Dear Students and Families,
My name is Mrs. Alisha Osborne (formally Goodson) and I would like to welcome you to English III: American Literature! I’m excited for the opportunity to get to know you, and I’m looking forward to a happy and productive school year.
The curriculum is based on literature throughout various eras in American history. Units include:
1. Conflict & Change
a. Native American Literature
b. Puritanism
i. The Crucible by Arthur Miller
c. Persuasive Writing
2. Journey to Revolution
a. Argumentative Writing
b. Primary Sources
3. Research Paper
4. Individual vs. Society
a. Romanticism
b. Transcendentalism
c. The American Masters
5. Freedom, Identity, and the American Promise
a. Realism
b. Modernism
c. Contemporary Literature
i. Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons
6. NCFE Review
Students are asked to bring the following supplies to school:
· 1 composition/notebook book for daily warm-ups
· 1 Folder/binder specifically for English III work.
· Pens/ Pencils/ highlighters
· Notebook Paper
· Headphones if desired (for read-aloud options on laptops).
· All of the works/texts we read in class will be provided for students.
Research Paper: Students are expected to complete a 5-7 research paper with proper MLA format and citations. The topic of this paper is a career of the student’s choice. Students will be given two weeks of in-class work time to work on the paper. This paper is worth 25% of students’ nine-week grade. Failure to complete this paper most often results in a failure for the course.
Homework Policy: All homework is due at the beginning of class each day. Any homework that is turned in after this time is considered late (not accounting for illness or absence).
· The highest possible grade one can receive on a late assignment is a 50%. Homework must be turned in within one week to receive any credit.
· If a student is absent they have two days to turn in their missing assignment before it is considered late.
· All missed quizzes/tests must be made up within one week of absence.
My grading policy is divided as follows for N1:
Classwork: 10%
Homework: 25%
Quizzes: 30%
Projects/Tests: 35%
For N2:
Classwork: 10%
Homework: 15%
Quizzes: 20%
Projects/Tests: 30%
Final Research Paper: 25% of 2nd nine-week grade.
Classroom Policies and Procedures:
· We will be following all school and district-wide policies in my classroom. Please refer to your NIHS student handbook for these policies.
· Respect is the most important thing in our classroom. Respect yourself. Respect others and their right to learn. Respect the teacher and her duty to teach you. Respect school rules/ classroom rules. Respect school property.
· Do not talk while the teacher is taking.
· Do not throw trash into the trashcan from across the room.
· The bell dismisses class—do not stand up and wait by the door before the bell rings.
· Fidget spinners are considered toys and are against school policy; therefore, they are not allowed in class or at school. They will be confiscated if they are seen at school.
· Follow the social contract.
· Restroom/Hall Pass Policy:
o Only students with a school-provided hall pass will be allowed to get out of the classroom.
o Do not ask to leave the classroom during a lesson or while I am talking.
o Students may use the restroom during work/reading time.
o Students entering my after the tardy bell must have a signed hall pass or note from the office. Otherwise they will be counted late, and, and if they are more than 10 minutes late they will receive a disciplinary referral for skipping class.
o 3 tardy slips equals one absence and a disciplinary referral.
· Cell Phone Policy
o I do not tolerate cell phone use in our classroom, unless I explicitly give permission. If a student is seen using a cell phone they will be sent to the office and it will be confiscated.
o See NIHS handbook for disciplinary action regarding the cell phone policy.
· Laptop Policy:
o Students must bring their school-provided laptop to class, charged and ready to use, each day.
o No food or drink is to be out while laptops are out.
o Headphones are not to be in unless otherwise instructed.
o Laptops are intended to be used for educational purposes only, as determined by the teacher. Laptops are not to be used for inappropriate activates, such as: playing games, emailing/messaging friends, watching movies/videos, or listening to music (unless I explicitly give permission). If a student is caught using their laptop inappropriately the following disciplinary actions will take place.
§ First Offense: Verbal Warning
§ Second Offense: Teacher Conference at the end of class and confiscation of the device.
§ Third Offense: Parent Contact and confiscation of the device.
§ Fourth Offense: ASD assigned (duration at teacher’s discretion), additional parent contact, and confiscation of the device.
§ Fifth Offense: Disciplinary referral and confiscation of the device.
· Plagiarism/cheating:
o I do not tolerate cheating of any kind including plagiarism. Plagiarism is when you take someone else’s work and claim that it is your own—this includes but is not limited to: copying homework/classwork, copying and pasting directly from another source, changing a few words but otherwise copying and pasting, failure to paraphrase, and failure to give proper citations. This is your one and only warning.
o Consequences for plagiarism/cheating:
§ Student will receive a 0% for the assignment- they will not be given an opportunity to make it up.
§ Parents/guardians will be notified.
§ Students will be given a disciplinary referral.
§ This could jeopardize the students standing in honor societies and other organizations according to the by-laws of each; have additional conferences if loss of credit places student in jeopardy of failing a subject; and/or jeopardize their standing in extracurricular functions (according to the ISS District Policy).
PDSA: Students will do individual PDSAs in their journals throughout the year. I will conference with students once per nine-weeks to evaluate their progress, and determine if they need additional remediation.
Remind 101: This year I will be using the application Remind 101 to remind my students of upcoming projects, tests, and homework that will be due the next day. It is a free application for smart phones, which does not charge data fees. I also encourage parents to sign up for their student’s class on Remind 101, so they can see when assignments will be due. I have included Remind 101 sign-up instructions.
Google Classroom: This year all of my classes will be using Google Classroom for some assignments in order to cut down on paper usage. Students can use this site to digitally upload and download assignments. It is also a great tool for sharing resources to students. It is absolutely free, and all students are required to sign up for it. All of the important class updates can be found on Google Classroom.
If your parents/guardians have any questions or concerns or if they would like to visit our classroom, schedule a conference, they can contact me at . Please feel free to email anytime and/or call during my planning period, which is 1st period.
Once again, welcome to English III! Let’s work together to make this the best year ever!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Alisha Osborne