AP Language and Composition: Classroom Expectations and Procedures

AP Language and Composition: Classroom Expectations and Procedures

Mrs. Michelle O’Brien

E-mail: School Phone: 531-2244 (ext. 1119)

Website:

OR: go to District homepage ( click on High School homepage (under Schools), click on Teacher Websites, click on Michelle O’Brien

You are expected to:

• come to class on time. You need to be in your seat and getting your materials out at the time the bell rings.

•come to class prepared. You must bring any assignments that are due, your book, your English notebook and your materials EVERY day, unless I specifically tell you not to in advance. Do not ask to return to your locker to get forgotten items. Failure to come to class prepared will result in disciplinary action as is stated in the student handbook.

•cover your textbooks. You are financially responsible for the condition of your book. If it becomes damaged or lost, you must pay for it. Thus, covering your textbook helps to ensure that your book stays in better condition. Do not use the self-adhesive (sticky) covers, however, as they can permanently damage the cover of the book. The easiest and most durable book cover is a “book sock.” If you do not want to buy book covers, brown paper bags work well, or the office often has free paper ones. YOU MUST HAVE YOUR TEXTBOOK COVERED; COMING TO CLASS WITHOUT IT COVERED WILL BE CONSIDERED COMING TO CLASS UNPREPARED (and will be assessed the same penalty).

•be respectful of yourself, others, and property. This applies across the board, but especially to the learning environment of our classroom. We will spend a great deal of time in discussion, peer review and publishing our work. NO CHEAP SHOTS OR RIDICULE WILL BE TOLERATED.

• participate in class. Every student is an important component of the classroom community. We need your input, creativity, and thoughts.

• be in class. The impact of attendance on performance cannot be stressed enough. Of course, if you are ill, heal yourself at home. However, try to miss class as little as possible; while work for EXCUSED absences can be made up and class notes can be copied from a classmate, discourse and shared experience of the classroom cannot be recreated.

• do your OWN homework. Not only is it given so that you may practice and master concepts, it will impact your grade either positively or negatively. Please note, homework assignments (unless otherwise stated) are to reflect your individual and independent work. Collaborating on homework is not tolerated; each assignment you submit should be for your own practice. Homework assignments that demonstrate anything other than 100% individual thought and work shall NOT receive credit.

•ask for permission to leave the room. You may fill out your agenda/planner and ask me to sign it when there is a logical break in instruction. You MUST also sign out and sign in accurately in the Sign-Out book by the door; we need an accurate account of who is out of the room and when.

•be prepared to learn from bell to bell in our class. Do not pack up early, especially while I am still teaching or another is talking about the subject at hand. Class is over when I dismiss you, not when the clock indicates that class is over or even when the bell rings. Do not line up at the door; you are to remain seated and quiet until I dismiss you! ANY STUDENT WHO LEAVES BEFORE I DISMISS HIM/HER WILL BE WRITTEN UP AS A CLASS CUT.

• clean up after yourself. The custodians have specific tasks to accomplish; cleaning up after you is not one of them. Before you leave, make sure you have all of your belongings, align your desk in your row, and push in your chair. You may not leave any of your books or other belongings in my classroom.

• keep track of your own grade. Since a grade reflects your progress in class, you need to be constantly aware of where you stand. Even with Home Access Center, it is important for you to keep your own academic record because errors can occur. If you have an accurate record, we can correct any errors together. I suggest keeping a log in your English notebook of the scores you receive out of the total points possible. Be sure to record homework grades in addition to test, quizzes, and essays. When a graded assignment is returned to you, it will have the number of points you earned out of the number of points possible; record both scores.

• display decorum when inquiring about personal issues. I am more than happy to discuss your progress in this course; however, this conversation should not be held at the expense of your peers or our very short class time. If you have any questions that solely concern your personal performance in this course (grade, absence, make-up work, etc.) please see me either before or after school. A forty-two minute class period is too short to meet the needs of twenty-five to thirty students; so please, I encourage you to employ good behavior when communicating your concerns with me.

