English III Course Prospectus

Transcription

1 Instructor: Erika Thurman COURSE OVERVIEW English III Course Prospectus Tutoring: Tuesday afternoons or by appt. Website: elthurman.weebly.com 11th grade English will address the academic goals outlined in the Common Core standards. This course is a survey of American literature meant to introduce topics of interest, works of literature, and challenges that have shaped the modern United States. Our overarching goal is to create college and career-ready people and increase awareness of the national and global environments in which we participate. GRADUATION PROJECT CMS requires that every junior complete the Graduation Project paper. The research paper will be introduced in our English III classes. I will help to guide students through the paper process; however, the majority of the paper is completed outside of school. More information will be given when the paper is introduced. Look for the kick-off letter in the middle of September. Please wait for instructions BEFORE SELECTING A TOPIC! **There is no summer school offered for English III. Students who fail the course will have to take it again next year and redo the entire Graduation Project paper.** CLASSROOM CONTRACT* As a classroom community, we will RESPECT 1. Our Time The time allotted for class will be productive and meaningful. Come prepared for class, and be seated and ready when the bell rings. 2. Our Space Our classroom and its supplies will be kept neat and clean. The personal space of others will be respected. 3. Ourselves Come in with an attitude conducive to a productive class. We will be mindful of our health, our attitudes, and our self-esteem. 4. All Individuals Everyone inside and outside the classroom deserves respect. We will listen when others speak and listen carefully to instructions. 5. Our Words We will be mindful of what we write and what we say. Classroom conversation will remain relevant and appropriate. *Students are also expected to follow all rules and procedures outlined in the CMS and PHS handbooks. DISCIPLINE POLICY** Interventions for breaking the classroom contract: 1 st Offense: Official Warning 2 nd Offense: 15 minute teacher detention before or after school and a call home 3 rd Offense: Office referral. **Consequences for breaking rules in the CMS and PHS handbooks will be dealt with as outlined in each. HONESTY POLICY Cheating and plagiarism are unacceptable and merit severe consequences under the PHS Student Honor Code, including receiving a zero the first and every time. Making a poor grade is better than the consequences of getting caught cheating. If you are not prepared for class, see Mrs. Thurman. Honesty is always the best policy as the repercussions of plagiarism extend beyond one bad grade in this class.

2 LATE AND MAKE UP WORK *PLEASE NOTE THAT LATE AND MAKE UP WORK REQUIREMENTS ARE DIFFERENT FOR THE CMS GRADUATION PROJECT!* General Grade Penalty Outline for Late Work: Timeline Formal Grades Informal Grades Day after due date 80% 50% Next class after due date 60% 50% >2 days after due date Not accepted for credit Not accepted for credit General Policy Outline for Absent Work: Timeline Day you return Within 2 days Within 5 days Expectation Turn in what was due the day you were out Missed quizzes and tests made up Arrange make up work for work assigned while you were absent If absent, you must find out about work you missed at an appropriate time (before or after school is usually best). This is your responsibility. I will post the class slides in Google Classroom regularly. The CMS five day rule allows you five calendar (not class) days to arrange to make up work that was assigned while you were absent in order to earn full credit. Failure to arrange for makeup work in this timeframe can result in a zero and/or late work penalties. Students must sign up to make up tests and quizzes on the posted calendar in the classroom. Reading quizzes and tests must be made up within two days in fairness to your peers and because these were assigned before your absence. Work that was assigned in advance of the absence (e.g. reading pacing guides, vocabulary quizzes, rough drafts of essays, etc.) does not apply to the five day rule. If you were in class the day an assignment was given but absent on the due date, the assignment is due on the day you return to school (not when you return to class) in order to earn full credit. Additionally, essays and other designated assignments must be submitted to (and, if required, in a hard copy) to be considered on time. When submitting paper OR electronic copies of late/absent work, you must submit the work with a make-up work slip. Assignments will not be graded without the slip attached and fully completed. Be sure to notate on Google Classroom when submitting that the work is make-up or late. I will verify with the paper copy AND attendance records. Be honest as misrepresenting whether work is make-up vs. late will result in a 0 on the assignment. A school-related absence does not justify late work. If you are going to miss class because of an approved school-sponsored event, you should arrange with me beforehand to make up work that will be missed and turn in assignments that will be due on that day. These opportunities are great and should be taken advantage of, but these should NOT interfere with your required coursework. MERCY PASSES You will receive 4 Mercy Passes for the entire year. These must can be used as: Hall/Bathroom passes Homework passes/extensions (Informal Grades done outside class) +5 points on a Formal Grade These DO NOT exempt you from major, formal assignments. For the limited extra credit opportunities I provide throughout the year, you will usually receive that credit as a Mercy Pass. The #1 tip for my class that former students have emphasized is Save your Mercy Passes!

