Teacher Name

zorcutt@rentonschools.us 

Office Hours: 6:50-7:20, 2:03-2:28

 

LA 9 B Syllabus Honors

Mr. Orcutt

DISTANCE LEARNING IS O.V.E.R.

Accept it and move on. 

• Leave behind any notion that you can get an A, let alone pass a class, without attending, including extended bathroom trips.
• Leave behind any notion that you can get all that you need off of Canvas. 
• Leave behind any notion that you will have days where we “don't do anything” in class. 
• Leave behind any notion that simply turning something in on Canvas guarantees you an A. 
• Leave behind the notion that classes begin and end at your convenience. 
• Leave behind the belief that work can be turned in at your leisure and still get an A, or credit at all. 
• Leave behind the delusion that you “Work” better at home. That is not a statement on environment. It is a statement about choices. You are choosing to work and home and play at school. I will not honor this choice...not working in class will result in point deductions

Syllabus Highlights:

• This class is easy, for real. Come to class, work in class, you’ll be fine.
• Make sure you bring your computer (charged) and notebook to class every single day.

• Community Skills is worth 10% of your overall grade.

• Phone, computer, and earbud violation (notice there is no “s”) will result in the complete loss of your Community Skills points. Your phone goes into the box and that is end of story. You may not take it on your "bathroom" trips.

• The only way to earn your community skills points is by attending class for 10 straight days with ZERO acts of electronic malfeasance (Phone, earbud, computer…anything more advanced than a sundial) 
• Yapping all class and not engaging will also cost you your community skills. To earn that you need to be in class for 10 days straight and...locked in.

• You will not be allowed to submit or make-up work for unexcused absences. 
• If you have an excused absence you will need to arrange a late work schedule with me the next in class.
• Nope, being gone for a school event, sporting event, club event, etc. does not excuse you from the work. You are still responsible to turn it in by the due date assigned. Managing your time is a big part of life.
• If you are going to have an excused absence you need to meet with me in well in advance when possible...NOT THE DAY BEFORE.
• If you have grade questions or make-up work questions you need to meet with me before school, after school, or during lunch. Talking to me during passing period does not give me time to give you a legit answer and support. If you want to talk to me during class you need to make sure it is an appropriate time for the same reasons.

• Late work will be accepted, for two weeks after the due date. 
• If you are tardy (by absentia or action) you will not be allowed to make-up or submit your entry task.

Course Description

Welcome to ELA 9 B with Mr. Orcutt. I am looking forward to working with you this trimester, and especially get you ready for your sophomore year.

This class will focus on analyzing literature, practicing authentic writing, and engaging in enriching discussions. The course is designed using WA Common Core State Standards for ninth/tenth grade English Language Arts. 

Course Structure

This course is going to feature all kinds of instructional strategies, including small group work, Socratic seminars, debates, moral dilemmas, student teaching, guest speakers, discussion, inquiry lessons, jigsaw, deliberate discussions, etc. Students will take responsibility for their own actions and allocate their time efficiently: keeping up with the readings, doing all of the assignments, approaching me with any questions, handling make-up work, and playing an active role in their education. One of my many goals is to take the focus from counting points and squabbling over letter grades. This course is about acquiring knowledge, challenging oneself, developing life skills, and discovering a passion for learning by finding out how to love literature again.

Hazen Core Beliefs:

We pride ourselves on our focus on character education. When referring to classroom expectations there is no need to go beyond our core beliefs: Pride, Unity, Achievement, Equity, Excellence & Service.

Course Goals: By the end of this course you will have:

• Taken a greater responsibility for your learning
• Demonstrated the ability to write clearly, concisely, and critically
• Found your voice and be prepared to use it- you will need it
• Gained the ability to effectively identify and build an argument
• Cultivated the ability to critically analyze documents and developments
• Developed critical thinking
• Cultivate 21st Century skills needed for the future

Keys to Success: There are several keys to success for this course. They are also vital life skills. They are as follows.