• let me know when you are having trouble. Your success in English is my primary concern. I am here to help you learn these concepts. I am not here to stress you out or cause you undue anxiety regarding this course. However, a conversation about how to help you achieve should not be conducted at the end of the term, nor should it be conducted in a confrontational manner. I will stay late to meet with you and give you extra help. Please never hesitate to ask for help!

• let me know when you have a concern. If you are having issues with something we are doing in class, feel that a grade or assignment is unfairly or incorrectly graded, or are uncomfortable with the fast pace or workload, I ask that youPERSONALLY email me.Self-advocacy is a tool that must be facilitated, developed, and praised; I ask that you please employ it throughout the course of this year.If you would feel more comfortable in having me speak with your parents, I will be more than happy to do so; however, it must be a conversation from which you are not absence.

English Department Late Work Policy:

♦Late MINOR assignments, such as homework, etc., will receive a zero (0) point value.

♦Late MAJOR assignments, such as projects, essays, etc., may be turned in by the end of the next

SCHOOL day for credit beginning at 50% of the original point value; after that, the assignment will be worth zero (0) points.

♦Late assignments include, but are not limited to:

owork not with you in class at the time it is due,

onot having an essay/project printed and ready to turn in at the time it is due,

ohaving an incorrect assignment (not the work that was assigned),

♦Having an assignment that does not follow written and/or verbal instructions, may receive, at the

discretion of the teacher, only partial credit or may result in zero (0) credit.

♦Notes from your parents excusing you for late or incorrect work will not be accepted; the policy

stated above will be followed.

English Department Make-Up Policy:

♦ONLY MISSED WORK FOR EXCUSED ABSENCES MAY BE MADE UP!

♦It is your responsibility to see your teacher for any work/handouts you may have missed due to an

absence.

♦You have as many days as you were absent to make arrangements to make up tests, which may be

different from the original test given. After the allowed number of days have passed without your making up your work, its score will convert to a zero (0) point value.

♦Any homework due on the date of your absence and any quizzes missed must be turned in or made up on the day you return to school (be sure that you have made arrangements with your parents for this before you return to school).

♦A homework assignment given the day you are out should be made up by the day following your

return.

♦A Reading Check, no matter what the point value, will be expected to be made up on the day of your return, as its purpose is to determine if you completed the assigned reading.

♦You must get any class notes from a peer in your class.

♦Any assignments sent home during your absence through parent or your own request or given priorto a trip (through a trip form or verbal instructions) are due upon the day you return, or will receive a zero (0) point value, unless another specific due date is given to you by your teacher. In other words, if an assignment is given to you in any form during an illness or before a trip or other excused absence, the assignment is due the day you return to school.

♦ASSIGNMENTS/WORK MISSED DUE TO UNEXCUSED ABSENCES MAY NOT BE

MADE UP AND WILL BE ASSIGNED A ZERO (0) POINT VALUE.

Early Dismissals, Late Arrivals, Field Trips, and Extra-Curricular Dismissals:

♦If you miss class due to being out of school for any portion of the day, including an early dismissal(an appointment, an extra-curricular activity, or illness), a late arrival for any reason, or any sort of field trip or athletic dismissal, you must see your teacher with any assignment, major or minor, that is due on that particular day.

♦Additionally, you must secure any assignments that are due for the following day.

♦In other words, if you are in the building for any portion of the day at all, you MUST see your

teacher with work due and get any additional assignments.

♦FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS POLICY WILL RESULT IN THE ENFORCEMENT OF

THE LATE WORK POLICY.

English Department Academic Integrity Policy:

Cheating of any type will not be tolerated in English classes. Please be aware that the District has purchased site licenses to check for plagiarism. Assignments may be checked when suspect or randomly.

