Course Disclosure for Mr. Thompson’s English Classes 
Online Version

*Students received a copy of this disclosure on the first day.  They were to take it home, review it with a parent/guardian, and return a signed form indicating they had done so.  Access to the Internet is not a requirement of this class.

Davis Essential Skills and Knowledge (DESK)
Attendance/Citizenship
Supplies Needed for Class
Classroom Policy
Life's Great Equations
Homework
Grading
Book List
Movie List
Late Work/Extra Credit


Davis Essential Skills and Knowledge

The school district used to send home a color-coded pamphlet that outlined the skills and knowledge students in this class (and all classes) would work to acquire during the year.  Well, the money to send home those pamphlets (which very few people had time to read) ran out, so now the information is on the Internet at this address: http://www.davis.k12.ut.us/curric/desk/7-9English03.pdf . End-of-level tests are now mandated by the state.  Students who master the concepts outlined in the pamphlet will be prepared for the test. 

 

Attendance Policy/Citizenship

The school tardy/absence policies will be followed in this class.

Students must be in their assigned seats when the bell rings; otherwise, they will be marked late.

Excessive absence and/or tardiness will result in loss of citizenship credit; however, a student may make up citizenship credit lost due to absence and tardiness if s/he meets with me at least one week before the end of the grading period and completes extra work. 

Students who come to class prepared (Supplies Needed for English) and follow the Classroom Policy will receive full citizenship credit.   

 

Supplies Needed for English

 Writing Paper (with lines)

Notebook/Folder

Blue or Black Pen

Personal Reading Book

Textbook (when assigned)

Homework (when assigned)

A Positive Attitude

These items must be brought to class every day!

 

Classroom Policy

Personal Responsibility

Students will be responsible for their own work, their own behavior, and their own interactions with others.  This requires three things:

Respect

Cooperation

Honesty

Students will be expected to exhibit these qualities while in English class.

 

 

Life’s Great Equations

Freedom = Responsibility

Choice = Consequence

With Freedom comes Responsibility, and with Choice comes Consequence.  Those who accept responsibility for their freedom and accept the consequences of their choices will do very well in this class.

 

 

Homework

Students will have homework in this class.  On average, homework will be required two or three times per week, but there will be some weeks when none is assigned and others (if s/he has procrastinated on a big project) when the student will have homework every night.  The amount of homework depends on what we are working on in class at the time and on how much of the work the student finishes during class. 

BUT Reading is an ongoing assignment!  Students should carry a reading book all the time, and Accelerated Reader test scores will count in students’ final grades.  So, even if no homework has been assigned, students in this class still have a certain amount of reading to complete on their own time.  

 

Grading

A student’s grade is calculated based on what percentage of the total possible points s/he receives.  (See Grade Scale.)

Assignments that weigh heavily into students’ grades include core writing assignments, term projects, Accelerated Reader points, and test scores.  Class participation and homework are also important parts of the grade

Grade Scale

A = 95-100%
A- = 90-94%
B+ = 85-89%
B = 80-84%
B- = 75-79%
C+ = 70-74%
C = 65-69%
C- = 60-64%
D+ = 58-59%
D = 55-57%
D- = 50-54%
F = below 50%

 

 

Book List

These are the readings available for the 9th grade English classes at Fairfield.  We won’t read them all, but these are the ones we choose from.

 Mythology by Edith Hamilton
The Odyssey by Homer
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
The Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare
Great Expectations
by Charles Dickens
Call of the Wild by Jack London
Fahrenheit 451
by Ray Bradbury
Anthem
by Ayn Rand
Animal Farm by George Orwell
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Bradbury 
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Seedfolks by Paul Fleisman

 These books are in-class readings, and they will not count toward term Accelerated Reader points

 

 

Movie List

These movies (or short clips thereof) may be shown in class this year.

 The Odyssey
Clash of the Titans
Cask of Amontillado
Miracle Worker
Romeo and Juliet
Taming of the Shrew
Shakespeare: Biography 
Great Expectations (G-rated version) 
Citizen Kane

Shakespeare by Mirimax
Shakespeare: District Video Clips
Animal Farm
To Kill a Mockingbird
Taming of the Shrew

 

 

Late Work/Extra Credit

Assignments not turned in on the due date are late.  Late credit is ½ of the total points for the first week, and it drops after that amount of time, depending on the assignment.  If the student was legitimately absent on the due date and the assignment is turned in within two days of the student’s return, the lateness will be excused and full credit given, but it is the student’s responsibility to get and complete assignments missed due to absence.  Extra credit may be offered only to students who have completed all the regular class work.  If a student’s grade is suffering because s/he failed to turn in assignments, s/he must complete the missing work (which will receive no more than late credit) before requesting extra credit work.

   

Thompson’s Class on the Web

All of the major projects students will complete for this class as well as many of the in-class assignments, spelling lists, helpful hints, and research links are available on the Internet at this web address (URL):

http://ffjh.davis.k12.ut.us/thompson/

Have a great year!     *<%^)  

We have made every reasonable attempt to insure that our web pages are educationally sound and do not contain links to any questionable material or anything that can be deemed in violation of the DSD Acceptable Use Policy.
This page is maintained according to the DSD Internet Publishing Guidelines
by Mike Thompson
©2003 Mike Thompson - All rights reserved.
Last update: 08/25/2003 *<%^)