Welcome To

AMERICAN STUDIES 8 Mrs. Hanni | Room 52| [email protected] | mrshannicms.weebly.com CLASS OVERVIEW/ DESCRIPTION

STAY IN TOUCH There are a lot of assignments and other things to remember in American Studies. Keep yourself in the loop!

Combining the study of English and U.S History in a gifted class provides a unique opportunity for students to understand both subjects better and become citizens who understand their heritages and the important of the future. Students will learn the language arts skills necessary for them to appropriately impact their own future and that for the United State.s This class will be much more rigorous than any class students have taken so far. Stay organized and on top of things using the class website and a planner.

You can find the website directly at MrsHanniCMS.weebly.com or on the Centennial Website by clicking “staff info” then Hanni. There will be a calendar, assignment downloads, what we did that day and much more.

IMPORTANT NOTE

Get your reminds directly texted to your phone or sent to your email by signing up for our remind class!

Designed for honors students, this course offers a challenging combination of English 8 and United States History, offering two credits, and therefore requires a significant amount of time and effort at home. Homework time will average fortyfive minutes to an hour each night. Stay organized using the class website and planner. There is no excuse for unpreparedness.

WEBSITE

REMIND

INSTAGRAM

Photos of the assignments will be posted on Instagram along with a due date to act as your “virtual planner” @mrshanni.as

WEEKLY EMAILS

I will be sending weekly emails to your parents with due dates.

KEY ASSIGNMENTS There will be several assignments that will happen on a weekly or monthly basis.

GOODREADS

Students will be required to track their weekly reading progress with a book of their choosing as well as respond to discussions in our private Goodreads classroom group. This assignment should be completed once per week.

VOCABULARY

This year, students will be learning 150 Greek and Latin roots to help them decode almost any word they come across in the future. They will be required to study on Quizlet each week so that they can show mastery of the roots for that week and move on to the next set.

CURRENT EVENT MINUTE

Twice during the 2016-2017 school year, students will be presenting a controversial current event and discussing it with the class. Students must be prepared on the day on which they signed up. If they are in class and not prepared, they will lose the points and not have the opportunity to make it up. If they know they will be gone for vacation, school events or other reasons, they need to switch with someone. If they are unexpectedly sick, a parent must contact me to be able to reschedule the presentation. See assignment paper that will be handed out on the first day of school for other details.

BI-WEEKLY ARTICLE

Students will continue to build on their annotation and writing skills from last year using bi-weekly articles. Assignments will vary per article.

READINGS We will be reading the following books during the 2016-2017 school year. Alternate assignments may be given under rare and extenuating circumstances which must be approved at least a month in advance. 1.  Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter 2.  Various Colonial era texts will be announced in class. 3.  Animal Farm by George Orwell 4.  Various Romanticism Poetry and Short Stories (contact Mrs. Hanni for full list) 5.  Various Civil War books including: -Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith -Killer Angels -In My Father’s House by Ann Rinaldi -With Every Drop of Blood by James Lincoln Collier -Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane -Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt

CLASS MATERIALS -Basic School Supplies -American Studies -COMPOSITION Notebook (to be kept in class) -American Studies Binder -Personal Reading Book EVERY DAY

GRADE SCALE: 93-100% - A 90-92% - A87-89% - B+

83-86% - B 80-82% - B77-79% - C+

GRADE BREAKDOWN:

73-76% - C 70-72% - C67-69% - D+

63-66% - D 60-62% - D0-59% - I (incomplete)

15% - Study skills/Pride points 85% Everything else

STUDY SKILLS POINTS, LATE WORK AND EXPIRATION DATES 15% of your grade will be comprised of “study skills” points. You get 10 study skills points with every assignment that is due. If your assignment is late, you will get 0/10 of those points. If you don’t turn your assignment in at all, you will get 0/10 study skills points as well as a 0 on the assignment If your assignment is late, you need to staple a late/absent slip to the assignment and put it in the late/ absent work basket. You will be given two “oops” passes per term for late work to be handed in for full credit (see next page). One week after the assignment is due, it will not be accepted anymore, with or without an oops slip.

