Class Syllabus
English 9 Syllabus
George Bush High School 2014-2015
Instructor: Mrs. Donava Coleman
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.colemanenglish1.weebly.com
I. Required Materials
· 3-ring binder (1 inch or bigger) with dividers
· white college-ruled loose paper
· Blue or black ink pens, pencils
· 2 Spiral-bound Notebooks (College-ruled, at least 100 sheets, 8 ½“ x 11”)
II. Textbooks
We will be using the following textbooks in this class:
· Prentice Hall Literature (Provided)
· Language Network: Grammar, Writing, Communication (Provided)
· Additional texts: To Kill a Mockingbird, etc.
III. Classroom Expectations and Consequences
In this classroom, you are expected to:
· To be on time and sitting quietly in your seat when the bell rings;
· To always come to class prepared with binder, paper, pens/pencils, appropriate textbooks, completed assignments, and any other materials that you are instructed to bring (Additionally, always have with you something to read should you have free time);
· To follow all directions given by the teacher or included on an assignment;
· To meet all deadlines (Assignments are due at the beginning of each class on the due date);
· To be academically honest (plagiarizing and cheating will NOT be tolerated);
· To respect other students and the teacher by being attentive when others are speaking, raising your hand to speak, and not being disruptive;
· To be courteous to others by leaving their things alone;
· To actively participate in group discussions and activities; and
· To follow ALL school rules as described in the George Walton Academy Handbook.
Consequences for failing to meet classroom expectations are:
· 1st Offense: Verbal Warning
· 2nd Offense: Student/Teacher conference
· 3rd Offense: Parent contact/After-School Detention
· 4th Offence: Sent to Administrator
IV. Grading
Each nine weeks, your grade will be calculated using the following percentages:
· Daily Grade: 50%
· Major Grade: 50%
__________________________
· Total: 100%
Each category is broken down into more detail below:
Daily Grade (50%): Your Daily Grade will be composed of grades from in-class assignments, grammar quizzes and periodic notebook checks (both of which will NOT be announced in advance), and my observation of your general class participation. To avoid having points docked from your Daily Grade due to lack of participation, please work quietly when instructed and actively engage in classroom discussions when appropriate. If you disrupt class by talking excessively about non-class related subjects or contribute little or nothing to group discussions or activities, your grade will suffer accordingly.
Homework (10%): Homework will be assigned almost every day on the Homework Bulletin Board and should be complete at the beginning of class on the day it is due. It should be neatly written and appropriately labeled. Occasionally, I may give reading quizzes. These will count as part of your homework grade because they will be evaluating if you did the assigned reading. Sometimes homework will be graded for correctness, but most often it will be graded using a check system:
Ö = Satisfactory (Full Credit – Homework is neat, complete, readable, and shows effort)
Ö- = Unsatisfactory (Half Credit – Homework is messy and shows little effort)
X = Unacceptable (No Credit – Homework is missing, mostly incomplete, or unreadable)
If I notice that you are consistently receiving X’s on your homework, I will contact your parents and, if the problem continues, refer you to your administrator.
Tests/Projects (50%): At the end of each unit, you will take a test to evaluate your learning and/or complete a project. Details on the tests and projects will be distributed at the appropriate time. Additionally, the following will factor into your Test/Project grade:
2) Vocabulary Quizzes: Almost every week you will be given a vocabulary list and tested on the vocabulary. Typically, you will receive the list on Monday and be tested on Friday. At the end of the nine weeks, your average quiz grade will count as one test grade.
Final Exam (20%): At the end of each nine weeks you will take a comprehensive exam that may focus on more recent material but will certainly include material from earlier in the nine weeks. Expect the final exam to cover grammar, vocabulary, literature, and writing.
EXTRA CREDIT
· You will earn five extra credit points on each nine weeks exam if you have your notebook NEATLY in order with this syllabus still in it and all of your work saved.
· Most every day we will end class by reading a poem aloud. For extra credit on your Daily Work grade, sign-up to find a poem that you like, email me a copy the day before, and bring it to class and read it aloud. Every time you do this, you will earn an extra daily work grade of “100.” Although you can volunteer a poem as many days as you like, you will only receive up to 2 extra daily work grades each nine weeks.
