Standard English 9

Marilee K Malott

Course Overview

In this course you will get a taste of a variety literary genres (ways of writing), such as novels, short fiction, poetry, non-fiction, and drama. We want to expose you to a variety of authors and develop your skills in reading comprehension and textual analysis. Major works covered include To Kill a Mockingbird, Animal Farm, Romeo and Juliet, and excerpts from The Odyssey. Don’t worry if you’ve already read a story or book we study this year – good books are worth re-reading, and if you already know the plot (what happens in the story), then you can focus on the significance of the choices the author made in style!

You will write in the four major modes--description, narration, exposition, and persuasion--for a variety of occasions and purposes. In analysis and research, you will learn to locate and synthesize supporting information from texts and to correctly cite sources using MLA documentation. Ongoing studies of vocabulary, grammar, usage, and mechanics will further develop and hone your written and verbal communication.

As a blended learning class, you can expect to complete a great deal of work on your laptops, including but not limited to: online discussions in Schoology, word processing in MS Word, presentations accompanied by Power Point or Prezi visual aids, practicing vocabulary words on Quizlet. You will have access to an online copy of the literature textbook, but you should expect to do much of your reading in traditional books/textbooks. I am excited to embark on this adventure together!

Grading

Houston High School uses the following grading scale:

Numeric Grade / Letter Grade
93-100 / A
85-92 / B
75-84 / C
74-70 / D
69 – 0 / F

Your Semester grade in English 9 will be weighted as follows:

Your Quarter grade in the class (accounting for 40% of Semester grade) will be weighted as follows:

Late Work Policy

Assignments will be considered “on time” only if they are submitted in the form indicated by the teacher. Each day an assignment is late, the grade earned will be reduced by 20%, for up to 3 days. After 3 days, the assignment can receive no more than 40% of the possible points.

Attendance Policy

The Germantown Municipal School District believes that regular attendance is a necessary requirement of all students; therefore, you are expected to attend school on each day that school is officially in session.

All other absences than those outlined in the student handbook shall be considered unexcused. A written statement, within two (2) school days of your return to school is required from the parent or guardian explaining the reason for each absence.

When absent, check your calendars, check with a classmate if you have questions, but be sure that he/she is in your same class period – different sections of the same class sometimes run at a different pace. Try to get started on work while you’re out whenever possible. If you are unable to complete material by the time you return to class, you have one day per day missed to make up work or reschedule missed tests. If an appointment hasn’t been made with me, and quizzes/graded work have already been returned to the class, it will be too late to make up the quiz.

·  Tests are always announced several days in advance. If you return on the test day, you will take the test (this includes vocab quizzes, and includes if you miss on a quiz day). Be ready for your quiz. Most of the time, make-up tests are different from the ones given to the rest of the class and are more difficult when there is a longer gap of time between the lesson and the test.

·  Even if you are absent from school, previously assigned projects/essays are due on the assigned due date. Papers may be delivered to me via another student, parent, or email (for absence submissions only).

·  An unexcused tardy results in no points for missed quizzes and classwork completed during the tardy.

·  Lastly, there are many activities and discussions that cannot be made up. Protect yourself with regular attendance.

Make-Up Work Policy

Students who have an excused absence must be responsible for having their green-slip signed by me, submit any absent work, request any missing handouts, and/or schedule a make-up exam. You have as many days to complete and submit make-up work as you were absent; after that, missing work will accrue late work penalties.

Power School Codes

·  1 = A student was absent when the work was assigned or collected. Absent work policy applies. This score will be replaced with grade earned if submitted on time according to Make-up work policy above.

·  2 = A student chose not to submit this assignment. Late work policy applies.

·  0 = A student has an unexcused absence OR violated the school’s honor code through plagiarism or cheating. No remediation is available for this score.

