Welcome to Mrs. Kreycik's Web Page !

I can be reached by phone at (818) 222-7177 ext. 324, or by e-mail at batsblood@att.net bat

Below are policy guidelines, essay guidelines and links to sites that will assist you in your English studies. Also included is information on calabasashigh.net, which has links to Aeries, the program that allows you instant access to your grades; and access to homework assignments and class agendas via the homework button. Please read through these instructions carefully -- they were designed to help you!



    Educational Background and Awards

  • Graduated summa cum laude from California Lutheran University with a B.A. in English. Presidential Scholarship, Armour Nelson Literature Scholarship, National English Honor Society member.
  • Completed teaching credential program at CLU. Dr. Nusz Scholar Award, John R. Siemens Memorial Scholarship.
  • Writing Awards: Mark Van Doren Poetry Award. Editor's Choice Award, National Library of Poetry. International Poetry Society Best New Poet Nominee, Myriad Best of Year 1985, 1984.
  • Who's Who/American High School Teachers.

    Publications

  • National Council of Teachers of English Classroom Notes Plus 2002.
  • Morning Glory 2000, 1999.
  • National Library of Poetry Anthology 1997, 1996.
  • Myriad 1985, 1984.
  • New York Poetry Society Anthology 1982, 1981.
  • Rainbows 1979.









Student Grades/Homework/Agendas

MLA (Modern Language Association) Style for English Papers

Free Animated Gifs

Turn it in (submit your essays here)

Arthurian Legend

The Beat Poets

The Crucible

Dracula

Frankenstein

The Great Gatsby

Greek/Roman/Norse Myth

Heart of Darkness

The Hound of the Baskervilles

House on Mango Street

Huckleberry Finn

Lord of the Flies

Macbeth

Moby Dick

Pride and Prejudice

Pygmalion

The Scarlet Letter

Shakespeare

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Taming of the Shrew

Wuthering Heights


Materials Needed for Class
All classes
  • Literature textbooks should be checked out from the library. The majority of the novels we will be working with are also available for check out; additional novels may either be available to read online, or available for inexpensive purchase through your local Barnes and Noble or Amazon. I will give students information about where each book may be located prior to the time it is required.
  • One notebook with a section for literature notes and grammar assignments. You should retain all work; your notes can be used to prepare for exams and the cumulative finals. Retaining your work also provides a means of verifying your grade if necessary. Your saved work is your only proof in the event you believe there to be a discrepancy in your grade.
  • Note about novels: the novels mentioned below: these may be available free online, or at reduced cost from various publishers. Students will be given information about convenient options, and about when each book will be needed. If for some reason these purchases are impossible for you, see me to make alternate arrangements. You must bring all books to class every day.
Sophomore CP
  • One set of 300 count 3x5 index cards to be used for vocabulary flashcards.
  • One two pocket, flat folder (such as PeeChee) to be used as an essay portfolio.
  • Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Dracula by Bram Stoker, House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, The Once and Future King by T. H. White.
Sophomore H
  • Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, Dracula by Bram Stoker, Idylls of the King by Alfred Lord Tennyson, Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis.
Junior H
  • Two sets of different colored index cards (two colors) for the ISP.
  • One plastic, folder style index card holder for the ISP.
  • The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Moby Dick by Herman Melville, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury, High Tide in Tucson by Barbara Kingsolver, The Shipping News by Annie Proulx.


Grading Breakdown
Academic work broken down as follows:
20% quizzes (vocab, lit, and grammar)
30% exams (periodic lit exams, and two grammar finals)
30% papers (essays and independent study project)
10% class work (study guides, etc.)
10% projects (videos, reports, performances, etc.)



Grading Standards

90-91 = A- 92-100 = A  
80-81 = B- 82-87 = B 88-89 = B+
70-71 = C- 72-77 = C 78-79 = C+
60-61 = D- 62-67 = D 68-69 = D+
below 60 = F      


