Sean Young

English 11

2018-2019 School Year

Class Policies 2016-2017

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The following set of class policies covers all of the regular, repeating procedures for Mr. Young’s classes for the 2018-2019 school year. They are subject to change, if necessary, but any changes that turn out to be needed will be well-publicized in advance of implementation. The policies are grouped by the type of procedure that you will be required to adhere to, but they are also identified by the relevant Learner Profile traits. I want you to understand that the policies in place are not arbitrary, but are designed to help you learn to master your own fate as well as mastering all 10 of the core skills which constitute the foundation of the IB diploma programme.

Grading Policy

You will ultimately receive two grades for IB English 11; one from the International Baccalaureate Organization and one from Henrico County Public Schools. Neither grade influences the other.

The IB grade is scored 1-7, with 7 being the highest, and it is determined based on the total scores from the following assessments:

· Works in Translation Paper (completed 11th grade)—25%

· Individual Oral Presentation (completed 11th grade)—30% (mark is averaged w/12th grade oral assessment, so each part is worth 15%)

· Oral Commentary & Interview (completed 12th grade, in January)—30% (mark is averaged w/11th grade oral assessment)

· Exam Paper 1 —20%

· Exam Paper 2 —25%

We will be preparing for the Individual Oral Presentation and the Works In Translation during the course of this year. The IB grade will be issued after your senior year.

Your HCPS grade is the one which will go on your regular transcript and will be submitted to colleges as you go through the application process. It will be calculated using the regular HCPS grading scale. Every formal writing assignment will be marked out of 100 points, so you will be able to see immediately where the grade falls on the HCPS scale. I will follow English Department Policy in calculating your grade. Your assignments will be divided into the following categories:

· Homework & Classwork 30%

· Quizzes & Minor Projects 30%

· Tests and Major Projects (including essays) 40%

Please monitor your grade, and if you find an error, bring me the graded assignment so I can make the correction. I will not entertain discussions about grades via e-mail; you can see me in person at an agreed upon time. This is because many students spend time in other classes looking at grades and sending e-mail, and it is also because many people are unable to control their tone in e-mail, and will say things in an inappropriate manner. Whenever you do a practice for an IB assessment, I will issue an HCPS grade, and I will ALSO issue an IB grade. The grade for IB Assessments will not affect your grade, but it will help you see how you are progressing in terms of developing the skills you need for those assessments.

Homework and Classwork Completion and Submission Policy

Policies and Procedures

Related Learner Profile Trait(s)

Late work: all late work earns 50% regardless of how late it is. Anything after the deadline is late—2 seconds, 2 minutes, 2 hours, 2 days. The reason for this policy is that you are preparing to submit work to two types of organizations which do not have tolerance for late work: the International Baccalaureate Organization (no tolerance policy) and colleges or universities, many of which have no tolerance policies. Many university professors use drop boxes similar to what we will use, and if your work is not in the dropbox on time, often it will not be accepted at all.

Knowledgeable

Principled

Deadline for late work: You may submit an assignment late until 9:00 a.m. one week after the original due date. If you miss a deadline on a Monday, you have until 9:00 the following Monday to turn it in. That deadline is an absolute, non-negotiable deadline. One week is the LATEST you may turn in late work; you may always turn it in sooner. If you are absent, or if there is no school on that absolute last date, then make sure you get the work in prior to that day!

Knowledgeable

Principled

Unless otherwise specified, all electronically submitted assignments are due by 9:00 a.m. on the due date. This procedure has been implemented to stop what was once a widespread problem of students working on homework assignments for one class while sitting in another class. When you are in a class, 100% of your attention needs to be on that class. (See research on the failure of “multitasking” mentioned elsewhere in this policy document.)

Knowledgeable

Communicators

Principled

The clocks on turnitin.com, Schoology, and my email account are considered to be definitive, whether they match your computer’s clock or not. If the submission box has closed, or if your submission is tagged LATE, then your work is late. DO NOT PLAY CHICKEN WITH ANY DEADLINE! If you cannot submit work to turnitin.com or Schoology from home, then make sure that you arrive at school in plenty of time to submit before 9:00. Give yourself extra time in case of traffic or other problems. Furthermore, be sure to log in to your turnitin.com account prior to the deadline to ensure that it is working properly AND that you remember your login credentials as well as how to properly submit various types of documents (Word, Google Doc, etc.)

