2011-2012 English I Class Expectations
Mr. Oakley, Room 113, Warren Hills Regional H.S.
Educational Goals
To develop and refine reading, writing, and thinking skills
every day.
Rules
 Review your student handbook. All rules will be enforced, including policies regarding
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attendance, electronic devices, and plagiarism.
Respect your classmates. This rule includes listening and keeping quiet if a classmate is
speaking and raising your hand at appropriate times when you have something to say.
Respect yourself. In other words, be sure to raise your hand if you have a comment or question,
complete all homework, and do your best.
Respect your regular classroom teacher and substitute teachers. Three common mistakes that
will not be tolerated: holding a side conversation with a classmate while the teacher (or another
student) is talking, lining up at the door to exit the classroom a minute or two before the final
bell rings, and using the classroom garbage can as a basketball hoop.
Stay away from the teacher’s desk and chair unless the teacher requests your presence in that
area.
Materials
Bring the following items to class every day:
 3-ring binder (3 inches; see other side of this sheet for details)
 Blank notebook paper inside the binder
 Two or more pens: blue or black ink only
 Vocabulary book
 Any novel or non-fiction book we are studying
 Independent reading book (when assigned)
Ninth Grade Academy Policy on Long-Term Assignment Deadlines
To earn full credit, an assignment must be ready upon entering the classroom on the day it is due.
Late assignments will lose 10 percent for each day they are late for up to three school days, after
which they will not be accepted. Please note that a day is counted whether or not your class meets
on that day.
English Language Arts Policy on Homework
Day-to-day homework is expected to be completed and submitted on time. Homework not ready at
the time it is due is considered late and may be handed in the next school day along with an
additional assignment to be determined by the teacher for half credit. Again, please note that a day
is counted whether or not you have class on that day.
Evaluation of Student Work
Grades will be calculated using a total points system. You will be informed of point values for each
graded assignment. Even if work is not graded, it still counts!
MOST IMPORTANTLY, HAVE AN AWE-INSPIRING YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL!
The Three-Ring Binder:
Your Lifeline to Success
You are required to keep class notes, completed assignments, blank paper for freewrites and formal writing assignments, and other material in a three-ring binder. The
width of the binder should be 3 inches. Keeping an up-to-date and organized binder
will help you prepare for quizzes and tests, including the final exam at the end of the
school year. In addition, each marking period will include at least two “notebook spot
checks” in which you can earn points by showing the teacher that your binder is
organized and contains all of the necessary information. Therefore, always do your
best to keep your notebook up-to-date and well-organized!
Here are a few simple procedures to follow for your binder:
 Divide your binder into the following four sections: General Notes, Literary
Terms, Free Writing, and Assessment Portfolio. The General Notes section is
reserved for in-class note-taking and for handouts that you receive from your
teacher. Literary Terms should contain your notes about literature- and writingrelated terms that we will cover in class (e.g., alliteration, epiphany, irony, and
foreshadowing). You will get to practice your writing ability in the Free Writing
section. The Assessment Portfolio will be the storage place for all completed
assignments; you must keep all graded work in this section of your binder
because, by the end of the year, we will use that work as part of a special project.
 Homework assignments should be written on a computer and then printed out. (If
you do not have a computer available at home, please let Mr. Oakley know.) For
in-class work, write all entries in blue or black ink only. Pencil is unacceptable.
 At the top of each writing assignment you must use a Modern Language
Association (MLA) heading and title. (More information on MLA headings and
MLA style will be given to you during the first two weeks of class.)
 A three-hole punch will be available in the classroom for students to use whenever
they wish to add non-hole-punched pages to their binders.
These practices will make it easier for you to locate information. Please note that you
will be asked to refer to notebook entries for class activities, assessments, and/or a
grade. Bottom line: Always keep everything given back to you and everything you
write for this class.