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2008 Trimester 1 Mrs. Prince Syllabus: English 9-1 HD Information is power only if you can take action with it. Then, and only then, does it represent knowledge and, consequently, power. -Daniel Burrus Course Description: English 9-1 is the first term of a two-term course package focusing on major language arts skills: vocabulary, spelling, library use, composition, reading strategies, oral communication, grammar, mechanics, usage, speech, and literature. Throughout the course, a variety of enrichment activities will be utilized to stimulate student’s analysis and appreciation of literature, and develop efficacy in written and oral communication. Course of Study: The following units will be covered throughout the first trimester. I.) Narrative Structure Literature: "The Sound of Thunder," "The Most Dangerous Game," "Daughter of Invention" and "Gift of the Magi" Nonfiction/Informational Text: "Seabiscuit," "Four Good Legs Between Us," from Seabiscuit, "Races on Radio" Writing: Personal Narrative - Review "5-paragraph format" II.) Characterization & Point of View Literature: "Pancakes," "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," "The Necklace," "Rosa Parks/Rosa" Nonfiction & Informational Text: "A Different Kind of Competition" Writing: Comparison-Contrast Essay – Focus: MLA Citation III.) Setting, Mood, & Imagery Literature: "A Christmas Memory," "Through the Tunnel," "The Cask of Amontillado" Nonfiction & Informational Text: "Wilderness Letter" IV.) Theme & Symbol Literature: "The Scarlet Ibis," "Poem on Returning to Dwell in the Country/My Heart Leaps UP," "The Sun," "Two Kinds," "Rice & Rose Bowl Blues" Novel: To Kill a Mockingbird Writing: Literary Analysis – Focus: Developing independent research questions
V.) Note-Taking Strategies, Study Skills, Research Skills, Grammar, Vocabulary Throughout each unit, grammar, vocabulary, and spelling will be stressed and practiced in accordance with the writing assignments students will complete throughout each unit theme/topic. Grammar Outline - Grammar will be taught directly on an "as needed" basis while the remaining requirements will be completed individually. Students will have the opportunity to take a diagnostic test for each unit, as well as UP TO two retests. Only these will be graded and recorded. Additional support may be found in the text Grammar for Writing, which contains practice exercises. Unit One: The Parts of Speech Unit Two: The Sentence and Its Parts Unit Three: Using Phrases Unit Four: Clauses and Sentence Structure Unit Five: Writing Complete Sentences Unit Six: Using Verbs Unit Seven: Subject – Verb Agreement Unit Eight: Using Pronouns Unit Nine: Using Modifiers Unit Ten: Capitalization Unit Eleven: Punctuation Materials: o Composition Notebook (9 ¾ by 7 ½ in.)o Loose-leaf papero Notecardso Folder or bindero Pen and pencilo Handouts or reading materials distributedo textbook or novelo completed homeworko Panther plannerWithout the above materials, you will not be able to accomplish much in class. If you need to go to your locker to get materials, you may be counted tardy. Grading: Posted on-line at www.south.mccsc.edu Click on "on-line grades". From here you may select your class (by course name and period number), type in your username (last name), and password (these will be distributed later) and then you will have access to a progress report for my class. I update every Friday, and contact parents each week via email or a phone call home if you are in the "danger zone" of receiving a D or F. Please note that you must receive a C- or higher to obtain honors credit. You do not need to take honors English to receive honors credit. You may retake this course to receive honors credit should your final course grade fall below a C-.Follows BHSS grading scale: 93-100 A 90-92 A- 87-89 B+ 83-86 B 80-82 B- 77-79 C+ 73-76 C 70-72 C- 67-69 D+ 63-66 D 60-62 D- 0-59 F Cheating/Plagiarism: Please refer to the Language Arts website for the departmental policy on plagiarism. If you are caught cheating on assignment, you will receive a ZERO, you will be allowed no opportunity to make up the assignment, and parents/guardians and administration will be notified. Do not share homework assignments or test questions with students how have not taken the test yet. Always cite or quote information gleaned from other sources. To aid us in practicing correct citation (and also to engage in online discussions), we will be utilizing www.turnitin.com. Late Work: You will be allotted ONE opportunity to turn in an assignment one school day late each grading period without penalty. After you have used this opportunity, unless you are absent, late assignments will