· Other opportunities for extra credit may come along as the year progresses.
V. Classroom Policies
“Office” Hours: I will be available for student/teacher conferencing every morning between 1:45 and 2:30 and every Tuesday and Thursday 2:45-3:30. If possible, please let me know in advance that you plan on coming by. If those times are inconvenient for you, let me know and we can try to work something else out. Please don’t hesitate to plan a meeting – I’d love to help you out if you need further clarification about something we studied in class or if you have any other questions or concerns.
Absences: Work missed because of an unexcused absence cannot be made up. An exception may be made in the case of a major test should you gain approval from me at least one week prior to the intended absence. In the case of an excused absence, you will have one day for every excused absence to make up work as long as you immediately bring a signed note to the office. If you know in advance that you are going to be absent, please see me ASAP during my “office” hours so we can set up a schedule for you to make up your missed work.
Late Work: Late work will typically NOT be accepted, unless it is due to an excused absence. In the rare circumstance that late work due to an unexcused absence, laziness, or forgetfulness is accepted, you will automatically be docked one letter grade for every day it is late.
Tardiness: If you are going to be late to class, you must go to the office and obtain a tardy slip. If you are late coming from another teacher’s class, please bring a note from that teacher. If the tardy is unexcused, you will get a zero for the homework or classwork that you missed.
VI. Tentative Schedule
First Nine Weeks:
· Literature: Summer Reading, Animal Farm, Nonfiction, Short Stories
· Grammar: Parts of Speech, The Sentence and its Parts
Second Nine Weeks
· Literature: Intro to Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
· Grammar: Complete Sentences, Using Verbs, Subject/Verb Agreement
Third Nine Weeks
· Literature: Novel Unit: Novel will be chosen at the appropriate time
· Grammar: Complete Sentences, Using Verbs, Subject/Verb Agreement
Fourth Nine Weeks
· Literature: To Kill A Mockingbird, Poetry
· Grammar: Using Pronouns, Punctuation
Please note that students will be learning new vocabulary, writing various essays, taking unit tests and/or completing unit projects every nine weeks.
George Bush High School 2014-2015
Instructor: Mrs. Donava Coleman
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.colemanenglish1.weebly.com
I. Required Materials
· 3-ring binder (1 inch or bigger) with dividers
· white college-ruled loose paper
· Blue or black ink pens, pencils
· 2 Spiral-bound Notebooks (College-ruled, at least 100 sheets, 8 ½“ x 11”)
II. Textbooks
We will be using the following textbooks in this class:
· Prentice Hall Literature (Provided)
· Language Network: Grammar, Writing, Communication (Provided)
· Additional texts: To Kill a Mockingbird, etc.
III. Classroom Expectations and Consequences
In this classroom, you are expected to:
· To be on time and sitting quietly in your seat when the bell rings;
· To always come to class prepared with binder, paper, pens/pencils, appropriate textbooks, completed assignments, and any other materials that you are instructed to bring (Additionally, always have with you something to read should you have free time);
· To follow all directions given by the teacher or included on an assignment;
· To meet all deadlines (Assignments are due at the beginning of each class on the due date);
· To be academically honest (plagiarizing and cheating will NOT be tolerated);
· To respect other students and the teacher by being attentive when others are speaking, raising your hand to speak, and not being disruptive;
· To be courteous to others by leaving their things alone;
· To actively participate in group discussions and activities; and
· To follow ALL school rules as described in the George Walton Academy Handbook.
Consequences for failing to meet classroom expectations are:
· 1st Offense: Verbal Warning
· 2nd Offense: Student/Teacher conference
· 3rd Offense: Parent contact/After-School Detention
· 4th Offence: Sent to Administrator
IV. Grading
Each nine weeks, your grade will be calculated using the following percentages:
· Daily Grade: 50%
· Major Grade: 50%
__________________________
· Total: 100%
Each category is broken down into more detail below:
Daily Grade (50%): Your Daily Grade will be composed of grades from in-class assignments, grammar quizzes and periodic notebook checks (both of which will NOT be announced in advance), and my observation of your general class participation. To avoid having points docked from your Daily Grade due to lack of participation, please work quietly when instructed and actively engage in classroom discussions when appropriate. If you disrupt class by talking excessively about non-class related subjects or contribute little or nothing to group discussions or activities, your grade will suffer accordingly.
