worth 40% of a unit Done during learning Track student progress Scored Class work, homework, observations, steps in writing process, quizzes, etc

Summative Assessments Worth 60% of a unit Represent student’s final status Scored Can include or be affected by formative scores Tests, benchmarks, essays, projects etc.

Unit Weights Writing Conventions Unit (20%) Vocabulary Unit (20%) Content Unit (30%) Writing Unit (30%)

Huh? How much does homework count? Units are based on learning and showing that you learned the material. Everything we do works toward you achieving your learning goal. (Usually a 3 or 4) When you learn it and prove it, you get the score. You may try again after we complete the unit.

General Rubric 4 point 4 Advanced Learning Goal 3 Target Learning Goal 2 Simpler Learning Goal 1 Partial Credit with Help There is no “0” because I won’t let you get one!!

4 Advanced Learning Goal In addition to exhibiting level-3 performance, this students makes in-depth inferences, and how he/she applies the knowledge goes BEYOND what was taught in class. I did even better than the goal I set. I am ready to teach this to another student.

3 Target Learning Goal No major errors or omissions (things left out) regarding any of the information and/or processes that were explicitly (straight out) taught. I accomplished my goal!! I am ready to try for the 4!!

2 Simpler Learning Goal No major errors or omissions regarding the SIMPLER details and process BUT major errors or omissions regarding the more complex ideas and processes. I didn’t accomplish everything I wanted to, but I learned quite a bit. I would like to try again!!

1 Partial Credit with Help With HELP, a partial knowledge of some of the simpler and complex details and processes. I tried, but I didn’t really learn much. I need more help in this area.

Scale 4 = Advanced 100% 3.5 Proficient 95% 3 Proficient 90% 2.5 Basic 80% 2 Basic 70% 1.5 Basic 65% 1 Below Basic 60%

So how does this affect my grade? You won’t have a grade in Aeries until the unit is done. You will keep track of your scores on a chart. I will decide what your overall performance on a unit says about your level of learning.

So how does this affect my grade? You will be given a unit score of 1-4. If you don’t like your score, or I don’t like your score, you will keep trying even after the unit is over. I will go back and raise your grade as you show me that you have learned the concepts.

Does this mean I can do things over? You will reassess or do more practice on Fridays. There is always a chance to prove your learning to me until the end of the semester.

What about essays and tests? You will try again if we don’t like your score. This can be done on Fridays. Tests (Assessments) are not the same each time.

What about late work? You won’t have any. We do almost all our work in class so there is no need for late work.

Questions? I know that was a lot of information. Don’t worry we will all figure it out with practice.