Knowledgeable

Communicators

Principled

You must have proof that your submission went in on time to override the record on my end. The excuse of malfunctioning technology will not suffice unless you can show me a ticket from the help desk confirming that your computer is indeed being repaired. If you send something via email and it doesn’t get to me, you will have to produce your time- and date-stamped copy of the sent email. If you submit something to Turnitin.com, you will have to produce the receipt from turnitin.com with the time stamp, or you will have to show me that the file is in your turnitin.com box even though it does not show on my end. If you submit something to Schoology, it will be labeled LATE if you missed the deadline. See above. Screen shots of document lists or of the last version of a document (or of anything else!) are not sufficient.

Knowledgeable

Communicators

Principled

Know WHAT you are submitting to any electronic site. Submitting the wrong file, an incomplete document, an old version of your file, or the assignment sheet by mistake will not be considered an excuse for late work. Submitting the document to the wrong site or folder will not be considered an excuse. Such errors will result in the work being counted late. If I have to be involved in any way to get your work to the right place, then it will be considered to be late! Late work counts 50% regardless of how late it is.

Knowledgeable

Communicators

Principled

Deadlines are negotiable IF YOU COME TO ME IN ADVANCE. Do not wait until your life is a shambles before seeking solutions. No extensions will be permitted 24 hours prior to a deadline unless the circumstances are catastrophic (house burning down, death in the family, personal hospitalization). I am always willing to work with you if you come to me in advance with a problem, but I will not enable procrastination.

Knowledgeable

Thinkers

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Principled

Balanced

Reflective

All summative assessments (essays or projects) are due on time even if you are not at school. This rule was implemented several years ago to stop a formerly widespread practice of students staying at home to complete major assignments and then turning them in the next day on their return. It is unprincipled to stay home to complete work, and students who miss other classes to complete homework do themselves a disservice and harm their chances to do well on the IB assessments in those classes. Summative assessments that are due electronically can be submitted from home; assessments that are due in hard copy must be delivered to school by the deadline. Another student can bring it, or a parent can drop it off. If none of these solutions are possible, I must hear from you before the deadline.

Communicators

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IB Assessments (those that will be submitted to IB to count as part of your diploma) are due by the deadline NO MATTER WHAT!!! For these assessments, we are working with IB regulations, NOT HHS or HCPS regulations. If some dire emergency happens, then no matter what, you must contact Mrs. Biddle immediately, so that she can secure permission from IB for you to reschedule your assessment. Failure to meet that deadline and failure to contact Mrs. Biddle could result in the loss of your diploma. DO NOT decide for yourself that your excuse is good enough! Mrs. Biddle must make that call in accordance with IB regulations! For English, the IB assessments to which this rule applies are the Individual Oral Presentation and the Works In Translation paper. Please make note; the Individual Oral Presentation DOES count. If you miss your deadline for the IOP you are late!

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· Extra or additional credit will not be accepted late for any reason. That means if you are out sick, you must get extra credit to school in your absence. Extra credit is extra; you can earn an A without doing any extra credit—the regular credit assignments are more important.

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Make up work is due depending on when it was assigned.

· If you are absent on a due date, any summative assessment (major project or essay) is due by the deadline, regardless of your absence.

· Regular homework assignments that were due on the day you were absent are due at the beginning of the next class when you are back.

· If you are absent on a test day, you should expect to make up the test in class on the day of your return.

· In the event of an absence, work assigned in advance on the syllabus does not necessarily merit an extension unless you negotiate it.

· If you are absent for a week or more or if there are extenuating circumstances to your absence and return, however, an extension of the deadlines may be negotiated.

Knowledgeable

Communicators

Reflective

Keep grades in perspective: no grade is an indicator of your personal worth. You are developing skills; in the process of developing them, you will sometimes produce an effort that is less than perfect. This does not mean that you are a failure as a person. Keeping your HCPS Link page open during every class so that you can see if any grade is updated is a sign of an unhealthy obsession.

