Jonnie Nuss

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jnuss@aaechighschools.com

 

Biography

 

 

As a graduate of AAEC, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to teach English at my alma mater.  This is my sixth year as an employee of AAEC, and it is a pleasure to watch the program evolve.  It is great to witness all of the new and innovative opportunities that are presented to students.

 

As an Arizona native, I am an ASU gal.  (Woohoo, AZ State!)  After graduating from AAEC-South Mountain, I transferred to ASU where I received my BAE in Secondary Education (English) and my M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction (Secondary English). 

 

I believe very strongly in the need for continual personal development, and I am always working toward improving myself both inside and outside of the classroom.  This is a belief that I openly share with my students.  They really are the future, and they need to realize that their dreams and goals can become reality if they take the initiative to make it happen.

 

Welcome to the 2011-2012 school year!  I look forward to working together and making this our best year yet!

 

Ms. Nuss’s English 1 and 1H Course Syllabus

 

Teacher: Jonnie Nuss

Classroom: RM 133

Telephone: (602) 323-9890

E-mail: jnuss@aaechighschools.com

 

Course Description:

The goal of English 1 is for the student to improve reading, writing, listening, speaking, and thinking skills.  The student will be challenged to broaden thinking, to pose questions, to debate findings, and to inquire about possibilities.

Also, the student will be engaged in the process of discovering individual paths to the adult world.  This course explores the literature in which characters of many places and times leave the protected environment of home to find their own way in the world.  Discussions of short stories and novels will lead the student toward learning how to find personally-significant themes that unite seemingly unrelated works through text-text, text-to-world, and text-to-self connections.  The English curriculum follows the Arizona State Standards.

 

Materials Needed:

Paper

Pens and pencils

Current class readings, packets, journals

Planner

 

Grades:

                Daily Work                                                           55%                                                        A= 90-100%

                Novel Quizzes, Exams, and Projects               15%                                                        B= 80-89%

                Vocabulary and Grammar                                                10%                                                        C= 70-79 %

                Independent Reading                                         10%                                                       

Final                                                                       10%                                        No credit will be earned                                                                                                                                                      for grades below 70%.

 

Assignment Sheet:

Grade updates will be sent home every three weeks, and they do require a parent signature that must be returned the next day.  If parents ever want to know their student’s grade, they just have to ask to see the grade sheet.

 

Classroom Rules:

In order to maintain an excellent learning environment in our class, students will be expected to attend class, participate in all class activities and discussions, complete all assignments, and follow the following expectations:

  1. Come ready to Learn.  Bring everything needed to participate in class.  This includes materials finished assignments, and a positive mental attitude everyday!
  2. Participate and be on time.  Come into the classroom, get materials ready, and start working on the bell work.  Participation in class discussions is crucial to success.  Late arrivals prevent participation and distract fellow classmates.
  3. Respect yourself and others.  “Others” include fellow students, the teacher, substitutes, guests, and anyone else.  Treat your teacher, classmates, and the school with respect.  If you feel the need to disagree, be critical of the idea NOT the person.  Criticism must at all times be respectful and constructive.  Also, please do not begin putting papers away until dismissed.  We have a lot of work to do and a short period of time to accomplish our objectives.  The teacher will dismiss the class when the class is complete.
  4. Follow all school rules.  Due to possible bug problems and in an effort to keep the rooms clean there is absolutely:  No food, No drinks (other than bottled water with a cap), and no gum or candy allowed in the classroom!  Also, students come to school to learn, therefore there are absolutely no iPods, MP3 players, headphones, phones, or other electronic devices allowed to be on during class time.  Per AAEC policy, if any phone is on during class, the phone will be confiscated and the parent must come to the school to pick it up. In case of an emergency parents may call the office and their student can be reached.  All school rules will be strictly enforced.

 

Classroom Consequences:

With breaking rules, there are always consequences. If you choose to break a rule, you may receive one of the following consequences:

1. Warning

2. Call home

3. Conference with guardian

4. After-school services

5. Office referral

 

Classroom Procedures:

There is a certain way to do things in the classroom. We will go over these during the first week. If you are not sure of a procedure, ask the teacher. Procedures will cover how to hand in papers, where to find daily assignments, what to do in an emergency, and others.

 

Absences:

Good attendance is key to success!  All students are required to attend school. If an absence occurs, the student will have one day to make up any missing work, if absence is excused. If the student misses more than one excused day, he/she must discuss with the teacher concerning a timetable to make up missing work. The student will be expected to hand in any work that was due on the date missed as soon as the student returns to school. Zeros will be given for all unexcused absences! However, if a student has an excused absence, then after arriving back to school students are to check and retrieve any homework assignments from the previous day.  Absences must be called in to the front office the day of the absence to be considered excused!

 

Other things to remember:

Food and drinks are not allowed. You may have water at your desk only.

Cell phones will be confiscated and taken to the office.

 

Late Policy:

Work will be accepted until designated cut-off dates established by the teacher.  In order to turn in a teacher-approved late assignment, students must spend 20 minutes with the teacher before or after school for each late assignment they are turning in.  Late work can earn up to 70 percent. 