not be accepted. You should anticipate homework each night. You must demonstrate organization and responsibility by completing all assignments. When an assignment is returned to you, it is advisable to keep it in a safe place for future reference until the end of the grading period. Technological difficulties related to disks, printers, etc. are not an acceptable excuse for failing to meet a deadline. I will not accept assignments by email or print assignments out for you. If you feel an error has been made in the recording of a grade, you must submit the original graded assignment in the tray with a dated note explaining the error before the end of the grading period in order for it to be corrected. Otherwise, you will receive no credit and the assignment will go straight to the recycle bin. Absences/Makeup Work: If you miss class for an excused absence, you have exactly the number of school days you were absent to complete missing assignments without penalty. It is your responsibility to get make-up work, and schedule a time for a make-up test outside of class time (during SRT, before/after school). I DO NOT give make up reading quizzes or vocabulary tests, but you will have the opportunity to drop one each grading period. Remember to call the attendance office within 24 hours of an absence. If your absence is unexcused, you will not be given credit for any missed assignments. This includes tests and major papers. Tardies: You are expected to be in the room and in your assigned seat when the bell rings. If you are not, you will be counted tardy. If you arrive after five minutes without a pass, you will be sent to the office for a readmit slip. 1st tardy: free 2nd tardy: warning 3rd tardy: call home 4th tardy: referral to Thursday/Saturday school 5th + tardy: referral to principal Hall Passes: You must fill out your hall pass sheet in the back of your student handbook
and have it signed to go to your locker or restroom during class time. Passes
will only be signed during appropriate class times. If you arrive to class late
without a pass from another teacher, you will be counted tardy. Classroom Expectations: You always have a choice, but the one choice you never have is to do nothing. You can do anything, as long as it does not cause a problem for anyone else. Rewards: Exemplary performance and conduct demonstrated by a student will result in recognition via parent/guardian contact. School-wide student recognition initiatives also exist, such as Kudos, Panther Plus Awards, Honor Nights, and an annual trip to Holiday World at the close of the school year- to name a few. Severe Clause: If severely disruptive, non-compliant, rude or offensive behavior occurs in class, there will be immediate referral to the office and parent/guardian contact. Welcome! You are in a free and safe place for learning and achievement. I look forward to assisting you in realizing your full academic potential! Teacher contact information: Mrs. Rachel Hardy Prince rhardy@mccsc.edu* 330-7714 ext. 51071--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please detach and return (you should keep the course information sheet). The previous pages have been a description of the general course information for this class. It is important that both the parent/guardian and the student have read and clearly understand all topics discussed. Please feel free to contact me at any time with your concerns. X____________________________________ Date:__________________ Signature of Student X____________________________________ Date:__________________ Signature of Parent/Guardian _____________________________________________________ Parent/Guardian’s Email: FOR LISTSERV COMMUNICATION
Teacher Contact Info: Mrs. Rachel Prince rhardy@mccsc.edu 330-7714 ext. 51071 "Fear is the dark room where we develop our negatives" -Bob Couch, Ph.D. Description: Welcome to the OC! This course aims to develop your ability to comfortably communicate in front of, and with, others. The foundation for this course is public speaking, and thus speeches will comprise the majority of our work and your grade. Basic language arts skills will still be emphasized, particularly vocabulary development; application of grammar/mechanics/usage/spelling skills within the writing component; and library research skills. This course will require research and writing and is strongly recommended for those bound either for the world of college or work. We will utilize the Toastmasters Guide to Competent Communication for our ten major speech assignments. Required Texts: Textbook: Speech: Communication Matters (Glencoe) Required Materials: Bring to class everyday four items: pencil, notebook, textbook, and folder Assessment: Points will run cumulatively