Albertus Magnus High School
ENG 10 Honors- Mrs. Curley
(845) 623-8842, ext. 270
Webpage: http://ccurley.pbworks.com
Welcome to English 10 Honors and to this new school year! I am so looking forward to conducting a fun, productive learning environment. Your special skills, talents, and personalities will always be carefully considered along the way.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This is a survey of British literature from Anglo-Saxon to modern times. It is pursued at an accelerated pace with emphasis on in-depth analysis and close readings of all works studied. Students will be exposed to a variety of genres including novels, short stories, poetry, drama, essays, and literary criticism. Our objective is to make meaningful connections to literature through active reader-response criticism, student and teacher-led discussions, and various interdisciplinary activities. Students will critically and creatively write about literature while making connections to British history and real-world events. Practices with vocabulary and grammar will help develop writing, reading, speaking, and listening skills necessary to achieve in all formats of assigned work. In addition, critical thinking skills will be emphasized and sharpened throughout the year via writing and in-depth discussion. In preparation for the English Regents Exam, students will complete assignments modeled after exam tasks.
OBJECTIVES: Students will:
· Read, write, listen, and speak for information, understanding, literary response, critical analysis, evaluation and social interaction.
· Write several well-constructed essays with clear theses, good organization, proper development, and sound use of conventions and language. Furthermore, students will become familiar with the structure of the English Regents.
· Complete a paper with proper MLA citation.
· Become familiar with British authors as well as have an appreciation for various types of text.
· Make meaningful connections from various literary works to their everyday world.
Texts: The British Tradition- Prentice Hall & Vocabulary Workshop- Sadlier-Oxford
Literature:
Anglo-Saxon poetry: The Seafarer, The Wanderer, The Wife’s Lament- authors unknown
Beowulf- Anglo-Saxon legend
The Canterbury Tales and Wife of Bath’s Tale- Geoffrey Chaucer
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar- William Shakespeare
Night by Elie Wiesel
1984- George Orwell
Selected short stories, essays, and poetry from various eras
MATERIALS NEEDED:
· A notebook or 3-ring binder to hold class handouts. Include removable/perforated sheets as homework may be collected. Students are to take notes in class, and notebooks/notes may be checked periodically for a ‘notes check’ grade. Relevant class handouts, study guides, etc. must be brought to class.
GRADING SYSTEM:
Graded assessments include tests, reading and vocabulary quizzes, in-class and homework assignments, notetaking, writing assignments, creative projects, and class participation/comportment.
A total point system is used. Each assessment has an assigned value. The grade received for each assessment adds to your quarterly sum. To determine grade, add up all points actually achieved and divide that number by the total potential/maximum points.
Example: 900 points earned/1000 possible points= 90 quarter grade
WRITING ASSIGNMENTS:
All papers must be typed, double-spaced, in Times New Roman 12 point font with 1” margins, unless otherwise directed. Only hard copies will be accepted with an MLA heading. In some cases, work must also be posted onto www.turnitin.com as directed.
Parents and students are asked to be mindful of the fact that as writing assignments take much time and effort to construct, they also can take a significant amount of time to grade. Patience is greatly appreciated in such instances.
CLASSROOM RULES/GUIDELINES:
Respect: Students will respond cooperatively to directions, respect the equipment and fixtures in the room as well as the class texts, and will speak respectfully to all other students and to me. Students will raise their hand to offer contributions to class discussions or to ask any questions. Interruptions in the form of lateness, talking out of turn, and outright misbehavior will be penalized. Disregard for the smooth running of our class will result in a deduction to one’s class participation grade, a phone call to a parent, a detention, or a referral as deemed necessary.
The use of cell phones, iPods, and other electronic devices is strictly prohibited in the classroom. Cell phones are to be turned off and completely out of sight for the entire duration of the class period. Any of the above items seen and/or used during class time will be confiscated immediately and given to the administration. Repeated incidents involving electronic devices will result in detention as according to school policy. Eating and drinking in class are not permitted.