 

Cheating:

All work must be your own!  Cheating of any kind will not be tolerated.  Cheating is defined as copying, or plagiarizing another person’s paper, homework, daily work, or test.  It includes having unsanctioned notes/text messages during a test, looking at another student’s paper during a test, speaking out loud during a test in a way that would assist another student or themselves on a test, or giving your work to someone else.  Any student caught cheating or helping another student cheat will receive a zero on the assignment and their parents will be notified.

 

Tutoring:

If students find themselves needing additional help, I am available before school for tutoring at the below listed times:

Mondays: 7:00-7:55 a.m., 12:25-12:55 p.m., and 3:00-4:00 p.m.

Tuesdays: 7:00-7:55 a.m. and 12:25-12:55 p.m.

Wednesdays: 7:00-7:55 a.m., 12:25-12:55 p.m., and 3:00-4:00 p.m.

Thursdays: 7:00-7:55 a.m. and 12:25-12:55 p.m.

Fridays: 7:00-7:55 a.m. and 12:30-3:00 p.m.

If a student falls below 70%, he or she will be required to attend mandatory tutoring until his or her grade improves.

 

CLASS OUTLINE FOR THE FALL 2011 SEMESTER (Dates and content are subject to change)

 

ENG 1 FALL 2011 Pacing Guide

J. Nuss

Time

ENG1: 8 and 10 a.m.

ENG1: 1 and 2 p.m.

ENG1H: 11 a.m.

Week 1

8/8

 

AM assembly

·         Introductions

·         Pre-assessments

·         IR

·         Same as ENG1: 8 and 9 a.m. (~)

·         ~

Week 2

8/15

 

Early Release PM

·         Word Generations (WG)

·         Elements of Literature Review

·         Grammar Parts of Speech Review

·         ~

·         ~

·         ~

·         ~

·         ~

·         ~

Week 3

8/22

 

·         WG

·         Grammar

·         Monster (M)

·         Vocab: M1, issue words

·         ~

·         ~

·         Breathing Underwater (BU)

·         Cause and Effect Paragraph

·         ~

·         ~

·         To Kill a Mockingbird (TKM)

Week 4

8/29

 

Early Release PM

·         WG

·         Grammar

·         M

·         Persuasive Paragraph

·         M1 Test

·         ~

·         ~

·         BU

·         Vocab: BU1, issue words

·         ~

·         ~

·         Vocab: TKM1, issue words

·         TKM

Week 5

9/5

 

Labor Day: 1 Day

·         Grammar

·         M

·         Vocab: M2, issue words

·         ~

·         BU

·         BU1 Test

·         ~

·         TKM

·         TKM1 Test

·         Compare/Contrast Paragraph

Week 6

9/12

 

Early Release PM

·         WG

·         Grammar

·         M

·         M2 Test

·         M final Persuasive Paragraph

·         ~

·         ~

·         BU

·         BU final Cause and Effect Paragraph

·         ~

·         ~

·         TKM

·         Vocab: TKM2, issue words

Week 7

9/19

·         WG

·         Grammar

·         TKM

·         ~

·         ~

·         ~

·         ~

·         ~

·         TKM

·         TKM2 Test

Week 8

9/26

 

·         WG

·         Grammar

·         TKM

·         ~

·         ~

·         ~

·         ~

·         ~

·         TKM

·         Vocab: TKM3, issue words

Week 9

10/3

 

Early Release PM

·         WG

·         Grammar

·         TKM

·         Compare/Contrast Paragraph

·         ~

·         ~

·         ~

·         ~

·         ~

·         ~

·         TKM

·         TKM3 Test

Week 10

10/10

 

 

·         WG

·         Grammar

·         TKM

·         ~

·         ~

·         ~

·         ~

·         ~

·         TKM

·         TKM Final Compare/Contrast Paragraph

·         Vocab: TKM4, issue words

Week 11

10/17

 

Early Release PM

·         WG

·         Grammar

·         TKM

·         Final C/C Paragraph

·         ~

·         ~

·         ~

·         ~

·         ~

·         ~

·         TKM4 Test

·         A Separate Peace (SP)

·         Persuasive Paragraph

Week 12

10/24

 

Early Release PM

·         WG

·         Grammar

·         TKM

·         ~

·         ~

·         ~

·         ~

·         ~

·         SP

Week 13

11/7

·         Grammar

·         BU

·         Cause and Effect Paragraph

·         ~

·         M

·         ~

·         SP

·         Persuasive Final Paragraph

Week 15

11/14

·         WG

·         Grammar

·         BU

·         ~

·         ~

·         M

·         Persuasive Paragraph

·         ~

·         ~

·         SP

·         Cause and Effect Paragraph

Week 16

11/21

 

Thanksgiving: 1.5 Days

·         Grammar

·         BU

·         ~

·         M

·         ~

·         SP

Week 17

11/28

 

Early Release PM

·         WG

·         BU

·         Final Cause and Effect Paragraph

·         ~

·         M

·         Final Persuasive Paragraph

·         ~

·         SP

·         Cause and Effect Final Paragraph

Week 18

12/5

·         WG

·         Prepare for Finals

·         ~

·         ~

·         ~

·         ~

Week 19

12/12

·         FINALS

·         ~

·         ~

 

 

Finally, welcome to ENG 1.  I will do everything I can to make this class fun and meaningful.  If there is anything I can do to help you learn, please let me know!

PLEASE NOTE:  THE TEACHER MAY MAKE MODIFICATIONS TO THIS SYLLABUS DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR.