Freshman English Disclosure Statement

Freshman English Disclosure Statement: 2008-2009

Freshman English is a writing intensive course designed to help students improve their ability to write in a range of genres for a wide variety of audiences and purposes. Our emphasis will be on both the process as well as the finished product, and much of our time will be spent doing. Our primary focus will be on non-fiction, however, we will also spend some time on fiction, and read poetry daily while also writing a fair amount of it.

Though our emphasis will be on composition, reading is an essential part of the literacy continuum, and therefore students will be expected to read for 20 minutes at home daily, whether from a book of their own choosing or from one of our class texts. Our class texts include our freshman writing text, Sleeping Dogs Don’t Lay, Speak, Lord of the Flies, and Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.

This is my third year teaching at Judge, my eleventh in the diocese. I taught middle school English, literature, and religion at JE Cosgriff Memorial Catholic School for eight years, and I have been on the boys’ basketball coaching staff here at Judge for the last 15. This will be my fifth year as the head coach of the freshman boys’ basketball team. I have a degree in English and a Utah State Teaching License from the University of Utah and a Masters of Teaching degree from Grand Canyon University. I have published work in Today’s Catholic Teacher, Teaching K-8 Magazine, The Salt Lake Tribune, Middle Ground, and The Utah Council of Teachers of English Journal. I am married, and my wife, Laura, and I have three children, John Marshall, Jacob Atticus, and Sarah Astrid.

I’m happy to discuss anything of importance with you. My voicemail extension is 237, though I think I’ll be easier to reach via email at jbaird@judgememorial.com.

Grading:
We’ll use Judge’s grade scale. Students’ grades will be determined, in general, by the following:
• Major writing assignments: 100 points.
• Weekly reading grade: 100 points.
• Minor writing assignments: 25 to 50 points.
• In-class writing assignments: 10 points.
• Quarterly Prayer and Great Thoughts Assignment: 150 points.
• Quarterly Letter-to-the-Editor Assignment: 100 points.
• Preparation: 100 points for the quarter.
• Participation: 100 points for the quarter.
• Vocabulary, other assignments, tests, and quizzes will have point values that vary.

Homework Policy:
All work (assignments, reading, etc.) is due at the start of class. Late work, in most cases, will not be accepted. In general, there won’t be extra credit assignments; however, when there are, they will be made available to the entire class.

Major assignments should be word-processed. Minor assignments can be neatly handwritten in blue or black pen. In the event you have computer problems (printer dies, etc.), do one of the following things BEFORE CLASS: email me the assignment (jbaird@judgememorial.com), bring it to school on a disk or jump drive and print it in the lab, or hand write it. If you email me something, I would suggest pasting it inside the email document as well as sending it as an attachment to ensure everything gets through. Be sure to notify me of what you’re sending in the subject box. If you don’t do one of these things before class, the assignment is late; the same goes if you email me something that I don’t receive – a hard copy is always the safer route.

Important Things to Know:
• You will have 20 minutes of reading homework Monday-Thursday, plus you should read for 20 minutes on either Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.
• If we are reading a book together, you may use your 20 minutes of reading to meet the due dates, or you can read extra – your call.
• You can expect to have a finished piece of writing (multiple revisions and a finished draft) due every two to three weeks.
• The year will end with a Capstone Project, which is a multi-genre research project and presentation on a topic of interest. You may want to start thinking about possible topics now. More specifics will come, and we will do a little bit of work each quarter in preparation for this project.

Necessary Materials:
You need to bring the following items to class each day, beginning tomorrow:
• A book to read, preferably fiction.
• Our class writing text.
• Our class vocabulary book.
• A 3-ring binder (two-inch width recommended) with five sections: notes, vocabulary, finished drafts, in-class prompts, and assignments. Include plenty of loose-leaf paper for assignments and notes.
• Blue or black pens, as well as a red pen for editing.
NOTE: Because we’ll spend the first 10 minutes of virtually every class period in silent reading, you should always have a book to read from, even if you are done with our current text. This includes the first couple of weeks before we start a text. Other days – typically block days – we will start with vocabulary work.

Please sign this, indicating you have read it, and return it to me by ________________.
I’ll return it to you soon so you can keep it for your reference. Thank you.

Jeff Baird