Participation, Preparedness, and Study Habits: Students are to be seated at the very beginning of the period with required texts for that day, homework, notebook, and relevant class handouts. Failure to do so results in being ‘unprepared.’ Three ‘unprepareds’ result in one point being removed from quarter grade. Students are not permitted to leave class to retrieve books or homework from lockers. Requirements and expectations of all coursework will be clearly communicated in class and on the course website. Homework is due on the assigned date and will not be accepted late. Homework note completed on the due date receives a zero.
Failure to keep up with assigned reading is absolutely necessary to perform very well, especially as students should anticipate both announced and unannounced reading quizzes. Honors students are expected to participate fully in all class discussions to show understanding and preparedness.
Further, students are advised to pay careful attention to the timely completion of vocabulary study, especially as frequent quizzes are administered, generally on Fridays. Terms are taken both from Vocabulary Workshop OR from the literary work being read at the time. This will be announced at the beginning of that week.
‘Printing problem excuses’ should not prevent a student from handing a paper in on time. Do not use class time to print a paper. If you are in school on the day a paper is due but miss English because of late arrival/early departure/nurse visits, etc., you are still responsible for handing in the assignment on the due date. Stiff penalties apply to late papers. For instance: a paper one day late is minus 20 points; two days late is minus 40 points; three days late is unacceptable.
Lateness:
“Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.”
- William Shakespeare
School rules are followed. Unexcused lateness, or late entrance into the classroom without a school-issued late pass, may be penalized with detention. A student is considered late when the class bell rings and he or she is not seated.
Absences and Missed Work:
It is your responsibility to complete missed work. Class notes may be obtained from classmates or from teacher. Homework is due upon return from an absence. It is your responsibility to remember to hand it in to me, as I may not seek it out from you. If an absence is from a cut, school policy mandates a zero for missed work. Extenuating circumstances of absence and missed work will be handled with discretion. Make-up exams may vary from the original but follow the same format and level of difficulty.
Emailing
I am happy to assist you with any questions via email. Any student who emails me must have a parent or guardian copied in the email or else the student will not receive a reply.
Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism
Academic dishonesty, whether in the form of cheating or plagiarism, will not be tolerated as they are ethical violations. Cheating on any quiz or test results in a grade of zero. All students are required to compose their own work and acknowledge all sources of text quoted or referenced with proper citations. Academic dishonesty found on homework assignments, tests, quizzes, essays, and all other forms of written work will result in a grade of zero.
Extra Help:
I am happy to provide assistance. Kindly see me to arrange a time before or after school hours.
September 9, 2013
Dear parents and legal guardians,
Here we are at the beginning of the school year, a time of much excitement and promise! I am so delighted to work as an English teacher here at Albertus Magnus High School. My three siblings and I are all proud alumni, and as such, I feel I have a strong appreciation for the school’s value system as well as the many sacrifices families and loved ones make in choosing a Catholic education. Moreover, as an educator and a mother of two children, I can understand how all parents truly want to see their children apply themselves and do well.
I completed my undergraduate work at Cornell University, and received masters degrees in English Language and Literatures as well as in teaching at Fordham University and Saint Thomas Aquinas, respectively. I thoroughly enjoy my work as a teacher of English, for I have always felt that reading can teach us how to live better and more informed lives. My overarching objective as an educator is to help students develop an appreciation for literature, read incisively, think critically, and hone and sharpen their writing skills in preparation for the walls outside my classroom.
I sent students home today with the previously attached course syllabus, which lists all required readings, methods of assessment, grading procedures, and classroom rules and expectations regarding homework, absences, and such. This week students will be completing their summer reading assignments, and we then will move into a study of Anglo-Saxon poetry as an introduction to our first big unit on the epic poem, Beowulf.
I am so looking forward to getting to know all of my students and all of you. Perhaps we will have an opportunity to talk on Back-to-School night on Thursday, September 19th at 7 PM. Please do feel free to contact me anytime with questions or concerns. Kindly be assured I will consistently do my very best to ensure that this will be a most productive year!
Kindest regards,
Catherine Curley
My child, ______, and I read and understand the course syllabus.
Parent’s preferred phone number: ______
Parent’s e-mail address: ______
______
Parent’s signature
Student: I have read this syllabus, and I understand its contents. I will comply with all expectations and rules outlined above.
______