Balanced

Reflective

Principled

For maximum learning, give yourself “think” time in advance to ruminate on your ideas before you start writing. DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!

Inquirers

Thinkers

Plan ahead. Think about whether you need to make any special arrangements to get your work turned in on time. Is the assignment due electronically? Do you have Internet at home? Do you need to arrive at school early so that you can submit your work on time? Do you need to take your work to the library or to a friend's house in order to submit it? Do you need to negotiate an alternate deadline? Do it in advance!

Thinkers

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Plan ahead 2: Think about what you need when you need it. If a printed copy of an assignment is due in my class, it must be printed prior to class. I will not excuse you to go print. Print your work at home or get to school early enough to print. (Since you are now limited to the number of copies you can make at school in any given month, then you will have to think more about how to get your files printed.) Your printer being out of ink is not an excuse. If your printer is out of ink, arrange to print at a friend's house or at the library. If all else fails, bring a hand-written copy of your work to class. This must be completed in advance and is subject to the same deadlines and penalties. No class time will be given for writing the assignment out.

Thinkers

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Notetaking and Study Policy

Policies and Procedures

Related Learner Profile Trait(s)

Laptops are to remain closed at all times, unless I specifically instruct you to get them out. There are several reasons for this: the idea that we are capable of effective multi-tasking is a myth which has been debunked numerous times through research. Here is one of many articles which document the problem, here is another: Google “multitasking problem” and you will find many others. An open computer is a temptation to multi-task, and, inevitably, what is on the computer becomes more important, mentally and psychologically speaking, than what is going on in the room.

Inquirers

Thinkers

Principled

All notes are to be taken by hand, with the exception of direct annotation of texts. The reason for this is that there is a great deal of research that establishes the inefficacy of using laptops to take notes. Here is an article from Scientific American which details the problem: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-learning-secret-don-t-take-notes-with-a-laptop/ and another one from NPR: http://www.npr.org/2016/04/17/474525392/attention-students-put-your-laptops-away. Google “laptop notetaking” and you will get a long list of additional articles providing evidence for the fact that retention and understanding are greater when notes are taken by hand.

Inquirers

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Reflective

You are expected to take notes every day, whether I tell you to do so or not. You are responsible for your own learning; your choice to avoid taking notes unless a teacher specifically tells you to do so abrogates that responsibility. Lectures are not the only source of information, so you should take notes about the content of discussions, films, and activities to remember later on. Notetaking during seminars is particularly critical, as it is through seminar that you will learn the literature that you need to know for your IB assessments.

Inquirers

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Reflective

You are expected to take notes on every reading assignment—even if I don’t tell you that day to do so. Printed articles may be annotated, but simply highlighting will not suffice as note-taking. You have had annotation of text as a focus skill during 9th, 10th, and 11th grade and a major pre- and post-assessment skill for each of those year-long courses. Your annotations need to be undertaken as a learning exercise, NOT as a task which you only do because you have been told to. The two important goals of annotation are: 1) Ensuring that you understand the text while you are reading, and 2) Ensuring that you can do something with the text (discuss it, write about it, explicate it) after you are done reading. If you still need a refresher on how to annotate, here are some resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrlUkc5hPzs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZXgr7_3Kw4. The second link gives a rather more detailed look into annotation.

Inquirers

Thinkers

You are expected to look up words you do not understand in advance of class discussion. For poetry and essays, which are short, you may not come to class and ask what any word means! There are not very many words in a poem, and you cannot possibly expect to interpret a poem insightfully or effectively if you don’t know what every single word means—including nuances!

Inquirers

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You are required to study twice a week, per the instructions in the Study Assignment handout. Studying is an activity in which you review material already covered, research material we’ve covered in order to gain more information or greater understanding, re-read material we’ve already read, quiz yourself to check for understanding, re-read and augment your notes or interactive journal, generate a list of questions you need answered, and so on. Studying is an activity you undertake in order to improve the quantity and quality of your learning. It is not the completion of an assigned task such as a worksheet, reading with questions, essay or project.

