Instructor: Ms. Brenda Rodgers                                                                                                

Course: Creative Writing I

Room Number: 124

 

Dear Parent/Guardian,

                It is with great pleasure that I welcome you and your child to the beginning of the new school year. The following information will introduce you to this course and its expectations for your child. Together, student, parent, and teacher will create a respectful environment for learning success.

 

Required Texts and Materials:

Students are to have these items every day in order to be successful in my class: 3-ring binder with dividers, plenty of college ruled loose-leaf paper, several pencils and pens, and an online Google Drive account. Classroom organization of graded papers requires that each student turn in three manila folders. Do not write anything on them, including your name, they will be labeled for you. You will turn in a $5.00 course materials fee before the end of the first six-weeks. This fee is used to buy the testing scantrons, copies, and other materials distributed and used during the course. Bonus points will be awarded for turning in fee during the first six weeks.

 During the year, you will be required to purchase several books to use in this course. They are purchased for cash through the school library. You will be given several weeks advance notice to ensure your funds are available at the proper time for ordering. You may also purchase them online or at a bookstore, but the cost will be higher for you. If the books are not purchased and available on time for the lessons, students will lose points and potentially receive failing grades.

 

Course Description and Grading

                This Creative Writing course is an English elective. The St. Landry Parish grading scale is used for scoring work. Poetry, prose, and the literary elements needed to successfully present the writing will be covered. Students will write poems and fiction. Grammar and mechanics techniques will be covered as needed. All assignments must be typed, double-spaced in MLA format, which will be taught. Students without home computers may use the library computers before school and during lunch recess to type assignments. Printing is also available in the library for twenty-five cents per page for those without a printer, so students should keep a couple of dollars on hand for this purpose. No excuses are accepted. We will keep an electronic portfolio on the USB drive to showcase student work.

Daily work is part of your participation grade for the course. You are expected to be on time, have all materials, participate positively, and complete all activities to receive your daily credit. You will be required to work at home to complete this course. Late assignments will be charged a points penalty of 10% per day regardless of reason. Absences are excluded only if a doctor’s excuse is presented the day you return.

You are expected in class daily. Do not ask to go to another teacher for any reason. If you miss this class more than the allowed number of times you will automatically fail for the year. Do not ask to leave the room for locker, bathroom, or water; you have several minutes between classes to do those things before you arrive. Tardies are recorded and reported to the office for consequences. Arrive on time. We will discuss additional policies and procedures as needed in the classroom and you are expected to adhere to them.

Whenever possible, we will have visiting writers present seminars to the class. These opportunities are very special and students can learn a lot about writing from these published successful professionals. We will participate in writing competitions that can earn prizes as often as possible. We will learn how to be solidly based and well-rounded in writing and have a good time exploring our creative personalities.

Together we can have a happy and successful school year!