9th Grade English—Mrs. Einsweiler
Molly.Einsweiler@ankenyschools.org
Room 1306
Welcome to 9th Grade English!
I am looking forward to getting to know each of you throughout the year! Be prepared to
learn, explore, and grow in ways you never dreamed possible. Know that my first priority
is you. I am available before and after school for help. I am passionate about teaching, and
I hope you leave me at the end of the year feeling accomplished and proud.
Necessary Materials:
Spiral bound notebook with built-in folders
Post-It Notes
Pens, pencils, highlighters
Earbuds or Headphones
ChromeBook
Independent reading book
Grading and Assessment
How students will be graded:
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Letter grades will continue to be assigned for all courses at the secondary level based on the 0-100
percent scale.
When utilizing a rubric with four levels of proficiency (Beginning, Making Progress, Meeting the
Standard, Exceeding), teachers will show the connection between a student’s performance on the
rubric to the assigned grade within the 0-100 percent scale. This connection will be communicated at
the onset of its use and throughout the learning progression for the purpose of providing feedback.
Categories/Weighting in Infinite Campus:
o Formative assessments will be marked separately in the gradebook, and will not carry a
weighted grade.
o Summative assessments will make up 100% of your child’s grade in English.
o Behavior will be reported separately.
Minimum Percent 92.5 89.5 86.5 82.5 79.5 76.5 72.5 69.5 66.5 62.5 59.5 59 and below
Letter Grade
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F
Board-Approved Standards: Iowa Core ELA Standards
Ankeny School District Guiding Practices:
Multiple and Varied Assessment Opportunities (including Retakes)
All students should have multiple assessment opportunities to demonstrate higher levels of
achievement. The opportunities may be initiated by the instructor or the student, but always at the
instructor’s discretion. Additional opportunities may include retakes of an alternate form of an assessment
(e.g., Form B instead of Form A), student revisions of work products based on descriptive feedback, or
alternative methods of assessments (e.g., an oral response rather than a written test).
Guidelines for retakes include the following:
 Students will be provided the opportunity to be reassessed (i.e., retakes and homework).
 Teachers determine appropriateness and authentic need for reassessments.
 Generally, reassessments will be limited to one retake per assessment. Additional reassessments will
be provided at the discretion of the teacher.
 Retakes will be taken within a reasonable time frame that the teacher determines and informs
students of in advance.
Homework / Independent Practice
Homework is an opportunity for students to practice skills, apply knowledge, review and build on past
learning, and extend learning. Homework is individualized and based on each student’s progress towards
established standards. The purpose of the assignment will determine whether or not a grade is given and
will be clearly articulated to students. Through independent learning tasks (homework), students assume
more responsibility for their learning and are given opportunities to apply what they have learned to new
situations or experiences.
Independent Reading and Book Clubs:
Your child will be reading at least one book per month, either as an independent reading book or one as part
of a book club group. Parents, please have conversations with your child about the specific titles and the
types of books they are choosing. This is a wonderful opportunity to discuss your child’s interests and
what they are discovering about the world and themselves, through their books. If you have any questions
about the reading selections your child has chosen, please contact me.
Independent Reading:
Students will be asked to read independently as a way to build their reading stamina. Students have
limitless options for self-selecting their independent reading titles, as specific books for independent
reading are not assigned as part of the language arts curriculum.
Book Clubs:
As part of our ongoing book club model, students will be reading a book chosen from an extensive selection
of books that have been purchased by the district. Students will have to be proactive in setting reading
goals so that you can finish your book each month. Students will discuss their books in small groups and
complete formative and summative assessments that will assess the reading and writing standards, within
the context of their book club book. We will begin book clubs in October.
Extra Credit and Bonus Points
To ensure that grades reflect progress toward and achievement of the standards, giving extra credit points
or bonus points will not occur in this class.
Behavioral Expectations
 The vision of the Ankeny Community Schools is that behavior will be reported separately from
academic achievement.
 Behavior expectations for this course:
o It is important to me that you contribute to my classroom in a positive manner through your
work ethic and interaction with others.
o It is important that you are, at all times, safe, respectful, and responsible.
Formative and Summative Assessment: Definitions
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Formative Assessment: Formal and informal processes teachers and students use to gather evidence
for the purpose of improving learning.
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Summative Assessment: Assessments that provide evidence of student achievement for the purpose
of making a judgment about student competence or program effectiveness.
Tardy Policy
Students will be physically in the classroom by the end of the bell. If they are not, they will be marked as
tardy.
Preparedness
Students will be prepared to learn with needed materials when class begins, including their Chromebook,
notebook, writing utensils, and reading book. Students will not be allowed to go to their lockers or leave for
hydration purposes once class has started.
Instructional Time
Only one student at a time will be allowed out of the room. Sign out and sign in required.
Late and Missing Work Policy:
It is my expectation that you will not have any missing work in English. It is also my expectation that you
will turn in assignments on their due date. I do understand that things come up and that life is busy for
ninth graders. If there is a problem or something comes up, please see me or email me as soon as possible
and we’ll work out a solution together. If you have a missing assignment, it will remain as
INCOMPLETE in the gradebook, which can prevent you from advancing to English 10.
*Broken printers, no Internet access, or uncharged Chromebooks are not an acceptable excuse for late work.
If all else fails, email me assignments or write them out on paper.
What Are We Going To DO This Year?
Part 1: Reading Closely/ Writing to Analyze and Create Experiences
Part 2: Working with Evidence and Making Claims
Part 3: Building and Communicating Knowledge through Research
Part 4: Understanding and Evaluating Argument: Analyzing Text to Write Arguments
*Syllabus is subject to change throughout the year depending on the needs of my students
Please READ the course info, SIGN, and RETURN this sheet to Mrs. Einsweiler.
Students:
Please sign below to signify that you have read the course sheet for Mrs. Einsweiler’s class, will keep it in
your folder, will be responsible for the information throughout the year, and will check Infinite Campus at
least twice per month at school or at home. Signing also indicates that you will be having discussions with
your parents about your independent reading books. Also, please indicate that you are aware that cell
phones are to be kept out of sight or off unless otherwise indicated by me, and that you are following
school-wide expectations for Chromebook use.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Student’s printed name
Student’s signature
Parents/Guardians:
Please sign below to indicate that you have read the course sheet for Mrs. Einsweiler’s class and that you’ll
help your child be accountable for the information. If you have questions about the course, what your child
is reading, your child’s work, or anything at all, please do not hesitate to contact me; email is the best way
to reach me quickly. See the top of this form for my email. Signing also indicates that you have discussed
appropriate cell phone usage with your child. As both a teacher and a parent, I realize there are times that
texting/emailing is the most convenient way to get information to your child, but encourage them to check
their phone at appropriate times. Lunch, study hall, and passing time are such times.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Parent/Guardian printed name
Parent/Guardian signature
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Parent/Guardian email (please print)
Parent/Guardian’s daytime phone number