Inquirers

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Participation, Engagement, and Seminar Policies

Policies and Procedures

Related Learner Profile Trait(s)

Come to class. If you are not here, you cannot benefit from lecture, discussion or activities.

Principled

Balanced

Stay in class the whole period every day. Tasks you need to complete for purposes other than this class need to be completed at other times. You will be issued four hall passes for the semester. These may not be used for printing or to go to any other teacher’s class. Choose to use them when you absolutely must. If you have to leave the room and you don’t have a pass, you will owe two passes the next period. If you can’t produce two passes the next period, you will lose your hall privileges for the semester. If you are sick, and need to go to the nurse I will write you a pass. (Abuses will result in loss of hall privileges!) If you need different privileges for medical reasons, I need to know that, and then I will gladly accommodate. Work through the nurse’s office to authenticate the need. If you feel that you need to miss my class for someone else’s class or to help with an extra-curricular activity scheduled during the day, secure my permission in advance. No other teacher can give you permission to miss my class!

Principled

Balanced

If you don’t know something, ask or look it up. Make sure, however, you use the most reliable sources. All my materials will be on Schoology, so please make that the first place you look if you are confused, have been absent, or have any questions. If you choose to ask a classmate, consider which classmate(s) to ask!

Inquirers

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Open-Minded

Don’t be afraid to be wrong! If you only ever offer ideas that you know are right, then you will necessarily not venture into new territory. Learning requires a journey into the unknown. “Wrong” is not an indication of personal failure: it is an indication of a willingness to learn! Being wrong is very often evidence of real thinking about possibilities, as opposed to reliance on rote or pat ideas. Please! Take the chance! I will as well.

Inquirers

Thinkers

Communicators

Open-Minded

Risk-Takers

Learn from your mistakes. We are all human, and, therefore, we all make mistakes! If you err, learn from it so that you never do it again! That is a sign of adulthood!

Open-Minded

Risk-Takers

Balanced

Reflective

Don’t be afraid of ideas that challenge your previously held beliefs. Think about them. You may discard the new or the old, but give all ideas a chance.

Risk-Takers

Think for yourself! Doubt, discover, debate!

Risk-Takers

Have all of your materials in class with you. As a matter of principle, you need to be prepared to learn, and having your materials will enable you to get more out of the class period.

Thinkers

Principled

Respect your classmates and their ideas. There will be no ridicule. We may disagree or even disapprove of--or disprove--an assertion but it will be done in a way that respects the dignity of everyone. Disagreement is the pathway to clarification, refinement of ideas, and learning, but ridicule and bullying are the pathway to failed social relations and the development of all sorts of undesirable character traits!

Principled

Balanced

Respect yourself: listen to the language you use when you talk about yourself and your abilities. Self-denigration is as damaging as denigration from others! Being wrong is not a character flaw! If you knew everything already, you would not need to be in school, let alone in a program as difficult as the IB program. If you are only willing to speak up when you know you are right, you can never identify or correct the things you think you know but do not!

Open-Minded

Caring

Risk-Takers

Balanced

Control your ability to engage in the learning environment. Wear appropriate clothing. My room is usually too cold for most people, and I do not have control over the temperature, so wear a sweater. Don’t do things that distract others. School, as a place which contributes materially to your developing independence, is a sacred place, so act that way!

Open-Minded

Caring

Balanced

Do not do work (including email!) for any other class during this class. If you do, the work will be confiscated and the teacher will be alerted.

Thinkers

Balanced

Principled

Balanced

Ethical Policy

Policies and Procedures

Related Learner Profile Trait(s)

Be honest at all times. Do your own work. Malpractice will not be tolerated and will be penalized according to HCPS and IB policies, which you have to sign at the beginning of each year. Malpractice comes in many forms other than blatant copying or plagiarizing; for example, uploading a document with an appropriate title on a blank page to get credit for turning something in is dishonest. Missing a deadline then emailing the teacher that you had technological trouble is dishonest. Those assignments – as well as assignments, assessments, tests or projects that are accomplished with an unfair advantage or deception will earn a zero.

