Ms. Lauren Heuer

(908) 638-2199 ext. 2080

Welcome to Read/Write Improvement! I am excited to spend this school semester as your teacher. We will spend this time learning and growing together, with the purpose of improving our reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills in order to prepare for English classes, standardized tests, and life.

Essential Questions

We will try to answer the following essential questions throughout the year:

•How do we approach reading and writing?

•What do good readers do when they read? What do good writers do during the writing process?

•How does our word choice and vocabulary affect meaning?

•Why is it important to use proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation?

•How can we organize our ideas in a meaningful way?

Texts and Readings

With that in mind, Read/Write Improvement will use a multitude of texts. We will use various short stories and novels chosen together as a class.

Additional Work

In addition, students will be required to complete the following assignments. These will be explained in more detail at a later date.

  • Practice SAT/PSAT questions
  • Practice PARCC-style questions and prompts
  • Membean Online Vocabulary Workshop
  • NewsELA or ThinkCERCA

Required Materials

Bring to class every day:

  • Writing Utensil
  • Chromebook w/Charger
  • Notebook/Binder/Folder

Classroom Expectations

  1. Be on-time, on-task, and prepared everyday

Bring the required materials to class every day

Homework is ready to be submitted at the start of class

In your assigned seat, working silently at the start of class

  1. Keep all personal electronics away and use technology appropriately

Phones are put away and only used when given permission

Chromebooks and other technology are only used for academic purposes

  1. Be responsible for your own learning

Homework is completed—that includes reading and studying

Use Google Classroom, other students, and the teacher as resources for finding out due dates and homework assignments

Extra credit is a privilege; not a right. It is extra, not in lieu of required assignments

  1. Respect the teacher, the classroom, other students, and yourself

Listen when the teacher or others are talking; please, do not disrupt class

Use positive language, especially when talking about your work and others

Give people their personal space

  1. Reserve all activities unrelated to learning for before or after class

Any activities, such as going to the main office/guidance/attendance without a pass from these locations should be taken care of at a different time

Going to your locker or bathroom should take place during passing time

  1. Use common sense

Follow the rules and procedures of acceptable behavior that have been set up by the school district

Create an academic environment that is conducive to learning by following general school principles, such as:

Raise your hand when you have a comment or question

Write your name on everything you submit

Participate in all activities

Be honesty and have integrity for your work; cheating is not tolerated

Consequences

The following consequences are used when a student breaks a school rule or demonstrates inappropriate behavior.

First Offense: physical cue or verbal warning of infraction

Second Offense: verbal warning of second offense and on notice for detention

Third Offense: teacher detention

Continued infractions will result in a discipline write-up, as well as an email or call home.

The following steps will be taken for phone infractions:

First Offense: verbal warning

Second Offense: phone will be taken away for the remainder of class

Repeat offenses or failure to hand over phone will result in a discipline write-up, the phone will be confiscated and given to the principal, and your parents will have to come pick up the phone.

Classroom Procedures

Starting/Entering Class

  • Take your assigned seat.
  • Take out your notebook.
  • Read the day’s agenda and objectives posted on the board.
  • Read the day’s Do Now prompt on the board.
  • Complete the Do Now, and thensilentlywait for further instructions.

Leaving Class

  • Put away any borrowed classroom belongings
  • Pack personal belongings to take with you.
  • Double check workspace for trash and/or misplaced belongings, and if found, deposit them in the proper place.
  • Remain in your seat until after the bell rings.

Submitting Work

  • All work must be submitted promptly when it is asked for, either electronically or physically placed in the labeled bins for our class.
  • Any work submitted late (even if it is just later in the period or the same day) will lose points for lateness.
  • Work submitted late on the day it was due will lose 5%.
  • Work submitted after 3:10 pm the day it is due will lose 10% and an additional 10% for each day it is late.

Missing or Needed Handouts

  • You should consult the class file box (appropriately named “Heuer’s Handouts”) for any missing paperwork of any kind. Please do not ask me personally for any paperwork before consulting the file box.The class file box contains:
  • Extra blank copies of every worksheet or handout given to the class.
  • Papers that were abandoned and left behind after class.
  • Papers that were turned in with no names.
  • Note:The class file box is for paper copies of handouts. Anything that was administered electronically will be denoted on Google Classroom or in an email.

Grading Policy

This class is run on Total Points. Points vary from assignment to assignment. Here is the general breakdown of points:

  • Tests/Projects/Essays: 50-150 points
  • Quizzes: 20-50 points
  • Homework and Classwork: 5-30 points

Academic Honesty and Integrity

  • Cheating or plagiarism of any kind will not be tolerated
  • Grade on the assignment will be a zero without an opportunity to make it up.
  • Do not submit work that is not yours—come talk to me if there is a problem that arises

Extra Help

Schedule a time to meet with me for extra help or to discuss your grades: either before, during, or after school.

Time / Class / Location
7:15-7:45 / Before School / Rm. 244
Mods 1-2 / Prep / Rm. 244
Mods 3-4 / Read/Write Improvement / Rm. 137
Mods 5-6 / Communication and Digital Literacy / Rm. 135
Mods 7-8 / Read/Write Improvement / Rm. 137
Mods 9-10 / Lunch / Rm. 244
Mods 11-12 / Read/Write Improvement / Rm. 135
Mods 13-14 / Honors English III / Rm. 137
Mods 15-16 / Study Hall / Rm. 220
Mods 17-18 / Resource Duty / Outside Media Center
2:30-3:30 / After School / Rm. 244

Contacting the Teacher

The easiest and most convenient way of contacting me is through my school email. I check my email until 10:00 pm every night and will respond to you. Any email after this time is not guaranteed a response until the next morning.

  • School Policy: when contacting the teacher by email, all students MUST use their school-issued Gmail accounts. Per school policy, emails that are received from any other account may not be responded to and will not be responded to under any circumstances.
  • Appropriateness: when contacting the teacher via email, students should get in the habit of using appropriate subject lines and using formal, appropriate language. Content of all emails should always be school-related.