Grades will round up @ 59.5%, 69.5%, 79.5%, and 89.5%



Late Work Policy
I will make every effort to give you plenty of time in which to complete assignments; therefore, I will not accept late work for any reason other than an excused absence. If you feel that the time allotted to complete a given assignment is unrealistic, tell me at the time the work is assigned and we can see if a compromise can be reached. If there are extraordinary circumstances that will make it difficult for you to complete the work in time, come to me before the due date, and together we can devise a plan to help you. If you wait until the due date, the due date will stand, and late work will not be accepted. When you have an excused absence, you have the number of days you were absent in which to complete work assigned during your absence; any work assigned prior to your absence is due on the day of your return, and will not be accepted late.  Exceptions will only be made for extreme duress (e.g. the death of an immediate family member, hospitalization, etc.), however if you have such a circumstance, a parent or guardian must contact me before the work would normally be due; otherwise, no exception to the late work policy will be made. Work that must be handed in late for any reason must be placed in the late bin, and MUST have an absence form attached to the front, stating the reason the work is late, including dates of absence  (absence forms are available in the bin next to the late bin, attached to my desk). Work handed in to the wrong bin, or without the reason written at the top along with the correct dates will be handed back to you without credit. Providing the reason for the delay and giving the correct dates of absence is part of the assignment...an improperly completed assignment will not receive credit. Give yourself every advantage by checking the assignments link each night for updates and due date reminders. If you experience technical difficulties, call a friend for the assignment information. You are responsible to acquire the information you need to keep current.

To sum up: 1. Work assigned before an absence is due the day you return. 2. Work assigned during the absence is due after the number of days you were absent has elapsed (if absent two days, you have two days including the day you return to hand in the work, e.g. if you were absent Tuesday when a test was assigned, and also absent Wednesday, when you return on Thursday, you must take the exam either Thursday or Friday). 3. To receive credit, late work must be placed in the late bin, and MUST have the reason for the delay along with the correct dates of your absence written at the top. 4. Exceptions will only be made for extreme emergencies with parent verification at the time the work is due. 5. In general, late work is not accepted, even for reduced credit.

Late Exam Policy

When you have an excused absence, you have the number of days you were absent in which to complete an exam assigned during your absence; any exam assigned prior to your absence is due on the day of your return. It will be your responsibility, in such an event, to schedule the exam with me. If you wait and your time has elapsed, you will receive a zero on the test. Exceptions will only be made for extreme duress (e.g. the death of an immediate family member, hospitalization, etc.), however if you have such a circumstance, a parent or guardian must contact me before the exam would normally be due; otherwise, no exception to the late work policy will be made. You must have a late slip prepared to give me at the time you plan to take your exam, including the dates of and reason for your absence. An exam will not be administered without a make-up slip (slips will be available in the bin on my desk).

To sum up: 1. An exam assigned before an absence must be taken the day you return. 2. An exam assigned during an absence is due after the number of days you were absent has elapsed (if absent two days, you have two days including the day you return to hand in the work, e.g. if you were absent Tuesday when a test was assigned, and also absent Wednesday, when you return on Thursday, you must take the exam either Thursday or Friday). 3. To receive credit for a late exam, you MUST fill out an absence form with the reason for the delay along with the correct dates of your absence written at the top - this form will be submitted when you take the exam or no credit will be given. 4. Exceptions will only be made for extreme emergencies with parent verification at the time the work is due.


Homework/Agendas

You can obtain up to the minute information on homework, classroom agendas, due dates, etc. by clicking on the grades/homework/agendas link above or going directly to www.calabasashigh.com. Once you get there, click on the homework button and find the assignments for your class. Remember that technology can be fallible - the online posting is backup only. Even when the site is down, you are responsible for keeping track of your assignments and due dates. Due dates are posted on the whiteboard in the classroom, and should be available from your classmates as well.
Aeries
Aeries is an online database that gives you instant access to your grades. You and your parents were sent a pass code from the counseling office prior to the start of the school year. By going to www.calabasashigh.com, you can use your password to view your current overall grade (updated weekly), and your entire assignment history with individual grades. A link to calabasashigh.com is provided above (click on "Student Grades"). If you lose your password, you can obtain another copy from Ms.Gall in the counseling office.

