Course Requirements and Expectations

Mr. Sharkovitz

Martha's Vineyard Regional High School English Department

• All of us should respect the unique contributions students make to learning in this course.

• I'll be available for student-teacher conferences after school and during certain periods of the day. If you need extra help, it is your responsibility to seek it out promptly. Remember: According to our school’s philosophy, academic learning takes precedence over non-academic school activities.

• Many homework assignments become the basis for the next day's lesson. Therefore, the best way to learn the most from a lesson is to come to class prepared with your homework completed.

• The grades on work submitted late for any reason are reduced as follows:

AP and Honors: Twenty (20) points per school day

College 1 and 2: Ten (10) points per school day

In addition, no late paper may be rewritten for a higher grade, although you may rewrite it for the educational value of the experience. If you have a documented medical excuse, no points will be lost.

In an emergency, assignments may be emailed to me at Please use Microsoft Word or Appleworks.

• If you are absent from a class it is your responsibility to ascertain the assignment and complete it on time. Either stop by to see me the next school day or use the phone call list you received and ask someone. Under most circumstances, a student will not be excused from an assignment because he or she missed the previous class.

• It's your responsibility to make up missed assignments, tests, and quizzes. Failure to do so within five school days from the date you return to school will result in a grade of zero on the assignment.

• Students may rewrite papers if the first draft earns a certain minimum grade — to be announced for each paper — as part of its initial evaluation. Except for the Creative Writing portfolio, papers may be rewritten only during the quarter in which they originally were due. All previous drafts that I have evaluated must be attached to the bottom of the latest copy.

• If you have made a good-faith effort to complete all assignments, you may earn additional credit in this class by doing a reading presentation or a journalism assignment. For a reading presentation you read a book that we select together. Then you present the book to the rest of the class in any creative and lively way you choose. Following your presentation, your classmates and I might ask questions about the book. A written test might also be required. I'll be happy to help you develop your presentation or journalism assignment. Note: Only one extra credit assignment is allowed per quarter. These assignments must be completed prior to the last week of the quarter.

• Come prepared to each class with all appropriate materials (e.g., pen, notebook, texts).

• Please take all materials (texts, handouts, notebooks) for this class home with you each day. In the event that you are absent, you will be able to complete the assignment and, therefore, be prepared for class when you return.

• At the conclusion of each marking term, any student hoping to increase her or his class participation / effort grade must submit to me a complete notebook. A complete notebook is a loose-leaf notebook containing the following:

1) all tests, quizzes, and written assignments;

2) all class notes;

3) all handouts;

4) a grading diary (see below).

• You are required to maintain a grading diary. A grading diary is a list kept by the student, which contains the title of each assignment, the date it was originally due, and the final grade earned. This diary is designed to help you keep track of your performance in this class. By keeping track of your performance, you should be able to avoid the shock that occasionally accompanies final grade reports.

• Your grade in this course will be based upon the scores you earn on tests, quizzes, homework assignments, projects, essays, and class participation. The basic unit of evaluation is the quiz. Shorter assignments (e.g., daily homework, vocabulary quizzes) are worth one quiz grade each. Most tests, projects, and other major works equal two quiz grades. Credit for extra credit work is negotiated on an individual basis. At the close of each quarter, I add your grades together — each quiz grade once, each test grade twice — and divide by the total. The result is your raw score. A maximum of three points might be added to your raw score at my discretion according to the following formula:

1) .5 point for a complete notebook;

2) .5 point for perfect attendance;

3) zero to two points for participation in classroom discussion (0=rare participation; .5=occasional; 1=virtually each class; 2=participates in each class plus student shows clear evidence of extensive reading of suggested supplemental books or essays.