 Ms. Spiceland and Room 503

Happy first day of the fall semester, everyone! Let’s start today off by getting to know each other with a game called… Truth or Fiction?

Here’s how we play!  Everyone will come up with THREE statements about themselves.  TWO statements should be TRUE.  ONE statement should be a LIE.  Next, Mrs. Connell and I will try and figure out which statement is the fictional one!

1. I am a really big nerd; I love playing games like Warhammer 40,000, World of Warcraft, and Dungeons and Dragons. 2. We will watch a YouTube video every day in class this semester. 3. I am a published author; I’m currently writing my second novel, and you can buy my first at any bookstore.

1. I have a guinea pig named Mr. Cheeks 2. I have three sons: Jason, Eric, and Joshua. 3. I am an only child.

 Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo….

 If you are absent, the first thing you want to ask is “Did we do anything yesterday?”  All class materials will be posted on the class blog – the daily video, any PowerPoints or worksheets, and any other important information.  Yep, I blog every day. Get ready to have “osborne10thlit.com!” pounded into your heads!

1. Be respectful and courteous of your teachers, your classmates, and yourself. 2. Be prepared each day when you come to class. That means having something to write with, paper, and any work you will need. 3. Be ready to actively participate in class. I will promise not to lecture and make you take notes all the time if you promise to respectfully participate when we do other things.

 When you enter my classroom, you do not go through a magical portal that removes you from Osborne High School. Therefore, all rules which are detailed in your student handbook are in force at all times.  This includes school policies on cell phones and the dress code.

1. Can I go to the bathroom? Can I go to the bathroom? 2. Can I go to the vending machine? Can I go to the vending machine? 3. Can I charge my phone? Can I charge my phone? 4. Can I eat in here? Can I eat in here? 5. What are we doing right now? What are we doing right now? 6. Can I draw on the board? Can I draw on the board? 7. I’m done, now what? I’m done, now what? 8. Can I answer this call? Can I answer this call? 9. Do we have to sit here? Do we have to sit here? 10. Can I go to the nurse? Can I go to the nurse? 11. Do you have any ___________ (Band-Aids, Lotion, etc.)? Do you have any ___________ (Band-Aids, Lotion, etc.)? 12. What time do we get out of here? What time do we get out of here?

13. What was that class blog again? What was that class blog again? 14. How are we graded in here? How are we graded in here? 15. What are we going to read this semester? What are we going to read this semester? 16. How long until Winter Break? How long until Winter Break? 17. I hate you already, can I transfer out? I hate you already, can I transfer out? 18. I’ve already passed this class, can I transfer out? I’ve already passed this class, can I transfer out? 19. I have friends in Mr. Thompson’s class, can I transfer there? I have friends in Mr. Thompson’s class, can I transfer there? 20. I think I belong in Honors American Lit, can I transfer there? I think I belong in Honors American Lit, can I transfer there? 21. How can I get in touch with you? How can I get in touch with you?

 I allow one person out of the classroom at a time. Not one boy and one girl, not “But he’s been gone foreeeever!!!”, not “But I really have to go!”, and definitely not without a hall pass. However, if no one else is out or if you can wait until someone comes back, then yes, write a pass (even though it’s right across the hall) and then you can go.  Please only ask Ms. Spiceland for hall passes. We can both sign them, but if you ask both of us then we’ll end up letting two of you out. So, to stop that from happening, only one of us will handle passes.  Back

 I can’t write you a pass to the vending machine. However, I can write you a pass to the bathroom, and if they happen to be selling hot fries and Fanta in the bathroom now… Well, that’s kind of awesome, isn’t it?  Even though I know you’re not going to the bathroom, I still only allow one student out of the room at a time. So if you take half an hour to parade around campus looking for your favorite molten-hot BBQ Ruffles, then you’ll probably come back to an angry classmate that really needs to pee.  Back

