Core B Composition & World Literature Class Syllabus Course Description This class will prepare students for success in the high school literature courses by guiding them through the foundational elements and devices of literary analysis with an emphasis on Christian worldview. In addition to learning literary elements, students will learn to write an effective literary analysis essay. Students will improve their writing skills as they complete descriptive and narrative writing assignments, a persuasive research paper, and several other essays based on the literature read. Required Materials Please purchase all materials listed on the PEP booklist. Be sure you purchase the specific editions listed, so that we can all be on the same page in class. Also, please purchase clean copies of the literature books for annotation purposes. Three ring binder or 3-pronged folder (folders are less bulky) with pockets for organizing handouts, worksheets, graded assignments, and homework. Page protectors (at least 10) Loose leaf paper Pens/pencils Hi-lighters (at least 5 different colors) A two pocket folder for turning in essays. You can use the same folder throughout the year if you wish. General Guidelines SUMMER ASSIGNMENT: (Hopefully you have already begun this assignment!) Read The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (see PEP booklist for correct edition). Along with reading, you are expected to complete the written assignment detailed on the PEP website. Print off the provided Pdf file and place it in a 3-pronged folder with your name clearly marked on the front. You should record all your answers in the spaces provided, paying careful attention to the directions and writing neatly. This assignment must be turned in during class on the first day of PEP, and will receive a grade based on thoroughness and accuracy. Assignments: Assignment schedules will be posted four weeks at a time (Q1W1-4, Q1W5-8, Q2W1-4, etc.). Please print these schedules off when they are posted and keep them in a page protector in your Comp/Lit folder or binder. Although I will make every effort to avoid changing the assignment schedule, keep in mind that changes are occasionally necessary. Any changes to the assignment schedule will be announced in class and messaged to parents and students via email. Any documents needed for assignment completion will be posted on my Weebly website (see below). Please check your email daily (morning and evening is best) to keep current on Comp/Lit news. Per PEP guidelines average students should be prepared to spend up to six hours per week outside of class days completing homework. (That is 2 hours
per non-pep weekday!) Essays All essays must be typed using MLA formatting. Students who do not adhere to MLA formatting will lose points. All essays should be proofread by a parent or another adult. Although I will guide students through the revision process in class, generally speaking they are not yet ready to revise their work completely on their own. Plan on reading through your student s paper at least once during the writing process to check for editing errors and lend suggestions. A detailed description and grading rubric will be available for each writing assignment to help guide students in the writing/revision process. All Comp/Lit families will be provided with a grammarly.com account. Students will be expected to submit a grammarly.com report with their final draft. More details to follow. During 4th quarter, students will write a research essay. This essay will be submitted to www.turnitin.com to check for plagiarism. I will send further instructions about this when we begin the research process. Essay revision policy: All essays receiving below 70% will receive the opportunity for revision. Revisions must be turned in by the due date provided, and must be submitted with the original essay in order to be accepted. The revision must show significant improvement in order to be awarded any additional points (maximum 10). Weekly Literary Analysis Homework Literary Analysis homework will consist of worksheets, study guides, annotation, note taking, and a few assignments from Windows to the World (WTTW). Unless otherwise indicated, all assignments must be typed using MLA formatting (further instructions will be given in class). Parents who desire to keep WTTW clean for siblings or resale should be sure their student knows to complete all markings and exercises in pencil so they can easily be erased at the end of the year. Since we review literature worksheets in class before students turn them in, handwritten literature worksheets will automatically receive a zero. Annotation- Students will be expected to annotate each piece of assigned literature. (I will thoroughly explain the annotation process in class.) Students will be expected to use clean copies of literature for annotation purposes. Pdf versions of all short stories (even those contained in WTTW) will be provided on my Weebly website for annotation purposes. Quizzes & Tests Reading comprehension quizzes (literature & WTTW) will be administered in class on a semi-regular basis. These quizzes may or may not be announced beforehand. Quizzes can be intimidating to some students, but they are an important part of your student s academic development. Take-home exams will be assigned at the completion of each piece of literature. All Exams will be open book only (no notes, study guides, online resources, etc. permitted) and must be proctored by a parent to ensure
adherence to these guidelines. Grades Grades will be assigned based on the following scale: 40% Essays 35% Homework (annotations, worksheets, Exercises, Class Participation) 25% Tests & Quizzes Within these categories, grades will be assessed according to the point value system (higher point value = weightier assignment). Class participation grades (within homework category) will occasionally be assigned based on general preparedness and in-class behavior. The class participation grade is designed to encourage appropriate class discussion and discourage disruptive classroom behavior. Late Policy (Pay particular attention to this!) All assignments must be turned in during class on the due date. All assignments turned in after class (this includes assignments dropped off by parents during the day or emailed at the end of the day) will receive an automatic 50% reduction in grade UNLESS (1) A parent contacts me prior to the due date to discuss an extension (2) A student is absent from class due to sickness or travel, in which case the assignment may be turned in when the student returns to class. Any late assignments that are not turned in by the next PEP class will be considered unexcused and will receive a zero. GRACE CARDS- All students will receive 2 Grace Cards per quarter. A Grace Card may be used in place of any homework assignment or in-class quiz. If you turn in a Grace Card, that assignment or quiz will not count against your grade, however, by doing so you waive your right to receive feedback on that assignment. Grace cards may not be used for essay final drafts or tests, and may not be used for the summer assignment. (Please remember to bring this to class on the first day!) Students may turn in their unused cards at the end of each quarter for 5 extra credit points per card. Note: In my experience about 75% of late or unexcused assignments result from lack of organization. Although I can sympathize with last minute printer malfunctions and forgetfulness, it is my job as your tutor to motivate you toward diligence and organization, which is why I have set up the above late policy. Please do not come to class and ask me to make an exception for you. If you need an extension, I must be contacted prior to class by a parent. Snow Days Snow Days are not days off! In the event of a PEP cancellation due to snow, students need to check their email by 10am for the day s assignment. This assignment will be similar to what would have been covered in class that day and will count as a homework assignment. Weebly Visit www.meleespep.weebly.com for information related to my class. Weekly documents are posted under the appropriate week on the appropriate
quarter s page. Please print these documents and bring them with you on the first day of class each week. Students who do not bring these documents with them to class risk losing class participation points. Assignment sheets (4 weeks at a time) will be posted on the appropriate quarter s page. These should be printed out and placed in a page protector for the duration of each 4-week session. A link to my email, as well as a link to the grade book is located on my home page. Contact Me! My contact information: www.meleespep.weebly.com melees.pep@gmail.com (513)505-2995 If you contact me during the week, I will make every effort to respond in a timely manner If you contact me on the weekend, I most likely will not respond until Monday. If you contact me at the last minute (i.e. Monday or Wednesday evening), I most likely will not respond. You may ask your question in class the next day. Questions about this syllabus? Contact me via email! I m happy to do what I can to help you prepare for the start of the year! Blessings, MaryEllen Lees Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. ~Psalm 86:11 (See Signature Page below)
Student Name: Core B Comp/Lit Syllabus Signature Page By signing below I indicate that I have thoroughly read Ms. Lees Core B Comp/Lit class syllabus. I will make every effort to comply with these guidelines and will refer to them when questions arise during the year. I understand that I should feel free to ask Ms. Lees questions to clarify confusion when/if it occurs. I understand that failing to turn in this signature page will result in a 5 point deduction on my summer assignment grade. (student signature) (date) (parent signature) (date)