Course Syllabus for 9Th Grade English 2008-09

Course Syllabus for 9th Grade English 2008-09

Mr. Slater

Room 5

Phone Number: 303-982-0626

Planning Periods: 2 and 5 (Access is the best time to come see me)

Course Website: http://slaterenglish9.wikispaces.com

Course Overview: Welcome to your first year of high school English. I am looking forward to an exciting and challenging year with all of you. Throughout the year, we will be investigating a wide variety of texts, including fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry. Writing assignments will include paragraph writing, five-paragraph essays, journaling/blogging, note-taking, and outlining, and will focus mainly on explanation, analysis, and persuasion. Additionally, students will develop collaborative/cooperative skills and public speaking/presentation skills through group work and short presentation assignments throughout the year. Grammar and vocabulary instruction will also be integrated throughout the course and will be taught in conjunction with literature and writing assignments. All work done in this course is in accordance with the Jefferson County Public Schools Pacing Guides, Jefferson County Academic Standards for reading and writing, and Colorado State Standards for reading and writing.

Standards Addressed: Jefferson County Standards for Reading and Writing.

1. Students read and understand a variety of materials.

2. Students read and recognize literature as an expression of the human experience.

3. Students write effectively for a variety of purposes and audiences.

4. Students speak and listen for effective communication in a variety of contexts.

5. Students apply conventions of language for effective communication.

6. Students locate, evaluate, and use relevant information sources for their reading, writing, speaking and viewing.

7. Students apply complex thinking skills when reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing.

8. Students evaluate and improve the quality of their own reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing.

Materials: I expect students to come to class prepared to learn. This means that the student comes to class with all necessary homework completed, and prepared to focus and participate actively in the day’s lesson. In order to do this, I expect students to bring the following items to class every day.

1. Notebook

2. 3-ring binder for coursework

3. Loose leaf paper

4. Writing utensils

5. Writers INC text with the corresponding Skillsbook

6. Relevant texts

7. Other materials pertinent to the day’s lesson

8. Flash drive

Grading and Attendance:

q Students will be graded on a standard letter grade system based on a total of points earned divided by a total of points possible. The points for the course will be derived from class work, homework, written assignments, projects, presentations, tests, quizzes, and participation in class. In order to be fair to all students, I will not round grades up. (90%-100%=A; 80%-89%=B; 70%-79%=C; 60%-69%=D; 59% and below=F)

q Students (and parents) may look at their grade at any time through Parent Portal. Students can see overall grades, grades for individual assignments, missing assignments, and attendance. It is the student’s responsibility to stay on top of their grade. Parent portal may be accessed through the school website or the course website. Parents: if you need information on how to access Parent Portal, please contact a school administrator.

q Students must keep all graded work. This serves two purposes. First, all work in this course is cumulative, meaning that each assignment builds on the one prior to it. Therefore, students will need their completed work throughout the year as a reference. Second, keeping graded work is physical proof that an assignment was completed. I do not make many mistakes in the grade book, but it is possible that I may fail to enter a grade. Having your work, with my grade on it, will ensure you get all the points that you earn.

q If you will be absent, you have the responsibility to come in at access, during my planning period, before or after school, at lunch, or otherwise contact me in order to get the work ahead of time. All assignments will be posted on the class website as well. If your absence is excused, you will have two school days for every school day absent to get the work in on time.

q Homework is due at the beginning of class, and class work is due at the end of the period. Major assignments are due by 3:00 pm on the day they are due. Late work will lose 25% of the possible points after one class period, 50% of the points after that. If your assignment is more than a week late, unless legitimate circumstances exist that have been cleared with me, the points I will be able to award your work will be minimal.

q All written work turned in for a grade must be written legibly. All major assignments must be typed and double-spaced. Failure to do so will result in an automatic 10% forfeiture of points.

q Since education is my primary goal, I will always allow students to revise graded work for a better grade. Revisions are due one week after the assignment is handed back, and must be turned in with the original assignment. Revision is more than just grammatical editing, the assignment must be improved in content, clarity, and/or fluency to earn a significantly better grade.

Turnitin

Turnitin.com is an electronic resource that assists in the detection and deterrence of plagiarism by electronic comparison for textual similarity. Students agree that continued enrollment in this course after the receipt of this syllabus constitutes permission that all required papers may be submitted to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism and that all submitted papers will be retained as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database and used solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers.

Academic Dishonesty is a serious offense at Wheat Ridge High School because it diminishes the quality of the scholarship and learning experience for everyone at the school. An act of academic dishonesty may lead to penalties such as a reduction in grade, probation, suspension, or expulsion. The term “plagiarism” includes, but is not limited to, the use by paraphrase or direct quotations, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgement. It also includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency who may or may not be engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials.

Electronic Devices:

Since this is the 21st Century, I am willing to allow limited, appropriate use of some electronic devices; primarily this will consist of quiet use of iPods during individual work. This use will only enhance instruction, rather than distract students from it. I will determine what devices are permissible for use, and when they may be used. Failure to abide by my guidelines will result in, first, my request to put the device away, second, taking the device for the remainder of the period/day and contacting parents, and third, referral to administration. If electronic devices become a problem, I reserve the right to prohibit a student’s use of them in my class, or even the entire class’s right to use them.

If extenuating circumstances exist, such as a possible family emergency, I can be flexible with cell phones, but it must be discussed with me first, and arranged in way that minimizes disruption to the class.

Student Conduct:

In my classroom, and at school as a whole, students must conduct themselves as responsible, respectful young adults at all times. As teenagers, students are mature enough to know what this entails, for example respecting other students’ right to learn. Students will conduct themselves according to the Jefferson County Public School Conduct Code booklet that they receive, review, and sign at the beginning of the school year. Violations of this code of conduct will result in disciplinary action as per the code booklet. The school dress code is also described in the conduct code book, and students will be held accountable to the standards outlined there.

The policies in this syllabus are designed to be strict. The reason behind this is that, as high school students, you are young adults capable of accepting responsibility for your own behavior and education. If you do this, and work hard, you will succeed in this class, and I will work hard to help you succeed. Do not hesitate to come in for extra help, discuss any problems you may have (related to the course or otherwise), or to contact me for any reason—it is my job. I am more than willing to work with students to overcome any difficulties, provided that I am fair to all my students, and that my students are taking all their necessary responsibility. I will strive to make this course enjoyable and entertaining, and I would like my students to do the same, but just as in the real world, responsibility and respect will always come first.

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I have read and understood the course syllabus and policies for 9th Grade English.