Mrs. Martin

English III 2024-2025

edmartin@mcpsmt.org/ext .7664

MY philosophy:

I try to make our time together engaging, interesting, and worthwhile. Therefore, I expect you to be engaged, interested, and to make your time in English worthwhile. The skills we work on together are applicable to “real life,” even if you’re not college bound. Remember – you need 4 English credits to graduate. If you participate, do the reading/classwork, and study for quizzes/tests, you WILL succeed in here.

A good attitude goes a long way.

Attendance/Tardies

• If you are absent, find me before or after class to see what you missed. Please do not interrupt class to ask what we did the previous class period.
• Visit with me before you leave if you know you’re going to be absent, even if your coach/sponsor/parent doesn’t require a pre-absence form.
• I will likely direct you to Google Classroom to find assignments and information about what happens in class. Please utilize this resource!
• Do NOT attend school when you are ill – I will work with you!
• You have three “free” tardies each quarter. After the third tardy, you may be referred to administration for disciplinary action and/or an attendance contract.

Rules:

•BE RESPECTFUL of our classroom, your materials, your teacher, your peers, and yourself.

•BE RESPONSIBLE - Come to class prepared and ready to work. Be ready to go when the bell rings.

•BE ENGAGED – Stay awake and be present in class. Listen when others are speaking.

*Sentinel High School and Missoula County Public School policies also apply in our classroom – please see the handbook for further guidelines and information.

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Google Classroom Code:

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Homework:

• Assignment information and links to handouts can be found on Google Classroom. I post handouts by unit and update weekly.
• Our department late work policy is as follows:
• One day late: 10% deduction
• Longer than that: 50% deduction off earned score (if you scored a 100% on an essay, a 50% will be entered in the gradebook)
• I accept late work until the end of the quarter.
• You will likely have reading homework nearly every night. Please (PLEASE!) complete this task. Failure to do so will lead to a major struggle in the class! I will give you a reading calendar for each unit of study.

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Academic Dishonesty:

• Per the student handbook, plagiarism (copying or using another’s work without acknowledging it) and/or cheating are serious offenses and will be treated as such. This includes the use of AI, such as ChatGPT.
• The first instance of plagiarism or cheating (in or out of class) will result in a zero on the assignment, a call home, and a discipline referral.
• The second offence may result in an ‘F’ for the semester.

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Grading:

Please remember that you are responsible for your grade. I will not seek you out to find a missing assignment or schedule a quiz/test makeup. That is your job as a student!

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Cell Phone/PED:

A pouch will be provided for your phone during class time.

If you do not own a phone, or you don’t have it with you on a

particular day, please tell me. I will occasionally allow you to listen

to music or use your phone for class activities.

I will specify when it is okay to have your phone with you during class.

Failure to comply with this class policy may result in confiscation

of the phone and/or a meeting with school administration.

Grading Scale:

A 89.5-100

B 79.5-89.4

C 69.5-79.4

D 59.5-69.4

F Below 59.5

Point Values:

• Homework assignments = 5-10 points

• In-class assignments = 5-20 points

• Quizzes (vocab and/or content) = 10-50 points

• Major papers (2 or more drafts) = 50-100 points

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Daily/weekly/quarterly activities:

• At the beginning of each class period, we will complete bell work – a prompt/question/activity and/or discussion. Students are expected to use a notebook and date each entry.
• I will check your number and length of entries at the end of each quarter for a quiz grade (20-30 points).
• Being tardy for class may mean you have to make up this bell work!
• Each week, you will read & annotate a news article for 10 points.
• We will complete grammar exercises regularly. Expect regular quizzes and/or tests over these materials.
• We will cover 4 vocabulary words (from our library’s Word of the Day list) each week.
• There will be weekly/monthly/quarterly quizzes over these words.

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Supplies:

• The material we are working on (novel, assignment)
• Journal for bell work & notes
• A folder for handouts
• Pen or pencil
• Computer – charged and ready to go!

Units of study:

• Semester 1
• The Crucible by Arthur Miller
• Paragraph Construction
• Flight by Sherman Alexie
• Argumentative paragraphs
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Literary Analysis
• Research Essay – Career Exploration
• Interview & Presentation
• Red Dot (Independent Reading)

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• Semester 2:
• The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
• ACT Prep/Argumentative Essay
• Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
• Narrative Writing – “My Ten”
• Red Dot (Independent Reading)