English III Syllabus



English IV

Course Guide for Parents and Students

D. Assael

Phone: 732-6133, ext. 20101, email: daniel.assael@orange.k12.nc.us

Office Hours: Wednesdays 3:45 to 4:15 p.m. by appointment. Other times also by appointment.

Overview

Students in English IV analyze British literature as art, as history, and as a reflection of modern society. Students continue to use language for expressive, expository, argumentative, and literary purposes. The emphasis in English IV is critical analysis of texts through reading, writing, speaking, listening, and using media. Additionally, students relate the experiences of others to their own, research the diversity of modern and historical experiences, examine relationships between past and present, build increasing sophistication in defining issues and using argument effectively, and create products and presentations that maintain standard conventions of written and oral language.

General Course Objectives

•

Reading:

• Students will read and analyze classical British works as well as works of particular authors of their choice.

• Students will read and analyze source material in the course of their research.

• Students will read newspapers and magazines.

Speaking/Listening/Viewing/Producing:

• Students will evaluate visual media, writing and discussing their analyses.

• Students will listen to and write about radio documentaries.

• Students will periodically complete assignments that require presentation to the class.

Writing:

• Students will complete narrative, descriptive, expository, and persuasive writing assignments on various topics for various audiences.

• Students will compose personal narratives to prepare for college admissions, scholarship applications, and/or career employment opportunities.

• Students will compose research projects (written and for oral presentation).

• Students will practice writing as a process, including prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and re-writing.

Vocabulary:

• Students will expand their vocabulary through formal study of vocabulary word lists and through independent and required readings.

|MATERIALS |HOMEWORK |GRADES |

| | | |

|Bring these to class each day: |Nightly throughout the semester: |Formal writing projects = 25% |

|three-ring notebook with section dividers |vocabulary study |Tests = 25% |

|number two pencil |review of daily class work |Quizzes = 25% |

|black or blue ink pen |Other homework as assigned |Homework = 5% |

|red or green ink pen | |Class work = 20% |

|a novel for silent reading | | |

|calendar/planner | | |

Attendance and Promptness

Students are expected to be in class, seated – with daily materials ready and homework completed – and working on the daily warm-up by the time the bell to begin class has finished ringing. Students who arrive late to class will not be admitted, and an absence will be recorded.

If a student is absent, it is that student’s responsibility to be proactive in finding out what material was covered and to identify handouts and notes that may have been distributed during the student’s absence. It is the teacher’s responsibility to respond in a helpful and timely manner to all student requests for missed handouts, makeup tests and quizzes, and after-school tutoring as needed. Orange County School Board policy permits students no more than 16 absences in any course; violation of this attendance policy results in course failure.

Calendar/Planners and Notebooks

All students should use a calendar/planner to record all assignments and their due dates and to prioritize work. Students should have calendars/planners with them at all times. An organized notebook also is an essential tool for academic success. Students should take notes every day in class, summarizing important points made by the teacher and by other students; they should place all handouts and returned assignments in the appropriate sections of their notebooks. Notebooks should be divided into sections in a manner that best suits each student (suggestion: Warm-ups, Journal, Compositions, Literature, Vocabulary, Grammar/Punctuation.

Deadline Policy

Students are expected to meet their deadlines.

Extensions – If a student is absent on the day a project or assignment is due, the student is granted an automatic extension until the day he or she returns. Deadline extensions also are granted for a wide variety of other reasons, including conflicts with deadline dates in other classes, conflicts with extracurricular activities, illness, family circumstance, computer problems, and general work overload. However, requests for extensions must be made before the deadline day arrives. Requests made on deadline day will be denied; this includes requests due to computer hardware, software, and printer problems. Potential problems with this technology should be considered routine and should be managed accordingly. In order to ensure that computer hardware, printer, or software problems do not affect grades, students must manage their workloads in a way that allows sufficient time to request deadline extensions should they become necessary. Students who do not have reliable machines at home are urged to take advantage of computers and printers located in their classrooms, in the OHS Media Center, or in Media Centers in other schools throughout the county (see individual school librarians for hours). Students may also request deadline extensions – but only before deadline day arrives. Requests for extensions may be made in person, by phone (or voicemail), or by email. If a request needs to be made the evening before an assignment is due, students or parents may call or email the teacher at home prior to 9:30 p.m. Email and voicemail messages must be received by 9:30 p.m. Students and parents should use the telephone if they are concerned about the timeliness with which their email messages are relayed by their Internet service providers. Please remember that waiting until the wee hours before deadline to write, process, or print documents is risky business: if a problem arises, it will be too late to request a deadline extension. Parents and students should know that all teachers at Orange High are happy to print documents for students who do not have working printers at home. Students who need to take advantage of school printers may email the file to the teacher, or they may bring in a digital copy on a flash drive or on a CD.

Some important requirements and restrictions:

• Students are responsible for saving files in formats and with applications that can be accessed by school computers.

• If students wish to email files to school, they must email the file directly to me. I will not allow students to use my computer to access personal email accounts.

• I will access and/or print documents for students only before or after school. I will not access files or print documents immediately before or after class.

