English Language Arts

2018-2019

Who is Mr. T?

My name is Tom Ta and I am an English Language Arts (ELA) teacher. I am better known as Mr. T, so feel
free to call me that or Mr. Ta (pronounced Tah). I was born in Vietnam, but was raised as a true New
Mexican in New Mexico. I can speak 4.5 different languages (English, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, and
a bit of Spanish), which makes me very international. I have a BA in English and an MA in Educational
Linguistic, both of which were earned at the University of New Mexico. I got his provisional teaching
license in the summer of 2016 and have been working as a substitute teacher since then.

Mission Statement

Many students struggle with English Language Arts in a number of ways. Some students may find writing
and/or reading tedious and boring, while others may struggle with these skills. However, they don't
have to be boring or difficult, it is my personal mission to make learning English Language Arts a fun and
engaging experience for all students, regardless of where they are at. I aspire to help my students
discover the joy of reading and writing, because these skills exist so art can be created and interpreted
with words. It just so happens that it also helps the student in life.

As for my class, it is a student-centered environment, which means students are the stars of the show,
you can expect a lot of group work, partnered assignment, and student-led discussion. I see myself as a
facilitator of learning and not a lecturer. My class will teach me and their peers through the knowledge
they bring to class!

Responsibilities

In order for me to succeed my mission to help all students accomplish their academic goals, it is
important for both the student and their parents to understand that students' success is not solely my
responsibility, but also the school's, the parents', the class', and most importantly, the student
themselves. For my class, I encourage parents to communicate with me and update themselves on their
student's progress at school.

It is through a communal effort that students' success will happen. If you put in effort to help your
student succeed, I will put in 110% of effort to fulfill my promise.

Contact

 Email: tomta@gmail.com
- - This is the best way for you to reach me. I check my email hourly and will able to get back to
you quickly.
 Phone: 505-710-1930
- - If you need to get a hold of me right away, please use this number. If I don’t pick up right
away, leave me a message and I will get back to you.
Rules & Procedures

School Policies

 Attendance: will copy and paste from school’s agenda

 General Guidelines: will copy and paste from school’s agenda

Classroom Rules

 Come to class prepared to learn

 Food, drinks, and makeup belong inside your backpack or out of the classroom
 Your cellphone must to be in your pouch
 You can hang out and talk with your friends out of class
 Your chair was made so you can sit in it, stay in your seat!

Roles: roles are redistributed every month

 2 paper aides: help the teacher hand out or to collect papers, only these students may stand up
and move around during the collection process
 1 class leader: helps classmates keep track of any information they might miss or to help remind
them of important due dates

Leaving the classroom (bathroom & nurse)

1. Tell the teacher

2. Write your name on the dry erase board next to the door
3. Grab one of the wooden ruler, that is your hall pass
4. Only 2 hall passes are available

Call Signs: these are used to make sure the class stays focused and on task

 Countdown: when the teacher begins the countdown, the students have 5 seconds to finish
their sentence before we move to the next activity
 Thumbs up: every once in a while, during a lesson, the teacher will put one of his thumbs up,
the last student to raise their thumb will have to do 3 pushups or 6 jumping jacks, pay attention!
 Volume Control: when the teacher holds a black remote control, he will move it down slowly,
students must lower their voice accordingly
 Comprehension survey: occasionally, I will call for a comprehension survey where you can show
me how well you understood what I just said by the number of your fingers.
1. I don’t understand at all
 2. I somewhat understand
3. I understand but have questions
4. I understand it well
5. I completely get it.

Class Start Procedure

1. Turn in homework in the shelf next to the door; make sure it has the name, date, and period
2. Put your phone in the pouch, this is how I take attendance (if you didn’t bring a phone use the
wood block as a substitute). If you get caught with a phone in class despite using the wooden
block, refer to the penalty chart.
3. If there are paper on the white table, pick it up
4. Do the bell ringer

During Class Procedure

1. On a count of 5, finish talking to your classmate, class must be silent on zero.

2. Raise your hand when you would like to speak.
3. Always have your books out on the table so you are prepared
4. If you finish early, ask the teacher for a Chromebook from the cabinet and work on your
semester project

Class End Procedure

1. Class ends when the bell rings, not 10 minutes before

2. I will tell you when you can start packing up
3. Turn in your exit slip when you leave, you have to have something written

Emergencies

1. In case of a fire, form a single file and start leaving the class one by one, this is not a Godzilla
movie, do NOT run.
2. In case of a lock down, close all the blinds around the classroom and line up against the wall
next to the door, do NOT be visible and stay away from the door. Do NOT talk during this
process until an announcement is made over the intercom.

Agenda: The daily agenda is always written on the board, it is the student’s responsibility to keep up
with assignments. If the student was absent from a class, they can find the agenda of the day they miss
on my website (tom-ta.weebly.com) under week’s agenda. Any missed handout will be in the absent bin
underneath the table next to the door. Look there first before asking questions.
Reward

Students will be given points for good behavior and avoiding bad behaviors. Upon collecting 5 points,
student can listen to music quietly for a day in class.

Consequences

All behaviors have consequences, below is a sequence from minor to serious. Scale starts from 1 (not
serious) to 4 (serious).

