Mrs. Jill Minarik
English 1 Syllabus & Course Information – for the Student and Parent
Course Overview
English 1 is a foundation course for the transition year into high school. It addresses those skills that will enable students to be prepared for the future. The course serves as an introduction to some basic literary genres: mythology, nonfiction, drama, poetry, the short story, and the fiction novel. Writing in a variety of modes is as integral to this course as examining literature analytically. Students will explore and utilize various note-taking and writing methods throughout the course. Students will be asked to form opinions about the reading, write creative pieces occasioned by the literature, and write critical essays about the texts under study. Although many writing modes will be assigned, the writing emphasis will be on guiding the students through the construction of properly written five paragraph essays (analytical, narrative, comparative, persuasive, and research). Throughout the course, elements of the PARCC and SAT will be reviewed.
Course Readings
Novels by Genre – A selection of the following books will be studied throughout the course, depending on their availability, in addition to the supplementary material listed:
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Mrs. Jill Minarik
English 1 Syllabus & Course Information – for the Student and Parent
Mythology (selected stories)
Holt 9th Grade Literature textbook (2012 ed.)
Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Fiction Novel
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Drama
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Short Stories, Nonfiction Short Essays, Poetry & Writing Workshops
Holt 9th Grade Literature textbook (2012 ed.)
Additionally chosen stories and poems
Supplementary Materials (where time permits):
House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, Street Love by Walter Dean Myers, SAT/Grammar/PARCC prep, others as needed
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Course Materials/Information (see the back of this packet for a full list of supplies)
Students are required to bring to class EVERYDAY, a blue or black pen, a red pen, small sticky notes for note-taking in books, the work being studied, and a 3-ring binder with white lined paper, and a pocket folder (for returned work and handouts)
Requirements and Grading Policy
The grading system will be used by ALL teachers in the high school English department except at the AP level. The following percentages will be used:
Major Assessments = 50%
· Formal Writing
Rhetorical modes of writing that will be explored may include narrative, persuasive, analytical, comparative, expository, and reflective. Research papers and projects will also be assigned. Both in-class and out-of-class writing are primary components of this course. All formal writing assignments will have multiple parts to complete that might, in total, equal more than 100 points in the end. Final versions of essays not written in class are to be typed with double spacing, 1” margins, and Times 12 or Arial 10 font. Graded essays will be returned and stored in writing folders until the end of the year.
· Tests
Tests are usually given at the end of each unit and periodically throughout the year. They are culminating evaluations that reflect more than literal material. Analysis, synthesis and evaluation of the literature are required. Most tests will include multiple choice, short answer questions, and an essay. Graded tests will be reviewed by the student, and then stored in writing folders in my classroom to be used for mid-term and final exam review.
· Projects and Presentations
Projects are created for students to express their creative talents and ideas. In some cases, a project will be given in place of a written test as an evaluation at the end of a unit or to demonstrate understanding of reading. Graded projects will be returned after being presented and/or displayed in the classroom. Projects may also involve digital media and use of the internet.
Minor Assessments = 30%
· Formative and Evaluative Quizzes
Quizzes are given periodically to assess, not always to evaluate, understanding of a topic for a formal grade. They might or might not be announced and will not always be formally graded. At times, formative assessments with no grade value will be given orally, with cue cards or on paper to check for understanding, not evaluate it. Comprehensive quizzes on SAT words/prep and grammar/punctuations will be given once a month. Graded quizzes will be returned to the student for review, and then stored in writing folders in my classroom for test, mid-term, and final exam review.
· Shorter Writing Assignments
This type of writing includes writing assignments that are not developed into full length essays (typically 1-2 pages or essays written
during one class period) and original poetry.
Alternative Assessments/Assignments = 20%
· Including, but not limited to:
o Informal Writing
o Collected Classwork - Classwork includes any graded or ungraded work done in the classroom that is not a quiz, test, or essay. Work is to be completed in blue or black ink on 3 holed or unholed white lined paper or typed. Any paper submitted without a heading will not be graded and, therefore, will result as a zero.
o Journal Writing
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Homework
The reading of material, the practice of skills and the reinforcement of content is critical to a student’s academic development. Work completed at home is an extension of the learning that occurs in the classroom. These assignments are the student’s responsibility and will be evaluated through various assessments. Students and parents can monitor academic progress via the Genesis Parent Portal at their convenience.
Although not all homework is checked, it should be completed as soon as it is assigned. Homework grades are “a,“ “a-,” or
“–“ for completed, partially complete/missing complete sentences, and not done and will be used for recordkeeping purposes only. I will review my system for homework collection during the first week of school. The purpose of homework is to allow for review in class upon completion to check for understanding of learned material or to introduce or provide background to allow for greater understanding of a new topic. It does not help a student when the assignment is completed after we have discussed the topic in class. Therefore, when assignments are collected, if they are not submitted at that time, they will not be accepted – even if they are turned in or “found” by the end of class. Students are responsible to make up work when they are absent and turn in any missed work for which they want to receive credit.
