This document outlines the procedures and policies for an English 7 class at Huntington Middle School. It provides details on: - Homeroom policies like entering the room, pledges, and daily activities - Classroom expectations around supplies, dates, and participation - Procedures for entering and exiting the classroom, turning in assignments, emergency situations, and absences - Grading policies with percentages for homework, participation, and assessments - Structure of the class including do nows, readings, writing, groups, and tests

1. Procedures for English 7
Samsky
English 7
Huntington Middle School

2. Homeroom Policies
• Enter the room.
• Go to your assigned locker, get what you need, and sit down
in the chair attached to your assigned desk.
• No eating, no drinking—breakfast is in the cafeteria.
• Stand still for the pledge, no talking.
• Continue standing still for the moment of silence.
• Do not talk during the announcements.
• Recite the Team Pledge.
• Complete the DAILY APS ACTIVITY.
• http://www.theteacherscorner.net/daily-writing-prompts/
8/22/2014 2

3. Team Pledge
A mind is a terrible thing to
waste.
I am a Navigator.
I will do great things with
my mind because I am focused,
prepared and positive.

4. Expectations
• This is English class where we read and write
daily.
• Supplies needed: pencils, lead and/or
sharpener, pens (blue or black ink), a single-subject
notebook and loose-leaf paper, daily!
• Today’s date and A/B Day is posted by the
door: Look there to include the date in your
heading of writing page(s) and/or your
notebook.

5. Let’s understand each other.
This is a classroom; I am your teacher
What the teacher is NOT:
• Your babysitter
• Your “BFF”
• Your mother
• Your grandmother or aunt
• A referee
• An entertainer
• A game show host
• A waitress
• A talk show host
Who the student is:
• A neophyte: who is learning
to be an adult
• A student learning a lot of
different kinds of
information
• A child who may want/need
more attention than others
• A “subordinate”: you are
learning to be an adult. See
Rule #8 in R&R Handbook

6. Procedures: Entering the Room
• Classes 1 and 2, line up on the wall: right if your
last name begins with A-M; left if your name
begins with N-Z (Left and right determined from
hallway view.)
• SOL Prep: Line up to the left of the door.
• When all are lined up and NOT talking, the
teacher will permit entrance into the room
silently.
• Sit down at your assigned desk.
• Place your stuff under your desk.

7. Class 5 Entrance
• Class 5: clear the hall immediately, go to your
locker, exit if you are assigned to Social Studies,
Science, Algebra. If you are assigned to English,
sit at your assigned desk.
• When the hall has cleared, exit to the hall way
and line up on the wall: left if your last name
begins with A-M, right if your name begins with
N-Z (Left and right determined from hallway
view.)
• At the teacher’s signal, enter the room silently.

8. Beginning the Class
• Open your English notebook to the next clean
page or section: a line drawn separates each
section.
• Title for the next section is Day of the Week’s
Work; for example, Wednesday’s Work
• Date each section of work in the upper right
corner.
• Record the homework assignment and the Daily
Checklist in your notebook. The Daily Checklist
will be on the board or on your desk. LOOK!
• Write the title of the DO NOW on the page after
the checklist and go to work: DO it NOW!

9. Homework
• Homework is 20% of your English grade.
• It is your responsibility to complete the
homework in your homework notebook.
• Label: HOMEWORK, page #, Exercise # and
date.
• Write complete sentences to answer all
homework questions or prompts.

10. Class Structure T
• If the DO NOW is timed, put your pencil down
when the timer sounds or when you are
finished—whichever comes first. Wait without
talking.
• At the sound of the timer, you will turn and
talk for 90 seconds.
• After that ninety seconds, volunteers will
share their ideas with the class: five minutes
• Go to the next item on your daily checklist.

11. Class Structure U
• If the Do Now is NOT timed, then you will move
on to the next item on your Daily Checklist.
• If your task is to read independently, then you
will locate the reading source, find the correct
location or page and begin reading.
• Respond to questions or prompts for the reading
as assigned on the Daily Checklist. Write
responses in your notebook. Label your work.

