Mrs. Gillespie’s English IV
Dear Parents/Guardians and Students:
I am looking forward to the opportunity to work with you this semester. In order to have a successful experience, I believe communicationamong parents, students, and the teacher is essential. Therefore, I will regularly post grades in Parent Assist, return work to students on a regular basis, and keep my website updated with assignments and important information.
As an educator, I hold high expectations for all of my students, and I believe all students can be successful in my class with a positive attitude and effort. I want everyone to be successful, so if you are struggling, please come see me. If you have questions, please ask. As I said previously, communication is essential to success. I won’t know how to help if I don’t know the issue. My door is always open…just let me know when to expect you.
My email isand is usually the best way to get in contact with me. However, you can also call the school at (980) 344-0409 and leave a message with a number where you can be reached. I will return calls during my planning (7:15 – 8:45) or after school (2:30) and will make every effort to respond within 24 hours. My class website and email are accessible from the RRHS website.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
English IV examines British Literature as well as selected works from other cultures. You will also complete the final 3 parts of your Graduation Project – product, portfolio, and presentation. We will continue improving our reading comprehension skills, literary analysis, writing conventions, and grammar.
GILLESPIE’S GUIDELINES
- Be Real–Be truthful, sincere, trustworthy, honorable, and decent. Be real to the role you play in your school. You are upperclassmen. You are the leaders, and your conduct should reflect as such.
- Be Ready – Come to class prepared…prepared to read, write, and learn. We will read and write daily. Be ready to be creative and share your thoughts. You never know what you will learn by listening to your classmates. Also, you will need paper, pen/pencil, and your day book daily. Highlighters, tape, glue sticks, a folder, and a flash drive will be useful but are not necessary every day.
- Be Respectful –Show respect for yourself, your peers, your teacher, and your school. Listen when someone else is talking. Ask first. Speak without using profanity. Keep your phone/electronics off and in your pocket, book bag, or purse. Leave food and drinks in the cafeteria. Throw trash in the trash can. Use transition times to sharpen your pencil or use a tissue. Follow all school and class rules. Stay seated until you are dismissed…by me not the bell. Leave the room the way you found it.
- Be Better– Strive for your best. Don’t settle for good enough. Attitude and effort are essential to improving.
- Be You– No one can take your place. No one can share or add to our class in the same way you can. Be who you are and not who you think others want you to be.
CLASSROOM CONSEQUENCES
1st Offense: Verbal warning 2nd Offense: Call home 3rd Offense: ASD with me and call home 4th Offense: Referral to Admin
TUTORING
Tutoring will be held on Tuesdays from 2:15-3:15. However, if you cannot make it on Tuesday, please let me know so we can make other arrangements.
ABSENCES
If you are absent, YOU will need to collect your assignments, complete them, and submit them. It is your responsibility to check for the work you have missed. You must come see me before school, after school, or at a down time during class – do not interrupt instruction. You have 5 days after you return from your absence to submit your work. If you miss a test or a quiz, YOU will need to make arrangements with me to retake the assessment. A zero will be recorded until the assignments are completed and submitted.
LATE WORK
Assignments that are due are due at the beginning of class the day they are due – no exceptions. I will not collect any homework assignment after this time, and the student will receive a ZERO. However, formal assessments such as essays and projects assigned to be completed outside of class will be accepted late but will receive a 10 point deduction per day it is late. After five days, I will no longer accept the essay or project, and the student will receive a ZERO.
DAY BOOK
Every student will be required to keep a day book. The day book should be brought to class EVERY DAY. The day book can be a composition book, spiral notebook, or folder with paper for entries. Entries will consist of daily warm-ups, notes, class assignments, etc. You will be responsible for ALL entries, even if you were absent. Day books will be checked at minimum on unit test days. Full credit will not be given for incomplete entries. Each entry holds the same weight. For instance, if there should be five entries, and four are submitted, your grade will be 4 out of 5, which is 80%. Day book grades will be considered Informal Assessments; however, students who earn a 100% on their day book will earn 10 bonus points on their unit test.
CURRICULUM
All texts assigned are your responsibility. If you lose, damage, or write in the book, you must pay to have it replaced.
Textbooks:
- Holt McDougal Literature: British Literature (class set and on-line access)
- Holt Traditions: Warriner’s Handbook, Sixth Course (class set and on-line access)
Units of Study
Unit 1 - Literature from Anglo Saxon Period and The Middle Ages
Unit 2 - Literature from the Renaissance Period
Unit 3 - Literature from the Restoration Period
Unit 4 - Romantic Literature
Unit 5 - Victorian Literature
Unit 6 - Modern Literature
Novel Study – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
THE GRADUATION PROJECT
Students will be completing the second part of The Graduation Project as part of their English IV course work. They are required to develop a portfolio, a presentation, and a product to support their research findings. The Graduation Project will be completed during the 1st quarter. This will count for 20% of the student’s 2nd quarter grade. More information will be distributed in class.
Graduation Project Supplies:
1" 3 Ring Binder with Plastic Cover, Plastic Sleeve Protectors, 3 x 5 index cards on spiral, and a Flash Drive
GRADING:
A 100-93 60%= Formal Assessments: Tests, Essays, and Projects
B 92-85 20%= Informal Assessments: Quizzes, Homework, and In-class assignments
C 84-77 *20%= Q3 Midterm/Q4 Research Paper
D 76-70