2012-2013-English III Syllabus-Ms. Calderin
“Books are the carriers of civilization. Without books,history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculationat a standstill” Barbara W. Tuchman (American popular historian and writer).
Summer Reading: The summer reading assignment was Witch Child by Celia Rees. Be ready to discuss the book and hand in the character study assignment the first week of class. Details about the assignment has been attached as a link to my website for your reference. In addition, Vocabulary Cartoons/SAT Word Power (2007 Edition) was assigned in order to familiarize you with college-level vocabulary, and the words in the book will be practiced in class, and will become a part of your daily vocabulary.
General CourseDescription: Welcome to the 2012-2013 school year. English III is a coursethat involves the students in the study of language arts. Language artsconsists of studying the different components of the English language:literature, informational reading, test-taking skills( including ACT/SATtimed-testing for both reading and writing), grammar, and vocabulary. InEnglish III, the focus is on American Literature, and a list of the readingswith approximate dates will be provided.
The literature textbook will be available online, andstudents will be able to access the book through the dadeschools.net student portalsite. Instruction will be given on the procedures for accessing the book. It isimperative that students have internet access in order to complete most home-learning activities. If a computer is not available, please let know so that somethingcan be worked out.
Course Organization:All lessons will be planned carefully to assure that students meet the objectives.The Pacing Guides prepared by MiamiDade County Public Schools Division of Language Arts and Readingwill be used as a planning and instructional guide. I will provide a link tothat document on my teacher webpage. The teacher webpage link will accessiblethrough the English Department page of the SMSH website. Students can alsoaccess my page through the following link: (you must enter the following information after clicking onthe student tab of the website: teacher’s last name: Calderin, teacher’s first name: Alina, Zip Code 33155.)
Grading: We will use the DCPS grading scale which isdetailed below. A copy of the 2012-2013 school calendar will be distributed for your reference. 11th grade is a crucial year. This is the yearto explore career options, and to successfully complete the necessary tests for college entrance.
Your grades are based on the following scale:
90-100= A
89-80= B
70-79= C
69-60=D Below 59 = F
Quarter Grade: The nine week grade will be weighted as follows:
Exams:40% These include tests on literary units and writing/grammar skills.
Participation:10% Participation is important in a language arts class; this grade will be based on you active participation in class, and other factors such as journals/silent reading logs/notebook.
Homework: 10%
QuizGrades: 20%
ProjectGrades20%- An independent project or themed writing will be assigned for each nine-week period. You will be given ample time for completion, and explicit instruction on how to complete this project. Directions for the projects will be posted on my schoolnotes.com page.
Home Learning:Homework will be assigned to enhance classroom instruction. You will also beassigned several long-range projects which will be explained by me in classwith handouts outlining the requirements, and will also be posted on the web.
Behavior: It ishoped that your maturity and experience alone will be a deterrent to inappropriate behavior, However; a plan is in place to assure that inappropriate behavior is kept to a minimum so that learning can be kept to a maximum. The classroom rules will be posted in class. I will be recording incidents of inappropriate behavior in the electronic grade book. After two warnings and recording of misbehavior, a call to your parents will be made. If that does not render a change, then appropriate follow-up with administrationwill take place. As soon as administrative/and or tutorial detentions are inplace, they will be used as a consequence to inappropriate behavior. Rules will be posted in class.
Materials: Asmall three-ring binder with 4 separators will be required. There will be a note-book check every two weeks, and you will receive a grade for the upkeep of your notebook. The binder will include a reading journal section for in-class and independent reading, a vocabulary section, a class-notes section, and a bell ringer response section. A donation of a ream of white paper copy paper is appreciated as many of the materials that supplement instruction are photo-copied.