 Short answer: Yes.  Long answer: There’s an outlet with a power strip underneath the little whiteboard and another on the wall next to my desk. You can use any open outlet to charge your phone.  You may not unplug anything. Anything! Not my fridge, not my coffee maker, not my computer, not someone else’s phone, not the printer, nothing. If the outlets are full, sorry.  You may not use my computer to charge your phone. I’m super crazy protective of my laptop, and, no offense, I don’t want you touching it.  Back

 Yes, but for the love of s’mores, don’t shove your trash into the vents at the back of the room. Seriously. There are trash cans in the room. Use them.  See, what happens is, people stuff chip bags and pudding tops into the vents at the back of the room, and then there’s no way to get it out. Then the OHS mascot, the Fighting Cockroach, finds the trash and is all “Dude, free trash!” and then he calls his friends…  …and the next thing you know, there’s a roach on one of you, and you better hope Mrs. Whoever can handle it, ‘cause I don’t do roaches.  Back

 Right now? We’re going over frequently asked questions.  But in the future when you ask this question, I’ll happily repeat directions for you. And when I say happily, I mean I’ll do it with a lot of sarcasm and make fun of you if you were talking while I was talking and that’s why you didn’t hear. If you just didn’t understand, I’ll do my best to rephrase things to be more clear.  Back

 If we’re not doing anything else or you finish early, sure. But please don’t use the markers that are in the Smartboard. When you pick those up, it disables my laptop, which is connected to the board even though the screens show different things.  Back

 Do you have any other work to make up or finish for my class? Do that.  Do you have anything you could get ahead on for my class? Do that.  Do you have any homework for another class you need to get done? Do that.  Do you have to go to the bathroom, get a snack, get water, see the nurse, counselor, or front office? Do that now before we start our next activity.  Done with all that? Grab a novel off the shelf and start reading!  Back

 I’m not going to stop you if you have an emergency and need to answer your phone. But it had better be an emergency, and yes, I’m going to ask why.  “My boyfriend just wanted to say he loved me” is not an emergency. He can text you that.  “It was my mom” is not an emergency. “My dad is in the hospital and my mom was calling” is.  Back

 Yes. These seats will be your assigned seats until further notice.  If you can sit by your friends without talking and everyone gets their work done, awesome! If not, I’ll have to separate people.  If you hate the people at your table so much that it stops you from learning, then I’ll separate that, too.  I’ll also come and mix up the desks every now and then. Making new friends is good for you!  Back

 Yes, if no one else is out of the room. Remember that the nurse has to SIGN YOUR PASS to prove that you were there!  Back

 Probably. If you need something, ask.  Back

 First block goes from 8:20-9:55  Third block goes from 11:40-1:50. We have C lunch from 12:45-1:15.  Fourth block goes from 1:55-3:30.  Back

 Osborne10thlit.com  Osborne10thlit.com!!!!  Back

 I’ll be handing out the syllabus on Friday, but in the meantime… o We use the standard grading scale, is an A, and so on. o 35% of your grade will be based on Reading and Literature assessment. o 30% of your grade will be based on your Writing and Conventions. This is mostly your essay or other paper grades. o 20% of your grade will be base on Listening, Speaking, and Viewing. This is based half on oral presentations, and half on your class participations. o 15% of your grade will be based on the final exam.  Back

 The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer  Back

 Winter break starts on December 20 th at 11:30 or something like that. Anyway, it’s a long way away.  Back

 If you want to transfer out because you hate me or have friends in Thompson’s class, then unfortunately the answer is probably no. You can go beg Mrs. Glendenning, but I hope she likes you…good luck,  If you want to transfer out because you’ve already passed this class, then the answer is probably yes. Go see the counselors at some point and they’ll get you straightened out.  If you want to transfer out because you think you belong in Honors American Lit, show me how awesome you are on our first writing assignment. I’ll get you bumped up if that’s where you should be.  Back

 You can me at If it’s not urgent, this is a very reliable way to get in touch with me, but I don’t always check it outside of  For urgent s, you can use This goes to my phone so I’ll get it very  If you want a response right away, you can text me! My number is 562-SPICE01 ( ). You can also leave a voic , but I won’t actually answer the call.  Back