Accepting the challenge: You are in school to learn and the only way to accomplish that is to challenge yourself. As a teacher, I am not doing my job unless your students are placed outside of their academic comfort zones which forces them to face weaknesses in an effort to improve. Most people don’t like to think, and this class requires that you do. Life is way more fun when you realize that thinking is fun. CHOOSE GLORY OVER COMPLACENCY.

Handling stress: You are going to experience stress and frustration. It is a natural part of the learning process and life.  The object is to learn how to handle these feelings, knowing when to seek help and how to approach it, and persevering through it all to become a stronger student and person. Do not give in to panic. Talk to me first. Don’t panic until I tell you it is time to panic...I'd forget about perfection, it doesn't exist

Preparation: You absolutely will not be successful or be able to follow what is going on in class if you are not prepared.  Allocate your time and do not procrastinate.. Preparation includes making sure you have completed the classwork required, getting sleep, and eating food. Again, stay hydrated. Along with being here for the whole class. 

Mind-Set: Too many students psych themselves out by focusing on the negative or stacking up any number of tasks against them.  Remember this will be hard work, the thinking is harder, and time is at a premium. If you spend more time doing the work rather than thinking or complaining about doing the work you will be better off.  Apply yourself, manage your time, and put in the effort.

Following Directions: The directions are the treasure map to an easy A. They tell you exactly what to do and the quickest route to getting it done. Utilize them and ask questions. Many students will lose points because they decide to ignore the directions and guess at what is expected...read them before asking me what to do.

Communication: Communication is everything. Students must be willing to seek help if they are confused or need clarification. If they have a question from their teacher, parents, fellow classmates, etc. come talk to me, I got you. If you tell me things are good I will assume you are being honest with me and yourself. Feeling comfortable approaching their teachers, parents, or administrators if there are any problems inside or outside of the classroom is a skill we can all work on. This class is all about questions so don’t wait to be asked if you need help, I promise I’m not so bad. Trust me, if you can learn to be comfortable with this in your life it will be a lot easier.

21st Century Skills: We live in an ever-changing world. Memorizing information is not enough to navigate the challenges we face today. That being the case, a large focus of this class are 21st Century skills such as: Critical thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, Communication, Information literacy, Media literacy, Technology literacy, Flexibility, Leadership, Initiative, Productivity, Social skills, etc. This can be challenging but students will be given every opportunity along with the support they need to grow these skills

Assessments: Assessment in the class is going to vary.  It is a part of my educational philosophy that I should diversify my instruction to cater to an audience of students who learn in different ways.  This carries over into assessment in that each student is going to be given the opportunity to assess their strengths and also work on their weaknesses.  So, assessments will not always be the same. 

Classroom Participation: Classroom participation is very important to the success of this course as a whole. My objective is to involve every student, every day. In fact, student voices will be more prevalent than the teacher’s voice. It is about student’s growth, not what I think. The allotment of participation points is up to the discretion of the teacher and represents a meaningful portion of your grade. Don’t tell me how well you use your time, show me. If you do it right you shouldn’t have very much homework.

Academic Dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated.

• For a first instance, students will receive a zero for the assignment and parents/guardians will be contacted. Students will be allowed to resubmit the assignment with a maximum possible score of 80%...No, you won't have the same amount of time as you did initially to resubmit.
• For a second instance, teachers will submit an incident referral to school administration and contact parents/guardians. Students will receive a zero on the assignment with no opportunity to resubmit.

While most people understand what plagiarism looks like at the essay level (unattributed quotes, analysis lifted from other sources, incorporation of AI-generated text), plagiarism also exists at the daily assignment level. Taking a picture of a handout and sending it to someone else still counts as plagiarism. I want to know what you think. The addict and the dealer both get punished.

