Parent Letter

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I am really excited and honored to be working with your student this year. I believe that through strong communication we can help your student grow immensely throughout their Global Literature experience. Please take time to read over your students syllabus to see what we are going to be up to this year. In addition, I welcome you to follow your student’s assignments and deadlines through our class blog throughout the year. This website will give you information regarding what we covered each day, homework assignments, extra credit, and timelines. You may view this at: http://mrks9thgradelitpage2007-2008.blogspot.com/
And now a word about writing............

Writing will take place in many forms in ninth grade:
In ninth grade at the International High School, writing is a fundamental focus of the curriculum. We are strong believers that students must have solid basic writing skills to be successful in school and in the upcoming world of work.
Not all writing is graded; much is for practice. Students will keep writings in their notebook or in a portfolio to review development throughout the year. Check students’ assignment notebooks for homework.

The process
* prewriting (brainstorming, webbing, discussing)
* writing conferences
* asking questions
* rereading writing (out loud and silently) to judge its completeness, clarity, and thoughtfulness
* rough draft expected (to be used as a teaching tool)
* evidence of revision/ editing required
* following required draft guidelines
* developing self-discipline, willingness to take risks

Final Draft Guidelines
1. Ink (black/blue) on white lined paper or typed (standard font style, size 10 or 12, double spaced)
2. Writing on one side of paper
3. Left and right margins followed
4. Heading at top right corner including: name (first and last), section number, and date
5. Title as required
6. Students must submit a draft; if it is completed on a computer, an early copy must be printed out and revisions should be shown on it.

Writing criteria vary depending on the assignment. We will discuss the expectations and will look at models of good writing. We will base grading in part on content and development of the assignment and in the traditional areas of written language mechanics (sentence structure, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar).

Suggestions for parents:
- Have students read writing out loud to you
- Ask questions, make suggestions
- Resist the urge to write for them
- Read writing in all subject areas

I am looking forward to working with you this year,

Caleb Kostechka
Global Literature teacher

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns so I may address them right away.
E-mail:kostechka_c@4j.lane.edu
Office: 687-3438 Churchill Campus
687-3171 Sheldon Campus
Website: http://mrks9thgradelitpage2007-2008.blogspot.com/