Reading/Writing Workshop Guidelines -- Q2 -- 2011-12

The Reader’s Workshop
Course Guidelines – 5th Period – Q2 – 2011-2012


The Reader’s Workshop is designed for individuals who love to read but never seem to have enough time to do it. By participating appropriately in a structured reading environment each day, it is a goal of the course that you will improve your reading rate, comprehension skills, and ability to effectively articulate responses to what you read through written, oral, and creative formats.


To earn credit in this course, you will need to:

READ

1. Read and finish three books by established due dates for 1/4 English credit. You may choose your own titles at an appropriate reading level. Each student is encouraged to move beyond what he/she always reads by selecting one book outside of his/her genre or one that will significantly challenge him/her.


Book Choices: Each student in this class will have a different reading rate, ability, and area of interest. For that reason, books will be of varied length and difficulty. I expect you to choose books that meet or challenge your own reading level and interest. I can help you compare your reading test scores (if available) with book difficulty/lexile levels. I reserve the right to request that a student change a book believed to be too easy, too short, or inappropriate for the classroom. Also, if you have a very heavy reading load for several classes, please tell me as soon as possible for strategies on balancing your responsibilities. Generally, students may not read books in this class that are also required for their other courses.


COMPLETE BOOK RESPONSE WRITING / PROJECT COMPONENTS

2. Turn in TWO response papers/projects for each book you read on or before established due dates. Written responses must be at least one, full, typed page in length and include a clear thesis statement. They must focus on your own thoughts about the book and on questions/prompts suggested in class handouts. If you are quoting material from your book, your analysis section must equal one full page in length. Consult the response suggestion list for ideas. No more than one visual/creative response (VCR & CW) will be accepted for each book. (See Book Response Options handout.)
12 pt. Times Roman font / double-spaced / 1 inch margins max.





ALL WRITTEN RESPONSES MUST BE TYPED and THOROUGHLY EDITED. Be sure to save your work in your Shabazz server file, on a portable drive, or in an online archive.





NOTE: PLOT SUMMARIES ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE RESPONSES. A very brief explanation of plot elements (1 or 2 sentences) may be used to clarify and support your own response points; however, your analysis must carry the weight of your response papers. Also, any assignments completed below a “developing” level may need to be revised for credit.


COMPLETE ALL-CLASS PROJECT

3. In the final weeks of the course, all students will prepare a book annotation for a class blog site.


PARTICIPATE: BEHAVIOR / WORK COMPLETION / ENVIRONMENT

All Shabazz teachers and individual classes will have different expectations for positive participation. Students in this class will earn participation points each day they are in attendance and fulfilling participation expectations of individual behavior, work completion, and contributions to a positive classroom environment. A minimum 70% participation score is required to earn credit in the class.

What does Positive Participation look like?

To earn full participation points each day, students will:

1. Use class time appropriately throughout the entire quarter by spending every class period reading silently, participating in all-class activities, or independently completing response projects. If working on computers, at NO time should students be in Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, video or chat sites, music sites, E-mail, games, etc.. If violating this class policy, students will be asked to vacate computers and will forfeit participation points for the class period. Any students sleeping during the hour will lose all participation points for the day. Repeat offenders may be asked to leave.

2. Be awake, on time, and prepared to work effectively at the start of the class hour.

3. Participate in discussions, book share talks, and writing conferences when requested. All students may be asked to work with peer editors and/or tutors on writing mechanics. If time allows, other assignments or projects may be required.

4. Meet all deadlines (preparedness) and revise any response papers for content or mechanics if requested to do so. Save your work!

5. Contribute to a Positive Reading & Work Environment: Most students require a silent setting for full concentration on their reading and analysis writing. For that reason, it is important that the classroom environment be quiet for reading. No talking will be allowed in the room once class has started on reading days. Only students who follow this guideline will receive participation points. Students may also use computers to work on typing their responses. (See guideline #1 above.) IPods or other MP3 player use during reading days is acceptable if the music cannot be heard by others. Please prepare your playlist before class begins. Video IPods are NOT allowed as all students are to be reading or writing. Cell phone sources for music ARE NOT ALLOWED. Students may use a book reader (Nook/Kindle) for reading but computers/laptops are not allowed for that purpose as it is too difficult to monitor appropriate student behavior.

Assignment Due Dates: Follow this progress schedule to be eligible to earn credit in the class:
by November 29 (T) -- Finish Book #1 and responses due
November 30 (W) – Book Share Day
by December 15 (Th) -- Finish Book #2 and responses due
December 16 (F) -- Book Share Day
by January 17 (T) -- Finish Book #3 and responses due
January 18 (W) -- Book Share Day
January 19-20 -- Annotation Writing for Blog
January 20 -- Grading Window Closes (NO GRACE PERIOD)


NOTE: GUIDELINES REGARDING LATE WORK
Students will have a short grace period following the first two book assignment due dates to allow for unanticipated emergencies and time constraints. However, students missing a due date will lose participation points for not being prepared. Late assignment behavior may generate a contact home (either email or phone call) to update families of outstanding assignment obligations and determine if additional support is needed. If students miss the grace period deadline, they might lose eligibility for class credit. Grace period length will vary by class, assignment, and student circumstances. Students must pay attention to each book assignment’s dates. No grace periods for Book #3. (Students who have a documented special need (IEP) that includes extra writing time must have a dialogue with me about those concerns in the first week of the course. Permission for extensions must be in line with a student’s IEP and requested in advance of the due dates.) Students are expected to participate in sharing sessions and may not use those days for writing or project work time.


Plagiarism:
• When a student uses information (words, paper organization, and/or central ideas) from another source without proper citation it is called plagiarism. “You are therefore cautioned (1) against using, word for word, without acknowledgment, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, etc., from the printed [or online material] of others; (2) against using with only slight changes the materials of another; and (3) against using the general plan, the main headings, or a rewritten form of someone else's material. These cautions apply to the work of other students as well as to the published work of professional writers [either in print or online].” If it is discovered that students “borrow” text from other book reviews, essays, papers, or classmates, it will be considered direct plagiarism and intellectual theft. Such action is in violation of the MMSD Student Code of Conduct and basic guidelines of this course. Students who choose to take such inappropriate action will be required to conference with Denise (and possibly with Aric and parents) and may receive a No Credit grade/evaluation in the course.
Policy Source: Weiser, Irwin. “Academic Honesty Statement.” Purdue OWL: Avoiding Plagiarism. Online. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource

Book Return:
• Students must return all books checked out for class to be eligible for credit in any English class. If a book is lost, talk with your instructor about where you can find a replacement copy, arrange for an alternative replacement, or provide payment for the text. Books have become extremely expensive in the last few years, so in order to maintain our excellent resource libraries here at Shabazz, we must keep close tabs on all our texts.