1. Student will receive verbal warning

2. Student will meet with the teacher outside of class
3. Student’s parents/guardians will be contacted
4. Students will have to talk to the administration

Classroom Culture: This classroom is a place where mistakes are made by both the teacher and
students. It is OKAY to make mistakes; the important thing is for us to learn from these mistakes. As
such, do not be afraid to share your answers in class regardless of what it is. If you don’t understand
someone, ask! Someone famous once said, “There is no such thing as a dumb questions.” This class
requires a lot of hard work, but as long as you put in the time and effort, you WILL succeed.

Curriculum

Grade Partition

Presentations 30%
Group Projects 25%
Essays 20%
Quizzes 10%
Daily Participation 5%
Homework 5%

Grading Scale

A 90-100
B 80-89
C 70-79
D 60-69
F 59 and below
Late Assignments: Any assignments that are turned in after the due date will lose 10% per day late. If an
assignment is 5-days late, it will not be accepted. Please turn them in on time!

Feedback: I will spend time giving you written feedback. If you would like to talk to me about the
feedback I gave you, schedule with me and we can meet either at lunch, after school, or before/after
class (if there is time). Keep in mind that students who have not done their work all year round will not
receive much (if any) feedback to use for their correction, which is talked about below.

Corrections: If you turned in your assignment or project on time, you may correct or redo your
assignments to get a higher grade. It is okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from it. Use the
teacher feedbacks to improve your grade. The one requirement is that the student must write a 1-2
paragraph reflection explaining what they have learn from correcting or redoing the assignment,
corrections will NOT be accepted without this.

Your Progress: Is carefully tracked and have plenty of notes. If you schedule an appointment with me, I
can tell you how you can improve or what your progress in the class is like.

Standards: All standards in class follow the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) that you can access on
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/. We will go over learning objectives every lesson. Refer to
the blackboard for the daily learning goals.

Assessment: All assignments will have expectations and grading guideline clearly detailed so you should
always know what I am looking for when I am grading your work. Take responsibility and meet these
goals to achieve the A+ you deserve.

Sample Curriculum Map

Modules Time Books

Module A: American Romanticism 7-8 weeks  Sample book 1 by author 1

(Fiction and nonfiction)  Sample book 2 by author 2
 Sample book 3 by author 3
Essential Question: sample question
here

Module B: War and conflict 7-8 weeks  Sample book 1 by author 1

(Fiction and nonfiction)  Sample book 2 by author 2
 Essential Question: sample question  Sample book 3 by author 3
here

Module C: Realism and Naturalism 6 weeks  Sample book 1 by author 1

(Fiction)  Sample book 2 by author 2
 Sample book 3 by author 3
Essential Question: sample question
here

How we will learn this:

1. Group work: Lots and lots of group work! The best thing about being in a classroom is that you
can learn a lot from other students. Group work will be done in pair, and anywhere from 3 to 6
members per group.

2. Presentation: You can teach the class through presentation. Take the time and impress the
other guys and gals. Expect group AND individual presentation. We will learn how to make
awesome PowerPoints.

3. In-class participation: This means speaking in class and joining in on conversations, you are a
part of this class so participate! These activities include discussion, which is a big focus of the
class. You should familiarize yourself with different discussion strategies such as: agreeing,
disagreeing, inquisitive questioning, not speaking over one another, etc.

4. Essay: Writing does not have to be painful, I will show you how to have fun writing in a variety
of format.

Differentiation:

1. All assignments and projects have multiple versions for the purpose of differentiation, so you
may see variations in class.
2. If you have any questions or didn’t understand something, write your name and your question
on a small piece of paper and drop it in the question jar. I will answer these either in private or
in class.
Parental Communication
If you are a parent reading this, please note that I provide a comprehensive guide to my classroom and a
very detailed curriculum schedule on my website: tom-ta.weebly.com.

To begin, look under curriculum and agenda and find the period your student is in. This will let you know
exactly what they have to do. I also have a reminder opt-in in the parent and student agreement form
that will give you a 1-day alert on important assignments that are due. Please opt-in so I can help you!

You are free to reach out to me via these two methods:

Email: tomta@gmail.com
This is the best and most preferable way for you to reach me. I check my email hourly and will able
to get back to you quickly. Please be sure to include the name and period of your student.

Phone: 505-710-1930
If you need to get a hold of me right away, please use this number. If I don’t pick up right away,
leave me a message and I will get back to you. I can pick up calls between 4-6 PM but no early or
later. Send me an email for a faster response time.

If you cannot meet face to face with me for a student conference, Skype or phone call is an option, but
let me know one week in advance so I can set this up for us.
 Parents and Student
Agreement Form

Students, please read the syllabus carefully and write your initials in the blank spaces and sign your
name at the end. When you sign this, you confirm with me that you will follow the class’s rules and
procedures and understand what you have to do to succeed in my class.

I __________ acknowledge that I have received, read, and understand the syllabus for Mr. T’s class.

Signature: _________________ Date: _________________

Parents or guardians, please read the syllabus carefully and write your initials in the blank spaces
and sign your name at the end. This form is for me to make sure that you have read the syllabus and
provide me with ways, through which I can contact you and work together with you to help your student
succeed in my class.

I __________ acknowledge that I have received, read, and went over the syllabus for Mr. T’s class with
my child.

The best way for you to reach me is through (circle one)

Phone call / Text / Email

You may contact me to make sure the communication method work (circle one)

Yes / No

I would like to enroll in the homework/project alert system (circle one)

Yes / No

I prefer for the reminder to be (circle one)

Phone call / Text / Email

Phone: _________________________

Email: __________________________

Signature: _________________ Date: _________________