Syllabus

COURSE SYLLABUS

2014-2015 Creative Writing

Teacher:

Jennae Schlener
  720-972-5022
      jennae.schlener@adams12.org   

          

Course Description: A multi-genre introduction to the craft of creative writing. In the context of a variety of genres, students will examine literary conventions as well as the writing techniques and tools essential to effective writing and editing.

Writing genres we will cover include:

• Fanfiction
• Blogging
• Newswriting
• Mysteries

The entire course will be paperless. All students will have use of a Chromebook each day in class, and we will keep our writing in portfolios on Google Docs, as well as utilize Schoology for course materials. Students currently have a Google account through the district and a Schoology account through their core Language Arts class. No new accounts will be created in this class.

Standards Based Grading Policies (SBG) and Information:

Quarters and Semester - Adams 12 middle schools are on two 18 week semesters.  Silver Hills will be reporting out with a formal report card two times a year in January and June.  The final marks for Hexter (every 6 weeks) classes and Quarter (9 week) classes can be accessed through the Parent Portal of Infinite Campus.  6th grade electives will have three courses within a semester, while quarter electives in the 7th and 8th grades will have 2 quarter final marks at each semester.

Grade Reporting Criteria (GRC):

• Writing and Composition

Trend Grading: Trend grading is the monitoring of a student’s particular progress on assessments related to a specific GRC.  Over the course of a grading period the teacher will study the scores of a student along with observations and other collected data to assess their level of understanding on current standards. When reporting, a teacher looks more critically at the most recent and current data on those standards to determine a trend. Teachers are given professional development support and time to do this important work.

Assessment - An assessment will occur throughout instruction with accountability and multiple formative assessments.  They will be aligned with GRC categories and assessed with a rubric using the following scale:

4	3	2	1
Exceeds Standard	Meets the Standards	Approaches the Standard: in progress toward meeting the standard	Does Not Meet the Standard

The minimum number of assessments required is one per 2 weeks of instruction.  Examples of assessments could be speeches, essays, projects, presentations, paper-and-pencil tests, skill tests, constructed responses, response units, etc.  Students/parents must be aware of assessments with a minimum of 2 days notice.

The following will be input for Assessments in Infinite Campus and made visible to parents and  students:

    Description - a link to the rubric used with standards on the rubric

    Objective - objective or general purpose of the assessment within the unit of study

   Reference - Rubric (Retyped or linked as a doc)

   

Practice - Practice assignments are frequent and on-going and are not weighted and not added into the gradebook. Practice is a more informal, planned process that elicits evidence of a student’s progress.  It is used to adjust instructional practices and provide students with reflective information and feedback on their progress.  Practice assignments will occur more frequently (daily) and build toward a cumulative, summative assessment.  

Re-Teaching and Re-Evaluation of Standards - Students will be able to retake an assessment after receiving feedback and participating in some re-teaching.  Examples of reteaching sessions could be; a help session outside of class, assigning of or redoing of practice assignments, or a re-teaching session in a small group in class.  The reteaching session will be at the discretion of the teacher and based on the need of the student.

The re-evaluation of the standard could also look different from the original assessment. Examples of this might be, but are not limited to, the re-evaluation embedded into the next assessment, a conversation with the student to show proficiency, or the student could be provided a new assessment.  Re-evaluation of standards are all based on the need of the individual student and the teacher’s discretion knowing his/her standards and upcoming planned units of study.

       

                                                                                            

Homework Policy

The purpose of homework is to practice skills, elaborate on topics introduced in class, and prepare for upcoming topics of study.

Teachers post topics for daily study and assigned work on the board.  Students are expected to copy classwork and homework assignments into their agendas daily.  Parents may access core homework calendars on the Silver Hills website (www.silverhillsmiddle.org) for further information.

Absence Policy

When an absence is excused, students shall be given a period of at least the same number of days they were absent plus one additional day to make up missed assignments.  This make up period begins the next school day following the absence.  (Superintendent Policy 2.3.2)

For student work to increase learning and serve as an opportunity to show what students have mastered, it is essential that assignments be submitted in a timely manner.  It is also our goal to teach students the importance of effective time management when meeting deadlines.

Study Sessions

I offer a study session on Tuesday mornings from 7:45-8:15 am for students seeking additional explanation of topics covered in class.  Students must arrange for their own transportation before and after these sessions.  

Communication

Communication between parents/guardians, students and teachers is a vital component in your student’s education.  Please check your student’s agenda each day to find a list of topics and assignments from each class.  You may occasionally receive comments from us in the agenda, and you are welcome to use this as a communication tool as well.  Be sure to visit our website (www.silverhillsmiddle.org) to keep track of daily homework and long-term project assignments.  Parents/Guardians and students are also able to access students scores by logging onto Infinite Campus.  This link can be found on our school website.

The best way to reach us is by email.  Teachers are not available to take telephone calls during the day, but feel free to leave voice mail messages so that they may return your call within 24 hours.

Please schedule an appointment if you would like to meet with a teacher or core team.  Making arrangements ahead of time will ensure that we are able to devote our time and full attention to you.

Please use the following email addresses to contact me: jennae.schlener@adams12.org

Visit our class website at cwschlener@blogspot.com for our daily targets.

Thank you for taking the time to read this important information.  We look forward to a great year!