Tenth Grade English-Honors Ms. Atwell
Tenth Grade English-Honors Ms. Atwell
Course Description and Class Expectations
Overview
Honors English 10 is a college-preparatory standards-based course. By reading, writing and participating in discussions on aconsistent basis, students will increase their facility with the Englishlanguage and develop critical thinking skills. Students must demonstrate their growing ability to present ideas in diverse written pieces, in discussions, and in special projects. They must be prepared to work hard, work independently, work with others, and work creatively. Because this is an honors class, students are expected to do much of the assigned reading and writing on their own at home.
Required Reading
All students will be issued the consumableMy Perspectivestextbook.We will use this book and additional novels and plays over the course of the year. This year’s reading list will include:
The Things They Carriedby Tim O’Brien
Short stories and poems of Edgar Allen Poe
The Oedipus Cycleby Sophocles
Bless Me Ultimaby Rudolpho Anaya
Things Fall Apartby Chinua Achebe
1984by George Orwell
Selected Sonnets of William Shakespeare
The Tempest by William Shakespeare
Speeches by Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and others
Essays and other short non-fiction pieces
Required Materials
Students are expected to bring the following to class every day: A binder full of lined paper, or one section of a multi-section binder, black or blue pen as well as a pencil, and a folder for handouts. All work must be done in black or blue ink. Other colors will not be accepted. Formal essays must be typed; all other written work may be handwritten. Highlighter pens and small post it notes are recommended. A college-ruled bound journal is also required.
Assignments
Major assignment categories include papers, projects, tests and quizzes, graded discussions, independent vocabulary work and independent reading. Plagiarism in any assignments will not be tolerated. Plagiarism is defined as submitting or presenting another person’s work as your own without proper documentation, including downloaded information from the Internet. Any students found to have identical work will split their grade, which could never be higher than 50%, or F.
Test Make Up Policy
Students must contact me the day they return to schedule a make-update for their test. Normally, a test must be made up within a day after returning from an absence (obvious exceptions made forextended illness, family crisis etc.). If students are informed of a testprior to their absence it does not excuse them from taking the test theday they return. For example, if they are aware there will be a vocabulary test on Friday, and they are absent on Wednesday, they are still required to take the test if they return Friday.
Late Assignment Deadline Policy
If an absence is excused, students will turn in previously assigned worknolater than the next scheduled class meeting following their return. Newly assigned work will be turned in no later than the following scheduled class meeting. Late work will not be accepted for unexcused absences. Cases of extreme emergency or extended illness will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Grading
All assignments are assigned a point value, from 5 points to a small homework assignment, to 100 points or more for a major paper or project. Grades will count as follows:90-100%=A, 80-89%=B, 70-79%=C,60-69%=D, 0- 59%=F. The final semester grade will be determined by a combined percentage of all work. Students with concerns about theirgrades must see me after class.
Attendance
Students will not receive credit for any work or deadline missed because of an unexcused absence. As was previously stated, ifstudents are absent the day of a scheduled presentation, group or individual, they will receive a zero for the presentation or project. Homework and other assignments are due at the beginning of class. Homework and assignments will not be accepted, or will be marked down in points, if students are tardy the day it is due.
Course Competencies
Course competencies are based upon the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, which can be reviewed at In short, students will utilize close-reading techniques to analyze poems, plays, novels, essays, articles, commentary and other forms of non-fiction, employing a variety of strategies to comprehend and interpret these texts and place them in meaningful personal and historical contexts. Students will master the well-organized paragraph, the five –paragraph essay, and delve into other modes of expository and creative writing. Students will work on vocabulary development throughout the semester, and will be assessed on participation in graded discussions and presentations.
Classroom Rules and Guidelines
1. Please be in your seat and ready to work when the bell rings. If the door is shut, you are tardy and must wait until I admit you.
2. Please do not bring any food or drink into the classroom. Water ispermitted.
3. Please do not spray perfume or cologne, or apply make up or nailpolish, in class.
4. Do not speak when others are speaking publicly. This includes me. As member of a learning community, we each deserve respect and consideration.
5. Please do not use profanity. Also, do not insult, badger or tease other students. Bullying and/or harassment are expressly prohibited at Marshall and will result in swift disciplinary action.
6. Always be prepared for class with books, paper, pen and texts.
7. Do not take out or use electronic devices of any kind in class unless I give explicit permission to do so. You will be warned once, and then the items will be taken. (Parents, please do not text message or call students during class.)
8. Be prepared to put all your belongings on the floor for tests and quizzes.
9. Please clean up after yourself.
10. Sleep at night. Habitual sleeping in class will result in a conference with parents.
11. Respect yourself and each other. The Golden Rule will be strictly enforced.
12. Students are expected to abide by all of Marshall’s rules and code of conduct, as outlined in the school handbook.
I post assignments on my page on the Marshall website, so parents and students are advised to check it often. Please visitjohnmarshallhs.organd go to departments-English-Atwell to find my page.
The best way to contact me is via email,. I check my email once a day.
Please sign and return to Ms. Atwell
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I have read the above course description and understand the requirements and policies of Honors English 10 with Ms. Atwell.
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Student’s Name (print) Student’s Signature
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Parent or Guardian’s signatureParent or Guardian’s email
Students or family, please note any special concerns you have, or questions you’d like me answer for you below: