Mrs


Late Work
All work is due on the assigned dates. Work not done but critical to class participation will receive a 0. Essays are due by 2:50 on the due date. One letter grade will be deducted per day (not class day) for every day the essay is late (see me for extenuating circumstances). Essays late one week or more can receive no more than a 50%, but remember that this is better than a zero.
Strategies
Students will have the opportunity to employ a variety of strategies for writing and understanding a text. This may include SOAPSTone, OPTIC, RAFT, journalistic formula, syntax analysis chart, etc. Many of these strategies will be practiced in pairs or groups with non-graded work.
Plagiarism Policy
The following paragraph must be submitted with proposals and all drafts of student assignments. Any plagiarized work will receive a zero grade and parents will be notified. Students must sign below the paragraph to indicate that they are aware of this policy:
	Plagiarism is using another person’s thoughts, ideas, and/or words without giving proper acknowledgement or documentation to the source. In keeping with this policy students will receive a zero for the plagiarized work.
If you do not understand what comprises plagiaristic work, seek help from me immediately. The first assignment of the year will be to identify possible sources for proper documentation.

Attendance and Tardy Policy
Regular classroom attendance is required to be successful in this course. On the third unexcused absence a parent/guardian conference will be required with the Counselor and Academic Dean. Students with six or more unexcused absences may fail the course. Students may be assigned to lunch time or after school tutoring to complete missing course work and obtain tutoring assistance. Students with habitual attendance issues may be placed on an attendance contract, face legal intervention, or be referred to an alternative school. Students late for classes will be assigned to Saturday school.
Homework Policy
Homework will be assigned throughout the year and will usually consist of writing and/or reading assignments. All written homework needs to be completed and turned in on time. I will not accept homework later than one day from the due date, and homework turned in one day late will receive half credit.

Grading
Your grade is your reward for learning. In general, I grade on product, not the effort; however, hard work usually produces a better product. Your grades will be based on your daily work, tests, and writing. I will use the school grade scale for letter grades. Based on the class work, the percentages listed below for daily and test grades may be revised as the term progresses.
Daily	(10% of grade) classroom work, homework, journals
Tests	(15% of grade) quizzes, grammar, vocabulary
Writing	(75% of grade) all essays and major writing assignments

Portfolios

It is important that students be able to reflect on past work and see their growth through the year. To facilitate that sense of growth, students will keep all of their work in a portfolio. Periodically through the year students will be asked to write reflections on their reading and writing process and analyze its development. At the end of the year, they will select two pieces of writing for final revision and grade. All of the written work will be compiled with a final reflection and displayed for class judging.

Scoring Rubric

Total Score	4 Exceeds Expectations	3 Meets Expectations	2 Somewhat Meets Expectations	1 Does Not Meet Expectations/Rewrite
Purpose	The paper is clear and focused and interesting. The thesis is clearly defined and supporting details/commentary are relevant and interesting.	The paper is clear and focused. The thesis is clearly defined. Supporting details and commentary are relevant.	Thesis is identifiable. Supporting details and/or commentary are present but leave questions for the reader.	The paper is not focused and does not contain a clear thesis. Supporting details are missing or questionable.

Organization	Structure of the essay makes thesis and support strongly evident to the reader. Good transitions tie focused paragraphs together and the essay flows.	Structure of the essay makes thesis and support strongly evident to the reader. Paragraphs are focused.	Thesis and support are present but reader must infer important details and struggle to follow train of thought. Paragraphs are not focused.	Organization is lacking. There is no clear thesis or evidence to support it. Paragraphs are random and unfocused.

Evidence	Evidence is well documented, plentiful, and relevant to the purpose/thesis of the paper. Evidence is seamlessly integrated into the structure of the paragraphs.	Sufficient evidence is documented and relevant to the purpose/thesis of the paper. Evidence is integrated into the structure of the essay	Evidence is lacking, not always properly documented, and not always relevant to the purpose/thesis of the essay. Evidence is choppy and often just plugged in at random	No evidence is used, or evidence is undocumented and not relevant to the purpose/thesis of the paper.

Conventions	Author demonstrates an excellent understanding of standard writing conventions (grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.)	Author demonstrates understanding of standard writing conventions (grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.)	Author shows overall understanding of basic writing conventions with some deviation.	Errors in writing conventions make the essay difficult to read.

MLA	Proper MLA format is used throughout the paper, including the heading, page #’s, font size and type, in-text citations and works cited.	Proper MLA format is used with some common errors present.	MLA format is attempted but contains many errors.	No MLA format is used.