12. Class Structure G
• Working in groups on designated days
– To read and respond to assigned passages: Fiction
and Nonfiction and Poetry
– To read and respond to a play: Reader’s Theater
– To read and respond to another student’s writing
(Peer Editing)
– Keep the noise level at a “working level.” You can
hear the discussion in your group.
– Participation is part of your English grade: 45%

13. Moving Desks
• Writing Days: at the signal, turn your desk to
face the bulletin board and word wall.
• Turn and Talk: No desk movement. You will
turn and talk to the person closest to you.
• Pair/Share work is organized and functional.
Desks are turned so that they face each other.
• Class in Two Groups: Rows 1/2 and last 3
desks in middle row; rows 4 and 5 and first 4
desks in middle row

14. Noise Level
We must be able to hear each other.
This is not the lunch room or the gym.
This is a “learning environment.”
We do not need to get loud.
If you hear a bell or whistle, it means bring down the
noise, immediately.

15. One to One Conferencing
• We will talk about your notebook(s) and your
writing portfolio as we discuss process,
product and motivation.
• Other conference topics: Tracking DATA
reading fluency, reading comprehension, word
patterns, pacing, test strategies, and other
relevant topics as needed.

16. Grading in English
20% Homework & Quizzes
45% Daily Participation
35% Tests, Writing, and
Performance Assessments
• NNPS has adopted a
10-point grading scale:
100-90 A
80-89 B
70-79 C
60-69 D
59 and below F

17. Raising Your Hand
• You must raise your hand for assistance from the
teacher when the class is working.
• Once you are recognized, the teacher will move
to your location to offer assistance.
• If several people have their hand up, then turn to
a neighbor to get help—ask three before me.
• If you are raising your hand to volunteer
information, then you must be patient and wait
until you are called on to share.

18. Moving in the Classroom
• The Pencil Sharpener: use your own handheld
sharpener. If your sharpener isn’t working,
then you have to wait until instructions and
discussions are done. Only one person is
allowed at the sharpener at one time. You are
responsible for sharpening your own pencil!
• The Trash Can: If you have trash, wait until the
end of class to discard it.

19. Moving to Begin Reading and Writing:
• Reading Sources: The Daily Checklist will tell you
which reading sources you need. A student
assigned from your row or group will get the
resources needed from the designated area.
• Writing Portfolios: on writing days, these will be
passed out at the beginning of the class period.
Folders will be handed to the first person in each
row who will pass them back to whom the folder
belongs. (Papers, too.)

20. Returning Class Resources
• At the close of class, the student assigned to
gather and return the resources will return
these items to the designated area.
• Please be sure books, magazines, and
handouts are closed to the front cover or
page.
• Your exit slip will be recorded in your
notebook, labeled Exit Slip and today’s date.

21. Personal Hygiene Items
• Tissue if you have seasonal allergies, you
will need to bring your own tissue.
• Hand Sanitizer is a necessary item in
today’s world.
• Lotion, etc.
• Personal hygiene is just that, “personal.” Be
aware of your personal needs and do your
best to be prepared.

22. Food in the Classroom
• Gum, candy and other food items are not
permitted in the classroom.
• This is a medical issue that is becoming a legal
issue because so many students now have
food allergies.
• You may not even know you have an allergy
and the classroom is not a good place to
discover that.

23. • Roaches love lockers because students leave
food and food containers in their lockers. If
you bring your lunch, be sure to take home
any and all food containers, including drinking
cups. Your locker is not a trash receptacle.
Take home clothes, shoes and coats on a
weekly basis. Lockers are the property of
NNPS and may be searched or cleaned as
needed.

24. Did you finish your Daily Checklist?
• Continue working on writing in your Writing
Portfolio.
• Novel (entry)
• Homework
• Work on the next day’s Daily Checklist
Whatever your choice, be sure to record/ add
this information in your “Note to Self” at the
close of the class period.

25. Class in Two Groups
Rows 1/2 and
last three
desks of
middle row
Shifts toward back
of room
Rows 4/5 and
first four desks
of middle row.
Shifts toward front
of room

26. Writing: Loose Leaf and Portfolio
• For designated Writing Sessions, you will use
loose leaf notebook paper. This work will be
stored in your blue Writing Portfolio.
• These pages will be labeled according to
district standards.
• The first writing is a Baseline Writing.
• Do not tear pages out of your notebook.

27. Class Structure C
• Computer Lab is a work session, not play!
• Moby Max.com
• E-Media.com
• http://eng110htms.blogspot.com/
• The URL is for this English class’s blog. This is
where you can find each day’s lesson, as well
as homework assignments and other
information relevant to our class.