Homework (10%): Homework will be assigned almost every day on the Homework Bulletin Board and should be complete at the beginning of class on the day it is due. It should be neatly written and appropriately labeled. Occasionally, I may give reading quizzes. These will count as part of your homework grade because they will be evaluating if you did the assigned reading. Sometimes homework will be graded for correctness, but most often it will be graded using a check system:
Ö = Satisfactory (Full Credit – Homework is neat, complete, readable, and shows effort)
Ö- = Unsatisfactory (Half Credit – Homework is messy and shows little effort)
X = Unacceptable (No Credit – Homework is missing, mostly incomplete, or unreadable)
If I notice that you are consistently receiving X’s on your homework, I will contact your parents and, if the problem continues, refer you to your administrator.
Tests/Projects (50%): At the end of each unit, you will take a test to evaluate your learning and/or complete a project. Details on the tests and projects will be distributed at the appropriate time. Additionally, the following will factor into your Test/Project grade:
2) Vocabulary Quizzes: Almost every week you will be given a vocabulary list and tested on the vocabulary. Typically, you will receive the list on Monday and be tested on Friday. At the end of the nine weeks, your average quiz grade will count as one test grade.
Final Exam (20%): At the end of each nine weeks you will take a comprehensive exam that may focus on more recent material but will certainly include material from earlier in the nine weeks. Expect the final exam to cover grammar, vocabulary, literature, and writing.
EXTRA CREDIT
· You will earn five extra credit points on each nine weeks exam if you have your notebook NEATLY in order with this syllabus still in it and all of your work saved.
· Most every day we will end class by reading a poem aloud. For extra credit on your Daily Work grade, sign-up to find a poem that you like, email me a copy the day before, and bring it to class and read it aloud. Every time you do this, you will earn an extra daily work grade of “100.” Although you can volunteer a poem as many days as you like, you will only receive up to 2 extra daily work grades each nine weeks.
· Other opportunities for extra credit may come along as the year progresses.
V. Classroom Policies
“Office” Hours: I will be available for student/teacher conferencing every morning between 1:45 and 2:30 and every Tuesday and Thursday 2:45-3:30. If possible, please let me know in advance that you plan on coming by. If those times are inconvenient for you, let me know and we can try to work something else out. Please don’t hesitate to plan a meeting – I’d love to help you out if you need further clarification about something we studied in class or if you have any other questions or concerns.
Absences: Work missed because of an unexcused absence cannot be made up. An exception may be made in the case of a major test should you gain approval from me at least one week prior to the intended absence. In the case of an excused absence, you will have one day for every excused absence to make up work as long as you immediately bring a signed note to the office. If you know in advance that you are going to be absent, please see me ASAP during my “office” hours so we can set up a schedule for you to make up your missed work.
Late Work: Late work will typically NOT be accepted, unless it is due to an excused absence. In the rare circumstance that late work due to an unexcused absence, laziness, or forgetfulness is accepted, you will automatically be docked one letter grade for every day it is late.
Tardiness: If you are going to be late to class, you must go to the office and obtain a tardy slip. If you are late coming from another teacher’s class, please bring a note from that teacher. If the tardy is unexcused, you will get a zero for the homework or classwork that you missed.
VI. Tentative Schedule
First Nine Weeks:
· Literature: Summer Reading, Animal Farm, Nonfiction, Short Stories
· Grammar: Parts of Speech, The Sentence and its Parts
Second Nine Weeks
· Literature: Intro to Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
· Grammar: Complete Sentences, Using Verbs, Subject/Verb Agreement
Third Nine Weeks
· Literature: Novel Unit: Novel will be chosen at the appropriate time
· Grammar: Complete Sentences, Using Verbs, Subject/Verb Agreement
Fourth Nine Weeks
· Literature: To Kill A Mockingbird, Poetry
· Grammar: Using Pronouns, Punctuation
Please note that students will be learning new vocabulary, writing various essays, taking unit tests and/or completing unit projects every nine weeks.