Attendance & Tardies: The school’s policy on attendance and tardies is clearly detailed in the student handbook. Student learning is negatively affected if he or she has excessive absences. In addition, a student walking into class late is disruptive, counterproductive and disrespectful whether intended or not. Being tardy will adversely impact what work a student is able to do I.E Bell ringers and Exit Tickets. Students who take excessive time in the bathroom (8 minutes as per school policy) will lose their community points.

Contact Information: The easiest way to contact me is by email, zorcutt@rentonschools.us. I embrace a partnership with parents and look forward to establishing a line of communication.  In fact, parents can actually join the class on Canvas. You would receive all of the class updates, assignments, announcements, and grades in real-time.

Late Policy: If a student doesn’t submit an assignment on time they will lose 10% per day that it is late capping at 50%. Students have 14 calendar days to turn in late work. After that the work will not be accepted and the student will receive a zero for that assignment. If students have an EXCUSED absence they will be allowed one day to turn in the assignment done that day with no penalty. If students have an UNEXCUSED absence the assignment that we worked on that day will not be accepted. Students who do not turn a project in on time will receive a 20% penalty.

Grade Weights: Assignments will make up 40% of your grade and consist of, but are not limited to: readings, research, etc. Assessments will make up 50% of your grade and consist of, but are not limited to: tests, projects, quizzes, etc. Community will make up 10% of your grade and will consist of but are not limited to: Following the classroom cell phone policy, following the school’s bathroom usage policy, being a positive contributor to class and classroom culture, etc.

Cell Phone, Computer Malfeasance, and Earbud Policy: Per school policy, students are required to have their phones off their body bell to bell. Students will put their phones in the class cubby at the beginning of the period and they will be able to get them at the end of the period. Earbuds must remain in the student’s backpack or pocket. Community Skills are 10% of their grade if a phone is out or earbud(s) in students will automatically lose all of their Community Skills points. PHONES CAN'T TRAVEL WITH YOU TO THE BATHROOM. Fear not, students have an opportunity to earn all of them back. The only way to earn your Community Skills points is by attending class for 10 straight days with ZERO acts of electronic malfeasance (Phone, computer…anything more advanced than a sundial) 

Personal Tutor: Students will experience stress and some difficulty when they are being challenged. This is an intentional component of any challenging course. Learning how to handle stress or problem-solve difficulties they encounter are essential life skills that can only be learned through experience. With that being said, when things are difficult come and see me. I am not nearly the Villain that I am made out to be.

WARNING: Some topics discussed in Language Arts are controversial, deal with morals and religion, involve political views, or tackle racism, sexism, or homophobia. I want to be very clear that at no point am I sharing my own views on these matters or influencing students one way or the other. I am the least important person in the room.  My role is simply to facilitate conversations, helping students to understand issues, so they can develop educated opinions. Language Arts is messy and  involves humans disagreeing and their perspectives on issues, subjects, and concepts . We must analyze issues and how people approach them to understand the world and, if we do it right, ourselves. In addition, it is paramount to model that there are multiple sides to every issue and the only way to have an educated opinion is to understand the views of those on both sides. Communication is the foundation of our educational experience so please contact me with any concerns (sooner than later).

Grade Scale

A 100.00% 94.00%

A- 93.99% 90.00%

B+ 89.99% 87.00%

B 86.99% 84.00%

B- 83.99% 80.00%

C+ 79.99% 77.00%

C 76.99% 74.00%

C- 73.99% 70.00%

D+ 69.99% 64.00%

D 63.99% 60.00%

F 59.99% 00.00%

School Information

Weekly Announcements | Student Handbook | Bell Schedule | Family Access Skyward | Family Access Canvas

If you are experiencing stress, anxiety, or thoughts of self-harm call Teen Link at 866-TEENLINK (866-833-6546) and ask to talk to a peer. The phone line is open 6 p.m.– 10 p.m. and chat is available 6 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. daily. https://www.teenlink.org/