Mr. George

8th Grade English

Parents, please carefully read the entire course guidelines.

Middle school is not easy and students need every advantage to be successful. Please see that your child is getting to bed at a reasonable hour and comes to school rested and ready to learn.

Also, please see that your child brings their required school supplies each day. Students will be held accountable for having them each day. Also, if you allow your child to have a cell phone or iPod at school, please make certain they understand what your consequence will be if they use it during class.

Classroom Procedures

Always bring your supplies. You must have them every day. Required supplies are:

Two pencils
Two blue or black ball-point pens
Notebook paper
Stapler (for home)
Silent reading book on Thursdays and Fridays.

Be in your seat at work when the bell rings. Directions will always be on the board. People out of their seat when the bell rings are tardy. Three tardies result in an N in citizenship.
No food, drink, or gum is allowed in the classroom. Grooming, (combing hair, doing make-up, using perfume or cologne), is also inappropriate in class.
Use of cell phones and iPods is absolutely prohibited in class. Parents, please make sure your children understand this. Students texting in class will get an infraction, a phone call home, and will be asked to not bring their phone again.
Respect. Always listen when the teacher or another student is speaking. Raise your hand to speak, but never interrupt.

Grades

Grades are based on the points students earn by completing assignments and taking tests. All assignments and tests are posted and students should record all assignments and test dates in the agenda each Monday. Every student is capable of earning an A. By completing all assignments, a student will earn a good grade. All assignments are required in class the day they are due and no unexcused late work will be accepted. Parents can monitor their child's grade on the ABI system.

100-90% = A 89-80%= B 79-70%= C 69-60%= D 59-0%= F

Homework and Assignments

You will have homework every week. If you are absent on the day an assignment is due, you must turn it in the first day you return. Make sure you complete every assignment. Turning in your homework on the day it is due is not optional. It is mandatory.

Reading Logs due every Friday 10 points

Reading is the most important part of your education. At Sierra Vista Middle School,our goal is for every student to read 20 books by the end of the year. For English, you will be reading at home for at least 30 minutes at least 3 times a week. Students, make sure your parents know what you are reading and how often you are reading. You will keep track of your progress by making a Reading Log. Type or write neatly in black or dark blue ink a brief summary or evaluation of what you are reading. Make three boxes for each day and type/write at least 5 sentences in each box. Reading Logs will be roughly a third of your grade. Late ones will never be accepted. Every Thursday and Friday are Silent Reading days. We will begin class with 15 minutes of silent reading. You are required to bring your own book on those days.

Process Paper assigned monthly 50 points

8^th grade English is writing intensive. Process Papers are opportunities for you to show what you are learning. Papers will include stories from your life, creative stories, persuasive writing, analytical writing, and speeches. Class time will be given for peer editing and revision, but most writing will need to be completed at home. Process Papers that do not show your best effort will be returned for a rewrite. Students may always rewrite a paper for a higher grade.

New Words (Vocabulary) Tests 40 points

You will be learning the meanings of 20 new words roughly every two weeks. Some studying will happen in class, but some will need to happen at home through the completion of the New Words packet. Students will have two weeks to study the 20 new words. If you make flashcards or study, there is no reason why you shouldn’t get 100%every time!

That’s basically it! Parents, please understand that I am an “old school” English teacher. I expect students to come prepared to learn, to always bring their supplies, and to know how to behave in class. If you have any questions about my class, contact me by e-mail at jgeorge@cvusd.k12.ca.us

Sincerely,

Joseph George

English Teacher

SAMPLE READING LOG

Steve Austin

Mr. George

English Period 2

20 November 2007

Title: Midnighters: The Secret Hour

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Pages:1-18

Minutes read: 30

Date: 12/15/07

I’m reading Midnighters: The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld. The setting seems to be in a high school in a small town called Bixby, Oklahoma. The first chapter is about a nerdy goth kid named Rex whose friends Dess and Melissa seem to stay by themselves. They are keeping some kind of secret. On the first day of school Rex sees a new girl who seems to glow but only he notices it. “She’s one of us,” Rex says. The second chapter is about the new girl, Jessica. She thinks the town is really weird. Jessica is creeped out by Dess who is watching her in class.

Title: Midnighters: The Secret Hour

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Pages: 19-38

Minutes read: 30

Date: 12/17/07

Things get weirder. At midnight Jessica wakes up and discovers that time has stopped. Everybody and everything is frozen in time except for her. Even the rain drops are frozen in time and stay hanging in the air until she touches them and they fall to the ground. She wanders around her neighborhood and sees little creepy black things crawling around and watching her. She’s obviously freaked out. This is the secret the others are keeping. In this town, every night at midnight all time stops for one hour except for these four kids and these creepy little “darklings.” These kids have special abilities that only work during this secret hour. The rest of the town doesn’t know about it, but it seems that these little monsters pose a threat to the people and the four Midnighters are trying to protect the town.

Title: Uglies

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Pages: 38-53

Minutes read: 40

Date: 12/19/07

“Maybe,” Jess said slowly. “I kind of had one weird dream. But maybe it wasn’t a dream at all. I’m not sure.”

“You’ll find out soon enough.” Dess looked up at the library clock and smiled. “In 43,207 seconds to be exact.”

Seven seconds later the bell rang for lunch.

Sierra Vista Writing Conventions

Type your paper on a computer and print it out on standard, white 8.5 x 11-inch paper or write neatly in dark blue or black ink on only one side of lined college-ruled paper.

Double-space the text of your paper, and use a standard font like Times Roman. The font size should be 12 pt.
Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks (unless otherwise instructed by your instructor.)
Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides. Indent the first line of a paragraph using the TAB button.
Do not use So, And, or But to start a sentence. Do not add “THE END”
If using lined paper, write within the red line margins on the left and right side.
If you write by hand, write neatly in cursive and in dark blue or black ink only.
Number pages and arrange in order.
Carefully staple once in the upper left corner! ONLY ONCE!
No folders, binders sheet protectors, etc. Papers only!

Formatting the First Page of Your Paper

Do not make a title page for your paper unless specifically requested.
In the left corner of the first page, list your full name, your teacher’s name, the class, and the date.
Center the title. Don't underline your title or put it in quotation marks; write the title in Title Case, not in all capital letters.
Double space between the title and the first line of the text.
Create a header in the upper right-hand corner that includes your last name, followed by a space with a page number; number all pages consecutively (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin.