What day do I stay for office hours?
Wednesday or by appointment
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What will homework be like in this class?
Homework is a very important part of the class. It will be given nightly
and on weekends. Typical homework assignments will take thirty to
forty-five minutes to complete. Because writing requires a lot of thinking,
writing assignments will be more time consuming. The key to success is to
stay organized, be specific with your answers and writing, and learn to
manage your time. Always word process any final drafts. Type your homework
assignments. Be sure your computer and printer are working. Be sure you
have enough ink in your printer cartridge. Be sure to include the proper
paper heading.
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What format is used for written assignments?
Journal entries, essays, and any writing assignments should be
typed and double spaced using 12 point font. If you are
having printer problems, please save your work to your flash drive
and get it printed in the computer lab before class begins. A proper paper
heading is required or you will lose 10 points off your final draft. The MLA
heading will be used throughout the year.
MLA Heading
Your name
Ms. Stoller
Color of class
day month year
example
April Witter
Ms. Stoller
Purple class
10 September 2008
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What happens if I forget my homework in my locker?
You only receive credit for daily homework which is on your
desk at the start of class. Graded assignments may be turned
in one day late. Ten points will be taken off for a late graded assignment.
Twenty points will be taken off if the assignment is two days late. Thirty
points will be automatically deducted if you do not have an assignment which
is due on a Friday. There will be no exceptions to this policy.
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When is the proper time to sharpen a pencil or use the restroom?
Please take care of all person business upon entering the class.
No passes will be given once class begins.
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What materials do I need to bring to class every day?
A two pocket, one inch, three ring binder must be brought
to class each day and brought home each night. Have something to write
with, a highlighter,and reinforcements for handouts I give you. Be sure to
bring the book we are reading and a pleasure reading book. DON'T FORGET YOUR
FLASH DRIVE when we are writing in the computer lab.
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If I am absent, how do I find out what work I missed?
Students are required to have a homework buddy. Write this person's phone
number and email address in your planner. It is the responsibility of your
homework buddy to get a purple "While You Were Out" sheet, fill it out, and
staple any handouts to it on the day you are absent. If you are absent, be
sure to call your homework buddy that night to find out what you missed.
If you are unable to reach him/her, go to the COLOR CODED PLASTIC PORTFOLIO box
in the back of the classroom. Your makeup work will be waiting for you on the top of the pile in the box.
See me if you have any questions.
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How will I keep track of my efforts, improvements and achievements?
Every student in this class will maintain a literacy portfolio.
We will keep a reading log of all the books we've read. We will set writing
goals and analyze our progress. We will keep all graded writing, test
essays, pictures of projects, and pictures of plays in our portfolio.
It is a record of our achievements, improvements, and efforts.
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How will work be graded in this class?
Every student will start class each term with a 100% homework average.
Each time a daily homework is missed, 5% is subtracted from
the homework average. This is worth 10-15% of the term grade.
Writing assignments will be worth approximately 20% of your grade.
Quizzes, Graded Comprehension, Tests and/or Projects will be worth 65% of the term grade. This is a change.
Ms. Stoller feels it will give students more opportunity for academic success.
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What books will we read this year?
Grade 8
Level one
Seven Daughters and Seven Sons
A Midsummer Night's Dream (abridged)
The Diary of Anne Frank (screenplay is in our literature book)
Other choices include The Pearl, and/or Monster.
Level two
Monster
Don't Look Behind You
The Giver
and others that the class will choose
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If I want to buy these books, where can I get them?
A Single Shard, Seven Daughters and Seven Sons, and Monster can be purchased
by simply calling Barnes and Noble and ordering them.
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What types of writing will we do each term?
Eighth graders will write essays, news articles, a
compare/contrast piece,reader response essays based on independent reading,
and descriptive pieces using grammar principles.