English Writing 1 Class Policies

Important to note Writing classes meet twice a week, therefore this class is worth twice as much as other SII classes.

Attendance Students are expected to attend class and be on time. Two tardies are equal to one absence. A student will be considered tardy if they are not in their seats when class is scheduled to begin. When you are in class, you are expected to actively participate. Failure to do so will count as an absence. If you fall asleep in class, that will be considered as an absence. Continued absences and tardies will result in a lower grade.

Making Up Class If a student misses class, it is the student’s responsibility: to notify the teacher of the absence. to make up class session (this will be each individual teacher’s decision if they allow the student to make up a class or not.) to complete the assigned work.

Cell Phones Cell phones are generally not allowed in class. While in class, cell phones are to be turned off and put away to where the teacher cannot see them. If the teacher allows you to use your cell phone in class, do not misuse it.

Cell Phones If a student has been found to be improperly using a cell phone in class, the following will happen For the first misuse during the academic term, a verbal warning will be given. For the second misuse during the academic term, the smart-phone or tablet will be confiscated for the rest of the class period. For the third misuse during the academic term, the device will confiscated and a conference with the English Writing Convener will take place. For the fourth misuse during the academic term, the student will receive a 10 point reduction in his/her final score for the term. It is also possible that the student will be accused of cheating as well.

Personal Computers Each teacher has his/her own policy when it comes to personal computers in the classroom. Even if a teacher allows for students to use their personal computers, students are expected to use those devices only for in class writing activities and research. During lectures, personal computers are to be turned off. In the event a student misuses a personal computer in the classroom, the following consequences will take place For the first misuse during the academic term, a verbal warning will be given. For the second misuse during the academic term, the personal computer will be confiscated for the rest of the class period. For the third misuse during the academic term, the computer will confiscated, a conference with the English Writing Convener will take place. For the fourth misuse during the academic term, the student will receive a 10 point reduction in his/her final score for the term. It must be noted that a student may be found to be academically dishonest for misuse of a personal computer in class.

Classroom Decorum Students are to be respectful of the teacher, the classroom and other students. When the teacher is talking, students are expected to listen. This means being quiet and looking at the teacher Students are expected to ask for help from their teacher when the student does not understand.

Late Work Submission All assignments and essays are due at the beginning of class unless the teacher instructs students otherwise. All assignments and essays turned in late on the same day will be reduced by 25%. All assignments and essays turned in late by the beginning of the next class period will be reduced by 50%. No late assignments will be accepted after the end of the next class period that an assignment or essay is due. A grade of 0 will be given Late work due to excused absences and tardies will be accepted with no penalty.

Plagiarism All students are expected to write their own essays and complete their assignments on their own (e.g. not copying their work from others or the internet; not hiring someone to write the essay for them; etc.). Students should not submit memorized essays. Students may get assistance in correcting essays from their teacher, their classmates during peer review, or a faculty member in the Support Center.

Plagiarism For a first time offense, a student, who is found to be academically dishonest for a graded assignment, will get an alternative assessment worth 50% of the original score. Reports will be filed with administration and the student will have a conference with the teacher or convener. For a second offense, the student will receive a grade of 0 for the course and be removed from the class. Reports will be filed with the administration.

Grading All essays that will make up a student’s final grade will be graded by using a rubric. Essays will generally be graded on the following criteria: task response, cohesion/coherence, lexical resources (vocabulary), and grammatical range.

Grade Appeals Students may appeal their grade on an essay. To do so, the student must ask the teacher to re-grade the essay. By requesting, the student understands that the teacher may increase the score, keep the score the same or lower the score. After being re-graded, if the student still disagrees with the given grade, they may ask the teacher to find another faculty member of Freshmen Writing to grade the paper. This will usually be the Freshmen Writing Convener. By doing so, the student understands that this faculty member may increase the score, keep the score the same or lower the score.

Grading All essays scored above 90 and below 60 will be re-graded by a second teacher.

Other Disagreements/Concerns If a student disagrees with the teacher or has some concerns, the student must address those concerns with the teacher first. After that time, if the student is still concerned with the issue, they should set up an appointment with the convener. The convener for English Writing 1 is Ronnie McDonald. His is If the meeting with the convener does not resolve the concern, the student should direct the concern with the Director of CAES. If that meeting does not resolve the concern, the student should address the issue with the administrative personnel on the second floor.

Basic Requirements Buy a paper English-Chinese/Chinese-English dictionary for class and bring it with you everyday. Bring the Langan book everyday to class unless told differently by your teacher. Write all of your essays in class on either A4, A5, B4 or B5 paper. All essays should be doubled spaced. Bring paper and a pencil or a pen every day to class. (The teacher would love to sell you pieces of paper for only 10rmb per page and used pencils for only 20rmb.) For typed papers, use only 12 point Times New Roman font, double spaced on A4 paper.

IX. Basic Requirements Paper heading: The heading of your paper should include both your English and Chinese names; the name of this class (English Writing 1); the assessment; the section number; and the teacher’s name. Example: Da Shan (Joe) English Writing 1 BM1599 Assessment #1 Ms. Deirdre Prendergast

X. Basic Understandings The grade a student receives is the grade the student earns. Just because your friend received a 90 in class, this does not mean that you should get a 90 too. Different classes get different grades. If another class’ scores are higher than this class’, it merely means that class is generally writing better than this class. It does NOT mean that class is getting treated better or are the “teacher’s pets.” Be more concerned with how you can improve as opposed to what everyone else is getting in class. If you do not understand, let the teacher know. It is your responsibility to let the teacher know when you do not understand. It is also your responsibility to get help when you need help.

What is plagiarism? All of the following situations involve plagiarism: turning in someone else's work as your own copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not

Is it plagiarism? If you think that the situation involves plagiarism, make an X. If it does not, make an O. Mary is writing an essay but she finds part of it very difficult, so she asks her friend to write one paragraph for her. The rest of the essay was written by Mary.

Is it plagiarism? Tom is writing an essay in class. The teacher says to write about a person who you admire. Tom memorized an essay about a famous person from history last year. He writes the essay.

Is it plagiarism? Sally is writing an essay about the electronics company Samsung, but she does not know very much about the company. She does some research online. Then she records and cites her sources and uses the information to help write her essay.

Is it plagiarism? Lou wrote an essay but he knows that some things need work. He goes to the Student Support Centre to get help writing the essay.

Is it plagiarism? Ding is writing an essay about the company McDonald’s. She finds an essay online about Apple, and changes most of the words and names to fit her essay.