Ms. Behnken
Fall 2009-Spring 2010
Room 20
Email: ms.behnken@gmail.com
Phone: 408-535-6300 ext. 320
Office Hours: During Advisory, after
school, and by appt. as needed
Course Contract: ENGLISH
Course Description
This course will be focused on the English Language Arts standards most needed for
mastery on the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) and the California
Standards Test (CST). It will be focused on reading and analyzing various types of
literature and on developing adult writing skills.
Class Materials
Students must have in class everyday:
 A 3-ring binder with 5 dividers
 A notebook/binder paper
 A take-home folder for homework
 2 pencils or pens (black or blue ink only)
 A highlighter
 Their textbook/required reading material
 A book of interest for silent reading
 Their homework
Class Expectations
In order to contribute to a positive learning environment, students are expected to:
1. Be Prompt: Be in your seat, quiet, and ready for class by the bell.
2. Be Prepared: Have assigned materials in class every day: books, binder,
notebook, binder paper, 2 pens (blue or black), 2 pencils, and any homework
or worksheets.
3. Be Polite: Keep all insults and foul language out of the classroom. Listen
quietly when the teacher or another student is talking.
4. Be Productive: Participate actively in class. Ask questions. Work hard.
Follow directions the first time. Remain in your assigned seat unless teacher
gives permission to leave it.
5. Be Proud: Do your best at everything. Keep the classroom clean and safe for
everyone.
Teacher Expectations
The teacher’s goal is to ensure that you learn and understand class material. You can
expect the teacher to:
1. Be Prompt: I will have class ready to start by the bell.
2. Be Prepared: I will have a plan for class.
3. Be Polite: I have great respect for you and will never insult or ridicule you.
4. Be Productive: I will work hard every class and all day to help you succeed.
If you need help—ask.
5. Be Proud: I will be proud of all your successes—please share them with me!
Classroom Policies
Attendance: You must be in class in order to succeed.
 If you are tardy, you will not receive full participation points for the day.
 If you are absent, you cannot earn any participation points for the day.
 You have one day for each absent day to turn in make-up work for full credit.
Oops!: You get 1 Oops! pass per grading period (3 per semester). Additional Oops!
passes may be earned by having full participation points for a 2-week period or a
grading period, or by winning one from the Opportunity Jar. Oops! pass rules:
 Oops! passes may be used to go to the bathroom, drinking fountain, or locker.
If you are found wandering around school you will be given trash duty. Oops!
passes may also be used to clear a tardy or a missing regular HW assignment.
 If using an Oops! pass to leave the room:
1. You must have permission from the teacher. Raise your hand to
request permission.
2. Restroom/water breaks may not be taken for half an hour after a break
(brunch/lunch).
3. Restroom/water breaks must be taken during independent work time,
not whole-class instruction time.
4. When leaving the room, you must sign out and back in with the
teacher.
The Opportunity Pail: Those who go above and beyond earn more opportunities
in life. In this class, you may earn an “opportunity” for things such as being “caught
doing good”, following directions, giving thoughtful answers, thinking outside of the
box, making connections, helping their neighbor, bringing in outside knowledge,
being on task when many others aren’t, etc.
 Opportunity tickets are given out at random at the discretion of the teacher,
and are to be neither expected nor argued about.
 If you ask for an Opportunity, you will never receive it.
 Students who receive an Opportunity fill it out with their name and place
them in the Opportunities Pail for their period.
 At times, the Opportunities Pail will be opened and Opportunities will be
drawn from it to win prizes.
 The Opportunities Pail will be emptied at the start of each new grading
period.
Standard Consequences: If you choose not to meet my expectations, there will be
a consequence. Standard consequences will be:
 Warning
 Lose up to 2 participation points
 Earn 1 min. to stay after class
 Timeout + Reflection
 Referral
Severe behavior will lead to severe consequences. If the teacher determines these
consequences are inappropriate for the behavior, appropriate actions will be taken.
Grading
Grades will be based upon the following:
Participation: You may earn up to 5 participation points each day for meeting
expectations, as follows:
1. Being Prompt: in your seat and quiet before the bell rings.
2. Being Prepared: Having all the materials you will need for class—books,
pens, paper, homework, etc.
3. Being Productive: Completing the DoNow prompt in the first 5 minutes of
class.
4. Being Polite, Productive, & Proud: Participating appropriately, working
hard in class, and trying your best.
If you earn full participation points…
 For 1 week: you will earn an extra Opportunity (see below).
 For 2 weeks: you will earn an extra Oops! pass (see below) OR 5 extra
Opportunities.
 For 1 grading period: you will earn an extra Oops! pass, 10 extra
Opportunities, OR lunch on Ms. Behnken.
Quizzes: There will be a quiz every Friday on the objectives we have been covering.
 Each objective will be worth 5 points.
 You can score from 1-4 on each objective.
 Once you get 2 scores of “4” on an objective, you will earn a “5” in the
gradebook and I will sign it off.
 You may retake any objective as often as necessary—come in during Advisory,
lunch, after school, etc. if it is no longer on the weekly quizzes.
Vocabulary: There will be a Vocabulary quiz every Wednesday. The quiz will
include both new words from the past week and old words for review.
Tests: There will be a Unit Test at the end of each unit (approx. 2-3 per semester).
Reading Logs: Reading must be done outside of the textbook as well. We will fill
out weekly reading logs both in class and at home. Reading at home is essential to
your progress.
Projects: Each unit will have a Unit Project; these will be your large writing
assignments for the course.
Classwork & Homework: Homework will be assigned regularly and is a key to
your success.
 Homework will have a due date. If homework is turned in late, it will receive a
score of 80% its original score. Ex: If you turn in an assignment late and got 9
out of 10 points, you will receive credit for 80% of 9 points, or 7.2 out of 10.
 All classwork and homework must be completed in pencil or blue or black ink.
Work submitted in red ink will not receive credit.