How Your Class Participation Grade is Determined
Class participation in literature classes is not an exact,
quantifiable number, because a lot determines on the
dynamics of the individual class and students, the room
and equipment, the time of day the class is offered, and
so on and so forth. Nonetheless, over the years I have
identified some characteristics that are
most likely
to determine your class participation grade. Here are
those characteristics. Please note, too, the provision on
the syllabus that adjusts your final grade in the course
for a certain number of absences; that counts off your
total
grade, not your class participation grade. |
A
94 |
This student demonstrated leadership. S/he demonstrated
self-respect and respect for her/his classmates by always
arriving on time, always preparing the assigned material,
completing (and printing out and proofreading) assignments
before class began, and in general conducting him/herself
in a way that benefited the class’s ability to learn. S/he
regularly contributed voluntarily to class discussions and
those contributions were positive and valuable. S/he
listened closely to what her/his classmates and instructor
said and took thorough, useful notes. |
B
84 |
This student demonstrated leadership potential. S/he
demonstrated self-respect and respect for her/his
classmates by usually arriving on time, usually preparing
the assigned material, completing (and printing out and
proofreading) assignments before class began, and in
general conducting him/herself in a way that benefited the
class’s ability to learn. S/he usually contributed
voluntarily to class discussions and those contributions
were usually positive and valuable. S/he usually listened
to classmates and the instructor, but sometimes gave the
impression of being more interested in hearing her/himself
speak than others. S/he usually took fairly thorough and
useful notes. |
C
75 |
This student was the classic "good soldier." S/he
demonstrated self-respect and respect for her/his
classmates by mostly arriving on time, mostly preparing
the assigned material, completing (and printing out and
proofreading) assignments before class began, and in
general conducting him/herself in a way that benefited the
class’s ability to learn. S/he sometimes contributed to
class discussions voluntarily, but more often when called
on. Those contributions sometimes were positive and
valuable. S/he sometimes appeared not to be listening to
classmates or the instructor and only sometimes took
thorough and useful notes. |
D
65 |
This student was marking time until the class ended. S/he
demonstrated a lack of self-respect and respect for
her/his classmates by arriving late, not preparing the
assigned material, forgetting or
failing to acquire materials, completing (and
printing out and proofreading) assignments after class
began, and in general conducting him/herself in a way that
hindered the class’s ability to learn. S/he almost always
had to be called on to contribute. Contributions might or
might not be valuable and positive. S/he gave indications
of not paying attention to classmates or the instructor
and rarely took notes of any kind. |
F
50 |
This student was biologically present but intellectually
absent. S/he frequently arrived late, was unprepared,
forgot his/her materials or did not
purchase/download them, or gave other signs that his/her
classmates’ learning environment were not valuable to
him/her. S/he rarely took part in class discussions.
Contributions, if offered, were frequently not valuable or
positive. S/he did not contribute to helping his/her
classmates learn more effectively. His/her presence was
sometimes distracting to his/her classmates. S/he didn’t
appear care what was going on around her/him and rarely
took notes of any kind. |
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