Mrs. Dowling's Classroom Procedures

Procedures are a part of life. We follow procedures for using a telephone book, boarding an airplane, approaching a traffic light, and attending a wedding. The reason that we have procedures in life is so that people can function in society knowing the acceptable and efficient way other people do things. The following are procedures for this classroom. These procedures establish our classroom culture. What do I do if I forget my pencil or paper? First, you are unprepared. You will receive a strike If, however, you have a Dowling Dollar, you may borrow a pencil without getting a strike. This must be done BEFORE class officially starts..during Daily time. What do I do when I come in the room? Sharpen pencils (if you need to). You may NOT sharpen pencils during instruction time. Get your supplies out. All classes will start with a warm-up activity each day. English 11 will have "Daily." Creative Writing will have a Journal Entry. On Fridays or Mondays, you will be expected to turn in your homework assignment packet. What do I do if I need to leave the room? I will sign your agenda. I must sign your agenda for you to leave the room. You must take your agenda with you. What do I do if I am tardy? Give me your tardy slip (if you have one) and have a seat. I will mark you tardy-excused or not.. Where can I find the assignments posted? On Mondays or Tuesdays, I will go over the assignments for the entire week. You will have to write these down in your agenda. For absent students, I will print out a copy of the daily assignments. Assignments are also posted on-line. Where do I put completed papers? Classwork and Homework-in the turn-in bins in the front of class.. What is the typical weekly schedule? Daily Routine English 11 Period 1  55 minutes every day Daily Warm-Up  15-20 Minutes  Monday-Wednesday Literature Reading or Discussion 35 Minutes  Wednesday-Friday Writing/Grammar Lesson/SSR  30-35 Minutes   Wrap-Up  5 Minutes  OR Friday-Weekly Literary Discussion/Vocabulary Lesson/Quiz Most of Class  Period 3  90 minutes every other day Daily Warm-Up  15-20 Minutes  Beginning of Week-Literature Reading or Discussion  35 Minutes  End of Week-Writing/Grammar Lesson/SSR 30-35 Minutes   Wrap-Up  5 Minutes  OR Friday/Monday-Weekly Literary Discussion/Vocabulary Lesson/Quiz 50 minutes   Typical assignments include grammar exercises, vocabulary exercises, Reader's Notebook entries, reading assignments from the texts, and writing assignments. Reader's Notebooks will be completed most weeks. this is done on-line and must be completed on the due date to be prepared for class discussion. reader's notebook questions deal with the literature we are reading. Class work will usually be due the same day in class, but sometimes it might be necessary to finish it at home because of unforeseen events. Vocabulary lessons will be presented every other week with worksheet packet and a quiz. Creative Writing I-Period 5 and 6 Daily Journal Entries  15-20 Minutes  Literature Reading or Discussion/SSR  35 Minutes  Writing/Notes/Grammar Lesson 30-35 Minutes  Wrap-Up    5 Minutes  OR Fridays or Mondays-Work Shop Times  35 Minutes  Student Journals are collections of informal writing assignments. We will work on a short writing assignment periodically. These prompts will be varied in content. Other times, we will be writing for specific Composition or Grammar Skills. Every so often, one of the entries will be selected and refined. These selections will be called Required Journal Entries. The topic may be chosen from the topics that were completed during those two-three week time frames. These required topics will be graded more closely according to the Specific Skills Check List. These required journal assignments will be posted in our working folder on the Internet. Class work will usually be due the same day in class, but sometimes it might be necessary to finish it at home because of unforeseen events. Two Independent Writing Assignments are due each month for submission to the literary magazine during the first and second term. The student may choose the type of writings to submit. These writings can be something from the class assigned writings or something that was produced independently. Book Bingo is a reading project that will be due once at the end of each term. The students will chose from preselected novels for reading independently. The activities are done independently, as well, except for the end of term group activity. The students will respond to the writing weekly in their journals. They will meet periodically with others who are reading their same book to discuss the section read. At the end of the term, there will be a selection quiz, a book review and an activity packet due. Portfolios are collections of selected assignments done throughout a grading period. They will include a determined number of writings along with reflections on the assignments and evaluations from others to include peers and parents. These portfolios will be due at the end of each term except for Term One and will build on itself throughout the year. Workshop Assignments are due every other week. These will usually be done in class and will be related to specific skills learned at the time Creative Writing II-Period 4 Journal Entries 15-20 Minutes  Literature Reading or Discussion/SSR  25 Minutes   Writing and Writing Workshops 40-45 Minutes   Wrap-Up  5 Minutes  OR Fridays or Mondays-Literary Magazine Activities   25 Minutes  Student Journals are collections of informal writing assignments. We will work on a short writing assignment periodically. These prompts will be varied in content. Other times, we will be writing for specific Composition or Grammar Skills. Every so often, one of the entries will be selected and refined. These