Extra Credit Opportunities

The front of this sheet lists several extra credit opportunities. The back of this sheet is a chart for recording the number of points earned toward extra credit. It is your responsibility to keep up with this sheet – if you lose it, then you lose the points. It is also your responsibility to ask to redeem the points you have earned. (You will staple this sheet to the assignment you wish to apply them to and turn that assignment in for a re-grade.) You cannot use extra credit for an assignment that you received a zero on! You can accumulate points from quarter to quarter, but you cannot redeem points on an assignment turned in during a previous quarter. You cannot redeem Extra Credit points on tests, exams, or the Instructional Focus Completion Grades (or any Instructional Focus Quality grade where you lost points for noncompletion).

Song Lyric Quotes: Ever hear a song that has especially poetic lyrics? Think your favorite singer must have half of Shakespeare’s brain? Type out the poetic lyrics in question, provide the name of the song and the musician or group. On the back, write a two sentence justification for your selection of these lyrics. Be sure to paper clip your extra credit tally sheet to the front of your song lyric quote. If the teacher agrees with your assessment, you can earn up to 2 points. Hint: The more attractively you type up the quote (so it might be suitable for hanging up on the wall) the more likely you are to earn the points. You may NOT just write out the whole song – you must select the especially relevant lyrics.

Language Butchery: Grammar and spelling mistakes are everywhere – the newspaper, church bulletins, billboards, etc. Some of them are really funny. (Ever watch Jay Leno when he does headlines?) Bring in a copy of any example of language butchery (or a photo if it’s a billboard or something you cannot bring into class) along with a brief example of what’s “wrong.” In your explanation, be sure to tell where the butchery came from. (Daily Press? Teen People?) Be sure to paper clip your extra credit tally sheet to the front of your butchery. You can earn up to 5 points. Hint: The funnier, the better. The better, the more points you earn.

Random Stuff Mr. Ellis Would Like: A rather vague category, I realize. Bring in comic strips, emails, videos of TV commercials, newspaper articles, etc. that relate to literature, grammar, language, or anything that (as you get to know me) you think I will find funny, enjoy appreciate, etc. You can earn a maximum of 4 points for this option. Points awarded will be higher for things that are harder to find, more significant, etc.

Mix CD: Burn a CD of at least 6 tracks. The 6 tracks you use must relate to one of the themes listed below. (All songs on the CD must relate to the same theme.) For each song, you must write a two sentence justification explaining how the song relates to the theme. Be sure to provide the song title and musician for each song. You may earn up to 7 points for this option.

Art Work: Create a painting, digital image (no clip art!), or charcoal/pastel image relating to one of the themes listed below. Write a paragraph explaining how your image relates to the theme. You may earn up to 7 points for this option.

Themes for Music/Art options:

Extra Credit Tally Sheet

Automatic A on a Homework Assignment = 10 points

Automatic A on a Daily Assignment = 20 points

Automatic A on a Quiz = 30 points

Automatic A on an Instructional Focus Quality Grade** = 30 points

** = You cannot redeem Extra Credit Points for an Instructional Focus Completion grade, nor can you redeem extra credit points on any Instructional Focus Quality grade where you lost points for noncompletion.

Activity Type/ Assignment Regraded	Points Earned/ Redeemed	Date Earned/ Redeemed	Teacher’s Initials	Current Balance Remaining