Grading

Homework Quizzes Tests Special Projects Exams

When students learn a foreign language, they must retain what they learn for a long time so they can use it over and over again. For this reason, the middle school Latin classes stress daily study and preparation (60% of grade) in order to build mastery (tested at 40%) of fundamental knowledge for high school Latin II, III, and beyond.

Predictable, consistent expectations and routines help middle school students see how they can succeed. What follows is this teacher's modus operandi for each part of the grade.

Homework (20%):

We will normally have homework every night in order to practice what students are learning in class. It will be due at the beginning of class the next day. Students will receive full credit for homework that is

1. completed with reasonable accuracy and effort including name and pledge!
2. brought to class on time
3. corrected properly in class
4. submitted on time.

What's this homework grade mean?
Grade Points Meaning

check 10 / 10 Met all the requirements above.

check minus 7 / 10 This usually means a student skipped a question or two, did not follow directions, or did not correct the homework properly in class.

x/10 5/10
3/10
etc. A lower grade usually means the homework was either late* (7th grade only) or substantially incomplete.

0 0/10 A zero either means the student submitted the homework too late to receive credit, or never submitted it at all.

* In preparation for high school, 8th grade policies allow no credit for late work unless a student was absent.

What's this homework grade mean?
Grade	Points	Meaning
check	10 / 10	Met all the requirements above.
check minus	7 / 10	This usually means a student skipped a question or two, did not follow directions, or did not correct the homework properly in class.
x/10	5/10 3/10 etc.	A lower grade usually means the homework was either late* (7th grade only) or substantially incomplete.
0	0/10	A zero either means the student submitted the homework too late to receive credit, or never submitted it at all.

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Quizzes (40%):

I give basically 2 kinds of quizzes:

I give daily pop quizzes (25 points) almost every day. A daily quiz normally has 5 questions worth five points each, is given at the beginnning of class either orally or via powerpoint, and takes about 3 minutes to take and correct. Pop quizzes normally cover a small amount of very recent material, although I also use them occasionally for review.

I also give 100-point quizzes about once or twice a week. These normally fall on Tuesdays or Fridays. They cover several pop quizzes' worth of material. These are shown on the weekly assignment sheet, and students get the exact format in class the day before the quiz. These quizzes are normally preprinted, and take a portion of class to take and correct.

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Tests (40%):

We normally have a test about every one or two chapters (about every 2 or 3 weeks), and tests normally fall on Tuesdays or Fridays.

A review sheet which looks suspiciously like the test is generally handed out two class days before the test and done for homework.
The following day, we correct the review sheet in class. Students may then take their corrected review sheets home to use in studying for the next day's test.

Students normally have the entire period to take a test, although some well-prepared students will finish in 25 minutes or less.

Special Projects:

Occasionally, special projects are assigned to bring variety to the class and engage students with certain aspects of Roman culture. These include oral presentations, artwork, and group projects. Students generally receive a detailed rubric, and are typically given 3 days to 2 weeks, including significant time in class, to complete these projects. They are counted either as quiz grades or test grades.

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Exams:

Exams are not part of the quarter grade. For seventh-graders, exams count 1/7th of the semester grade. For eighth-graders, exams count 1/4th of the semester grade.

To help students review, a detailed review schedule of homeworks, quizzes, and possibly tests will be given out one to two weeks before the end of classes. By following this review program, the conscientious student can avoid much last-minute cramming, raising his or her quarter grade while studying for the Latin exam early,

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