Cheating includes, but is not limited to:

♦ plagiarism (which is representing someone else’s words or ideas as your own)

♦ getting answers from another student on an assignment or an assessment

♦collaborating or discussing answers, unless the teacher has indicated that it is acceptable

♦copying another student’s work

♦turning in someone else’s work as your own

♦downloading term papers from the Internet (or buying them elsewhere)

♦fabricating sources or evidence

♦using any form of unauthorized aid on tests or quizzes

♦submitting an essay or assignment already used in another class

♦passing off an old assignment for a current assignment

♦helping another student cheat in any way, including copying your work or answers

Consequences for Cheating:

Plagiarism and cheating are Level II offenses that warrant serious penalties. Work that is plagiarized or has been cheated on will not be accepted, and the student will be disciplined according to the Student Handbook.

Students who cheat or plagiarize will receive:

♦a zero (0) on the assignment

♦contact of the parent/guardian

♦disciplinary referral for a Level II offense

Avoiding Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of treating work done by someone else as though it is your own. The key point to remember about plagiarism is that students must never attempt to use someone else’s words or ideas as if they were their own.

To avoid plagiarism, follow these guidelines:

1. DO NOT use exact words from a source without putting them inside quotation marks and giving credit to the source.
2. DO NOT reword a passage without giving credit to the source.
3. DO NOT summarize a passage without giving credit to the source.
4. DO NOT use statistics without giving credit to the source.

In other words, students must be honest about where they get words and ideas. Of course, students’ own ideas and interpretations need no source identification.

The next two examples in MLA style demonstrate the difference between genuine research writing and plagiarism. Listed first is the original reference material. It is followed by two student versions, one of which is plagiarism and one of which is not.

ORIGINAL MATERIAL

The automotive industry has not shown good judgment in designing automotive features that distract drivers. A classic example is the use of a touch-sensitive screen to replace all the controls for radios, tape/CD players, and heating/cooling. Although an interesting technology, such devices require that the driver take his eyes off the road.

–Tom Magliozzi and Ray Magliozzi,

Letter to a Massachusetts state senator, p. 3

PLAGIARISM: UNACCEPTABLE BORROWING

Radio show hosts Tom and Ray Magliozzi argue that the automotive industry has not demonstrated good judgment in devising car features that distract drivers. One feature is a touch-sensitive screen that replaces controls for radios, tape/CD players, and heating/cooling. Although the technology is interesting, such devices require that a driver look away from the road (3).

ACCEPTABLE PARAPHRASE

Radio show hosts Tom and Ray Magliozzi claim that motor vehicle manufacturers do not always design features with safety in mind. For example, when designers replaced radios, CD players, and temperature control knobs with touch-sensitive panels, they were forgetting one thing: to use the panels, drivers would need to take their eyes off the

road (3).

Hacker, Diana. A Writer’s Reference (Fifth Edition). New York: Bedford, 2003.

Students should refer to Diana Hacker’s A Writer’s Reference (Fifth Edition) and the Modern Language Association Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (Sixth Edition) (pp. 68 – 75) for more examples and explanations regarding proper documentation.

Rationale:

I realize that these are stringent procedures. I have found, though, that our class will run more smoothly if you know exactly what is expected of you. My highest goal is to establish a classroom environment conducive to learning so that you can be successful! I am really excited to get to know each of you and looking forward to having a fun year!

O’B

Date due with all signatures: ____Tuesday, September 8, 2009______

I have read the course syllabus and the classroom procedures and expectations for Ms. Schoppy’s class. I have especially closely examined and understand the English Department’s Late Work Policies Academic Integrity, Make Up Policies, and the Early Dismissal/Late Arrival Policies. I understand what is expected of me and the consequences of not following the classroom procedures described here.

______

Student Name (please print)

______

Student Signature Date

I have read and understand the classroom expectations for Ms. Schoppy’s class, including the consequences for my student if he/she does not comply. I have especially closely examined and understand the English Department’s Late Work Policies, Academic Integrity Policy Make Up Policies, and the Early Dismissal/Late Arrival Policies.

______

Parent/Guardian Signature Date

1