Students can access online learning activities and tests with Holt through the individual user names and passwords supplied by the teacher. Soon class assignments will, also, be posted through the HRW website. Parents, ask you students to show you the HRW area online.
My Class Rules: All my class rules derive from one essential rule! I ask students to simply have and show respect, for themselves, for others, for the classroom, for their families, for the school, for their education, etc. All misbehavior arises from a failure to respect someone or something. Please read the school's student handbook to be well-acquainted with our school rules. Of particular distraction from education are:
- cellphones (must be OFF and in a purse or backpack)
- MP3 Players (should not be brought to school at all)
- food, gum or candy in the classroom
- grooming in the classroom
- not bringing textbooks, writing impliments or paper
- tardiness to class
- unpreparedness
- distracting sociality and inattentiveness during instruction or when time is allowed for specific work
Please know that I strive to enforce the school rules consistently to maximize learning.
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Hello Students & Parents! Welcome to another school year. Many of you know me as a computer and business teacher. But, this year, I've returned to my first love, English Literature. Our goal is for all students to become proficient readers & writers, and critical thinkers. The State of California has set down standards, by grade level and subject, for teachers and students.
Please familiarize yourself with California's standards for English Language Arts. The annual Spring STAR examinations specifically test those standards. You will find many links at the English Departmental homepage regarding standards and testing.
V.C.U.S.D. has adopted the Holt, Reinhart, Winston (HRW) Literature and Language Arts series for secondary schools. We have a minimum course of study which must be covered over the term of each quarter. Students will have an opportunity to demonstrate what they've learned when district administered quarterly exams are given. These exams provide invaluable data for teachers to see in what areas a student or entire class need particular work to address weaknesses.
It is critical that students bring their textbooks so that classes can cover the material without obstacles in a timely manner. It is equally important that students do assigned reading at home so that precious class time may more effectively be used for discussion: interpretation, inferential and critical thinking about one's reading, etc. Success follows when students are organized, have a quiet place in the home to study and do their homework. Many of these positives depend on the influence of parents and guardians at home. So, I hope that this web site will assist you.
HOMEWORK: Every single school day, English students have homework, at the very least this would be the outside reading requirement (see below). All readings for the minimumn course of study in our Holt Literature and Language Arts textbook need careful reading at home. Literary Response and Analysis sections at the end of required selections are typically done as homework and, from time to time, there are other homework assignments that involve prewriting (including research) and writing activities directly related to writing workshops that are fully described in the Holt Reinhard text books issued to students. Check the online agenda found as a link on either the 11th grade or 10th grade minimum course of study pages. The agendas are in MSWord file formats for print out and help students remember when to have reading selections read, when to bring books and major events, e.g. tests and due dates for essays.
State of California OUTSIDE READING REQUIREMENT: Everyday, students must work toward the goal of meeting the State of California requirements for "outside" reading, over and above what is required by the course. 9th and 10th grade students are required to read 1.5 million words a school year. That translates to approximately 12-15 books a year (depending on the font size and book thickness) or a minimum of 15 pages a night. 11th and 12th students must cover 2 million words each academic year over and above curricular reading. This translates to 14-18 books with a minimum of 20 pages of reading each night. Meeting the outside reading requirement is a part of a student's grade. 5% is evidence through oral book reports which may be given on Wednesdays. Another 5% is earned through regular attendance to our Wednesday Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) days.
To compute the number of words in a book:
- Choose a full text page from the middle of the book
- Count the number of words in 3 lines
- Divide that number by 3
- Multiply that number by the number of lines on the page (for number of words on a page)
- Multiply the number of words on the page by the number of pages in the book
Here is an example from Bud, Not Buddy (pg. 90) in the Holt, Rinehart and Winston Library (meaning their printed version with a little larger font):
- # words in 3 lines = 35
- 35/3 = 11.7
- 12 X 28 lines = 327.6 words per page
- 327.6 X 241 pages = 78,951 words in the book
If a student reads books like this, he/she would need to read 25 books to reach 2 million words. "Bud Not Buddy" is a 5th Grade Reading Level Book. A high school student reading at grade level should not choose such a book as an outside reading book.
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Schedule
- English 11
- English 10
- Prep Period
- English 11
- English 11
- English 11
Location:
M101
Phone
Ext.# 51026
As
you don't wish your child's education
interupted, please call during 4th "Prep" time only
Voice
Mail: ext. 51026 (Voice mail
may prove unsatisfactory for those requiring
an immediate or timely response! Email
is better)
E-Mail:
amalchiodi@vallejo.k12.ca.us or webmaster@jessebethel.net
Mrs. Malchiodi's personal bio is online as well as resume.
Attendance & Grades: The State of Calfornia considers regular attendance in state public schools as a necessary pre-requisit to earning credit. The V.C.U.S.D. has established a maximum number of absences (excused or unexcused) per year- long course as 18, which is the equivalent of 9 per semester or no more than 4.5 per quarter. In addition, three unexcused tardies is the equivalent of one unexcused absence. Any absences in excess of the above could result in a failing grade for failure to meet minimal attendance requirements.
Grading: Apart from attendence (see bottom left column), weighted percentages are used in my classes. Excel is used to calculate grades for all students using the same formula with 4.0 = A, 3.0 = B, 2.0 = C, 1.0 = D, 0 = F
- 30% of Total Grade = Weekly/Daily Points based on regular and positive participation in the classroom, staying on task and overall good citizenship.
- 10% of Total Grade=Outside Reading Goal of approx. 500,000 Words (11th Grade;3-5 books per quarter) or 375,00 words (10th Grade; 2-4 books per quarter)
- 30% Assignments & Pop Quizzes that are check to see if reading assignments are met.
- 30% Assessments & Writing Workshops.
Excel spreadsheets are used to calculate grades. All students are graded with the same weighted formulas. Since Excel can only calculate numbers (not add or subtract letter grades), please note that 90% and above ranges an A- to A+ grade; 80%-89% ranges a B- to B+ grade; 70%-79% ranges a C- to C+ grade; 60% to 69% ranges a D- to D+ grade; 50%-59% will merit a .33 number value. Anything less than 50% will be a 0 or F. |