throughout the trimester. The trimester grade will be based on how many points you have earned out of the possible 1025. There is a comprehensive final speech in this course that will be worth 20% of your final grade. Performance: Although we will have homework and quizzes, this is a performance based class. If you miss two speeches, you will not earn an A. Grading Scale: As described above, our class will be based on a Total Points System including: in-class "quick write" assignments and notes, homework assignments including written outlines, homework, worksheets, vocabulary quizzes, oral presentations, peer evaluation, and library research. Our class will follow a modified form of the BHSS grading scale: A+ 100-97 4.0 A 96-93 4.0 A- 92-90 3.7 B+ 89-87 3.3 B 86-83 3.0 B- 82-80 2.7 C+ 79-77 2.3 C 76-73 2.0 C- 72-70 1.7 D+ 69-67 1.3 D 63-66 1.0 D- 55-60 0.7 F 54-0 0.0 12-1 OC Speech Schedule listed in order of major speech assignments. Sign up occurs every Monday. The Ice Breaker – August 28/29 Organize Your Speech – September 4/5 Get to the Point – September 11/12 How to Say It – September 18/19 Your Body Speaks – September 25/26 Vocal Variety – October 2/3 Research Your Topic – October 9/10 Get Comfortable with Visuals – October 16/17 Persuade with Power – Debate October 23/24 -- Speech October 30/31 Inspire Your Audience – November 3/5/6/7 Extra Credit: Each week that we give speeches, you will have the opportunity to earn five extra credit points (for a total of 50 possible points) by serving in one of the following positions: Evaluator, Toastmaster, Grammarian, Uh-Counter, or Timer. Sign up occurs every Monday.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE ARE TEN SPEECHES YOU WILL GIVE IN THIS COURSE!
Mrs. Prince’s Classroom Expectations & Procedures CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS: Respect yourself and others by greeting and listening to others, keeping your head up, refrain from interrupting, raising your hand, and remaining in your assigned seat during speeches. Come to class on time, prepared, and ready to engage in learning activities EVERYDAY. Demonstrate good listening when I or one of your peers, is speaking. You are responsible for succeeding in this class. I am only here to assist, and am not a mind-reader. You must take time to ask for help when it is needed. Because this is a speech course, you will be speaking in front of other people frequently. Although I understand speech anxiety, I also know that you chose to take this course instead of another senior English class. I will share several methods that are useful in managing speech anxiety, but will not excuse you from any speech due to this cause. CLASSROOM PROCEDURES: Hall Passes: Hall passes will only be given at appropriate times (study times, before class begins, etc.). A signed Panther Planner is required for leaving the classroom. Remember, NO PLANNER, NO PASS! Tardies: You must be in the room and in your assigned seat when the bell rings; otherwise, you are tardy. Please see your Panther Planner regarding the school policy on this matter. Required Materials: Failure to bring all necessary materials to class everyday (paper, pencil/pen, and book) will be counted and treated in the same manner as a tardy. After your THIRD offense, you will receive a referral. Disruptive/Inappropriate Behavior: Each disruptive offense (non-compliance, rudeness, inappropriate behavior/language, fighting, failure to bring required texts/materials to class on a daily basis, etc.) will be considered on a case-by-case basis depending on the situation and other determining factors. Cheating: Under NO circumstance will cheating or the appearance of cheating be tolerated. A "zero" will automatically be given for any assignment, quiz or test to those students who engage in academic dishonesty and also referral to administration. Behavior that constitutes cheating includes: eye wandering, talking during a quiz/test, or presenting someone else’s words as your own. It is dishonest and must be avoided. Any paper with your name on it claims you are the author – the wording and ideas are yours, with exceptions indicated by quotation marks and citations. Borrowing, buying, or stealing someone else’s work obviously constitutes plagiarism. You are guilty of plagiarism when you use another author’s ideas or his/her exact words without enclosing them in quotation marks and giving credit to the author (done through citation). Visit the Language Arts homepage via the BHSS website for the official department policy on cheating. Absences: Excused Absence: Work from the last day you were here is DUE THE DAY YOU RETURN You will have one school day for each day absent to complete missed work. It is YOUR