Mrs. Kara Cosgrove
8th Grade English
Teacher Development Liaison
Mount View Middle School
Course Description:
Throughout the year, we will be studying diverse genres of literature beginning with short stories, fantasy/science fiction, epics and closing the year with tragedy. Writing and grammar will comprise a large portion of this course and will be intermixed with each unit and ongoing throughout the year.
Classroom Rules:
1. Show the 3 R’s- respect, readiness, and responsibility to your peers, teacher and self at all times.
2. Remain in your seat unless invited to move.
3. NO GUM!!!
4. When things are unclear, don’t be afraid to ask for help!!
Required Materials:
All students are to bring a binder with 2 dividers (one labeled Grammar and one labeled Notes), a Pencil and Pen, and, when appropriate, their Novel to class with them on a daily basis. These items are included on the MVMS supply list.
Late Work and Absences:
When a student is absent, it is the responsibility of the student to make up any work that was missed during his/her absence. As described in School Board Policy 8100, “A student may make up and receive a recorded grade for work missed due to lawful absence. Students returning from a lawful absence will have an equal number of days to complete make up work. Students may make up work but WILL NOT receive a recorded grade for work missed due to an unlawful absence” (11).
Late assignments will receive a 10% deduction in grade for every day they are late. After 5 days, the assignment automatically becomes a zero. Homework will either be collected and graded or checked for clarity in class the following day. Homework that is checked in class MAY NOT be turned in late as the correct answers have already been given to the students. The only exception to this would be if a student is absent on the day the assignment is checked in class.
Classroom Communication:
Please be aware that we do have a classroom web site that can be found on the MVMS web page. You can reach our class webpage at http://clc.hcpss.org/~kara_cosgrove/. (Note all letters are lowercase). On our class website, you will find course information, due dates and daily homework assignments.
Also, all grades are reported on TeacherEase at www.teacherease.com. We highly recommend you set up an account to check on your child’s progress. Grades will be updated in TeacherEase every two weeks.
It is our hope that these communication tools will help us work together and ensure the success of our students.
Grading Policy:
All assignments will be graded on a weighted percentage system using the following weighted scale:
Quarterly Assessment- 5%
Homework- 10%
Class Participation (class work and discussions)- 15%
Tests/Quizzes-30%
Projects/Papers-40%
8th Grade English Assignments
Date Assignment- Due Date
11/5 Read "The Earthmen" (pg. 16-30) and answer the two
short answer questions- 25-30 minutes- due Monday
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