COURSE DESCRIPTION

Resource Workshop is a course designed to provide you with additional resources and skills that will help your academic success in the rigorous courses at Thurgood Marshall Academy. This course will address the individual needs of students based on prior knowledge and learning. Therefore, we will cover everything from foundational information and basic skills to developing and implementing strategies to work through more advanced content. All activities in this course will be designed to support the student in their courses at Thurgood Marshall Academy. In addition students will discuss and work to address the social component of transitioning into high school through teambuilding exercises. Students will be guided to take ownership of their learning and learn to identify the resources within their peer and academic communities.

INSTRUCTIONAL OUTCOMES

Students will leave this course with a more comprehensive understanding of the concepts that they learn in Thurgood Marshall Academy courses as well as strategies and tools that they can apply in future courses in order to access challenging material. Organization is key to academic success at Thurgood Marshall Academy and later in college. Therefore students will work to develop and maintain organizational strategies to track homework, tests, and quizzes. Students will discuss time management and be encouraged to design a schedule for completing assignments with resources such as Homework Help and teacher office hours.

In Resource Workshop students will also work to complete personal academic goals that are developed for their specific learning needs. Students will strengthen skills in mathematics, reading comprehension and written expression.

Students will be expected to achieve 80% mastery of each learning goal. Each student will track their progress towards a goal of 80% mastery of the prioritized standards.

In reading, students will work to reach the goal of achieving two years of growth in reading level. This includes fluency, decoding and comprehension. We will work with a variety of texts, from textbooks for particular courses, to the newspaper, to literary works; students will be required to read for a portion of class each day.

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Daily Routine

Warm-up

Students will enter the room each class and complete a warm-up exercise related to the lesson.

Journal

Students will keep a journal and write two entries, due every-other class; Ms. Dougherty will write a response to each entry and return the journal to continue the conversation. The journal schedule through December is below (Ms. Dougherty will inform students of any changes to this schedule and will update the class website accordingly).

Literacy

We will be working through a variety of texts over the course of the year. Each class period we will identify and use different reading comprehension strategies such as context clues and root words to decode and interpret unfamiliar texts and words. We will read everything from newspaper articles to textbook sections to poems relevant to classroom learning.

Coursework Support

We will review information presented in your courses at Thurgood Marshall Academy. In addition we will work on foundational/remedial skills that will help you with more advanced skills and concepts.

Individual Learning Goal Work

We will complete group and individual activities during Resource Workshop that will address skills and areas to strengthen.

Progress Report Checks

Each student will receive a copy of his or her Progress Report every three weeks.  Each student will be required to reflect on his or her progress, identify strong and weak areas, and meet with teachers to discuss strategies. Progress Report Checks require both parent/guardian and teacher signatures. See the table below for the Progress Report Check schedule (through December); Ms. Dougherty will notify students of any changes to the schedule and update the website accordingly.

Teambuilding

At least once per month the school counselor will come to our class and will work with Ms. Dougherty to facilitate an activity to address the social and emotional aspects of being a high school student.

Class Rules and Procedures

The consequences for your behavior—both positive and negative—are those outlined in all school policies. This means that all No Brainers and Leveled Consequences apply. Points will be taken away from your classroom participation points for any misbehavior.

You know the expectations; they are posted on the classroom walls. Therefore, there will be no warnings. Think before you act.

Ms. Dougherty will provide you with support to meet the high expectations that your teachers set for you, and that you set for yourself; however, you will be expected to behave the same in our classroom as all of your other courses at Thurgood Marshall Academy.

As we work to cover information and skills from all content areas at Thurgood Marshall Academy, as well as individual goal work and remediation, there is never enough time. Therefore time in Resource Workshop needs to be purposeful. What does this look like?

Talking

During class you may only talk when you are directed to do so. Before speaking, raise your hand and wait to be recognized. When the teacher, a guest, or another student is presenting, and you would like to ask a question or respond, again you will raise your hand and wait to be recognized by the presenter.

Bathroom

You will receive four bathroom passes for the quarter. If you need to use the bathroom, fill out a bathroom pass and then raise your hand. Only one person will be allowed to go to the bathroom at a time. You must have the teacher’s signature before leaving the room.

Sharpening pencils and borrowing pencils and pens

If you need to sharpen your pencil or need to borrow a pen for the period, please ask before class begins. Pencils or pens borrowed from Ms. Dougherty must be returned by the end of the class; for each pencil or pen not returned at the end of the period, the student owes Ms. Dougherty 15 minutes of time before or after school within three days of the offense.

Tardies

If you are not in your seat when class begins, you are counted as tardy and points will be taken away from your participation grade for the day. If you have a pass from another teacher, nurse, or administrator you may have the opportunity to still receive all of your participation points.

Missed or Missing Work

In the event that you are absent, you will be expected to come to office hours or Homework Help and complete missed work time. Students can see Ms. Dougherty to determine deadlines for missed work.

Course Expectations

• Be Prepared—what this looks like: on time, with your binder, your planner, the materials you are instructed to bring, work that you need support to complete, and with any homework or projects that you have been assigned.

• Be On Time—what this looks like: be accountable for the work that you have been assigned by your faculty, finish projects in the timeline created by Ms. Dougherty or another teacher. Turn in all work that is assigned. On a daily basis you check your planner and figure out how you are going to complete assignments.

• Be Working Hard—what this looks like: during class complete assignments given by the teacher and plan how you will complete the rest of your work at home or during homework help.

• Be Engaged (Positively)—what this looks like: actively participate in classroom activities and discussions. Pay attention to the teacher or speaker, and contribute relevant ideas or questions.

• Be Respectful—what this looks like:  follow all directions given by the teacher. You are respectful of the members of the classroom and yourself. You use appropriate language, you support the learning of your cohorts, ensure the safety of others.

Grading Policy:

• Assignments (e.g. Progress Report Teacher Check-in, Journal)—45%
• Daily Participation—35%
• Individual goal work—15%
• Warm-up Activities—5%

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Required Materials

• 1” Binder (provided)
• Journal (provided)
• Notebook
• Pen or pencil for class, everyday
• TMA Planner (provided)

PLEASE COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING AND RETURN TO Ms. Dougherty ON THURSDAY, SEPT. 1.

Student Signature: __________________________________________Date____________________

Parent/Guardian Signature: _________________________________Date____________________

Parent /Guardians Home Phone______________________________________________________

Parent/Guardian Other Phone________________________________________________________

Parent/Guardian E-mail (If you have one) _____________________________________________