participation
Please, refer to the "Participation and Attendance" tab under "Class Policies" for more information on how this aspect of your grade will be earned. However, do not forget that it accounts for 10% of your overall grade.
Journals
Journals will factor in as 10% of your grade. Make sure you keep up on the readings and stay organized with your journals as you will turn in a final product to me. The journals will be checks to check for understanding of class concepts and to make sure you are keeping up with the readings. Sometimes I will ask zanier questions for easy credit and to get to know you and the other students. Remember to date your journals and to bring them daily. I reserve the right to collect journals randomly. This way you don't wait to do them all at once and I can get more accurate checks of how you are keeping up in class. You will get 100% om journals if you demonstrate a good effort. Don't worry about perfect grammar and spelling, just try to show what you know and show me how you are connecting to the text to "make it your own".
Homework
Homework is worth 35% of your grade. Homework will include smaller writing assignments and concept building activities that will help you to acquire the knowledge necessary for you to gain before completing larger, culminating tasks such as the papers and projects of this course.
Papers/Projects
There will be two papers/projects each semester. Each project that is not a traditional paper will include a good deal of writing. The first paper will be worth 15% of your overall grade. The second paper/project will be worth 20% of your overall grade. The first paper will be a more traditional essay. For the second in each semester, you will three have options to choose from that range in emphasis from more traditional to more creative to more pragmatic. Each project will have a technological basis that will require you to interact with a group of colleagues from this class.
Tests
There will be three quarter exams over the year that will account for 5% of your grade. These exams will be in class and modeled off the "Smarter Balance"exam. There will be final worth 5% as well, but it will not take the form of "Smarter Balance" preparation. The final will be partially multiple choice and matching, but also ha significant writing portions for literary analysis. The final will not be cumulative.