28. Testing Sessions
• Tests are serious, it will be silent when
everyone is taking a test.
• You have to concentrate, it will be
silent when everyone is taking a test.
• There will be multiple choice test items and
writing prompts.
• Tests are “open book.”
• Tests count for 35% of your nine weeks
average.

29. 10-10 Rule
• No one enters or exits the
classroom during the first ten
minutes of class or the last ten
minutes of instruction.

30. Hall Passes (4 minutes out)
• Hall passes will be written on pass paper.
DO NOT WASTE A WHOLE SHEET OF PAPER FOR
A PASS.
Pass information: Your name
Date/Time
Where you want to go…
Teacher’s Signature
I will record your time to track how often you
are out of the room.

31. Closing Each Class Period
• The teacher will signal the end of the class.
• At this time, write a Note to Self and explain
where you have left off with your assignments.
• Include titles, page numbers, item numbers and
other relevant information in your Note to Self so
you’ll know how/where to continue when you
see this Daily Checklist again.
• If an EXIT Slip is requested, complete it in your
notebook, labeled EXIT SLIP for (today’s date)

32. Dismissal: Classes 1 and 2
• Students will be dismissed by the teacher.
• At closure, your stuff will be stacked neatly on
your desk for easy pick-up when your row is
called.
• Class 1: students proceed to their next class when
their next class is announced by the teacher.
• Class 2: students line up on the right or left side
of the door; (A-M right side, N-Z left side) when
their row is called. At the teacher’s signal we will
move quietly in a single file line to the lunch
room.

33. Class 5 and Dismissal
• Students will be dismissed by the teacher.
• At closure, your stuff will be stacked neatly on
your desk for easy pick-up when your row is
called.
• Class 5: Walkers will be called first. Bus riders
will line up in the front of the room and be
escorted to the bus lot when bus riders are
announced.

34. Emergency Situations
• If you know you are about to be sick, you
should leave the classroom and get to the
restroom; and then to the clinic.
• Fire Drills: Exit 2 x 2 quickly and quietly. Go to
the right and out the doors to Orcutt Ave.
Walk to the track. Line up with your class.
• Lock Downs: Lights off, all sit silently in the
left, rear corner of the classroom.

35. Official Visitors: Observation and
Conversation
• A visitor is a person we don’t see everyday. That
person will move around the room to observe your
activities.
• You may be asked, “What are you learning
today?”
• Feel free to refer to your Daily Checklist,
explain what you’re reading about or what
you are writing.

36. Absent or Tardy
• If you are absent, write ABSENT and the
date(s) of your absence in your notebook.
Proceed with today’s Daily Checklist. If you
need to make up a test, we will schedule a
time for make-up.
• If you are tardy, please make sure you have a
note from an adult and a reason for being late.
Write TARDY, the time and date in your
notebook; proceed with the Daily Checklist.

37. English is Essential
• Stories and language are
“patterns to preserve.”
• Letters form words which
form sentences that are
ideas which are explained
in paragraphs which are
developed into stories
and articles which
preserve the philosophies
of a society and
culture.
• New thinking
often comes from reading,
then writing more words
and sentences to form new
ideas emerging from the old
thinking and the society’s
culture moves forward and
makes progress.
This is a formula for
freedom.
Graffiti on Berlin Wall

38. • The G sheet:
• Do Now is top
section: 2 words per
answer
• Classwork is lower
section: write
sentences 1-10 as a
paragraph

39. Hall Movement
• Classes will line up
when rows are called
• Line up by last names
• A-M on the right side of
the door.
• N-Z on the left side of
the door.
• Move in a silent, single
file line:
• First stop end of hall,
across from auditorium
• Second stop at first
cafeteria door.
_____________________
• To the library involves
going up the stairs.
• BE CAREFUL, don’t
push, don’t rush.

40. Stop at the Library Entrance
• Bring the line back into a
single file.
• Enter the library quietly
and orderly—no running
or pushing.
• Sit in the designated area.
• Listen for announcements
and directions.
• Choose the assigned
genre of reading.
• Today, please read the
back cover or the jacket
flap of an autobiography.
• Check it out to read or
choose a novel that you
will read.

41. Perseverance
• Father and Son Run: Hoyts
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaZwpD1
Paag
• Derrick Redmond and Father
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSJOIaZS
yYQ

42. Global Poverty
• World on Fire video Sarah McLachlan
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDmPcSW
E0WU&feature=youtu.be