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Bloomington High School South

Welcome to Mrs. Banach's English class!

English 12-1 Syllabus

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Course Overview:


Welcome to English 12-1! I’m excited to have you in this class!

This course will include readings of assigned chapters in the textbook and speeches related to the skills presented in these chapters. There will be (approx.) nine presentations in a variety of formats that will constitute much of the class activity. Students will respond to speeches in a variety of ways - self-evaluation, peer evaluations, and goal setting. Students will evaluate famous speakers and speeches. We will also have several guest speakers. To succeed in this class - YOU - must be willing to put for the effort. There will be writing assignments, reading assignments, journaling, speeches, and group projects. You may not have homework daily; however, you will need to be working on your weekly assignments/speeches. It is important to be organized and responsible and turn in assignments on time. Although you may work and/or be involved in extra curricular activities your first responsibility needs to be to your schoolwork.

Assignments, absences, and make-up work:

  • You are usually given a week’s notice for your speeches (if not more).
  • Speeches are due ON THE ASSIGNED DATE. Even if you are not here, you need to get your speech to me on the scheduled date. If you do not, your grade automatically drops to a 70%. The second day, you receive 50%. Any day after that is a zero.
  • I will accept assignments that are faxed, emailed, or left in my mailbox.
  • When we do group projects, make sure that you have all of the information to present. If one person is absent (even with an excused absence) and has all of the information for the group, the entire group will drop to a 70%. The second day, the whole group receives 50%. Any day after that is a zero. You must be responsible – if you are sick and you have the information for your group, please fax it here or have someone put it in my mailbox (again, you can email or fax it to me).
  • If you have an excused absence for a speech presentation, on the day you return, please talk to me about times before or after school or during SRT to make up the presentation within the next week.
  • Also, the public library has computers to use along with the library here at South. If you do not get all of your work finished in the time allotted during class, you are expected to work before school, after school, over your lunch, or on the weekend to complete the assignment.
  • If a student misses class for an excused absence (pre-arranged absence, doctor’s appt. etc.) then the student will have 1 school day for each day absent to complete missed classroom (textbook) assignments without penalty. For example, if a student misses class on Monday, then they will have until Wednesday to turn in the assignment.

    ASSIGNMENTS FROM UNEXCUSED ABSENCES AND LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL NOT BE GRADED


    Here are a few guidelines and other information that are imperative to your success in this class.

    Required Texts:

    -Communication Matters (McCutcheon, Schaffer, &Wycoff)

    Other Materials Used:

    These may include supplemental age appropriate/context-related materials prepared by teachers, videotapes related to public and/or work-related communication, student-made videotapes, student researched articles, film to accompany the study of Albom's memoirs.

    Units of Study:

    Text:

  • Chapter 2/9: Building Confidence/Organizing your Speech – Introduction Speech
  • Chapter 1 and 4: Nonverbal Communication– Nonverbal Speech
  • Chapter 6: Interviewing – Tribute/Biography Speech
  • Chapter 7: Group Discussion/Researching your Presentation – Ad Analysis/Propaganda Group Speech
  • Chapter 13: Speeches to Inform – “ How-to” Speeches
  • Chapter 14: Speeches to Persuade – Persuasive Speech

    Other speeches include:
  • Inspirational Speech/“Tuesdays with Morrie”
  • Important Issue/Informational Speech
  • Historical Research Speech

    Novels:
  • Tuesdays with Morrie
  • Outside reading assignments

    Vocabulary:
  • Occasional vocab quizzes will be given throughout the trimester.

    Grammar and Mechanics:
  • Will be integrated throughout the trimester

    Writing:
  • Weekly speeches
  • Journal entries
  • Evaluations

    Classroom Procedures



    Supplies needed every day:
    *Loose leaf paper
    *Pen (blue or black ink ONLY) or pencil
    *Textbook

    You must bring your ENGLISH notebook to class every day along with the particular text we are using – failure to bring materials will result in a referral.

