Appointments:

Appointments can be scheduled by Class Dojo, phone, or e-mail.  Please confirm your appointment date and time one day in advance. 

Course Description:

Students will read a variety of fiction and nonfiction texts with the main purpose of developing and refining their critical thinking skills. Each text will inspire class discussions on various topics which help students create solid opinions on important matters. At the same time students will be expanding their knowledge of the English language, specifically its grammar and sentence structure, in order to become better writers and speakers.

Course Expectations:

Always try again. It’s as simple as that. The most important expectation I have for my students is to never give up, and always try again. I place a strong expectation on students developing their capacity for persistence and perseverance, and we all work together to ensure this happens. The second expectation is that all students have (2) Journals for ELA. Each unit gradually builds to an end-of-unit project, which will require the use of all notes acquired. This means that every Thinking Map, every classwork writing assignment, and every homework assignment is important to have organized into these Journals for reference. 

Grading Policy:

Students will be graded on the following:

• Tests
• Quizzes
• Projects
• Classwork
• Homework

All assignments are accompanied with a rubric specific to the task. It is expected that all students review rubrics before submitting work.

Statement for Academic Dishonesty:

Academic honesty is expected in this class.  Cheating will not be tolerated. Any assignment found to be plagiarized, or copied from the internet or somebody else without referencing the source will receive a zero on the assignment. Policies regarding academic dishonesty can also be found in the Yonkers Public Schools Code of Conduct.