Effective Composition

Mr. Dawursk

 

 

 

Welcome.  In this class you will be completing activities to help you meet the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.  Specifically, this course is designed to give you many opportunities to hone your writing skills.  We will review grammar, sentence, and paragraph concepts.  And we will write various nonfiction essays.  A brief business-writing unit, including building a résumé, will be included.  You will be assessed on your active involvement in the writing process and the improvement of your writing skills.  Plan to write, write, write.

 

 

 

Required Supplies:

 

  • One single-subject, spiral notebook
  • Loose-leaf paper (bring some every day)
  • Folder
  • Pencils
  • Blue or black ink pens
  • Good dictionary for home use
  • Assignment planner

 

Grading:

 

Practice Activities (review work, journal, and parts of the writing process) and Assessments (final paragraphs, essays, and exams) will determine your grade. Through class activities and assessments, you will demonstrate your performance and progress toward meeting the standards for this course.

 

Percentages:

 

 ● 20% Daily Work (formative) such as journals, blogs, readings, rough drafts, etc.

 ● 80% Final Work (summative) such as final draft essays, other writings, critiques, reading tests, etc.

           

                 What Grades Mean: 

                                    A = exceeds expectations and standards

                                    B = meets expectations and standards or is very close to doing so

                                    C = making good progress toward meeting expectations and standards     

                                    D /F = more support and practice is required to meet the standards

 

Homework and Assignments: 

 

Homework will be expected. The purposes for homework include the following:  to practice skills and concepts from class to meet the standards, to prepare for new content (access prior knowledge), to extend or elaborate the concepts covered in class (make connections, integrate concepts, think), and to produce writings that demonstrate understanding and skill.  If you miss two assignments or a major assessment, an after-school work session will be assigned to help you catch up.

 

Take pride in your work: 

 

Be complete and neat.  Use your best penmanship if handwriting.  Illegible work is difficult to count.  Use a dictionary.  Your work is a reflection of you and your effort.  Everyone is capable of completing the required work for this class.  Start with your best effort and continue with your best effort.  Make sure you understand the assignment before you leave school.  Read the handouts and rubrics provided; they really will help.

 

Revisions: 

 

At teacher discretion, any formal essay may be redone if you did not meet the standard, and you did demonstrate a sincere effort to prepare for the assessment when it was assigned.  Rigorous revision is required.  (Fixing a few spelling errors is a waste of your time and mine.)  You must revise essays on your own time, not during the direct teaching time in our class.  However, we can arrange a conference time to improve your piece.  Please resubmit your new work stapled to the original assessment within ten days.

 

Make-up/Past-due Work:

 

If you are absent or have another reason to submit work late, please turn it in to the absent/past-due/revision work tray.  Missed work is your responsibility.  Please see me as soon as possible.   Meeting deadlines is a life skill, and in this class it is critical for success.

 

Writing Portfolios: 

 

Your writing portfolio will contain the final versions of your writings, as well as interest inventories, goals, writing logs, and other papers you choose to include.  Though they will be kept in the classroom, you are encouraged to review these materials.  In fact, you will reflect on your goals and writing skills frequently, especially when preparing for a new writing project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Teacher Work:

 

Prepare lessons for class.

Provide clear directions and expectations.

Determine learning outcomes and evidence of mastery (assessments).

Understand the standards and break the curriculum into manageable units.

Arrange the physical environment and determine student placement (seating assignments and groups).

Provide direct instruction in facts, skills, and techniques.

Decide on timing and pacing and make adjustments as necessary.

Help students relate the content to their own lives.

Facilitate learning.

Check for understanding and modify lessons accordingly.

Provide support and re-teaching when necessary.

Provide feedback for student improvement.

Maintain grading system.

Encourage a respectful learning environment.

Enforce school policies and procedures.

Contact parents as appropriate.

 

Student Work:

 

Come to class on time with supplies.

Follow directions and ask questions when necessary.

Use learning outcomes to set personal goals and attempt to reach mastery.

Engage in curriculum units and complete work on time.

Respect the physical environment and sit in assigned seats.

Observe, listen, take notes, and practice.

Provide feedback to teacher on timing and pacing.

Look for ways to relate content to own life.

Actively make meaning by thinking, clarifying, connecting, and problem solving.

Let the teacher know when meaning is unclear.

Ask for help, try, and persevere.

Use feedback to improve learning.

Understand your grade and how to improve it.

Respect self and others.

Follow school policies and procedures.

Inform parents of school and classroom events.