Students are expected to PAY ATTENTION and CORRECT their homework answers when we go over them (which includes writing down all answers if the assignment is incomplete or not completed at all). I suggest using a red pen to make corrections. Homework will be posted in my classroom all day and online every day after 3 p.m.
Late or Missing Work (due to absence or choice)
Based on the school rule, if a student is absent for one class period, any quizzes, presentations, tests, and in-class writings held during that class period are to be made up or handed in within two days of the absence for full credit (see online Handbook for full details) unless other arrangements have been made prior to the absence or with me upon return to school or I am holding make-up days for many students. If multiple days of my class are missed, the student must see me upon his/her return to school to work out a make-up schedule to complete all work over the course of the week. If at-home work that was assigned the day before the absence was checked or collected for a grade on the date of absence, the work is required to be turned in upon return. If not, it will result in a zero unless other arrangements are made with me.
As mentioned, late homework will not be accepted. As per the school rules, any other assignments that are forgotten or completed late, will be assessed the late penalties of -10% for one day late (turned in on the next school day) and -20% for two days late (turned in two school days later). A zero will be assigned if the assignment is not received by the second late day. So, if the project or essay is worth 150 points, then one day late is -- 15 points and two days late is – 30 points; three days late will result in a zero.
During the first week of school, I will review my system for providing work for absentees as well as collecting late or make-up work in order to avoid chaos, class interruption, and risk the loss of work. It is the responsibility of the students, not me, for all make-up work missed to be completed and/or submitted on time, and the above rules will be adhered to throughout the year. If there is a foreseeable problem or an emergency situation to delay work from being completed, contact me immediately to discuss a possible extension and/or consequences. Any work not made up within the required allotted time will result in a zero.
Cheating and Plagiarism
What is Plagiarism?
Plagiarism is a difficult concept to define. It includes a range of actions from failure to use proper citation to conscious cheating, such as, but not limited to:
· Obtaining a paper from a research service.
· Copying and turning in another student’s work. This includes homework and projects.
· Turning in a paper that a peer has written for you.
· Copying a paper from a source text without proper acknowledgement.
· Copying materials from a source text, supplying proper documentation, but leaving out quotation marks/in-text citation.
· Paraphrasing materials from a source text, audio or visual program, or conversation/interview without appropriate documentation.
· Turning in a paper obtained partially or completely from a website.
· Submitting a paper that does not contain citations and/or a works cited page.
· Citing an incomplete or the wrong source.
All types of cheating and plagiarism are serious offenses. Students who are caught cheating and/or plagiarizing will receive a zero on the assignment with no chance of making up the work for credit, a notice will be sent home, and a disciplinary referral will be sent to the Assistant Principal to be kept on file.
Cheating and plagiarism does not only apply to essays and paper writing. These guidelines will be followed for all coursework including tests, projects, quizzes, homework, journal entries and any other task assigned to be completed in or out of class. More detailed information about plagiarism and proper MLA citation will be discussed in class throughout the year.
Policies and Procedures:
You must bring with you to class on a daily basis:
• A pen or pencil and highlighter
• Notebook paper
• The assigned text or reading
• A binder with all of your handouts and assignments, as well as your journal
By the time the bell rings, you should be...
• In your seat (not lingering in the hallway), with all materials out.
• Getting a pass from the Office if you are tardy
• Checking the board for a Do-Now
When the bell rings at the end of class, you should be...
• Waiting until I dismiss you to pack up
• Writing down the homework assignment
• Neither getting out of your seat nor lining up at the door
When handing in an essay or assignment, you should...
• Embrace MLA!
• Thoroughly check to ensure that it is correctly formatted in terms of quotations, citations (both in-text and in your Works Cited)
indenting and spacing.
• Make sure it has the proper heading, according to MLA format! The following should appear in the upper LEFT corner, double-
spaced:
Your Name
Mrs. Minarik
English One
Day Month, Year
Extra Help
Any students who need extra help on assignments or to prepare for a quiz, test or other can stop by after school to see me, and I will help them as best as I can at that moment or ask them to make an appointment to see me another day if I have a prior appointment or engagement. This year, I will be available most Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays (unless an emergency arises or there is a meeting, etc.) specifically for “drop in” extra help after school and makeup work. I will post the exact days online and post a sign up sheet if we have a paper or project due (anticipating several students at one time). If the students stop in at this time, they might have to wait if I am with another student already. I request that students do not “drop in” for extra help before school unless previously arranged with me because I use that time to prepare my classroom for the day’s activities. Work can be made up by appointment at this time.
Online Homework
I will post homework for all classes at the “Homework” link on bottom of my website
You can link to this address by going to the Kenilworth Schools website, then clicking on high school, then departments, then English, then “Mrs. Minarik.” Once on my website, scroll to the bottom of the page for a link to either a homework calendar or a homework list. The homework that is posted in advance is subject to change depending on what is accomplished that day in class. It is best to contact a classmate, if you or the student is in doubt of the homework online’s accuracy. If it is known that a student is going to be absent for a significant amount of time, please contact me in advance to plan out their approximate assignments.