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following policies regarding attendance, homework, grading, and academic
integrity will be enforced
in this class.
Attendance
Your success in this class is directly related to your attendance. While
it is my responsibility to ensure that class sessions are interesting
and motivating, it is also your responsibility to bring your own interest
and motivation. Together we can continue to make this class one with
an outstanding attendance record. This is rarely an issue in my class. Excused and unexcused
The FCHS Attendance Policy is in effect for this class. NO WORK
WILL BE ACCEPTED for unexcused absences.
Tardies
Come to class. I would rather you were a few minutes late than you didn't
come. Late arrival may mean you miss pointed assignments at the beginning
of class (natural consequences) unless you have an excuse. If tardies
become a problem, we will have a significant discussion with consequences.
Tardies are disruptive to the entire class. You are also tardy if you
come with a paper on disk or email that needs to print before you can
join class.
Homework
o Turn
in work on time. DAY TO DAY ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE at the beginning of class.
Hard copies are required of all portfolio assignments. ESSAYS are
due by the end of the school day.
o ALL FORMAL
WRITTEN WORK - unless other noted - must be submitted to TURNITIN.COM prior
to class in order to receive credit.
o You are responsible for due dates when they are published in writing
OR written on the board OR posted on the web site.
o
Critical Readings are DUE the day of discussion. The assumption is
made that
your completion
of the assignment before class contributes
to the success of the class discussion. If you didn’t do it, you
can’t discuss, can you? If you don’t do it, you will be asked
to leave class. Half credit if the assignment is then turned in by the
end of the period.
o
For other work – No
late assignments will be accepted EXCEPT UNDER EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES.
These require parental contact. These
circumstances DO NOT include dogs, cats, siblings, parents, printer
cartridges, vacations, sporting events, hard drives, or computer
problems. BACK UP everything always. Learn to use school e-mail as a
back up.
o School
excused absences. In order for work to be accepted, YOU MUST
inform me of the absences at least two days ahead of time AND turn in
work the day it is due or earlier. NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS for school excused
absences will be accepted unless the absence is more than one day and
PRE-APPROVED.
Grading
This is a college-level class. I do not believe in
busy work. If you feel the goals of an assignment are not clear,
please
ask. Everything I ask you
to do has a purpose.
Grading philosophy
Grading will become harder as the year progresses. Essay assignments
will be worth more points, and the quality of AP prompts will be expected
to improve for the same grade.
Grading provides you with feedback on the overall quality of your writing.
It is impossible to comment on every strength and weakness in a piece
of writing. I will focus on major points in these areas.
Grading DOES NOT include editing. Global comments will be made, for example,
that there is an challenge with run on sentences or transitions. YOU
are expected to be able to rework an entire paper with these suggestions
and to go beyond just the marks that are made directly in the text. I
will be happy to conference with you about specific points on an essay,
but will not do a line by line conference.
WORKSHOPS
• All papers will be workshopped in class at least once. MISSED
workshops will lose 10% of your grade. No excuses. If you can’t
be here, your paper must be. That means email to me at BOTH addresses
and, preferably, a phone call that you cannot be in class and that you
have emailed the draft.
REVISIONS
• You
may rewrite any two out-of-class essays AND any two in class essays
for a replacement grade during December and
May. Revisions are
due 10 calendar days before the end of the semester.
AP Test can help
• Take
the AP test. If you score a 4 or 5, your second semester grade will
be raised by one point (C to B; B to A,
etc.)
FINAL
• Yes,
there WILL be a final both semesters. Yes, class will meet AFTER the AP
test. You will have a one week break the week of the test.
Evaluation– approximate
Participation – 10%
Essays – 40%
Portfolios– 40%
Homework and minor assignments - 10%
Academic
Integrity
Maintaining academic integrity is your responsibility as a student at
FCHS. Plagiarism is the unauthorized use of someone else’s thoughts,
words or ideas, and claiming them as your own. Plagiarized papers or
assignments will receive a failing grade, and could result in a failing
grade for the course and disciplinary action from FCHS. Unless otherwise
noted, you are expected to complete assignments individually, not collaboratively
with other students.
In order
to help prevent plagiarism, and to provide you with feedback on
your
writing,
this class will use Turnitin.com for all formal essay assignments.
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