selections will be called Required Journal Assignments. The topic may be chosen from the topics that were completed during those two-three week timeframes. These required topics will be graded more closely according to the Specific Skills Check List. These required journal assignments will be posted in the working folder on the Internet. Class work will usually be due the same day in class, but sometimes it might be necessary to finish it at home because of unforeseen events. Two Independent Writing Assignments are due each month for submission to the literary magazine during the first and second term. The student may choose the type of writings to submit. These writings can be something from the class assigned writings or something that was produced independently. In addition, students must procure writings from other students for submission to the literary magazine. Students are required to submit 2 writings from other students each term. Workshop Assignments are due every other week. These will usually be done in class and will be related to specific skills learned at the time. Reading Responses-The students are required to read novels of their own choosing and respond to these novels in their journals once a week. Every other week, a reading response will be posted to the students working folder on the internet for a grade. There will be a specific question for each submission. Portfolios are collections of selected assignments done throughout a grading period. They will include a determined number of writings along with reflections on the assignments and evaluations from others to include peers and parents. These portfolios will be due at the end of each term except for Term One and will build on itself throughout the year. Creative Writing III-Period 4 This class is independent studies, and therefore, the structure will be determined more by the student than the teacher. There are specific assignments that will be required weekly and quarterly. Expectations are as follows. Journal Entries 15-20 Minutes  Literature Reading or Discussion/SSR  25 Minutes   Writing 40-45 Minutes   Student Journals are collections of informal writing assignments. We will work on a short writing assignment periodically. These prompts will be varied in content. Other times, we will be writing for specific Composition or Grammar Skills. Every so often, one of the entries will be selected and refined. These selections will be called Required Journal Assignments. The topic may be chosen from the topics that were completed during those two-three week time frames. These required topics will be graded more closely according to the Specific Skills Check List. These required journal assignments will be posted in the working folder on the Internet. Expectations and requirements will be posted on School Fusion each week. These activities and assignments will be turned in through School Fusion or Dowling Central. A weekly grade will be given for completed work, as well as for each individual assignment. Two Independent Writing Assignments are due each month for submission to the literary magazine during the first and second term. The student may choose the type of writings to submit. These writings can be something from the class assigned writings or something that was produced independently. Portfolios are collections of selected assignments done throughout a grading period. They will include a determined number of writings along with reflections on the assignments and evaluations from others to include peers and parents. These portfolios will be due at the end of each term except for Term One and will build on itself throughout the year. What are the procedures for team work? Follow the activity steps listed in your instructions. You are responsible for your own job and the results of the team. If you have a question, ask your team members first. If no one can answer a question, appoint one person to raise a hand to ask Mrs. Dowling for assistance. You must be willing to help if a team member needs it. You will be working in the small group mode class setting. See Sample Team Activity Sheet What are the procedures for the different types of class settings? Find out the answer on the Behavior and Work Habits Page. Where can I find assignments when I come back from an absence? In the Absent Folder. You will see your name on the Absentee Cover Sheet. There is one packet for each day absent. What do I do if you finish my work early? Read a book, prepare for your next Book Bingo assignment, update your journal with any missing entries, work on your vocabulary, pass out any graded papers, work on your homework assignment sheet, make up any missing work, take a quiz on the computer... What do I do if I need extra help, have a personal concern, or would like to request a conference? Write me a note and put it in your class bin. (I'll read these daily and respond.) What do I do if I "forget" to do my homework? Do your homework as soon as possible and turn it in with an attached Dowling Dollar for each day late. You may receive some credit for late work. How do I know which book to bring to class? English 11-Bring Language of Literature to class Monday-Wednesday. All classes-bring three ring binder daily. Bring red pen and writing utensil. Bring SSR book daily especially on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Creative Writing-Also bring journal to class daily. How do I check out materials? Ask Mrs. Dowling, then sign the check out log. What do I do before I leave the room at the end of class? Tidy up your area, check for dropped pencils,... Wait for dismissal from me. I dismiss the class, not the bell. As you leave, push in your chairs and quietly leave. adapted from the book The First Days of School by Harry K. Wong and Rosemary T. Wong