Principled

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You must use legal copies of all texts that we study. I will provide the poems and essays which we will use under the Fair Use law. For full-length texts, you must purchase your own copy (as detailed in the summer handout which was disseminated last June and which is still available on Mrs. Biddle’s blog). Sometimes people upload illegal copies of works which are still in copyright to the Internet; you may not use those works. If you have difficulty obtaining your own copy of a work, just let me know. We can find a solution together.

Knowledgeable

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Reflective

· Reflect on what your behavior suggests to others about the kind of person you are. What character traits do you imply you have if you: procrastinate, miss a deadline, and then beg and plead for another chance? Deliberately defy some of these guidelines on the presumption that you won’t be caught? Turn in work that was done in haste at the last possible minute? Lie to try to get out of consequences for your behavior?

· As a corollary, reflect on what character traits you imply you have if you: consistently turn your work in on time? Take proactive steps when you’ve made a mistake or or run into a problem? Ask for help when you need it? Plan ahead and arrange for alternate deadlines when you have to deal with many demands at once? Participate willingly in class discussion, even when you aren’t sure you know the answer?

· Reflect on any mistakes you made so you don’t make them again.

· Reflect that a mistake is NOT a catastrophe or a fatal flaw. Everyone makes mistakes; people who make mistakes are still good people.

Inquirers

Thinkers

Risk-takers

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Reflective

Communication Policy

Policies and Procedures

Related Learner Profile Trait(s)

Handle email communication responsibly. Generally speaking, you cannot expect me to check email after 5:00 p.m. I know this seems early, but we are discouraged from putting our work email on our phones, and I cannot ensure that I will check my computer every evening. That’s not to say that I never check email from home, but I do not do so routinely enough that you should count on an evening email being received prior to the start of school the next day. I’ll do my best to keep up with emails though, and should respond within a day.

Knowledgeable

Communicators

Principled

You may not email me about grades AT ANY TIME! The reasons for this are as follows: 1) I can literally fix a problem with a grade all the way up until you graduate and beyond—there is no emergency! 2) I have found that most people cannot control their tone appropriately when writing an e-mail about grades and they say things that aren’t necessarily appropriate from a teacher to a student. 3) Most people who send email about grades do so because they are in someone else’s class and they just discovered an error in the grades. NO ONE should be checking grades during any class unless that teacher specifically asks you to do so. Caveat: There will be a couple of times over the course of the year when I give you permission to e-mail me about grades because you will need to check grades before the end of the term and will not have a chance to see me again in person before the deadline by which I have to submit grades, but I will tell you when you can do so and for how long the window will be open. Otherwise, come and see me. I am DELIGHTED to correct any errors in your grade. Sincerely.

Knowledgeable

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Principled

Participate in class regularly without being told to do so. You will be expected to participate in class through the asking and answering of questions, the offering of interesting ideas, and the honest appraisal of your feelings about certain things. One major reason for this is that half of your IB assessments for English are oral, and the balance of written/oral work in the curriculum reflects that. Another is that class discussion is an important time to try out new ideas, share your thoughts, and hone your critical thinking skills. We will be using Socratic circles throughout the year, and by utilizing daily class as a practice time you will ensure your success not only on the IB assessments, but also in the Socratic seminars.

Knowledgeable

Communicators

Principled

Again, if you are having life troubles, communicate with me as soon as you can. First, I may be able to assist you – or at least commiserate with you. Second, if you need some breathing room, we can work out a reasonable schedule for you to turn in work. I generally cannot do this less than 24 hours before a deadline, but if you have a dire emergency, talk to me anyway and we can work it out!

Inquirers

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Principled

Inappropriate communication will earn consequences. The inappropriate use of laptops for Gchat or browsing or any other activity which is not required for the lesson which we are currently undertaking will result in your being forbidden to use your laptop during class. Inappropriate language will also garner disciplinary consequences.

A final note, you will find that I adhere to these expectations strictly, but the policy is one of “rigid flexibility,” as Mr. Schwieder puts it. I will negotiate any deadline if you contact me in advance. I will negotiate any policy on an individual basis if you have a significant personal need for an alternative. You just need to come and see me and let me know what the situation is!

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