Leander High School

 

 

ENGLISH III
 
 

 


B. Moneyhun                                                                                    Room 327

E-mail: BONNY.MONEYHUN@leanderisd.org                                         435-LEAN ext. 81327

 

Welcome!

I would just like to take the time right now to tell you how happy I am that each of you is going to be in this class.  I know that we are going to have a wonderful learning experience this year.  Being a nature lover, each year I love to watch how the fruit trees in my side yard begin to bud, blossom, bear fruit, and grow during their spring and summer cycle. As a teacher I will enjoy watching you grow and blossom, and I hope to grow as a person as well.  In order to get started on our productive adventure, we will need to plant a garden.  First, in order to establish a good root system, we need fertile soil.  One way to create this fertile soil is to till solid Core Values into the garden.

 

MY CORE VALUES

 

In this ever changing, sometimes turbulent world, successful people have learned to function by using their CORE Values to create the root system that nourishes their mind, body, and soul.  Operating from this set of Core Values allows them to handle any storms that life might manufacture and still continue to grow and thrive. In order to help you prepare for life and provide you with the academic background and life skills to be a productive learner, an effective communicator, and a responsible citizen, I would like to share my Core Values with you.  Hopefully, you will recognize some of your own as well:

Responsibility

Text Box: "Character--the willingness to accept responsibility for one's own life--is the source from which self-respect springs.” -----Joan Didion           

 

 

 

·          Come to class every day.  It is crucial that, unless you are very ill or it is an extreme emergency, you need to be in class every day.  The work you have to do is difficult enough to accomplish when you are present every day.  Establish a contact with at least one peer in class to help you keep up with assignments.  Be sure to put your email address at the bottom of the last page.  One goal of mine this year is to regularly email class assignments and post them on my teacher web page.  Nevertheless, some things are easy to catch up on, but more often than not you will miss out on important discussions, chances to participate, and explanations if you miss too much class time. Remember, there are only about 15 class days each six weeks!

 

·          Be Prepared for the class.  Just as in the real world, the successful people are the people who plan, budget, and prepare; these same ingredients are necessary for you to be successful in this class and in school.  Excuses for late or missing work are just that. 

 

Empathy

· Empathy is the ability to put yourself in some one else’s shoes.  To feel what he/she feels.  Empathy is a very important aspect of being a human being. It is what makes us truly human.  It is what guides your conscience.  People who don’t have empathy become socio- and psychopaths with no roots.  They become like a deadly fungus that just feeds on and uses other people but never can establish a symbiotic, synergistic relationship.

Sincerity

· Sincerity is Honesty and Integrity.  The Sincere person is strong enough to face his or her own shortcomings, which is sometimes very hard to do, but it also makes that person stronger when he/she can admit and grow from it.  Everyone makes mistakes!  The smart person admits the mistake and learns from it.  The Sincere person is also the person that makes a promise and keeps it even if that promise is difficult to keep. 

Patience

· Patience truly is a virtue that grows with time.  Empathy helps to strengthen patience because seeing the situation or task through the other person’s eyes and feelings helps you to understand.  A phrase that has helped me to strengthen my patience is to ask myself,  “What’s more important right now?”  It helps me to step back, see the big picture, empathize with the other person, and sometimes to refocus my own thinking.

Text Box: Thomas Edison once said, "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." Enthusiasm

     

 

·          A passion for living and learning should fill each day.  Trying your best is all I ask.  That's not much is it?!!  In order to experience all the value that this class has to offer, you have to keep an open mind, a willing spirit, and a desire to learn it all.  It's okay in this class to make mistakes -- mistakes are one of your greatest learning tools.  However, it's not okay not to even try. 

Caring

·          When I hear, “I don’t care!”  I hear a person who is frustrated, feels defeated, and is withering from the inside out.  Caring is something that can be stimulated into growing, very much like a hothouse tulip.  Take a tip from A.A. and even if you don’t FEEL like you care, ACT like you care.  Before long, you’ll discover that you are no longer just acting, and the Caring will begin to wake you up and revitalize you.  And part of Caring is Sharing.  Share with us your frustrations, your fears, and your successes because we do CARE. 

Text Box: " No dream comes true until you wake up and go to work."
 


Tolerance / Trust

 

·          Treat everyone as you yourself wish to be treated.  Just as in a garden different plants can grow and thrive next to each other, people can too. Everyone is different and unique, but by working together and appreciating those differences, we can create a new and even better garden.  Atticus Finch, in To Kill A Mockingbird, always profoundly admonished Scout to walk around in the other person's shoes before judging them. I trust you will use that philosophy when working with others. That includes your teacher as well! 

 

 

You may have noticed that I actually created an Acrostic poem with my CORE Values.  That’s because I believe the CORE Values are all part of what respect is all about.  You may have heard the axiom, “You can’t demand respect, you have to earn it.” I believe that. I also believe respect, for myself and for others, is nourished by these CORE Values.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With this rich soil to nurture you, what else can help you to grow and blossom?  Every good gardener knows that to maintain a growing garden certain tools are necessary.  Some tools you will need will be:

 

 

SUPPLIES

 

 

Personal Portfolio. A Three-Ring 1½” to 2” Hard-cover Binder Notebook with pockets.  I know this sounds really picky and it is, but there is a reason.  I have found that this is what works the best because of the different sections you will need, the handouts you will receive, and the writing that you will be doing.  If you set up your notebook at the beginning of the school year, you will discover the sense of strength and comfort from having this support.  Because you will need to make different sections, you will need dividers¾one pack of the 5-Dividers will work.  See me if you cannot afford them. The Portfolio will be divided into the following major sections:

GOALS/DCR (Handouts will be Multi-Colored)

WRITING – (Handouts will be in Yellow)

LITERATURE – (Handouts will be in Green)

CAREERS/Cool Week – (Handouts will be in Pink)

Research

Résumés

REFERENCE (Handouts will be in Blue)

The Portfolios are evaluated each six weeks, not only will they be judged on their appearance, but, more importantly, on the evidence of progress that can be seen from your work. Think of this as the place that will display your work, your progress, your growth during the year. (See Grading Rubric at back of handout.)

 

Your TEXTBOOKS.  Yes, you will be expected to bring your own book to

class!

Loose-leaf Paper.  Have some in your portfolio to use.

A pencil and a pen.  You need something to write with.  If you can buy

different colored ink pens that would be great for editing purposes, but please limit finished handwritten drafts to blue or black ink, thanks.  That fluorescent pink is a killer on the eyes. Colored pencils are available in the class, so make use of them.

(3) - Three-prong, two-pocket folders. They will be used when you are                                           submitting a written project that has gone through revising stages to a

finished (publish ready) product.

An SSR novel to read during SSR Time.  This is a novel of your choice

and your interest.  If you’ve never read a novel, now is the time to feed your imagination!

 

GRADING POLICY

 

Grades are simply tools.  They are not the be all and end all of learning and in a perfect learning environment would not have to exist.  However, we can use them as tools to help indicate your growth.  The basic grading percentages are as follows:

 

Daily Assignments/Participation, Attendance, DCRs,                             25%

Quizzes, Rough Drafts, Individual TEJs, Informal Presentations              25%

Major Projects/Presentations, Final Drafts                                                         25%

6 Weeks Project/ Major Presentations/ Portfolios                                             25%

Semester Exam (Equals 1/7th of total grade)                                                      14.285%

 

Each major assignment will have a beginning rubric to help you understand the goals of the assignment and an evaluation rubric which will contain the original rubric plus any skills or items that may have been studied/covered during the assignment.

 

Late Work will not be accepted.  I understand that you are each unique and have your own growing cycle, but if I don’t want our garden to become a rank and overgrown mess, then I must weed out what can adversely affect you.  Late work and lame excuses are weeds.  They must go.  If you have an excused absence, refer to your student handbook for the basic rule.  Please if you have access, e-mail me, and I can send your work to you.  In addition, major writing assignments will be given window due dates.  This means that within a certain number of days the assignment can be turned in without losing points.  The windows usually consist of two-three week days, not class days but week days, for example Monday through Thursday of a week might be the window and you could turn in the assignment on one of those days, even if you didn’t have class that day.

 

 
DISCIPLINE

 

A discipline policy is a tool that can be used to consistently and fairly handle those pesky problems that might interfere with our growth.  I have found over the years that the following discipline policy works effectively.  If you have a real problem with this, then we will discuss it.

1st Time Offense       Verbal Warning - This includes, "Class, you need to get                                                                      quiet." and similar statements that are addressed to the                                                               entire class or to an individual student. 

2nd Offense                You will write me a Letter with a Problem-Solving Formula.

Hopefully, you will be able to solve the problem yourself.

3rd Offense                Parental Call/Conference

4th Offense                 Heaven forbid it gets to this stage! Referral to the assistant                                                                   principal's (AP) office.  I can’t and won’t try to change the A.A.’s

decision on this, so let’s work together before it reaches this point.

 

This discipline policy does not apply to extremely disruptive (fighting, loud arguing, cursing, insubordination, possession of illegal substances, etc.) behavior which will be immediately referred to the office on a disciplinary form.

 

If for any reason a parent needs to contact me, my voice mail number is 435-8251. I will return any calls as quickly as possible.  Also my e-mail address is BONNY.MONEYHUN@leander.isd.tenet.edu.  Please, I encourage you to make use of this new avenue of communication.   Last year I found it was quicker and more efficient than the phone.  We didn’t have to play phone tag and I was able to attach handouts and homework.

The top portion of this handout will be kept in the reference section of the student's notebook.  The last page portion is to be returned to the teacher.

 
 
 

 

 


Mrs. B Moneyhun

 

 

 

 

 

By signing and returning this portion of the handout I acknowledge that I have read and understand what is expected and needed to be successful in Mrs Moneyhun's ENGLISH Class.

I also understand that by returning this page to the teacher, a recurring 100 for a homework grade will be received.

 

Student's Signature________________________________________Date____________

 

Student’s Email Address______________________________________

 

 

 

Parent/Guardian's Signature_____________________________________Date___________

 

E-Mail Address ________________________________________________________________