ABSENT WORK

If you know you are going to be absent, please check in with Mrs. Hanni before you leave so she is aware. Absent students will have one day per absence day to receive the full credit on an assignment. Otherwise, it is considered late. IT IS YOUR RESPONSBILITY TO GET YOUR ABSENT WORK. You can

find your absent work in the bin in the classroom, by talking to Mrs. Hanni before or after school, or on the class website.

NO NAME WORK

Any work that is turned in without a name will be returned to the No Name wall. If you are missing an assignment, check there first. No name assignments will automatically get 8/10 study skills when they are turned in.

CITZENSHIP/PRIDE POINTS

Each student begins the term with 50 participation points, called Pride Points, divided into five categories of 10 points each based on the Centennial PRIDE Matrix (Personal Responsibility, Respect, Integrity, Discipline, and Engagement). Students will lose points if they are not following Behavioral Expectations. Points can be lost the following ways, and cannot be made up. Personal Responsibility Not being prepared, being tardy= 3 points lost Respect Talking when others are talking, drawing on desk/textbook= 3 points lost Integrity Copying someone else’s assignment = 5 points, cheating on test= 10 points Discipline Not doing your best work/illegible work= 2 points lost per assignment Engagement Not being on task= 2 points lost Pride Points will be used to determine student’s study skill grade and citizenship grade, using the following scale. O (Outstanding) = 40-50 Points S (Satisfactory) = 29-39 Points N (Needs Improvement) = -18-28 Points U (Unsatisfactory) = 0-17 Points

EMAIL

American Studies students are required to check your email daily. You are responsible for what you miss because you did not check your email.

HALL PASS: You will be given two hall passes each term. Each pass is good for one of the following: To use the bathroom, call your mom, go to your locker. You will not be allowed out of the classroom without this pass unless there is blood or vomit involved. 5 extra credit points at the end of the term (two passes=10 points) Passes are subject to teacher discretion. If there is an emergency, see a teacher; otherwise, stay in class. Our class time is precious!

OOPS PASS:

We expect you to have all of your assignments completed on time. However, we understand that sometimes-unforeseen circumstances occur. You will be given three “OOPS” passes each term. Each pass is good for one of the following: Turn in an assignment one day late without penalty (within one week from when the assignment is due)staple a pass to the assignment when you turn it in. Redo an assignment (within one week of you receiving it back) - staple a pass to the assignment you’re redoing. We believe that most of the learning that we will do happens in the context of our classroom, and if you do the work late it loses some of its value. Also, what you turn in helps your teachers know if you are learning and understanding what we do in class. If you don’t turn in your work, we don’t know how things are going for you.

ATTENDANCE AND TARDIES

I will adhere strictly to the school attendance policy. Be in class on time! On time means in your seat and working on the day’s starter when the tardy bell rings. Each tardy will deduct 5 participation points from a students’ grade. On the 3rd and 4th tardy students will be given a lunch detention. On the 5th and 6th tardy students will be given an after-school detention. . This class is designed for group work and class discussion, and you will receive points for in class activities. These points can be made up only if your absence if excused and if you communicate with me either before or as soon as you return to class.

TEST RETAKES

Test Retakes are only offered for one test per student for each term, and only if the student scored below 80%. In order to be eligible for a retake a student must fill out a Request to Retest form, signed by a parent/guardian, which certifies that they have completed additional studying since the first time they took the test in the form of two additional separate activities (ex: flashcards, writing definitions, making a timeline, making a review game). Proof of the activities (such as the definitions, flashcards, etc.) must be attached. Request to Retests must be submitted no later than the day before the student intends to retake the test. Test retakes are only worth 80% of the original points.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILTIES

If a student has any disability that may impair his/her ability to successfully complete this course, please let me know and contact the counseling center and/ or Centennial’s Special Education services.. Academic accommodations are granted for all students who have qualified, documented disabilities Services are coordinated with the student and instructor through the Counseling Center and Special Education Services.

