We're very serious here in College Prep Writing. After all, you want to go to college and I want to help you get ready for what that will entail; specifically, by demystifying the writing process and teaching you how to write the types of essays you will be required to write once you are accepted and matriculated into the university of your choice. College isn't all about writing essays however, success in college also requires the ability to think critically and analyze what you've read, so we will be practicing those skills as well.
"When you write an essay you enter into the most challenging yet rewarding of the liberal arts: shaping your ideas, questions, and convictions to share with others." --Michael Harvey, The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing
An essay is not carved in stone, however, it is written on paper. In the root sense of the word, after all essays are "tries." To essay originally meant to attempt, or put to the test, and still does in French. Which is why you will be writing several drafts of each assignment.
Policies and Procedures
Late Work The penalty for handing in an assignment after the due date is forfeiting 20% on any assignment that is handed in late. I am willing to waive this rule in cases of extenuating circumstances, or if the student requests an extension of the due date before the day the assignment is due.
One Day Extension Request Form: In order to receive NO LATE PENALTY you must have requested an extension in writing at least 24hours prior to the original due date of the assignment (limit one per quarter). Fill out this form and staple it to the late assignment. Upon completion, place late work in the appropriate basket. Teacher’s signature is required for this extension to be honored.
Turnitin.com This class relies heavily on the use of technology, and ALL drafts of essays must be submitted to turnitin.com. Because this technology requires me to set start and end times for each submission, you must submit an essay before the submission deadline. I will not award credit for drafts which fail to meet this requirement.
Class Id #: 20754882 Password: composition
Remind101.com For this class, you will need to register to Remind101 in order to receive any updates, changes and/or due date reminders. I use this site often, so be sure to sign up so that you can stay in the loop. Also, if you don't have a smart phone, don't worry... it works through email as well, so just go to the website, and sign up following those instructions.
Text: @cpw2019
to the number: 81010 or (442) 333-4285 Academic Integrity Plagiarism of any form is a serious offense and will not be tolerated. Any violation will result in an “F” grade for the assignment. You will not be allowed to make up a plagiarized assignment for credit. Subsequent offenses will result in higher consequences and may earn you an “F” in the course. Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty which includes, but is not limited to: 1. Copying or stealing another’s work and submitting it as one’s own 2. Allowing another person to copy your work and submit it as their own 3. Doing another person’s work for them 4. Buying or selling work or answers 5. Providing another person with answers to homework, tests or quizzes 6. Copying or stealing teacher’s answer keys or teacher’s edition texts 7. Copying work from books or the internet without proper documentation and submitting it as their own
**My classroom rules and expectations coincide with Mount Horeb High School’s Behavior Standards Policy, which can be located on page 8 of your student handbook.
Grading I expect you to save EVERYTHING we do in class... I mean everything…even the worst rough draft you ever coughed up on a page. These drafts will be evaluated as your formative assessments which equal 40% of your semester grade.
Formative Assessments: · Homework assignments, Group Work, Rough drafts, etc. · Designed to provide the information necessary to gauge student learning during a unit, in order to adjust teaching methods to better suite your individual needs. · These occur over the course of a unit, and help students develop skills…think of it as practice.
Peer Reviews & Article of the Week - Non-fiction reading assignment and evidence-based response post (utilizing MEL-Con or MEAL paragraph format) -In order to participate in Peer Review assignments, students must submit their rough drafts to turnitin.com the day before Peer Review day, and bring a paper copy of their rough draft to class for a classmate to review).
Summative Assessments: If a summative assessment receives a failing score (anything below 59%), for any reason EXCEPT the assignment being handed in late, or plagiarized, a student will be able to make significant revisions to that essay in order to receive a passing score (60%), by changing more than just grammatical and punctuation errors. The student will need to include the original essay, with my comments and rubric, and the newly revised essay--highlighting areas where significant revisions were made, and adding comments to the margins of the page detailing exactly how each highlighted section has been improved.
· Final Drafts of Essays, Projects, Test and Quizzes
· Designed to provide the information necessary to gauge the amount of learning that has occurred as a result of instruction and formative assessment opportunities.
· These occur after instruction has taken place and usually function as the end of a unit assessment because they show how well a student has mastered the skills they have been practicing during the formative phase of instruction.
Final Essay (20% of TOTAL SEMESTER GRADE): Your final for this semester will be a documented essay that demonstrates mastery of all of the skills we have covered over the course of the semester.
Semester Grades are calculated based on the following distribution: Quarter 1: 35% Quarter 2: 45% Final: 20% _____________ Total 100%