Due to the wide range of options available for printing documents, deadline extensions will not be given in response to problems relating to printing (including the availability of ink or paper), even if the extension requests are made before deadline day.

If a student is absent on the day of a test or quiz, the student should be prepared to take a make-up on the day she or he returns. In most cases, however, it is not in the student’s best interest to take a make-up while the rest of the class is moving on with new material. For this reason, students often are expected to find time outside of class for make-ups. It is the students’ responsibility to keep track of missed tests and quizzes and to be proactive in the scheduling of make-up dates with the teacher.

Consequences –

• Formal writing assignments/projects and book reports: Ten points will be deducted each day past deadline; a zero will be entered after the fifth day past deadline.

• Scheduled presentations (if applicable): Work will not be accepted after deadline (a zero will be recorded).

• Tests and quizzes: A zero will be recorded if a student fails to take a make-up test within five school days following the student’s return after an absence.

• Many homework assignments may be turned in late with a 30-point penalty. Assignments that are time sensitive, with limited or no instructional value if completed after deadline, may not be made up.

Exceptions to the deadline policy will be made if serious injury, illness, or family circumstance has prevented the student or parent from making a timely request for a deadline extension.

Classroom Expectations

• Be prepared.

• Give your best effort, and submit high quality work on time.

• Demonstrate a positive attitude.

• Be the best person you can be, treating others as you want to be treated; be responsible, honest, kind, helpful, and trustworthy, showing respect for yourself, for others, and for school and personal property

• Follow the Orange High School Code of Conduct (presented to students during the first week of school).

Other Classroom Rules

The Orange High School Code of Conduct and other classroom rules are stated in the OH Student Handbook and are presented to students during the first week of school.

Communication

Parents are informed of student progress approximately every three weeks, through interim progress reports and quarterly report cards. Additionally, parents and the teacher may initiate contact by telephone, mail, or email. (E-mail is a convenient and effective way to stay in frequent contact.)

Workload

• Formal writing projects and presentations are worth 25 percent of the quarterly grade. (Note: The “Senior Research Project Paper” will count as 25% of the 2nd quarter grade, and the final exam grade for the course will be composed of the student’s grade on that paper along with the student’s grade on the “Senior Research Project Presentation.”)

• Research: Students will be engaged in a semester-long “Senior Research Project, which will culminate in a formal research paper and a presentation of the student’s findings. Research tasks, which will be ongoing throughout the semester, will be graded mostly according to level of completeness and attention to deadline.

• Tests: Tests cover literature and editing skills. All tests are cumulative; that is, each test covers material from the beginning of the semester to the date of the test. Tests are worth 25 percent of the quarterly grade.

• Quizzes: Vocabulary quizzes are administered every Friday throughout the semester. Each quiz covers the ten new words from the current unit and the ten words from the previous unit. (Vocabulary quizzes are not intended as a measure of short-term memory; therefore, “cramming” in class before the quiz is not allowed.) Students receive the exact quiz questions and answers well before each quiz. For this reason, high grades are expected. Quizzes should act as an overall booster of the course grades. If students are not earning 100’s regularly on vocabulary quizzes, logic dictates that the cause is lack of effort. (Vocabulary quiz grades can function as a barometer of the student’s overall effort in the class.) Other quizzes covering literature, grammar, and editing lessons also may be administered as needed to complement instruction. Quizzes are worth 25 percent of the quarterly grade.

• Homework: Students complete a variety of assignments for homework. Some assignments are ongoing; others are assigned as needed to complement classroom lessons. Homework is worth 5 percent of the quarterly grade.

Daily homework assignments --

Vocabulary. Students are required to study ALL vocabulary words, as they accumulate, for at five to ten minutes every night. (The final exam will include words from all units.) Each unit ends with a vocabulary quiz on Friday.

Review. Reaching desired daily and unit objectives often depends on ideas absorbed and skills mastered in previous lessons. Also, all tests are cumulative; that is, each test covers material from the beginning of the semester to the date of the test. For these reasons, students should spend ten to 15 minutes nightly reviewing all classroom notes and handouts.

Effort, level of completeness, and attention to deadline are the most important factors in the assessment of homework.

• Class work:

Vocabulary: Students will complete daily vocabulary exercises in class. Students will also complete reading, listening, freewriting, and response writing activities as assigned. Students will also complete various tasks related to the research project. Activities completed in class are worth 20 percent of the quarterly grade.

Effort and level of completeness are the most important factors in the assessment of class work.

A student who practices plagiarism or commits other acts of academic dishonesty misses out on valuable intellectual and emotional stimulation as well as opportunities to hone important writing, reading, listening, and thinking skills. Perhaps most important is that this student will be a cheater!!, and it’s just plain wrong to be a cheater!! Show the quality of your character! Be honest with your parents, your friends, your co-workers, and your teachers.

By the way, handing in someone else’s words or ideas as your own is plagiarism and is a disciplinary offense at Orange High School.

Student:

I have read the English IV Course Guide for Parents and Students. I understand my responsibilities, and I agree to work to the best of my ability toward a successful semester.

Print student name Student signature Date

Parent:

I have read the English IV Course Guide for Parents and Students.

Print parent/guardian name Parent/guardian signature Date

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