English 10-4 Syllabus

English 10-4 Syllabus

Mrs. Reineking

Email:

Website:

Phone: 867-6961

Twitter: @hreineking

The goal of this trimester will be not only to enhance your knowledge in English writing, literature, vocabulary, and grammar, but also to enhance your skills that will be on the End of Course Assessment test (ECA) given at the end of English 10-4.

Major Units

• Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare— We will review dramatic and literary terms, strengthen your ability to understand and use rhetorical devices, write various short essays, assignments, and a research-based paper.
• In Harm’s Way by Doug Stanton—We will read this nonfiction book about the USS Indianapolis and will focus on the historical context of the book while we read, review style and literary devices, and write various journals and essays.
• Grammar—Punctuation, Subject/Verb Agreement, Active vs. Passive Voice; SAT questions of the day
• Vocabulary—Continue to work with roots
• Timed Writing—We will have at least TWO timed writing days where you will practice writing a 5 paragraph essay in 55 minutes.

Materials

The expectation is that you will bring the following materials to class every day unless otherwise directed:

• Literature textbook/ novel
• Pen and pencil
• Binder and notebook paper

Writing

Writing will be an integral part of this class. The writing assignments will range from informal journals to formal essays requiring an understanding of documenting sources in MLA format.

All formal essays should be submitted in MLA format. This means they should be typed and double spaced in Times New Roman 12-pt. font. Every essay turned in should have the following information in the upper left hand corner of the first page: your name, teacher name, English 10-4, due date. It should be double spaced. You should not do this as a header, as it should only appear on the first page. The title should be on the first page centered below. As a header, you should include your last name and the page number in the upper right hand corner so it appears on every page, beginning with page 2.

A more contemplative aspect of your writing development will be keeping journals, which should be at least ½ page in length.

Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism occurs when a writer passes off someone else’s writing or ideas as his or her own. The most obvious form of plagiarism occurs when a student copies and pastes another person’s document. A less obvious form of plagiarism is when a student presents someone else’s ideas without giving that author credit. Clearly, plagiarism is often intentional, but it is also sometimes unintentional. If we discover that a student has plagiarized, the following actions, based on our school handbook, will be taken:

• a conference with the student will be held
• the parent/guardian will be notified by the teacher
• if plagiarism is clearly intentional, the student will receive a 0 on the assignment and a Thursday school
• if a student plagiarizes a second time, he/she will be removed from the class

*The easiest way to avoid plagiarizing is to always give credit to others’ words and ideas. This should be done by using correct MLA documentation, which will be taught throughout the year.

Turnitin.com - Enroll in turnitin.com to turn in major papers online

Enroll in turnitin.com— You will turn in papers and assignments here. (Avoid Plagiarism!)

1. Go to
2. Click on “Create an Account”
3. Click on “Student”
4. Enter your class enrollment code and password

Period Class ID: Password: (Case Sensitive!)

1. Enter your information: your email, name, password, etc.
2. Click “Create Profile”

Classroom rules:

• Be on time and prepared for class.
• Follow directions.
• Cell phone and music usage is only allowed at appropriate times for educational purposes with teacher permission. Phones should be silenced during class time and music volume should be at a level that will not distract others.
• Food and drinks are not allowed in the classroom with the exception of water.
• Respect others and their belongings. Take care of school and teacher property and do not write on desks.
• Clean up after yourself.
• Use appropriate language and behavior.
• All other school and district policies apply.

Other Information:

Absences: All make-up tests should be made up during period 6. A student has up to three days to make up a missed test or quiz.

Students should be responsible for keeping track of assignments and grades and attending period 6 when extra help is needed.

Grades

This course is run and organized on a total points system.

Essays, tests, quizzes and projects (summative assignments) are worth the most varying from 35-100 points.Homework and journals (formative assignments) are usually less and for completion varying from 10-30 points and will be collected periodically but not necessarily formally announced.

Grading Scale

Grades and/or trimester averages will be based on the following: