Daily Grade Average

20% of course grade

Since this class is so student-centered, from discussions on the readings to minilessons, it's crucial that you participate everyday—and to come prepared with the materials for the day: Course Pack or a print-out of your blog or Lessons to Share or scrapbook materials, whatever. Because we do a wide range of activities, it's impossible to give you precise criteria for each one. Generally, however, the criteria include

o coming to class prepared, with appropriate materials with you

o paying attention (rather than talking with friends, checking your text messages, doing work for other classes, etc)

o actively participating with maximum effort.

For our Socratic circles, add these criteria to those above:

o having read the assignment from Lessons to Share thoroughly and thoughtful

o demonstrating good discussion behaviors (i.e., not hogging the floor or taking too many turns or not saying anything)

o producing a thoughtful and thorough follow-up quickwrite

For our Scrapbook Checkpoints, there are only two criteria:

o you completed the assignment, with the specified examples and analyses, scrapped (check-plus)

o you did not complete the assignment (zero)

Only two grades possible: check-plus or zero.

For our AAE exercises (which we do for homework) as well as in-class activities that I take up, the sole criterion is simply you completed the assignment in good faith.

You'll know that a grade is a daily grade because it's always graded on my little check system. Major assignments are graded as letters.

DOUBLE JEOPARDY:

If you are absent the day I take a daily grade, and if that absence goes over the two allowed, you will be docked for BOTH the daily grade AND minus-3 points off the top of your final average.