Course Teacher

MYP Ninth Grade English Ms. Rashele Delin

Rashele03@yahoo.com

Cell Phone: (303) 931-1779

Work Phone: School Number

Introduction:

Personal Philosophy

Welcome Parents and Students to MYP Ninth grade English for the 2017/2018 school year. My
name is Rashele Delin and I will be the teacher for this course. This is my first-year teaching and I am
very excited to be doing it at Poudre High School. I received my bachelors in English Literature and
Educations through Colorado State University. I currently live in Fort Collins with a roommate and a
three-legged cat. I enjoy doing outdoor activities such as, hiking, hunting, paddle boarding, and camping.
I also enjoy baking, cooking, and reading in my spare time.

I know Ninth Grade can be difficult due to the transition between middle school and high
school, but I will do everything in my power to make it an enjoyable year. This course introduces the
students to a variety of topics that will require students to question the world around them. Some of the
topics can be challenging, but with a variety of assignments students should be successful. I will use a
variety of novels, articles, videos, movie clips, etc. to help students achieve success. We will also be
doing a variety of writing assignments, group projects, seminars and presentations to evaluate student
understanding. Students will create a portfolio filled with their work over the course of the year. This
will reflect what they have learned and skills that they can use in the real world. On the top right hand
corner, I have put my contact information, feel free to reach out with any concerns, questions, or
comments that may arise over the course of the year.

Philosophy of Course

This course will be focusing on Who are we: individually and as a society?, as the overarching
concept. The first semester will be focused on The Individual and the second semester will focus on
Society as a Whole. Students will explore a variety of literature that addresses the themes for each
semester as well as the overarching concept. Students will be reading American Born Chinese by Gene
Luen Yang, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare as
anchor texts over the course of the year. Students will also read a variety of articles and watch a variety
of short clips as supplements to the texts. Students will also have four large assessments due at after
each Quarter reflecting on the theme for that semester. This course is designed to have students
question the world they live in and how they play a role in it. It does this through the variety of texts and
in depth writing assignments. The course will be guided by Colorado State Standards that prepare
students for college and the workforce.
Basic Classroom Expectations

Expected Behavior

Students are expected to be in class and participating every day. Students are expected to up
hold these five non-negotiable rules:

1. Be prepared- Have all necessary supplies for that day. This could change on a day to day
basis, but if students are missing supplies needed for the day they will not be able to fully
participate in class.
2. Come ready to learn- When students walk into class they should have assignments
completed and prepared to contribute to class discussions.
3. Turn in Assignments on time- Students will be given plenty of time to complete all
assignments and therefore should be turned in on time (see late work section).
4. Put Cell Phones Away- I am dependent on my phone as much as the next person, but while
in class my cell phone will be put away. Students phones should be put away or turned off
as well. I will give three warnings to students who are too distracted by their phones. The
first and second warnings will be verbal asking students to put it away, if a third warning is
given I will take the students phone and place it in a locked box for the remainder of class.
5. Respect, Respect, Respect- I give students the up most respect and I expect the same to be
given to me from the students. Students also need to give respect to each other. This means
no talking while others are talking, active listening, and appropriate comments when asked.

As a class, we will come up with five rules that everyone can agree on in addition to the non-negotiable
rules.

Participation

Students will be expected to participate in class every day. Participation can be demonstrated in
a variety of ways, talking in whole class discussion, contributing in small group discussion, writing notes,
annotating readings, recording notes in small groups, presenting questions, participating in activities,
nodding head to acknowledge what is being said and many other options. I do not expect every student
will want to talk of be highly involved every day, but I do expect them to show some effort in what is
happening in class. Student participation will be graded each quarter and it will be 10% of the students
final grade. At the end of each quarter students will write a summary on what they believe their
participation grade should be and why. I will take these summaries into consideration while reflecting
on the students participation.

Supplies

Every class students will need:

A folder and Spiral Note book just for English Class

Lined paper
Black or blue pens, Pencils
One colored pen or marker that is not black or blue
Laptop
Choice Novel
 Occasionally students will need

Reading material
Colored pencils, Markers, highlighters, ect.
Supplies for projects

Grading

What is graded?

Students will be graded on:

Homework/Quizzes
Participation (refer to participation section for how that will be graded)
Assessments

If I am assigning homework to the class, it is important and will be discussed in the next class
period. Homework should be fully completed and prepared for discussion and for me to look at.
Quizzes will be given in place of homework when I want to check student understanding.
Assessments will be taken in a variety of forms and must be completed by the due date.

Grading Scale

Assessment: 60%

Homework/Quizzes: 30%

Participation:10%

Make-Up Work

Students will receive weekly schedules of upcoming class work as well as homework and will be
reminded at the end of each day what the homework is and what the following day will intel. If a
student is absent excused or unexcused they are expected to turn in all homework for days missed and
for the day they return.

Deadlines: Students will be well aware of any upcoming deadlines. If it is a large assignment (essay,
project, speech, etc.) they will know many weeks in advance because I will put it on the top of the
assignment sheet when I first assign it. If it is homework students should expect it will be due the next
class period and it will be posted on weekly calendar as well as a verbal reminder.

For an Excused Absence (sick, appointments, school events, etc.): Students will receive full credit
on class work and participation that day. Homework for day missed will receive full credit as
well.

For an Unexcused Absence: Students will receive zero credit for participation and half credit for
completed class work for missed day. Homework for day missed will receive full credit.

Tardies: Tardies over 30 minutes will be treated as an absence. If excused, then I will follow the
same rules as an excused absence and the same thing goes for an unexcused tardy.
Late Work

Homework:

If students are absent I will accept any late work for full credit. If the student forgets or
chooses not to complete the homework, then I will accept it but 5 points will be docked
off each day it is late. If the assignment is over five days late then the student can
receive up to half credit. Any late work will be accepted until the end of the unit.

Assessments/ Projects:

If students are going to be absent on a day a project, assessment, or essay is due then
the student must talk to me before hand and they will receive full credit. If the student
is not absent or has not spoken to me ahead of time, then I will allow students to use a
mercy moment. If they have used all their mercy moments, then depending on the
assignment there will be at least 10 points docked each day it is late. If the assignment is
over five days late then the student can receive up to half credit. Any late work will be
accepted until the end of the unit.

Mercy Moments: Each student will receive two blue cards per semester labeled
Mercy Moments. The cards are good for one extra day to turn in an essay, one
extra day to study, or one extra day to prepare a project without any penalties.
The student must fill out the card explaining why they need the mercy moment.

Extra Credit

There are two ways extra credit can be earned:

At the end of the semester students may turn in Mercy Moment cards to
receive 10 points extra credit in the homework section.
If students receive a poor score on an essay then they may do corrections, but
they first must conference with me on how they can improve. Students can
receive up to an 80% once corrections are done.
o If a student receives above an 80% and wants to do corrections, they
still must conference with me and will receive 5% extra on the
assignment.

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Please read through the classroom expectations and guidelines and sign this page. I will need this signed
by both parent and student by September 5, 2017. Students will receive a printed copy of the
expectations and if parents wish to have a copy I can email one, just put the parent email in the
comment section. I have left room for students or parents to comment on ways I can make this year be
successful for all students. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me. Im excited to
work with you this year!

Parent Comments:

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Parent Signature: _________________________ Date: _______

Student Comments:

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Student Signature: _________________________ Date: ________