Mrs. Westenskow/English                                                                                                              room 203
phone: 303-698-6040                                                                                   email: mrs.w@westenskow.net
vocabulary link: http://www.geocities.com/westenskowdorf/vocab.html

ACT/SAT PREPARATION

 COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed to help students prepare for the ACT and SAT college entrance exams. Students will review pertinent material and concepts found on the tests including English, mathematics, science, and reading comprehension. They will be provided with a variety of test strategies and helpful hints, and work extensively with vocabulary building.

WORDS OF THE DAY

Every classroom day you will receive four words for a vocabulary section in your notebooks. Most of the words will be new vocabulary for you. I will give you the part of speech, a definition, and a sentence for each word. You will need to learn the words and their usage. Every Monday your will have a test over the words from the previous week. It is your responsibility to get the words if you are absent. If you are absent for the test, you must make up the test on the day of your return to school.  If you have missed several class days and do not have all of the words, you will have two school days to make up the test. Make up tests may be taken before school, after school, during the lunch hour, or during my prep. These quizzes are a part of your grade. Students can earn bonus points by using the vocabulary words in classroom discussions (when appropriate) and in writing. When a vocabulary word is used in a writing assignment, the word must be highlighted. All of the words and the assigned weeks are listed on a vocabulary page linked here: http://www.geocities.com/westenskowdorf/vocab.html

HOMEWORK & GRADES

Homework will consist mainly of reviewing concepts and material and completing worksheets dealing with the material presented. Your grade is your reward for learning. In general, I grade on the product, not the effort; however, hard work usually produces a better product. Grades will be based on daily attendance, homework, vocabulary and subject quizzes, and ACT/SAT practice tests. Work will be weighted as follows and the school grade scale will be used to determine letter grades. 

 

daily

(10%  of grade) classroom work, attendance & homework

quizzes

(15% of grade) vocabulary, subject quizzes

practice tests

(75%  of grade) final test

 

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY

Students will come to class prepared to work with the required supplies.
         black or blue pen                                   highlighter                  
        place for handouts                                 positive attitude
        notebook for class notes, vocabulary, homework, and essay work

Students should have access to a dictionary and thesaurus at home.

Cell phones will be turned off in class, or they will be confiscated until the end of the day.

Attendance and tardy policy: Students will receive 10 points a day in daily credit when they come to class on time and prepared to work. Each tardy will reduce the daily total by five. All students will receive two absences or daily work passes and two tardy passes each six-week period. The passes presented to me excuse an absence or tardy. They are not transferable and will not be reissued if lost.