Language Arts 9 Grading Policies:
Grades in this course will be based on Academic Practice (20% of student grade) and
Academic Achievement (80% of student grade). I will let you know what each assignment falls under more specifically as we move along in the curriculum.
Academic Practice (AP):
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Class discussion
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Prep notes
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First drafts of essays or reports
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Some quizzes
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Some homework
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Informal observations of group work
Academic Achievement (AA):
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Tests
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Most quizzes
 Projects
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Final drafts of essay or reports
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Some homework
Course Assessments and Grading Scale
Students will be assessed on a point system. Approximately 80 percent of the final mark will be derived from academic achievement; the remaining 20 percent, academic practice. Each assignment will be awarded a specific number of points based on the extent and difficulty of the assignment. Students will also be assessed on their level of participation in the course. The Green
High School grading scale will be employed. The grading scale is as follows:
98-100 = A+
93-97.99 = A
90-92.99 = A-
87-89.99 = B+
83-86.99 = B
80-82.99 = B-
77-79.99 = C+
73-76.99 = C
70-72.99 = C-
67-69.99 = D+ < 60 = F
63-66.99 = D
60-62.99 = D-
The final mark will be determined by doubling the sum of the four nine-week percentages and adding the midterm and final exam percentages. The resulting figure will be divided by ten to determine the final percentage. This number will then be rounded (averages ending in .50 and above will be rounded up to the nearest whole number; averages ending in .49 and below, down

to the nearest whole number). The corresponding letter grade will be assigned. Percentages are rounded only to determine the final mark. Quarter/semester percentages will not be rounded.
Example Report Card
First Nine Weeks: 89.32 = B+
Second Nine Weeks 84.65 = B
Midterm Exam 78.88 = C+
Third Nine Weeks 89.91 = B+
Fourth Nine Weeks 87.71 = B+
Final Exam 80.04 = B
Final Percentage 86.00 (rounded down from 86.21)
Final Mark B
Principal’s Addendum
At Green High School, grades are calculated in all classes based on the 80/20 Policy. As a result, a student’s grade is divided into two categories: Academic Achievement and Academic Practice.
After a student has had sufficient instruction and practice on a topic, it is then reasonable to judge his/her mastery of the information or skills in the form of academic achievement assessments. The purpose is to evaluate how well a student has learned the material. Eighty percent of the total course grade comes from academic achievement and will consist of tests
(oral, written and performance), some quizzes, some homework, writings, projects or presentations. Whenever a student learns new material he or she goes through a time of wrestling with the material before eventually mastering the information or skills. It is expected that a student will make some mistakes during this learning process. Work completed during this learning period is considered academic practice . Twenty percent of the total course grade comes from academic practice and will consist of some quizzes, homework, first drafts of writing, teacher questions during instruction, some worksheets, informal observations or pre-testing.

Texts
Elements of Literature , HRW (Third Course)
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D, Sadlier-Oxford (Through Unit 10)
Principal Works Covered
Novels
 Night Elie Wiesel
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Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare
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The Odyssey Homer
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Fahrenheit 451 Bradbury (We will use this as our first class FREE READ during quarter
1…more details to follow.)
Short Stories
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The Most Dangerous Game
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The Necklace
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The Sniper
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The Cask of Amontillado
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The Gift of the Magi
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Other selections from the text
Grammar/Mechanics/Usage Focus
Core Writing Assignments
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Narrative Writing
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Opinion Writing
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Informative Writing
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Informal writing for various purposes (journals, poetry)
 Responses to literature (short answer, essay, etc.)
Vocabulary
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Vocabulary Workshop, Level D (goal for semester is 10 units of 20 words each)
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Vocabulary from reading selections (literature text)

Research and Writing Focus
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Developing and narrowing a topic and thesis statement
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Evaluating credibility of sources
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Developing an outline
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Paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting
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Developing reasoning to explain how evidence supports a claim
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MLA in-text citations (parenthetical references)
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MLA Works Cited Page
 Power point, movie maker and oral presentations will also be a part of research projects
Important Websites
Vocabulary Resources: http://www.sadlier-oxford.com
http://www.quizlet.com
Use this website to link to the Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary Workshop site which offers the wordlists, games, learning activities, practice quizzes and more. Language Arts 9 uses Level D.
Plagiarism
As a staff, we are using Turnitin.com to bring awareness and avoidance of plagiarism from our students. Any work produced wholly or partly through cheating/plagiarism receives a grade of zero. Those involved in plagiarism receive a call home and attend a conference with our principal, Mrs. Brown for possible disciplinary action.
Informal Writing, Formal Writing, and Homework Assignments
Follow the MLA format and heading below. All major papers must be typed using 12-point
Times New Roman and be double spaced throughout. You may put one or two spaces after end punctuation. Papers are required to have one-inch margins on all boundaries. Do not attempt any legerdemain in an endeavor to stretch your paper. You will be discovered and penalized. Channel your efforts on the content and quality of your writing—not its length.
Student Name
Teacher’s Name
Class Name and Class Period
Assignment Name

Date