A First Question That Many Students Ask a Teacher Concerns How He Or She Grades

Mrs. Kisner’s Creative Writing

beginning of the year “stuff.”

2015-2016

Creative Writing ~ Page 1 Who is Mrs. Kisner?

 HHS Classes  English IV  English III  Creative Writing  Educational Background  Masters of English with an emphasis in Creative Writing – MSU (2002-2005)  Bachelors of Arts –English/Public Speaking -- MSU (1991-1996)  Secondary teaching certificate -- MSU/state of TX (1996)  Teaching Experience  HS English/Creative Writing – Holliday High School (2015-)  Adjunct Instructor of English -- Vernon College (2003-2013)  Adjunct Instructor of English -- MSU (2000-2005)  Rider High School—English 1 and III/Public Speaking (1996-2000)  High School  I graduated from Holliday High School in 1990. I was involved in cheerleading, UIL speech, and UIL One-Act Play. I competed on the state level my senior year in UIL speech and was voted Best Supporting actress at all-region One-Act play competition; the play was alternate to state my Junior year. I was selected as Best Supporting Actress my senior year as well.  Family  I have been married to my husband, Tyler Kisner, for two years in September. Between the two of us, we have three boys. My two sons are Geordy and Logan Deatherage. Geordy is starting his junior year at Rider High School. He is involved in his church youth group, works at The Plex, is the section leader for alto saxophone in the band, and was an all- region qualifier his sophomore year. Logan is leaving West Foundation and is beginning 7th grade at Holliday Middle School. Logan plays the trombone, and will be in band this year. He has an obsession with Minecraft and Team Fortress 2- UGH! My step-son, Lawson, left Ben Milam and is beginning 4th grade at Holliday Elementary School. He is a junior black belt at Warriors Way and is also obsessed with Minecraft and YouTube.  Other  My hobbies include reading, creative writing, yoga, watching movies, listening to music, and spending time with my family and friends. I met one of my best friends in high school. His picture is somewhere in the building. Can you guess who it is?

Creative Writing ~ Page 2

Classroom Rules

Students in my classes will be required to follow these rules:

 Be on time, in your seat, and ready to work at the bell.  Be prepared with supplies, materials, and assignments.  Be kind and respectful to everyone.  Be on task.  Be tidy by cleaning up your area before leaving class.  Be a leader by following ALL school rules.  Be respectful! – Treat everyone as you would want to be treated yourself.

 Consequences Verbal or Non-Verbal warnings are generally issued on the first offense. After the first warning, Mrs. Kisner will select from a variety of possible consequences:  Talking privileges in class taken away for a certain number of days.  Reassignment of seat.  Phone call to parent(s) or guardian(s).  Withdrawal of Eagle Passes (explained later in this packet).  Lunch detention.  Before-school or After-school detention.  Removal from the classroom.  Serious offenses will result in being sent to the office immediately. Beginning of Class  Quietly enter the classroom before the tardy bell rings.  Place your bag, materials, books, etc. at your assigned desk.  Get your notebook from the shelf and return to your seat.  If there was homework, make sure it is ready (stapled, heading on it, etc.)  Make sure pencils, if used, are sharpened.

Creative Writing ~ Page 3  Without talking, begin the warm-up activity that is posted, even if the tardy bell has not rung.  Continue your Warm-Up until you are prompted to stop. (usually a minute or so after the bell). Do NOT put it back in your notebook!  When the timer goes off, wait for further instructions. Prepare to begin the day’s assignments.

If You Are Tardy  Enter the classroom silently.  If you are tardy with a note from another teacher explaining that you were with them, bring the note with the time you left your last class on it to me, and you will not be tardy. Come in and proceed to do our regular beginning of the class routine (getting your notebook, working on the Warm-Up, etc.) You will NOT be considered tardy.  If you are tardy without a note, proceed with our regular beginning of the class routine (getting your notebook, working on the Warm-Up, etc.). You will be considered tardy, and I will notify you of such.  The office will receive word of your tardy through the computer attendance.  Excessive tardies will result in an office referral to Mr. Owen.  Warm-Ups Every day, you will begin class with a “warm-up.” This assignment will usually be posted on the Smart board.  Do your Warm-Up every day.  If you are absent, it is YOUR responsibility to get the corrections for the previous day from a classmate or to make-up the missed journal entry. Ending Class  The ringing of the bell/tone will NOT dismiss you from Mrs. Kisner’s classroom.  When the bell/tone rings and Mrs. Kisner is ready, you will receive a prompt to leave the room. At that

Creative Writing ~ Page 4 time, you must put your notebook in order on the shelf, gather your things, and leave the classroom.  When You Are Absent Make sure you give a parent’s note or doctor's excuse to the office. Makeup Work is YOUR responsibility. Most times, I will not even remind you of the assignments that you missed. Follow your weekly syllabus if you are not sure. These will also be posted in the classroom. All handouts should be obtained from the “Make-Up Work” file located next to the turn-in files. All work that was due the day you missed must be turned in on the day you return. This work should be labeled “Makeup” on the title line of your heading. 

