Welcome to Language Arts 302 (Modern World Studies)with Mrs. Heusterberg-Richards!

Language Arts 302 (always paired with Social Studies 302) satisfies the requirement of a third-year language artscredit. Students choosing this course should be ready to read literature and history and write at a more in-depthlevel than the typical Language Arts class. The Modern World Studies classes, beginningwith the Twentieth Century, use the natural connection between history and literature to aid the understanding ofboth. One Social Studies and two Language Arts teachers, working together, connect these closely related subjects usingauthentic literature, including eight paperback books, to examine the history and culture of the last 100 yearsthrough the eyes of those who have lived it.

I have prep time during periods two and 6/7. If you would like to speak with me during those times, please knock on the downstairs blue pod office area, and I will be happy to meet with you. Please note that I will not be in my classroom during prep times as I share my room with a traveling teacher. If you have another class during periods two and 6/7, do not hesitate to stop in to see me before or after school. I typically arrive around 7:00 am and leave around 4:00 pm.

Each class you will be expected to have your:

Our materials in this course will chronologically span from World War I to the present time. The units and corresponding novels are as follows:

Assorted Poems and Novel Excerpts(World War I)

Cannery Rowby John Steinbeck(The Great Depression Era)

Night byElie Wiesel(World War II - Europe)

Farewell to Manzanar byJeanne Wakatsuki Houston(World War II - America)

The Crucible by Arthur Miller(McCarthyism/Red Scare)

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury(Censorship)

Catcher in the Ryeby J.D. Salinger(1950's)

A Raisin in the Sunby Lorraine Hansberry(Civil Rights Movement)

Falling Leaves byAdeline Yen Mah(Emergence of Communism in China)

Career Unit

Funny in FarsibyFiroozeh Dumas(Middle Eastern/American Relations)

*All assigned novels will be provided by Bay Port High School. However, students who do best annotating within the book’s margins are encouraged to buy their own copies of any or all the novels.

As a tool for you and your parents, I maintain a website (wiki) for each course I teach. This site is updated daily with a class assignment log and all related materials. If you are absent, please make use of the website by checking what happened in class and what assignments were given. Generally, you can also print off copies of any handouts or notes.

1) When the bell has rung, students are expected to be seated and ready for learning. Students arriving late must sign the tardy log. Any tardies will affect your life-long learning grade, and chronic tardiness can earn you one or more detentions.

2) Students are expected to treat their peers, their teacher, and themselves with respect at all times.

3) Students are expected to actively participate during class and to take responsibility for their learning (completing assignments on time, asking questions, attentively listening, etc.).

4) Zero tolerance will be given to a student caught cheating and/or knowingly plagiarizing. The assignment will automatically receive a “0,” and further discipline may be pursued at teacher discretion.

Regular attendance is needed in order to succeed in class. Excessive absences will result in a teacher-student conference. If you are absent for an unplanned reason, please check the class assignment log online ( or speak with me outside of class. You will have one school day for every day you missed to make up the assignments.

You are responsible for all work you miss. When absent, all previously assigned work is due the day you return, unless otherwise arranged. Finally, if you know you will be absent ahead of time, please speak with me to make arrangements.

This class, along with the other 300-level courses, implements a new grading policy that you may not have had prior experience with. One of the most noticeable changes will be how your grade is determined - specifically the life-long learning skills component of your grade. The following categories and policies will be used to compute grades:

Letter Grade / Percentage Range
A / 95-100
A- / 93-94
B+ / 91-92
B / 87-90
B- / 85-86
C+ / 83-84
C / 78-82
C- / 76-77
D+ / 74-75
D- / 68-69
F / 60-67
Missing / 0-59

Assignments: 30%

  • This includes homework, daily class work, quizzes, etc.

Summative Assessments: 60%

  • This includes tests, projects, papers, and other performance assessments

Life-long Learning Skills: 10%

  • Each unit, students will be assessed on three specific skills geared toward separating regular academic grades from other non-academic factors. They include:
  • Work completion: meeting deadlines
  • Punctuality: being on time to class with materials
  • Collaboration: working with others, using class time wisely, showing respect, etc.

The semester final equals 15% of total semester grade.

Students are encouraged to complete any assigned work by the deadline set by the teacher at the time assignment is given. Any work not handed in will receive an “I” for incomplete.

1.Incomplete work: Assignments turned in by the final day of the unit in which it was assigned will be eligible for full academic credit. However, a penalty will accrue under the Life-Long Learning Skill of Work completion. *Note: “Incomplete” work is NOT factored into student grades in PowerSchool, but be aware that this work still needs to be turned in. Be aware that if there are a large number of incompletes, these will turn into zeroes toward the end of each quarter (see Number 3 below).

2.Late work: Any missing work turned in after the completion of the unit in which it was assigned will be worth 60% of its original value.

3.Missing work: Any incompletes at the start of the 7th week of the marking period will be recoded “0” [for “missing”] to provide students one final opportunity to satisfy requirements and receive 60% on missing tasks. *Note: “Missing” work IS factored into the grade in PowerSchool, indicating the most accurate current grade. All missing work must be submitted one week prior to the end of the marking period to give time for grading.

4.Assessment Retakes: Students receiving a D or F on a chapter/unit test (or other type of summative assessment, not including the semester final exam) may redo it within ONE week of receiving the grade for that assessment. The new score recorded will not be higher than a 78%, or C.

5.Life-long Learning Grades: When you are graded on life-long learning skills each unit, you will have the possibility of receiving 10 points each for work completion, punctuality, and collaboration. The following rubric will be used:

10Consistent effort: Has no more than 1 instance of not meeting expectations.

9Mostly consistent effort: Has no more than 2 instances of not meeting expectations.

8Usually consistent effort: Has no more than 3 instances of not meeting expectations.

7Emerging pattern on inconsistent effort: Has 4-5 instances where expectations are not being met.

6Pattern of inconsistent effort established: Has >5 instances where expectations have not been met or are disregarded.

Please sign, detach, and return lower section to me by Friday, September 4, 2009

I have read the class outline and understand the teacher’s classroom policies and expectations.

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Student Signature Parent Signature

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Student Name Printed

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Class Period

General Comments/Concerns: