Middleview High School New Frontier School District

1. Middleview High SchoolNew Frontier School District English Literature Mr. Taylor

2. Mr. Taylor’s Favorite Quote “The man who does not read books has no advantage over the man that cannot read them.” – Mark Twain

3. Table of Contents Introduction Classroom Management and Rules School-Wide Policies Benchmarks and Standards Two Week Plan Contact/Thank You

4. Introduction • About Me • Welcome • Goals for English Lit • Goals for Critical thinkers • District Beliefs

5. “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.” –Robert FrostHello! My name is Christian Taylor and I graduated from Miami University with a bachelors degree in AYA English Education. I teach 11th grade world Literature. My room number is 311A and I am available whenever you need to come see me!

6. Welcome! • Welcome to Mr. Taylors English Literature class! I am excited to dive into a world of literature with each and every one of you this year! We will go to places in your mind that you never thought were possible!

7. Goals for English Literature As a teacher I will: Show you how to engage a text and make personal connections. Provide you with the tools you need in order to make meaning of a text. Make the classroom a place of high-level, rigorous questioning and deep understanding through critical thinking

8. Goals for Critical Thinkers As critical thinkers you will: Be able to use support from the text as well as outside sources Think in a way that is different and uncomfortable at first Question everything Be able to make cross-textual connections Produce many different forms of writing to show deep comprehension of a text

9. District Beliefs My policies, goals and structure of my classroom are consistent with the New Frontier School Districts building management plan. Our goal as a district is to provide a learning culture where learners, parents, faculty and staff feel informed, welcome, safe and productive.

10. Classroom Management and Rules First Day of School Daily Class Structure 5 Rules Discipline Cooperative Learning

11. First Day of School The first day of school is a key component in classroom management and an effective year. The first day should provide a framework that the school year will follow.

12. First Day of School Instruction: Welcome Make sure students are where they should be Seating Attendance Student Interest and Learning Styles Rules and Procedures Content Closing

13. Welcome Students are welcomed at the door by Mr. Taylor Mr. Taylor introduces himself to all of them and vice versa to ensure that students feel comfortable and welcomed.

14. Right Room? Mr. Taylor will make sure that all students are where they are supposed to be, and will help those students who are in the wrong room. Making sure that every one is situated eliminates interruptions in the middle of instruction.

15. Seating Students will be allowed to choose where they sit on the first day. This rule will stay in place unless Mr. Taylor sees that work is not being done, or the students are distracting their peers. Mr. Taylor will then make a seating chart.

16. Attendance Next, Mr. Taylor will take attendance and submit an online report to send to the main office. Attendance will be taken immediately every day in order to ensure that students are where they are supposed to be.

17. Student Interest and Learning Style Mr. Taylor will administer a note card for the students to fill out. They will put their basic information as well as some likes and interests. This will make sure that Mr. Taylor will get to know his students likes and dislikes. Mr. Taylor will also administer a learning styles sheet in order to see how each student learns. Mr. Taylor will use this to promote an engaged class atmosphere.

18. Rules and Procedures Mr. Taylor will explain his 5 rules and make sure that every student understands and agrees with these rules. (See classroom rules) These rules allow for consistency in the classroom and for a solid foundation of expectations.

19. Content Mr. Taylor will go over the class syllabus and make sure that any questions are answered to promote a clear and concise set of student minds.

20. Closing Mr. Taylor will give the students a clear and concise concluding statement that explicitly states what will be done in the next class period and what is to come in the future. Then Mr. Taylor will dismiss the students.

21. Typical Day in English Lit A typical day in English Lit will look much like the first day: Attendance Pre-instruction Opening Instructions Questions Closing Post-instruction This will make sure that the students know what each day will look like in English Lit 11

22. 5 Rules These five rules are all clear and are to be followed daily or consequences will occur. 1. Be in your seat on time and prepared to learn 2. Respectfully listen when the teacher and others are speaking. 3. Raise your hand before speaking 4. Respect others’ belongings and only touch what is yours. 5. The bell does not dismiss you, Mr. Taylor does.

23. Discipline The rules that were given on the first day were given in hopes that they would not be breeched. As a teacher, I know that this is not the case, thus I have set up a strict disciplinary program to deal with the students who continually break the rules.

24. Discipline – 1st infraction When the student breaks a rule for the first time, Mr. Taylor will give them a warning and review the rule for them. The following day, Mr. Taylor will ask the students to review that rule orally and explain why it is in place.

25. Discipline – 2nd Infraction 3. If the problem continues, I will establish myself in an authoritative manner and ask them to stop causing problems as soon as the problem occurs. 4. If the problem continues again, I will verbally tell the student to stop and ask them to meet me after class to discuss the rules again.

26. Discipline – 3rd Infraction 5. If the problem still continues to happen, Mr. Taylor will reserve the right to have a phone conference with the student’s parents to discuss the ongoing problem. 6. The next day, ,Mr. Taylor will have a detention slip already filled out and will explain to the student that if he does not cooperate, I will give him the said slip.

27. Discipline – 4th Infraction If the problem continues on, Mr. Taylor will send the student to the office immediately. Mr. Taylor will talk to the principal about possible solutions including: suspension, parent conferences, in-school suspension, Friday school or expuslion.

28. Exceptions to the Discipline Regime Even though Mr. Taylor has a strict set of rules that are to be followed and a set of disciplinary actions that are in place, there are some exceptions that call for immediate action..

29. Bullying If a student is bullying another student, there will be no tolerance. They will not get a warning, they will be immediately reprimanded and asked to stay after class to talk to Mr. Taylor. I will then tell them that if this happens again, we will have a meeting with the principal and their parents.

30. Violence There is a zero tolerance policy in place for violence in the classroom. The classroom in supposed to be a safe environment for children to learn and grow and violence of any kind will not be tolerated. If a student engages in ANY type of violent act, they will be dispelled immediately to the principal’s office and drastic measures will be taken.

31. Cooperative Learning • In English education, cooperative learning and discussion are key to success. The classroom will be modeled in a circle of desks to promote discussion and comfort. Cooperative learning also involves having an open mind and listening to other’s point of view.

32. School-Wide Policies Enforced in the Classroom School Schedule Attendance Excused Absences Tardiness Dress Code Cell Phones Safety measures Grading Scale Blending Learning Homework / Academic Integrity

33. School Schedule 7:00 AM – School opens 8:00 AM – Teachers report to their classrooms 8:35 AM – Students arrive at school 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM – Lunch 3:00 PM – Students dismissed 3:30 PM – Teachers dismissed Instructional Periods are 50 minutes long

34. Attendance Policy Student attendance in class is mandatory every day. If a student misses half of the school day or 3 academic classes, they are not able to participate in after school activities foe that day. If a student is to miss school, they should see the student handbook for how to call in sick.

35. Excused Absence Absences must be approved by the administration Excused absences include: 1. Illness 2. College visits 3. Religious holidays 4. Family issues 5.Field trips

36. Classroom Tardiness Mr. Taylor does NOT accept more than 1 tardy in a semester without a pass. 1st tardy – warning 2nd tardy – detention 3rd tardy – parent conference / detention 4th tardy – principal’s office / detention There is no excuse for being tardy, it is the student’s responsibility to be in their seats by the time the bell rings

37. Dress Code Clothing cannot be suggestive to any kind of paraphernalia, drug use, or any other inappropriate behavior (see handbook for list of inappropriate behaviors). Shirts must be long enough to tuck in. Skirts must be two fingers above the knee No hats No baggy pants or chains of any kind No tank tops or tube tops No sleepwear

38. Cell Phone Policy Absolutely no cell phones allowed in Mr. Taylor’s class. If I see it, it’s mine; no exceptions. If a student needs to make a phone call, they must report to the office to do so. First infraction – Mr. Taylors until the end of the day Second infraction – Mr. Taylors until the end of the week Third infraction – The principals until the end of the year.

39. Safety Measures In case of a fire: the fire alarm will sound signaling that the students make their way out of the building. At this time, in a calm and collected manner, students will exit Mr. Taylor’s room out of exit C. Students will follow Mr. Taylor to the designated spot away from the school. Students will stand quietly until a police officer says that it is safe to re-enter the building

40. Safety Measures In case of a tornado: the students will be notified through the loud speaker. Students will then , in a single file line, WALK to their designated spots in the building. Students will then assume the safe tornado position until the principal tells them that it is safe.

41. Safety Measures In case of a lock down: students will be notified over the loud speaker or via teacher’s phones. At this time, Mr. Taylor will lock the door and shut off the lights. Students will assemble behind the teachers desk at the front of the room and remain silent until a police officer comes to the room and tells them its safe.

42. Grading Scale Mr. Taylor’s grading scale is as follows: 90-100 A 80-89 B 70-79 C 65-69 D 64-0 F This grading scale is not tentative to change

43. Blending Learning Blended learning is the combination of online and face-to-face instruction. With this model of education, we are able to give students more individualized attention and personalize their learning in and outside of the classroom.

44. Blending Learning – NoRedInk.com NoRedInk is a website that Mr. Taylor will use throughout the year. NoRedInk is an online tool used to help students with their grammar and punctuation. It gives them individualized lessons based on their knowledge of a certain grammar rule. It also provides Mr. Taylor with feedback and suggestions on what to teach in the classroom. Students will complete assignments on NRI weekly.

45. Blending Learning - Edmodo Edmodo is an educational form of social networking. It allows Mr. Taylor to post assignments online and allows the students to submit assignments and ask questions to the teacher or their other classmates. This will serve as the number one way to turn in homework and papers.

46. Homework / Academic Integrity Homework will be used in 11th grade English Literature in order to show Mr. Taylor that all of the students understand the topics at hand. Homework must be turned in by the due date or it will not be accepted. If a student is absent they have the same number of days they were out to turn in their assignments. Homework is a powerful tool that will help every student in the long run.

47. Homework / Academic Integrity Academic integrity is of the utmost. Students must complete all of their own assignments and do all of their work independently. My views on Academic Integrity are consistent with those in the student handbook. If a student is caught plagiarizing, they will receive a zero on the assignment and be up for suspension with the principal.

48. Benchmarks and Standards As a teacher, I believe that standards should complement the students in ways that allow them to learn and contributes to them discussing English language arts In the classroom. Thus, I follow the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) standards for English language arts.

49. NCTE Standards Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of other cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands if society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions of human experience.

50. NCTE Standards Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readings and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.