Plagiarism & how to prevent it

A lack of understanding on the issue of plagiarism does not serve as an adequate defense: it is your responsibility to be certain that you fully comprehend what is expected of you as a scholar and writer. To utilize someone else’s words or ideas without giving proper credit is considered plagiarism. This goes beyond simply copying and pasting the wording from an article you have read without putting it in quotation marks or citing it (that would be an obvious case of plagiarism). MLA requires that if you paraphrase (put someone’s idea into your own words) you must fundamentally alter the sentence structure – you cannot simply use a thesaurus and substitute a few important words; this still requires a citation, though no longer needs quotation marks. If you have any questions about this issue, I strongly urge you to contact any member of the English department, who would be glad to clarify and even provide examples. Our mission at Houston High School is to prepare, inspire, and empower students to become life-long learners and socially responsible citizens; helping you to live above reproach in the area of academic integrity is just one concrete way that I seek to live out that mission statement. Never hesitate to come and speak to me if you have questions about citations or giving credit to the sources upon which you are building your own argument.

As per school district policy, work found to be plagiarized will receive a permanent zero and the student will be subject to disciplinary procedures. The same policy is applied to a student found to be cheating on any assignment or exam.

This syllabus is subject to change.

Three 100’s

Each student starts EACH quarter with three 100’s in the grade book for the following:

Work incompletion results in 5 reduction points.

·  Independent Preparation (homework) – Homework assignments are complete and submitted at the beginning of class. There will be no exceptions for full credit. Reading and Language Arts

·  Group Participation (groups) – Assume scholastic roles for independent work or class discussion, small group participation, large or small group work, etc. Speaking and Listening

·  Referencing Materials/Books, etc. (materials in class) – Reference class books, websites, materials, and supplies in class. Reading, Language Arts, Speaking and Listening

Supplies

You will need the following items with you in class:

·  CHARGED laptop

·  Blue/Black Pens

·  Red ink pens (2)

·  Pencil

·  Loose leaf college-ruled notebook paper

·  Folder with dividers to keep handouts and graded work

·  Flash drive is recommended

Technology

We will utilize the following resources in preparing for the AP exam:

·  www.schoology.com Class ID Code: ______

·  www.quizlet.com search for: mkmalott

·  www.quizzizz.com

·  others as assigned

I understand your attachment to your cell phone; however, I am asking that you keep it turned off and stowed in your bag during class time. (Parents, please do not expect to speak with or receive a text response from your child during instructional time) If your phone is a distraction, I will relocate it to my desk in order to help you focus on what we are doing as a class.

Printing

You will be required to submit a hard-copy of some typed assignments. Do NOT email me a document and ask me to print it for you – either for my class or for any other! Before school begins, you need to determine an emergency backup printing procedure. Take responsibility and come to class with your work in hand, otherwise it is considered late and subject to the department’s late policy.

Rules to Live By

  1. Be prepared! Arrive to class on time with everything necessary to participate. Use the bathroom during your passing period! Look for the journal prompt on the board and begin working immediately.
  2. Listen & follow directions the first time they are given. Raise your hand and wait to be called on before speaking.
  3. Keep your hands, feet, and possessions to yourself. Be respectful! Don’t touch anything that doesn’t belong to you.
  4. No food or beverages (except water bottles) in class. Dispose of food, gum, etc. as you enter the classroom.
  5. The bell does not dismiss you – the teacher does!

Consequences for Poor Choices

·  Verbal reminder

·  Time spent practicing correct behavior (if applicable)

·  Discussion and contract re: future behavior

·  Phone call home to parents

·  Conference with me & administrator

·  Conference with me, administrator, and parents

Keeping In Contact

Emailing me at is the best way to get in touch, even if it’s simply a quick email asking that I phone you. I may not be immediately available, but I will respond to your email within 24 hours.

Student/Parent Signature page to be returned to Ms. Malott

Due: ______

______Student’s Name

______Student’s Signature Date

______Parent/Guardian’s Name

______Parent/Guardian’s Signature Date

Parent Phone Number: ______

Parent Email Address: ______

This syllabus is subject to change.