Grading & Supplies…

Welcome to English 9! I have been teaching language arts at the former MBVM School for the last 11 years. I am married and have two children ages 19 and 22. I am sure you will hear stories about them as we get to know each other. Email: cgaca@bmcss.org Phone: 815-932-7413

English 9Bishop McNamara Catholic School Room 14

MeetMrs. Gaca

Grading is done by points and percentages:A= 90-100% C= 70-79%B= 80- 89% D= 60- 69%Anything below 60% is failing.

The report card grade is determined by dividing the accumulated amount of points by the total amount of points possible each quarter.Final exams will be cumulative each semester. The semester exam will be averaged with the grade for the class.

Each assignment, test, and quiz is worth points deemed appropriate for the assignment. These points will be accumulated through the quarter.

One retest will be allowed for each test with a D or F. It is the student’s responsibility to fill out a request to retest form and arrange a retest date with me. All retests must be taken within 5 school days upon receipt of the original test. The retest will be averaged with the original test grade.

Literature & Resources:Textbooks: Prentice Hall Writing and Grammar (loaned), Prentice Hall Literature (loaned), Grammar for High School: A Sentence-Composing Approach Workbook (purchased)

Novels: Fahrenheit 451 and A Christmas Carol (both purchased)

Dramas: “Romeo and Juliet”

Other Teacher-Provided Resources: SAT Vocabulary Express, other fiction and non-fiction texts as assigned.

Class Description: Students will apply grammar concepts and various writing

skills to write in narrative, argumentative, & expository genres.

Students will conduct research projects and oral presentations

Students will apply MLA formatting to writing Students will read, discuss, and analyze fiction, nonfiction,

and poetry pieces.Quarter 1:Study Skills, note-takingVocabulary: weekly wordsGrammar: Imitating Grammar of the Greats,

Opening & Delayed Adjectives and AdverbsWriting: paragraphs and basic 5 paragraph essayLiterature: fiction and nonfiction elements

Quarter 2:Vocabulary: weekly wordsGrammar: Imitating Grammar of the Greats,

Phrases and ClausesWriting: research skills, MLA formatLiterature: A Christmas Carol (novel)Semester 1 Review

Quarter 3:Vocabulary: weekly wordsGrammar: Complex sentencesWriting: research paperLiterature: Fahrenheit 451 (novel)

Quarter 4:Vocabulary: weekly wordsGrammar: Imitating Grammar of the Greats,

Multiplying & Mixing the Tools, Punctuating Like a ProWriting: poetryLiterature: “Romeo and Juliet”Semester 2 Review

Tentative Course Outline

Issue #: [Date]

Late Assignments

Academic dishonesty will result in discipline and a zero on that assignment. What is academic dishonesty?

Plagiarism“Sharing ideas”

CopyingTaking credit for work you didn’t do

This includes using dictionary sentences as your own, even if you changed a few words.

Success in E9:

Here are some tips to help you succeed in this class…

Be ready to begin when the second bell rings. You should be IN YOUR SEAT, PREPARED. This means pencil sharpened, homework printed/emailed and ready, and working on bell work.

Turn work in on time and be prepared. Most students who are unsuccessful in class don’t complete work in a timely manner. If reading is a homework assignment, be prepared for a quiz on the information.

Begin studying for tests before they’re assigned. Reviewing notes each day keeps the information fresh in your mind.

Don’t miss exams! I am aware that this is unavoidable at times. It is YOUR responsibility to schedule a time for your make-up exam.

Be an active participant in your own education rather than a passive listener. Take notes. Sometimes they are collected as class grades.

Unplanned absences (sickness, etc…): Students will receive 1 day for each day of absence to make up assignments. If a test is missed and the student was in class for the review, the student will make up the test on the day of return depending on the length of illness. If a student is absent and missed the review, the student should make an appointment with me to review for the test and set up a test date.Planned absences (field trips, athletics, appointments, etc…): Students should check my homework page for missed homework that day, and check with me for classwork that was missed. All homework is due at the beginning of class upon return. Assignments are not given ahead of time for multiple day/week absences. In this case, students should check the homework page daily for updates and meet with me upon return.Suspensions: A grade of zero will be given for all work missed on suspension days. However, students

Absentee/Makeup

Assignments should be printed or emailed before entering class for 100% credit. If homework is not completed on the due date (Day 1), but turned in by class the next day (Day 2), the student will receive 80% of the total earned points on the assignment. If the assignment is still not completed on Day 2, but turned in on Day 3, the student will earn 50% of the earned points. Anything not turned in by Day 3 will be recorded as a zero. Students will be given 5 late passes each semester to be used on Day 1 for a one day penalty free extension. These are not cumulative

Honesty is the Best