Course Syllabus

English 9                                            Follow Me -@ms_vilter

Miss Vilter                                         Remind App - https://www.remind.com/join/msveng9

Email: mvilter@paplv.org

COURSE DESCRIPTION/OVERVIEW:  This course is designed to continue the development of reading, writing, critical thinking, and speaking skills.  Students will spend time analyzing and interpreting literature through individual exploration and class discussion.  Students will focus on the six traits of writing and the writing process in order to improve writing. Additionally, speech communication skills will be enhanced through formal and informal presentations.

CLASSROOM RULES:  Students are expected to respect and follow all rules and regulations contained in the Papillion-La Vista Student Handbook.  Ignorance of the contents of this document is not an excuse for breaking school or classroom rules.  Please be considerate of the needs of others in this classroom. 

• Cell phones and iPods need to be turned off and put away at all times.  If I have to remind you of this more than once, our class policy is that you turn the phone to me and I will keep it until the end of the day. If you refuse to follow this class policy, I will simply turn your phone into an administrator every time I see it.
• Purses/bags must be kept put away underneath desks.
• Do not bring food into the classroom.  Drinks with lids are acceptable.  If you make a mess, please clean up after yourself. 
• Locker/restroom passes will be granted at my discretion.  1920Students should ask before class begins or at an appropriate time during class if permitted. No student will be allowed to leave 10 minutes before class ends.

TARDINESS:  Students are expected to be on time for class.  It is disrespectful to others to arrive late to class and interrupt what is happening in the classroom.  It affects your learning; therefore, it affects your grade.  You are tardy if you are not in the classroom when the bell rings.

Tardy Consequences:

• 1^st Tardy – Warning
• 2^nd Tardy – Detention (10 min. after school)
• 3^rd Tardy – Parent Contact and Detention (20 min. after school)
• 4^th Tardy – Principal Referral

ABSENCES: For every day you are absent, you have 2 days to make up what you missed.  If an important discussion is missed, you will be informed of how to make up the work. 

            It is YOUR responsibility to:

• notify me ahead of time of your absence or appointments
• check the blog for any updates / changes
• find out what will be / was missed at an appropriate time
• get missing work from me or your peers
• schedule time with me to make up any quizzes, tests, presentations, etc.

**You may be asked to complete the work before your scheduled absence.  The best and easy thing to do is to talk with me when you are going to be gone or email me if you are sick! Communication is important!

LATE/MISSING WORK:  For regular worksheets and assignments, I will take off 2 points from the assignments.  For late papers and projects, I have set up what will happen with the grade and what steps will need to be taken in order to complete the assignment(s).

• Work is due at the beginning of the hour it is due. Anything later will result in a loss of credit.
• If interventions are unsuccessful, a zero can be earned.
• Late work can only be turned in to the “Late Work” bin on Ms. Vilter’s desk. If you put it elsewhere, it may get lost and you may not receive credit.  Write “late” or “absent” on the top, along with the date you are turning it in.

Night or Saturday School: This is a mandatory scheduled time for students to complete their missing/late assignments (excluding assessments). It will be held in assigned classrooms in the evenings (Tuesday or Thursday 3:30-4:30) and/or Saturday mornings. If a student has more than 3 missing/late assignments, I will arrange night or Saturday school for the student to finish those assignments.   Students MUST attend EVERY DAY until the assignment is completed and turned in to the teacher in charge of detention.

PLAGIARISM: It will not be tolerated! If a student is suspected of plagiarism on any assignment, it will result in a loss of credit and the student will be expected to redo the assignment.  No late grade will be assigned.

GRADING: Grades will be updated automatically every night at 9:30 p.m. on Parent Web. Please be patient with me as I have many grades to put in each week. If you need to know right away, come to me after class or after school to discuss your grade.

Your grades are based on our school’s grading scale:

A = 90 – 100%

B = 80 – 89%

C = 70 – 79%

D = 60 – 69%

F = 59% and below

The following will be used to calculate your grades:

45% Major Assignments:                                                    15% Words to Know (Vocabulary):

• Essays - Unit Quizzes
• Speeches - Multi Unit Tests
• Book Tests
• Projects

30% Minor Assignments:

• Daily work
• Book quizzes
• Practice writing assignments
• Small Speeches / Projects
• ACT Reading/Writing Quizzes

10% Semester Finals

NECESSARY MATERIALS:

• 2 pocket folder (only for this class)

• 1 spiral notebook (only for this class)
• Index cards (for speech units)
• Writing utensils (black or blue pens and/or pencils)
• USB or Flash Drive (to save papers or projects)

**Please come prepared to class with following materials and whatever book we may be reading. I appreciate your efforts to do your very best every day. I ask you to be respectful to yourself, your peers, and your teachers, and to be responsible for your actions, words, and work. I am excited for an awesome year! Cheers!