All work missed on the day of your absence must be completed and turned in on the same number of days that you missed later. However, the sooner, the better. Do NOT remove tests or quizzes from the classroom! You must coordinate with Mrs. Kisner as to when to make up missed quizzes or tests. Morning and afternoon tutorials or during lunch are great times. Absences for extracurricular activities will NOT give you additional days. Assignments are due when you return. It is your responsibility to follow the weekly syllabus and get the assignments before leaving! Missed tests MUST be made up before you leave or the very next day.  Late Work Policy Any assignment not turned in when it is announced/required is considered “late.” If an assignment was due at the beginning of class, you must turn it in then or the assignment will be considered late. No Late Work is allowed on most check grade homework. It results in no check grade points for that assignment. On all other assignments (like take-home essays, etc.), late work is due the following class day with a Creative Writing ~ Page 5 top score of 70. (It’s much better than a 0.) After that, it will then become a zero (0) in the gradebook for the assignment. Please discuss late work with me one-on-one if extreme circumstances occur.  Classwork All classwork that is not group work should be completed individually with limited amounts of peer discussion unless Mrs. Kisner gives permission to do so. (No discussion during “Quizzes” and “Tests.”) Most of our work will be done in groups. Raise your hand if you are in need of help from Mrs. Kisner. Mrs. Kisner will inform you whether to turn the assignment in the appropriate file or keep it at your desk until everyone is finished. No Worksheets or Handouts may leave the classroom (except in cases of absence or with Mrs. Kisner’s permission). All Handouts not turned in at the end of the period will be considered late. You must come in after school that day or before school the next day to finish it.

 Heading Requirements This is the proper heading for Mrs. Kisner’s class.

Your Name Creative Writing –? Period August 27, 2015

; #s 1-15 (odds)

Begin writing in this space.

Skip lines for all formal essays.

Do NOT write on the back of paper on essays, compositions, etc.

Creative Writing ~ Page 6 Do NOT write on this line!

 Eagle Passes  Each six-weeks grading period, you will receive a certain number of passes (usually 3) that may be redeemed in a variety of ways: . Use the “Eagle Pass” as a hall pass for a bathroom or water break. Otherwise, you will NOT be allowed to leave the classroom. . Receive a Check (on check grade assignments) or a 90 on work you choose not to do because of circumstances such as emergencies, game nights, etc. NOTE: Some assignments such as overnight essays and in-class work will be exempt from “Eagle Pass” use. You will be informed of which assignments on which the passes may not be used.  Be prepared to give Mrs. Kisner the pass when she records check grades or have it stapled to the upper left hand corner of the assignment.  Once you have used all of your “Eagle Passes” for the six weeks period, you may not be excused from the room or be able to replace assignments.  For each Eagle Pass you save until the end of the grading period, Mrs. Kisner will add a point to your classwork average.  It is your responsibility to keep up with your passes. If you lose them, they may not be replaced and will not receive extra credit. By the way, I keep track of your pass use.   Retest Policy From time to time, it may be necessary to retest a major test on which you did not perform well. If you wish to retest, follow the following procedures…….. Do NOT remove the old test from the classroom. You may not retest on a test grade of 70 or higher. Within one day of receiving your returned test, you must correct your old test IN MY CLASSROOM during any off periods, lunch, before school, or after school. You MUST Creative Writing ~ Page 7 copy questions and full answers five (5) times each and turn them in to me! The next day (two days later, tops!), you may retest (by appointment) before school, during lunch, during Mrs. Kisner’s 4th period conference, or after school. You may NOT retest during our class period. The top score on a retest is 70. Mrs. Kisner reserves the right not to administer a retest.

This section will explain the way that your final average is developed.

Your grade is an accumulation of grades received in 3 categories. These categories and the percentage that each one counts in your final average are as follows:  Daily Work – 60%  Tests/Projects – 40%

 Daily Work – assignments such as in-class quizzes, warm-up exercises, homework assignments, and possibly a classroom notebook.

 Tests/Projects – Tests and projects will count as 60% of your grade. Daily work will count as 40%. Individual grades will be weighted differently. I will let you know how much each assignment is weighted.

***If a need is seen during the year for an adjustment of the grading policy above, Mrs. Kisner reserves the right to do so. Students will be informed if this occurs.

Creative Writing ~ Page 8  Notebooks  This notebook should be vinyl-covered, have a clear pocket on the front, and 1 inch wide with a 3-hole capability. It should be able to stand upright. No zipper closing notebooks, please. Notebooks with inside pockets are preferred.  Five (5) Index dividers should be used to separate the sections of material.  The notebook and the papers in it should NEVER be removed from my classroom. They are to be kept in the notebook shelves when they are not at your desk.  Never remove another person’s notebook from the shelf. Too many have been dropped!  It is your responsibility to have the notebook at your desk at the beginning of every class.  You are responsible for filing in the appropriate sections all of your homework and graded papers that I return to you.  Keep your notebook organized at all times! Do not leave papers "floating." Please realize that notebooks are usually what I use to determine to raise your grade if you end up on the bubble between letter grades!!! Keep them ORGANIZED!  Please use the following organization pattern for your notebook: 1."Grades & Information" – Place your grade record sheet at the front of this section. All progress reports and six weeks' grade reports will be placed in this section with the most recent one on top. At the back of this section, all information/grading/expectations/procedure handouts will stay for your referral. Also in this section is any other information Mrs. Kisner says to add. 2. “ Warm-Ups” – Keep all warm-up papers & graded quizzes here, the most recent on top. 3. "Notes" – Place at least 30 sheets of loose-leaf notebook paper in this section on which to write classroom notes. Notes should be dated on the left each day and kept in an organized fashion. You may take the notes out of your notebook in order to study them, but remember to replace them the day of the test. You will certainly need them again to study for additional tests. Also, place informative handouts that I give you in this section. 4. “ Writing & Projects” – All prewriting, rough drafts, revisions, final copies, and peer editing sheets of essays,

Creative Writing ~ Page 9 compositions, and writing assignments. Keep the most recent work on top. Never throw away a writing project! 5."Classwork" – Place graded literature and grammar papers that you are allowed to keep yourself in this section, the most recent on the top.

6.This document will be the first page of your notebook.

Creative Writing ~ Page 10