Welcome to Literature!

Ms. Sawyer, Room 204

ksawyer@nsps.us

Welcome to NorEasters Literature! I am excited to explore great works of fiction and non-fiction with you in a
positive learning community!

Literature is a study of words, both written and spoken. In this class, we will be reading and analyzing fiction and
non-fiction, short stories and novels, speeches and poetry. We will be writing for a variety of audiences, for
creative and informational purposes. We will explore the idea of power, what makes someone powerful or
powerless, and how to use our voices to empower others.

klj
My pledge to you as a teacher

I will respect who you are.

I will work with you to meet learning goals.
I will treat you fairly, making sure you have what
you need to do your best learning.
I will offer extra help when you need it.

My expectations of you as a student

You will be respectful and cooperative with all

members of our learning commu nity.
You will report to class on time and prepared
with all necessary materials.
You will put your best effort into all your work

For class, you will need:

A writing utensil
A composition notebook (kept in the classroom)
Your homework folder
Your agenda
A positive attitude

Some things we will read:

A collection of works from civil rights eras
Articles and research on several topics
Poetry and vignettes
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John
Boyne
First hand accounts and scholarly articles
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Various short stories
And more!

Some things we will do:

Create an interactive Literature notebook
Participate in Socratic Seminars (student
led discussions)
Study poetry and perform original pieces
Participate in a character tea party
Respond to Literature in writing
Annotate close readings
Create a utopia
And more!

Grading System

Each quarter grade is broken down as follows:

40% -- Tests and projects
25% -- Quizzes and Socratic Seminars
20% -- Classwork
10% -- Homework

Headings
In accordance to team policies, your heading should be in MLA format as follows:
Your name
Ms. Sawyer
Literature, Period ____
Date (ex. 1 September 2015)

Absences
Students should see Ms. Sawyer to collect missing work on the first day back at school. All work can also be found
at the class website, mssawyerliterature.weebly.com. Work due the day of an absence should be turned in upon
arrival.
For extended absences, students should see the Student Handbook for procedures.

Daily Schedule

Students should enter the room quietly and take their notebooks from the bin.
The far left board will have the days agenda and the homework. Students should record homework in their
agenda before beginning bell work.
Work that the students should start for the bell (bell work) will be written on the board. Students should get
started as soon as their agendas are filled out.
At the end of class, all materials must be returned neatly to where they came from, desks arranged back the
way they were, clipboards back on the rack, computers logged out.
If a student needed to borrow a pencil from Ms. Sawyer, that pencil MUST be returned by the end of the period!
Ms. Sawyer will dismiss students at the bell when all materials are put away and students are ready to pass
quietly in the halls.

Other Policies

There will be plenty of opportunities to engage with your classmates, but I expect you to remain quiet while
listening to Ms. Sawyer, classmates, audio books, or during quiet working time.
The use of a cell phone, tablet, etc. without permission from Ms. Sawyer is strictly prohibited. Students with
electronics who have not been given permission can expect the electronic to be taken away and sent to the
office to be collected at the end of the day.
Students may leave the classroom with Ms. Sawyers permission, but must sign out in the log near the door.
Students MUST sign back in after re-entering the room.
Students may borrow one book at a time from Ms. Sawyers classroom library. Books MUST be returned before
breaks (winter, February, April, summer) unless special permission granted.
There is a designated portfolio in the filing cabinet for scored work and a bin in the front of the room for your
Literature notebook. There is NO reason students should come unprepared to class!

Remember, what you get from school depends on what you put into it.
Effort and attitude make a huge difference!

Lets have a great year!