3 LEAVING THE CLASSROOM Leaving the classroom should be limited as much as possible as students will miss important information, instruction, and/or class time when they leave. In order to leave the classroom to go ANYWHERE (bathroom, main office, etc.), students must: 1. Ask me for permission at an appropriate time. 2. If permission is granted, fill out the Hall Pass in the back of your PHS agenda for me to sign. 3. Sign out on the Sign-In/Sign-Out sheet posted by the door, filling in all information. 4. Turn in a filled out Mercy Pass. 5. Go where you re going in a timely manner. 6. When you return, sign back on on the Sign-In/Sign-Out sheet. Leaving the classroom is a privilege. You may have this privilege limited or revoked if abused. FOOD AND DRINK POLICY Food and drinks (with a LID) are a privilege that may be taken away from the ENTIRE class for any of the following reasons: Trash from food is left in the classroom. Food or drink is spilled in the classroom. Gum is found stuck to any part of the classroom or is dropped on the floor. The food or drink becomes a distraction that takes away from learning in the classroom. If eating and drinking privileges are taken away, only WATER in bottle with a lid is permitted. PHONE/TECHNOLOGY POLICY As per the school s policy, cell phones and other electronic devices are allowed to be used before/after school. Cell phones, MP3 players, headphones, tablets, etc. are not allowed out during class unless these devices are used with permission for an educational purpose. I will take up phones and other devices and turn them into the front office if they are in use without permission as per the PHS policy. Chromebooks: We have Chromebooks for each student to use during class. Use of classroom technology is contingent upon proper use of the computers. Being off task, damaging the device, etc. is not allowed and could result in administrative consequences as well as not being allowed to use the classroom devices. MLA : All typed assignments are expected to adhere to proper MLA style and documentation. GRADING This class will have two primary types of grades: Formal and Informal. The NC Final Exam will account for 20% of every student s grade as required by the state of North Carolina. For English III, the midterm in January will count 20% of the first semester grade. The Graduation Project (the junior paper) will count 40% of the 4th quarter as required by CMS. OVERALL COURSE GRADE BREAKDOWN: COURSE ASSIGNMENTS 80% NC Final Exam 20% COURSE ASSIGNMENTS BREAKDOWN (WITHIN THE 80%): Formal Assignments: 70% Essays, tests/quizzes, projects, portfolios, etc. Informal Assignments: 30% Homework checks, in-class assignments, class preparation, etc. *INDIVIDUAL WEIGHTS WILL BE ANNOUNCED WITH EACH ASSIGNMENT

4 MATERIALS AND ORGANIZATION REQUIRED MATERIALS Access to a computer/internet and a working printer is necessary for success in this class. The library at PHS is open for student use, and we have a set of Chromebooks for our class. You need to attend class each day prepared with the following materials: o Any novels or texts we are reading o Loose leaf (college-ruled) notebook paper o 3-ring binder (1.5 ) o At least 5 dividers o Multi-colored pens o highlighters/colored pencils o Sticky notes Student Notebook: Your notebook will house everything you will need for this class except major texts. It is absolutely imperative that your binder comes with you to class each day. Do not store materials for any other classes in your English binder. If somehow any of your assignment grades are in question, you MUST show me the graded assignment to prove your actual score. CLASS TEXTS School Provided Texts: Selections in the Interactive Reader Texts from periodicals and media Digital texts provided through Google Classroom or my website Student-Purchased Texts: The texts below are available for purchase at Barnes & Noble in the Arboretum. You can purchase the books wherever you choose, but if purchased at B&N Arboretum, a portion of the proceeds are given back to the PHS English Department for instructional materials. Book Fair Vouchers will be made available. We also have copies available for check-out. Please notify Mrs. Thurman in advance of the start of the text that you need a copy. E-copies of books are not permissible for classroom study. The Crucible Arthur Miller Their Eyes Were Watching God Zora Neale Hurston The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald The Things They Carried Tim O Brien MLA Handbook, 8th Edition (older editions no longer have current information)

5 Mrs. Thurman s English III Class Please fill out the form below and keep your prospectus in your notebook for easy reference. Your full name (as listed in PowerSchool): FOR STUDENT TO FILL OUT: Your preferred name (if different): English III Block (circle): 2A 4A Last year s English teacher: In what extracurricular activities are you involved? What are your current plans for after high school? Rate yourself on a scale of 1=poor, 2=average, 3=good, 4=excellent in the following categories Academic reading: Public speaking: Academic writing: Overall as a student: School address (print neatly in boxes): Parent/Guardian 1: Parent/Guardian 2: Primary phone #: FOR PARENT/GUARDIAN TO FILL OUT: Relation to student: Relation to student: Best way and time to contact: address (print neatly in boxes): With whom does the student live? When contacting someone about your student, who should I contact first? Is there anything else I need to know to help your student have the best chance for success? By signing, you are indicating that you have read all of the rules and policies for Mrs. Thurman s English class for the School Year and understand what I/my student needs to do to succeed. Signee Signature Date Student Parent/Guardian 1 Parent/Guardian 2* *optional