Classroom Guidelines

Mr. Morris
7 White English
Classroom Guidelines

Responsibility (do your own work and do it on time)
Equality (treat everyone fairly and equally)
Sociability (cooperation—work well with others)
Politeness (speaks for itself)
Expectations (believe in yourself and do your very best)
Choices (make wise decisions—think before you speak and act)
Trustworthiness (be honest—always do the right thing)

· Any action that is considered disrespectful or that distracts others from the learning process will result in a teacher detention, office detention, and/ or a parent phone call.

Daily Reminders

· Come to class on time and prepared. Failure to do so will be reflected in your Report Card comments and will result in detention and a parent phone call.
· No gum, food, or drinks are allowed in class.
· Please don’t write on the desks; that’s why we have paper.
· Keep the room and our hallway clean—throw trash in the barrel and recycle paper.
· You should bring the following things to class with you every day:
Ø a pencil
Ø a blue or black pen
Ø your binder (with your agenda in it)
Ø the book we are reading in class or the current writing assignment
Ø and of course, your homework

Homework / Classwork

· Homework and classwork (any written work we do in class) count for 20% of your grade and must be turned in on time.
· Homework assignments should be copied into your agenda at the beginning of every class.
· You can always check http://www.schoolnotes.com/01983/mrmorris.html for homework assignments.
· Some of your homework will come from our textbook, The Writer’s Craft, which you will keep at home. (I keep a set of books in the classroom so you can leave yours at home.)
· If you are absent, you are responsible for completing the work you missed.
· If you choose not to do your homework on a regular basis, you will not be allowed to make it up, and you will do poorly in this class.

Classroom Participation/ Cooperation

· Your participation in classroom discussions and your cooperation during activities reflects your preparedness for class and will affect your Report Card comments.
· Working productively with partners and in groups will help you succeed in this and all of your classes.

Writing Assignments

· Writing assignments count as 25% of your grade and should be turned in on time.
· For every day a writing assignment is late, a letter grade (10 points) will be taken off.
· All prewriting, drafts, revisions, and rubrics should be stapled together and passed in with the final copy.
· Final copies should be typed and double-spaced with the proper heading.
· All writing assignments will go into your writing folder once they are corrected.
· For most assignments, you can go to my web page for rubrics and requirements (http://www.masconomet.org/teachers/mmorris/index.htm).
· If you are having trouble with a writing assignment, come and talk to me and I can help you. Don’t settle for a zero!

Other Grades

Ø Tests: 20%
Ø Quizzes: 15%
Ø Presentations/ Projects: 20%

The Year Ahead…

I expect you to try your best this year. I know that you may not enjoy everything we do, but I hope that you will make the most out of every assignment. The effort you put into your work is as important as the work itself. You will find that my expectations are very high, but good effort will be always be rewarded.

I hope that if you have any questions, problems, or concerns, you will talk to me about them; I am here after school every day until 2:50 and often much later. I will do my best to help you succeed.

I hope that you enjoy this year, and maybe even learn a thing or two about English and, most importantly, about yourself.

Student Signature Date

________________________________ ___________

Parent Signature Date

________________________________ ___________