responsibility to find out from the week-by-week syllabus what was missed and take care of turning in those assignments on time. I will not send you an SRT pass unless it is requested. Tests and quizzes will be made up before/after school, or during SRT. You will have ONE day after your return to make-up a test or quiz. After this point you will receive a "0." Speeches can only be made up on Thursdays and Fridays. SPEECHES You are given a minimum of a week’s notice for your speeches. You must come to class prepared to give your speech on the first day of presentations, even if you anticipate we may not get to you. Speeches are due ON THE DAY YOU SIGN UP FOR, either Thursday or Friday. If you are not here or not prepared on that day, even in the case of an excused absence, your grade automatically drops 10%. This means that if you are not here to give your speech on the day you sign up, you cannot get higher than an A- for that speech. Each day it is late thereafter, I will deduct 10%. After one week, you will receive no higher than 50% credit. This applies even in the case of an excused absence, so stay healthy. Emergency situations (death in the family, hospitalization, etc.) will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Speeches can only be given in front of our class, and thus cannot be made up outside of class time. ***If you are going to be absent when an assignment is due, please make arrangements to give your speech ahead of time, take your vocabulary quiz, and turn in your book work before you leave. Unexcused Absence: If you miss class due to an unexcused absence, and the absence is not excused within 24 hours, then you WILL NOT be given credit for any missed assignments or speeches. In addition, you will not be allowed to make up work assigned/due on the day of your unexcused absence. Late Assignments Other than Speeches: ABSOLUTELY NO late work is accepted for full credit! For each day that an assignment is late, I will deduct 10%. You have five days to turn in late work, after which point you will receive a 50%. If an assignment is collected at the beginning of class, work turned in after that point is considered late. No Name, No Credit: If an assignment you submit does not have your name on it, you will not receive any credit for that assignment. It will be recycled. Technology: Technology is NOT my problem! If an assignment/project is due with which you have had technological woes, it is your responsibility to figure out an alternative way to submit the assignment on time, even if this means completing the assignment/project by hand or redoing the assignment/project altogether. Remember, the library is open in the morning before school starts and in the afternoon after school ends. There are plenty of computers and a printer there that you can use to make sure the assignment/project is complete. Except in the case of a PPT presentation, Mrs. Prince’s computer is completely off limits! And remember; lack of preparation on your part does NOT constitute an emergency on my part. Roadblocks to Good Listening While in this class, you are expected to refrain from the following behaviors that are referred to as "Roadblocks to Good Listening" in Communication Matters. DO NOT Tune out dull topics Fake attention Yield to distractions Criticize delivery or appearance Laugh at the speaker Jump to conclusions Overreact to emotional words Interrupt DO Provide encouragement Look and listen actively to the speaker Ask for explanations after the speech Paraphrase the message Summarize the message Put it down on paper **RETURN TO MRS. PRINCE by Friday, August 15th ******************************************************************************************* ***I hereby state that I have read the above course outline and corresponding classroom expectations and procedures for Mrs. Prince’s class and understand the terms that they discuss. Student Name (Print): ____________________________________________________________________ Student Signature: _________________________________________ Date: ________________________ Guardian Name (Print): __________________________________________________________________ Guardian Signature: ________________________________________ Date: ________________________ Guardian Email Address: ____________________________________ Prince…Prince…Prince…Prince….Prince…Prince…Prince…Prince…Prince…Prince…Prince…Prince…Prince…
WEEK – BY – WEEK SYLLABUS Note: Please refer to this in the case of any absence so you do not get behind.
Daily Agenda: Monday – Discussion, turn in vocabulary, sign up for speeches Tuesday – Discussion, study chapter, vocabulary returned Wednesday – SRT, vocabulary quiz, discussion Thursday – Speeches Friday -- Speeches |
