Grading Scale:

A - 90% +

B - 80 - 89%

C - 70 - 79%

D - 60-69%

F - 0 - 59%

No grade will be given for unsubmitted assignments.

You must make an effort to read, write, and improve. Class time allows us to work together and for me to provide feedback or clarity to topics that may be unclear.

Reading Activities & Assessments

We will have various activities and assessments before, during, or after the end of each unit. Please prepare by participating in class discussions, weekly student application minutes, small groups, and assessments. The more you participate the more you will improve.

Writing Activities & Assessments

Weekly, we will have small writing activities outside of your textbook. You will have an opportunity to grow your writing and submit pieces that you are proud of for a final grade.

Speaking & Listening

Your ability to communicate orally is one of your greatest assets. Daily class responses, presentation assignments, and individual/group activities will all be assessed informally and formally. Expectations will be apparent and attainable by every student.

Please fill out the regrade request form in Google Classroom if you need an item regraded. I won't know you've done it unless you do, and it ensures that I do not miss giving anyone their points back.

Regrades are only completed once per week on Wednesdays.

As educators, we recognize that life happens, and it is essential to be flexible within reason. Therefore, students will be given a 48-hour buffer period to submit their work after the original deadline. During this window, students will still receive full credit for their assignments.

However, any homework submitted after the 48-hour buffer period will be subject to a late penalty. Each day an assignment is late, the grade will be reduced by one letter grade. This policy is in place to encourage timely submission and to maintain fairness among all students.

This policy strikes a balance between understanding the challenges students may face and maintaining academic rigor. Students need to develop time management skills and meet deadlines while acknowledging that unexpected circumstances can arise.

Merced High School

Room 116

Contact:

kemesa@muhsd.org

Office Hours: By appointment

Throughout the year, students will enhance their writing abilities by practicing the art of crafting effective sentences, paragraphs, and multi-paragraph essays. They will also learn essential literary terms and how to apply them when discussing and writing about literature. The curriculum covers both fiction and non-fiction, grammar rules, and vocabulary.

Students will study the same text that they used last year as we use the READ180 curriculum. We assess reading levels three times per year to determine whether students are making progress toward their overall goals for the year.

Lastly, this curriculum plan is tentative and subject to change. We will continue assessing and adapting our teaching strategies to best meet our students' needs.

1. A valid instructional or other school-related purpose means that the teacher or district employee has determined that the use of such devices is integral to the completion of an assigned project. This should be teacher directed (not student selected) and could include photos, calculators, Google Translate, etc.

2. Cell phones are allowed during passing periods, before and after school, and at lunch.

3. No student shall be prohibited from possessing or using an electronic signaling device that is determined by a licensed physician or surgeon and determined to be essential for the student’s health through an IEP, 504, or Student Health Plan, and the use of which is limited to purposes related to the student’s health.

Students will be permitted to place their phones at Mrs. Mesa's charging station during the period but will not be allowed to check or retrieve their devices until the period ends.

If students violate this expectation, they will be addressed as follows:

1. 1st step- turn in the phone to the Intervention Center for the remainder of the day, and the Intervention Center instructor will make a parent phone call.

2. 2nd step- turn in the phone to the Intervention Center for the remainder of the day, and the Intervention Center instructor will make a parent phone call.

3. 3rd step- turn in the phone to the Intervention Center for the remainder of the day, and the Intervention Center instructor will make a parent phone call.

4. 4th step- turn in the phone to the Intervention Center for the remainder of the day, and the Intervention Center instructor will make a parent phone call. An after-school detention will be assigned, and a parent/guardian must pick up the phone at the end of the day.

5. 5th step- turn in the phone to the Intervention Center for the remainder of the day, and the Intervention Center instructor will make a parent phone call. An after-school detention will be assigned, and the phone must be picked up by a parent/guardian at the end of the day

If you have an excused absence, you have 2 school days to complete and submit work with no penalty. All others are on a case-by-case basis, and you need to email Mrs. Mesa to discuss the issue and proposed time frame for completion.

All assignments are due at the beginning of class and will be checked for completion.

Independent Reading Book

Pencils/Pens (blue or black ink)