Classroom Policies

1. CITIZENSHIP GUIDELINES

SHOW RESPECT!

Bullying and foul language will not be tolerated. Please keep the room clean.

SHOW RESPONSIBILITY!

Be in class, on time, and pay attention. Raise your hand to participate.

SHOW INTEGRITY!

Don’t cheat or argue in class. Please discuss concerns with the teacher in private.

Overall

* Maintain a positive attitude and always try your best.

* Follow all district policies regarding citizenship and attendance.

Leaving the classroom frequently during instruction is discouraged and may result in loss of participation points. A student will be marked tardy if he/she enters the classroom after the bell rings unless he/she has a tardy pass from the attendance office or another teacher. Consequences for not abiding by the above mentioned rules may include but are not limited to one or more of the following: verbal warning or visual cue, change of seat, student-teacher conference, detention, parent contact, office referral, lower citizenship grade.

Cell phone/smart watch policy:

Cell phones/smart watches may be used for instructional purposes or in urgent situations only when allowed by the teacher. They will need to be placed in designated holders during quizzes and tests. Photos/videos may not be taken without prior permission from the teacher.

Failure to follow these rules will result in a warning first and then a possible confiscation of the device until the end of the class period.

2. CLASSWORK, HOMEWORK, LATE-WORK AND MAKE UP-WORK POLICY

Students are expected to do the assigned work, to participate in classroom discussions, to take notes, and to review daily lessons. I recommend keeping all handouts and worksheets for future reference. Weekly agendas will be posted on Google Classroom.

Weekly oral participation is very important in a language class and does not equal classroom behavior. Each student in level 1+2 automatically receives 3 points for being present and paying attention. If they participate and are called on once a day, they will end up with 8 points (a grade of B). They can earn up to 10 points each week (A+). If a student is absent for two or more days within a week, he/she will be excused from participation points for that week. When there are weeks with holidays or the teacher has been absent, two weeks of points may be combined or other adjustments may be made. Level 3 students will receive a monthly participation grade (out of 30 points), and level 4 students will have individual speaking assessments due to the nature of the combination class.

Any major project that has been assigned in advance is due on the due date. If a student is absent on the due date, the project needs to be turned in/presented the day of the student's return. A project that is one day late can only receive a maximum of 75%. After that, the student will receive a zero for not completing the assignment unless there are special circumstances that were previously discussed with the teacher.

Homework will be assigned, checked and recorded regularly. It will be listed on Google classroom. The assignments in level 1 are usually small and should take 10-15 minutes to complete based on the abilities of the student. Students in level 2-4 may take longer to complete their homework at times, and Honors/AP students can expect more detailed and difficult assignments. All students should review vocabulary regularly, even on days where there is no official homework. I usually grade homework in level 1+2 on completeness which means that a student can get full points (usually 10 or 20) if he/she honestly attempted to do the assignment even if there are a few mistakes. However, I will not give any points if I can see that a student did not take the assignment seriously (e.g. it is obvious that he/she put down random answers or copied from a classmate). Students in level 3+4 will have their homework graded based on both completeness and correctness. Assignments will be worth different amounts, ranging from 10 to 30 points, depending on the difficulty of the work. Some assignments will be corrected in class while others (mostly writing assignments) will be collected and corrected by the teacher. If students need clarification on a homework assignment, they should email me before class the next day (no contact and no homework = late homework). Complete but late homework will only receive partial credit (one day late = 70%, any day thereafter within the grading period = 50%). No incomplete late homework will be accepted!

All missed work must be made up unless excused by the teacher. Students have two days for each day missed. Complete assignments that are turned in late within a grading period (usually 4-6 weeks) will receive partial credit unless there are special circumstances that are discussed with the teacher. Any work not turned in will result in zero points for the assignment, and no incomplete late work will be accepted. Missed quizzes or tests can be made up during lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It is the student's responsibility to schedule a make-up appointment and to show up at the scheduled time. Students have one week after their return to make up a quiz/test.

3. RECOMMENDED MATERIALS

* lined paper or notebook, and a folder for handouts

* blue or black pen for notes and red pen for corrections

* # 2 pencil and highlighter

* index cards for vocabulary review

* charged chromebook

* online PDF editor such as Lumin or Kami