Technology Availability/Responsibility

Technology usage is integral to this class. You will need an email account for the purposes of this class: email is available for free at many sites: yahoo.com, juno.com, hotmail.com, etc. Note: if you have only an aol account, you will not have access to it at CHS - AOL has been blocked due to cheating issues via instant messenger. Create another free account with another service to be used for class work. You will use technology in the following ways in the course of this class: word processing essays, submitting essays to an online plagiarism detection service, using group emails for book discussions, using individual emails for student/teacher correspondence, using the web for documented research, web quests, and for accessing essay formatting guidelines provided online for the Modern Language Association in conjunction with Diana Hacker, an internationally recognized expert on documentation practices. A word of caution, however - technology is a tool, and as such, can be used by students for their benefit or to their detriment. Use it wisely. Lastly, understand from the start that technological difficulties will never be accepted as an excuse for late work. You will always have ample time in which to word process documents; if you wait until the last minute to do your work, and then have technical difficulties the night before a due date, the due date will still stand. Do the following to prevent last minute technical problems: 1. Always ensure you have a backup copy on a disk; in the event your hard drive crashes, you will always be able to continue or complete you work at any of the previously mentioned locations. 2. Create a hard copy of your work, and print before you shut down your computer. Then in an emergency, you will still have access to your work. Do the following if you still have last minute technical difficulties: 1. email the assignment to yourself in an attachment (or take your previously prepared disk). Then go somewhere you have access to another computer and print it out (a friend's house, the CHS library, Kinko's, any public library, etc.) Computers are available here at the school both in our classroom, in the library, and in the computer lab. They are always available at student support, and can be made available during class as well - see me to set up a convenient time. Note: you will not be allowed to print out essays or other school work on the printer in the room - the school library is a viable option, however.
Essay Submission Policies

Formal essays will be assigned three times per semester. Since essays as a category count for a large percentage of your grade, and late submissions receive no credit, it will be important for you to submit your essays on time. Essays must be submitted to Turnitin prior to the in-class due date; your Turnitin receipt must be affixed to the front of the essay, or your paper will not be accepted, and you will not receive credit - consider the turnitin receipt a requisite part of the assignment itself I will return your essay with comments on the important larger writing issues. It will be your responsibility to review these comments and use them in your portfolios (a process which will be explained in class). Every student will be given a sheet of proofreader's marks at the start of the semester to assist you in the editing process. The ISP: The ISP (independent study project) is a college level research paper completed in the second semester of the junior year. The project is completed in phases, which include topic selection, research, note cards, source cards, formal outline, works cited/consulted page, first draft, and final draft. The ISP counts as two essays of the three assigned second semester, and is essentially a thoroughly researched and documented persuasive essay on any arguable topic. Begin thinking about a topic at the start of the year. Each student needs a different topic thesis, and assignments will be made on a first come first serve basis when the topic submission date is announced. We will spend some time in class prior to assigning ISP deadline dates discussing thesis statements, appropriate research sources, etc. Although you will be given significant research time in class, you will also need to spend significant research time outside of class, and it is strongly recommended that you visit a university library (and its research help desk) during the course of your research. If you do not, it is unlikely that you will be able to locate enough appropriate sources (8-10). You may use a maximum of 3 online sources; the other sources must show variety of type, and all sources must be appropriate, educational, and peer reviewed (we will discuss these requirements in class). The completion of this project should provide you with a college-portfolio-worthy piece if you put forth your best effort. A word about plagiarism: plagiarism consists of misrepresenting the exact words of others or the ideas of others in your own words as if they were your own without properly crediting your sources. Anytime you borrow an idea, phrase, or sentence from the work of another, you must give credit, or you are committing an act of academic dishonesty. Whether you intentionally plagiarize by downloading another writer's essay online and submitting it as your own, or unintentionally by "remembering" something you read elsewhere, but not remembering the source from which it came, plagiarism is still theft of personal property. (Due to the potential of faulty memory, students are strongly discouraged from using sources such as Cliff's, Spark's Notes, Barron's, and the like. These "helpers" generally prevent students from thinking independently and creatively, and if a student reads one of these help books and inadvertently uses an argument or idea from one of these books in an essay and it is detected, the student will receive a zero on the paper and will be referred to administration, as will be the case for all examples of plagiarism/cheating). Plagiarism denies credit to those to whom it is due, it prevents students from thinking and learning to write creatively in their own right, it wastes teachers' valuable time, and prevents students from learning how to become more effective communicators. Plagiarism is a serious problem here at CHS. In 2001, 10% of all essays submitted to my classes were plagiarized in large portions or in their entirety (and this only reflects essays I noticed to be plagiarized and could easily document...not those that escaped my notice or that I was unable to locate quickly on the web). In order that I can spend more time teaching students to write well, and less time doing detective work, and as a deterrent against destructive behaviors, every essay will be submitted directly to Turnitin (see the above link). Each essay must be word processed and saved on a computer. Students will be taught how to submit their essays directly to our online Turnitin class. Turnitin will then generate a report, and if any portions have been plagiarized, Turnitin will highlight these portions and provide either links to online sites where the material is located, or information in how to obtain access to the plagiarized material (from books, study guides, or other student's papers). The purpose of this service is genuinely NOT to catch students in wrongdoing...it is my hope that all my students are honestly doing their own work. The purpose of this service IS to encourage students to truly learn, and to afford me the time to teach learners who are honestly working toward improving their understanding. To read more about Turnitin, or to take the Turnitin online tutorial, click on the above link. I look forward to helping students make their creative thinking come alive on the page for their readers!




