ENGLISH I

            As in real life, characters in literature experience growing up in unique ways.  Like you, our characters come across major turning points in their lives that change how they view the world and their place in it.  Throughout the course of this year, you will read and explore literature about teenagers who grow from different life changes, conflicts, and relationships.  As the teenaged characters learn from their experiences, you will make connections from the literary world to your real life.  In class, these connections will start and then guide our discussions about literature and life.  As an active member of this class, it is your responsibility to communicate your ideas about the texts through the following modes:  essays, class discussions, homework assignments, and creative projects.  At the end of the year, you will use all of your knowledge about the characters and your own personal experience to shape and write your Adolescence Paper.  It is my hope that this class will help you to see how literature can play an important role in helping you to understand your life and all of the experiences that happen in it.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:

Although we will ponder many questions, as we read and discuss our texts, we will return to the essential questions listed below.

GOALS FOR THE COURSE:

This course will help you to…

1. Enjoy reading and become a better reader.
2. Ask meaningful questions about what you are reading and experiencing.
3. Focus on what the characters are going through: decisions, conflicts and relationships.
4. Compare and contrast the characters.
5. Engage in active reading including taking meaningful reading notes J.
6. Support your ideas with textual evidence and your own life.
7. Communicate your ideas in class and on paper.

LITERATURE:

Short stories                                                                              Poetry

The curious incidence of the dog in the night-time, Mark Haddon               Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare

The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd                                           Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger

The Bean Trees Barbara Kingsolver                                                            Our Town, Oscar Wilde                                                  

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

BINDER- Since I love to give you handouts, keep your materials organized with a three-ring binder.  This binder should be used for English class only.

CURRENT TEXT- Finally, you should always bring your current text to class everyday.

VOCABULARY BOOK- You will need to bring your vocabulary book to class on days that we have vocabulary homework and review.

GRADING:

At the end of each marking period, your term grade will be calculated.  Your term grade is based on EVERYTHING that you do in this course.  In other words, homework, class work, reading quizzes, tests, papers, projects, journal entries and class participation will all make up your grade.  NOTE:  I use a percent scale to calculate your grades and not a point scale.  The point value attached to each assignment reflects how heavily the assignment is weighted in the category.  The percentages can fluctuate during the course of the semester.  (All percentages listed below are approximate.)

GRADING BREAKDOWN

Homework- 10%

•         Assignments will be posted on my white board in 224 at the beginning of the class, and will be regularly updated on my website http://hs.doversherborn.org/hs/chasee/.  If you still have questions about homework, you should email me at newtone@doversherborn.org.

• Homework will be checked or collected at the beginning of the period.  If you do not hand in your homework when it is checked or collected, you will receive a zero for that homework assignment.   Nightly reading is homework!  Turn your nightly reading into active reading by taking notes, asking questions, or quoting your favorite quotations in your reading journal.

• Binder checks- It is important to keep your binder organized because you will have binder checks.  When I check your binder, I will look for all of the notes we have completed in class and all of the assignments you have done at home.  (All binder checks will count as a quiz.)

DYRTs (Did You Read This?)-  15%

• Periodically throughout the year, you will have unannounced reading quizzes.  These reading checks are intended to help you keep up with your nightly reading and to help me assess reading comprehension and difficulty.  You are encouraged to use nightly reading notes on the DYRTs.  (Note:  Notes used on the DYRTS must be personal notes.  You may not use Sparknotes or your best friend’s notes on DYRTS.)

Vocabulary/ grammar- 15%

• As you expand your vocabulary with the Sadlier-Oxford vocabulary texts, you will have a vocabulary quiz once per cycle.  A new vocabulary unit will be introduced every cycle.  Typically, vocabulary assignments and activities will be due at the beginning of the week vocabulary quizzes will be given at the end of the week.

• In addition to learning new vocabulary words, you will review and learn grammar concepts in order to improve your writing skills.   The concepts taught will vary based on your writing needs. 

Discussion/ Participation- 10%

• Your voice is important!  As a member of this class, it is essential that you contribute your ideas to class discussions and group work activities.  You will be responsible for using nightly responses to the literature in the class discussion. Be prepared to share your insights into the literature with your peers.  Your participation will be included in your term average. You can participate in the following ways: reading aloud, responding to classmates’ ideas, posing questions, sharing your ideas, and taking meaningful notes.

Writing- 25-40%

• Throughout the year, we will have both in class and take home writing assignments.  These assignments will range from creative assignments, to analytical essays, to persuasive essays, to personal narratives.  All take home writing assignments will be due at the beginning of the class.  You may not print assignments at the beginning of class.  If your paper is not printed out and ready to hand in (i.e. you are printing it out as class is beginning), you will lose ½ of a letter grade.  When you hand in a final writing assignment, you will pass in the final copy, the rough draft, the editing sheet, and all brainstorming sheets (printed and stapled).  Although I will read and comment on papers before the due date, I will not read entire drafts the day before a paper is due.  Plan accordingly and write your drafts early. 

• Late papers and projects- For every day a paper or project is late, it will be dropped one whole letter grade.  Papers over five days late will NOT BE ACCEPTED.

GRADING BREAKDOWN (continued)

Major quizzes/Tests/Projects- 25-40%

• In addition to take home papers, you will also take tests and quizzes on the books that you read.  The purpose of these tests and quizzes is twofold: to assess your reading comprehension and your ability to analyze the subtext with literature. The type and the length of each test will vary from unit to unit (types of tests:  quotation explications, character identification, character analysis, essays). 

• For each book, you will also have the opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge in a more creative form, or through a project.  Types of projects will also vary based on the book you are reading.  It is the hope that these projects will give you an alternative means to express your knowledge and insights about the literature. 

CLASSROOM PROCEDURES:

The class-

• RESPECT your class.  RESPECT your peers.  RESPECT your teacher.  RESPECT your literature.  RESPECT ideas.  RESPECT yourself.

Plagiarism/ cheating/ Sparknotes-

• All issues of cheating and plagiarism will follow the procedures listed in The Student Handbook.  Plagiarism is any attempt to pass off another person’s words, ideas or thoughts as your own words, ideas or thoughts.  Give the proper people the credit that they deserve and use footnotes.  If you have questions about citing sources, please see me with questions.  Since we will be learning how to analyze literature, SPARKNOTES ARE NOT ALLOWED. 

Bathroom Emergencies-

• Have an emergency?  1.  Sign out on the sign-out sheet.  2.  Return to class.  3.  Sign back in on the sign-out sheet.

Late-

• Caught in a school traffic jam?  When the bell rings, be in class and ready to learn. If you are late, please come with a pass from your last teacher.

Absent-

• When you are absent, it is your responsibility to make up and hand in your missed work.  See The Student Handbook for the absence policies.  Reminder- If you are dismissed from school, arrive late to school, or on a field trip your assignment is still due on that day.  It is up to you to turn in your assignment.

The Student Handbook-

• Since I will adhere to all of the policies and procedures in The Student Handbook, please read it carefully.

Extra help-

• I will be available for extra help before school Monday-Friday and after school on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays 2:15-3:00 in room 224.  If you would like to meet on another day, please come and arrange a time with me.  In order to ensure that I do not waste your time, if you would like me to read a draft, please let me know before you come to extra help.

Mrs. Newton

Room 224

Email: newtone@doversherborn.org

Website: http://hs.doversherborn.org/hs/chasee/