CHROMEBOOK CART There will be a permanent laptop cart in room 52 this year. Students will be assigned a chrome book. Any damage to the chrome book should be reported. Otherwise, the student is responsible for any damage.

COMPUTER, INTERNET ACCESS, VIDEOS In addition to assignments, which must be typed, computers with Internet access will be needed for our writing program. One writing assignment in each unit will be given using Utah Compose, an online writing program. This program is provided by the state and will provide feedback and opportunities for revision. Grades will be taken directly from Utah Compose for these assignments. Students without Internet access at home may use the computer labs at school or at the Provo Public Library free of charge. Any videos that will be shown in class will be put on the class website.

EXPECTATIONS AND DISAPLANARY ACTIONS

EXPECTATIONS: 1. Respect yourself and others at all times. 2. Be fully engaged and give your best effort during all of class. 3. Follow directions immediately. 4. Raise your hand and ask for permission to speak. 5. Do your own work. 6. Have all required materials on your desk at the beginning of class. Please see website for more detailed rules. If any of these expectations are not met, in addition to the loss of participation points, students will receive one or more of the following consequences: 1.  Warning 2.  Lunch detention 5. Phone call home 6. After school detention 7. ISS and/or parent visit All school and district policies will be supported and endorsed.

GROWTH MINDSET Transitioning from an honors to a gifted course can provide challenges. It is an American Studies goal to embrace these challenges and accept failure as a learning opportunity and a stepping stone to become better writers, communicators and people. Please keep this in mind at home.

 

WORK ETHIC/INTEGRITY A major emphasis of the class will be on group discussion and problem solving. Students will often be asked to work in groups or with partners to accomplish various tasks. This type of discussion and assistance to one another is desirable and appropriate; however, all assignments that are turned in must be the student’s own, individual work. Students are not allowed to copy work or responses and should not collaborate to come up with “one best response” unless specifically directed in the written in the assignment description. Plagiarism (saying something is your own work when it is not, which includes no citations) and cheating are very serious offenses. Cheating includes but is not limited to ANY form of communication with another student during the time allotted for a test, even if the particular student is finished with their own test; copying assignments during class; or copying an assignment a student missed (does not include notes). If a student plagiarizes or cheats they earn an automatic zero on the assignment/test, with NO opportunity to make up the points. Additionally, parents will be contacted, and the administration will be informed. Any further offenses will be treated even more severely.

QUALITY OF WORK AND PRESENTATION

While much work will be completed in class or in a traditional pencil/paper format, there is an expectation for quality in appearance as well as content. Work that is illegible or difficult to read will be returned for re-work and docked points. Additionally, several major assignments each term will be required to be typed. (I recommend typing whenever possible for all middle school assignments.)

Dear Parents/Guardian, I am excited to teach your child this year! I sincerely care about each of my students, and their progress and success is of the utmost importance to me. Because of all that we will learn this year and the gifted nature of this course, the success of your student in American Studies will require the cooperation of parents, students, and the teacher. Attached is a copy of the course requirements and policies for American Studies. Please go over these with your student and discuss them together. If you are concerned about your child’s academic standing, need clarification regarding this document, or have other concerns about my class, please contact me at school or by email ([email protected]). Contacting me via email is the best way to get in touch with me. Please make use of Power School and the class website to stay informed regarding class progress. I have created a class website that is designed to help students with their assignments. I will update the website daily with class notes, handouts, and announcements. There will also be a weekly letter to parents informing you about upcoming assignments, tests, and activities in class. I hope that it will be a useful resource for you.

In an effort for Centennial to go paperless, please go to MrsHanniCMS.Weebly.Com and click on “SIGN AMERICAN STUDIES DISCLOSURE” to electronically sign the disclosure as well as provide other information that will be very helpful for me as I work with your student.  I anticipate that this will be a successful year for your student. I look forward to working together!