    Headings:
    All papers you turn in (unless otherwise directed) should have the following in the upper right-hand corner: NO NAME – NO GRADE!
  • Name
  • Period #
  • Date
  • Title of assignment

    Homework:

    Homework must be put in the correct tray for your period in order to receive credit. Your work will be handed back to you and you are required to place it in a file folder in the file cabinet. It is your responsibility to routinely check your folder and grades. All grades are online and are updated every two – three weeks. If you fail to keep your assignments in the classroom folder or throw them away, the teacher is not responsible for fixing any situation where your grade is in question.

    Grading:
    Points will be accumulated through two grading periods and a final exam. The trimester grade will be based on your points for each grading period (worth 35% each) plus the final examination, which is worth 30% of the total.

    Grading Scale: Follows BHSS grading scale

    A+ 97-100 4.0A 93-96 4.0A- 90-92 3.7
    B+ 87-89 3.3B 83-86 3.0B- 80-82 2.7
    C+77-792.3C73-762.0C-70-721.7
    D+67-691.3D63-661.0D-60-62.7
    F59 and below0



    • Expectations in my classroom:
    1. Respect yourself and others. No insults - PERIOD. Any insults (especially those based on ethnic background, skin color, gender, sexual preference, or religion) will be dealt with swiftly and seriously. We all have the right to our human dignity and self-respect.
    2. I realize that we have no natural light from large, sunny windows, but that does not mean that we are a bunch of vampires. Please sleep at night and not in my class.
    3. You need to be in class when the bell rings. Any attempts to enter the class after the bell results in a tardy or an unexcused absence.
    4. Bringing the correct materials to class every day is vital. You are getting driver’s licenses – you can remember to bring a book and pen to class. If you continuously forget, you will be given a referral.
    5. No book bags in class.
    6. No food or drinks in the classroom.
    7. No electronic devices in school
    8. Cheating is unacceptable. Students caught cheating on ANY work will receive a ZERO for that assignment and will have no opportunity to make up the work. Parents/Guardians will be notified.


    Attendance:
    Come to class! Be on time! Coming to class on time is like getting to work on time. If you are late to work too many times, you get fired. Well, we won’t fire you, but you will have some problems. Here are the consequences for being tardy: *** Excessive tardies can lead to expulsion!! ***
    • The first 2 tardies are “free” (meaning no punishment).
    • The 3rd tardy – teacher will call your parents/guardians to notify them of the situation.
    • The 4th tardy – will result in a referral to the principal and will most likely result in an OSS (Out of School Suspension).
    • At the end of each trimester, the Tardy Count goes back to zero, and students have the chance to start clean again.
    • Any student trying to enter class 5 minutes or more after the bell will be marked as an unexcused absence.


    Passes:
    Students are given a Student Handbook at the beginning of the school year. Located at the back of the handbook are 2 pages of free hall passes. The student must have their Student Handbook in order to go to the restroom, locker, office, etc. during class time. Only for extreme cases will a student be allowed to leave class without their handbook (i.e. medical emergency). If a student comes late to class without a pass from another teacher, the student will be counted as tardy. If the handbook is lost/stolen, please contact a guidance counselor or a vice-principal to obtain a new one.

    Disruptive/Inappropriate Behavior:
    For any questions regarding BHSS disciplinary procedures, please consult the Student Handbook.
    BHSS Student Handbook Link

    Each disruptive offense (non-compliance, rudeness, inappropriate behavior/language, fighting, failure to bring required texts/materials to class, etc. ) will be considered on a case-by-case basis depending on the situation and other determining factors. Consequences will include, but will not be limited to:
    • Verbal warning in class
    • Revised seating arrangements
    • Student/teacher conferences
    • Parent guardian contacts
    • ISS (In-School suspension)
    • Saturday school sessions
    • Referrals to school administration
    • OSS (Out of School Suspension)
    • Expulsion




    Page created August 2006
    Maintained by Karen Banach
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