Essay Guidelines
Essay Guidelines for English/Language Arts

note: All papers must follow MLA style.

adapted from guidelines by Dr. M. Haberman

Characteristics of an "A" (superior) Essay:

  1. A clear thesis (your interpretive contention about the work in question).
  2. A treatment of the subject that shows original thought and/or unusual insight.
  3. A clear pattern of organization that provides direction and ties your paragraphs together from beginning to end.
  4. Clear individual paragraphs with concrete supporting details from the text; paragraphs must be logical and transitions from one paragraph to another must be smooth.
  5. Sentences are varied and imaginative.
  6. Wording appears natural, but is nonetheless carefully chosen.
  7. There are few errors in grammar or punctuation.
  8. There are few if any spelling errors, even in difficult or unusual words.
  9. The tone is always appropriate to the audience.
  10. Overall effect for the reader: the essay is convincing, interesting, and thoughtful.

Characteristics of a "B" (very good/strong) Essay:

  1. A clear thesis.
  2. Interesting treatment of the subject, showing good insight.
  3. A clear organizational pattern.
  4. Clear paragraphs with some concrete details from the text, and with some attempt at providing transitions from one paragraph to the next.
  5. Sentences may lack imagination, but some attempt has been made to vary their structure.
  6. Wording may not appear natural, but there is some attempt at creative word choice.
  7. There are few errors in grammar or punctuation.
  8. Spelling errors are confined to more difficult or unusual words.
  9. The tone is usually appropriate to the audience.
  10. Overall effect for the reader: The essay may not be entirely convincing, but it shows some thoughtfulness.

Characteristics of a "C" (average) Essay:

  1. A relatively clear main idea.
  2. Treatment may not show unusual or original insight, or may be obvious or too general, but demonstrates a basic understanding of the text.
  3. Some attempt has been made to organize the essay, even if the organization is inconsistent or missing from some paragraphs.
  4. Paper may lack transitions. There may be little supporting detail from the text, but there should be a few details scattered throughout. All paragraphs may not be clear, though there should be a few that are, and those that are unclear are not completely unintelligible.
  5. Sentences show no variety, but are clear and complete.
  6. Word choice is average and intelligible.
  7. There are errors in grammar and/or punctuation, but they are usually not serious enough to prevent the reader from understanding the general intent.
  8. There may be multiple spelling errors, but these are not so severe as to prevent the reader from understanding the general intent.
  9. The tone may not be appropriate to the audience.
  10. Overall effect for the reader: the reader must be able to easily understand the basic writing.

Characteristics of a "D" (weak/needing improvement) Essay:

  1. The paper fails to identify a main idea.
  2. Treatment demonstrates the writer has read the text, but may not have understood it well.
  3. Little attempt has been made to organize the essay, and it skips around from one idea to the next.
  4. Paragraphs show no transitions. Few to none of the paragraphs are clear, but some are intelligible in a basic sense.
  5. Sentences are frequently incomplete and/or awkward.
  6. Word choice is overly simple and/or inappropriate.
  7. Errors in grammar and punctuation are serious and often hinder the reader's basic understanding.
  8. Spelling errors may be frequent and hinder the reader's understanding.
  9. The tone is inappropriate to the audience.
  10. Overall effect for the reader: the reader has difficulty understanding and/or following the writer's train of thought. The essay seems to bear little relationship to the text.

Characteristics of an "F" ( needs to be redone) Essay:

  1. The paper has no main idea or plan.
  2. Treatment fails to demonstrate the writer has read the text.
  3. There is no discernible organization.
  4. Paragraphs are unintelligible.
  5. Sentences are difficult or impossible to understand.
  6. Word choice is significantly below grade level and/or is frequently inappropriate and makes understanding difficult.
  7. Errors in grammar and punctuation are serious, frequent, and prevent the reader from understanding the writer's intent.
  8. Spelling errors are frequent and serious enough to prevent the reader from understanding the writer's intent.
  9. Tone is incoherent and/or unidentifiable.
  10. Overall effect for the reader: The paper is unintelligible as written - a rewrite is a must.