A Note to Students and Parents/Guardians

Welcome to CHAMPS, and welcome to English 9! The document in your hands is designed to alleviate most (if not all) of your stress about your first English class as a high school student. Within, you will find information about the course, required reading, materials, grading policies, classroom procedures, and more. Please return the last page signed by both student and a parent/guardian. Let’s begin!

The Course (English 9):

This course begins with the 9th Grade Common Core State Standards for English/Language Arts. The emphasis of both the CCSS and the CHAMPS English Department is developing effective communication skills through writing. During this course, students will read, comprehend, and analyze a wide range of fiction and nonfiction grade­level appropriate materials (including: classic and contemporary literature, graphic novels, films, images, and music) in order to understand how an artist can effectively communicate with an audience. Through this process, students will form opinions about the literature we read and how it relates to the world as a whole, as well as provide support and evidence for those opinions. They will develop their communication, comprehension, writing, and reading skills through a variety of written, verbal, and artistic assignments. Students will typically compose one piece of academic writing and one creative assignment with each major work of literature that we read (novels and plays). Students will build their academic vocabulary, as well as their understanding of the mechanics of the English language through the study of word origins, meanings, derivations, and context clues. Students will learn and internalize the MLA format for academic writing. Most importantly, students will develop a respect and admiration for the written word in all of its various forms!

A note to students and parents/guardians:

We will be studying some complex and possibly sensitive issues this year as we explore the world of literature. We will be watching some films and film clips that have been given an R­rating as well, however, my colleagues and I have screened all material extensively and feel that it is entirely appropriate. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me.

Required Texts:

You are responsible for obtaining the texts listed below and bringing them to class on the appropriate dates for a book check. Dates will be posted at least 3 weeks before the book check.

Semester 1 (Aug.-Dec.)

• Twilight: LA, 1992 (Anna Deavere Smith)
• Summer Reading
• Lord of the Flies (William Golding)
• Summer Reading
• The Hound of the Baskervilles (Arthur Conan Doyle)
• V for Vendetta (Alan Moore)
• This will be provided for the selections we will read, but you are welcome to get your own copy!
• Twelve Angry Men (Reginald Rose) - TENTATIVE

Semester 2 (Jan-Jun.)

• The Taming of the Shrew (William Shakespeare)
• The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story (Richard Preston)
• Maus (Art Spiegelman)

You do not need to buy the books! There are a lot of great ways to get copies of the texts you need for free (see my website for more info). If you do choose to purchase the books, ordering them online is the best way to get the best price, but keep shipping time in mind and make sure to order early! If you need me to find a book for you, I must know 72 hours before the book check.

Required Materials:

All materials must be brought to class everyday

• A three ring binder FOR ENGLISH CLASS ONLY
• I’m trying to save trees, but I pass out a lot of papers. You must have somewhere to keep them.
• Loose notebook paper or a three hole spiral-bound notebook that you can easily tear pages out of.
• Writing Utensils
• Pens or pencils are fine, just make sure you have one every single day
• Highlighters and colored pens/pencils
• For annotating and editing
• Your copy of the text we are studying

Grades:

Academic dishonesty or plagiarism of any kind will result in an automatic zero on any assignment.

Nightly homework will not be extensive, but smaller assignments will be pieced together into larger ones, so it is important that you do all of your assigned work! There will be a major written assignment and a major creative assignment with each text we read, and there will be smaller assessments along the way. Exams throughout the year will be given mostly for knowledge of written mechanics (vocabulary, grammar, spelling, proper word usage, etc.). Make sure you are aware of your current grade by checking Q frequently! Your grade will be determined in the following way:

My Grading Scale:

Approximate Grade Breakdown:

Extra Credit

There are many extra credit opportunities given in this class. HOWEVER, students who have missing work should make that their #1 priority­ not doing the extra credit assignments.

Any student with a grade below a B (79.5%) on an essay has the opportunity to re-write it, if permission is granted by myself. I will only grant permission if you come in for at least one writing workshop meeting to discuss the issues with your essay and how they can be improved in a re-write.

Late Policy

You are expected to turn your work in on time. For this class, late work falls into two categories: Late, and Really Late.

• Late Work ­ Any work turned in after the due date, but within one week of the due date (max. 75% credit)
• Really Late Work ­ Any work turned in more than one week after the due date. (max. 50% credit)

DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE END OF A GRADING PERIOD TO TURN IN LATE WORK. Late work makes things confusing for everyone. It puts you behind the rest of the class and it makes more work for me. That being said, if you think you have a REALLY GREAT reason for needing an extension on an assignment, you are welcome to try to convince me. But, you must come see me before the due date in order to receive an extension.

Extension Requests that have worked in the past:

• “My family left me in the desert and I had to walk home...it took me a week.”
• “I was abducted by aliens, who specifically took all my English homework and ate it.”
• “William Shakespeare came from the past and he and I spent all night writing Hamlet II.”

If you have late work to turn in, please find a time when you are not disrupting class to turn it in.

Attendance Policy

It is important to come to class every day, on time. If you miss something, it is your responsibility to catch up with the rest of the class.

Absences

If you are absent, all daily lessons, handouts, etc. are available on my website (mrhowardspage.weebly.com)

- Planned Absences - if you know that you will be missing one or more days, you are responsible for speaking with me to find out what you will miss and what will be due when you return.

- Unplanned Absences – you are responsible for contacting me while you are out, or immediately after you return to find out what you missed and how you can make it up.

Tardiness

You have plenty of time to get to class. DO NOT BE LATE. Students who are late will not be permitted to participate in quizzes or other warm up assignments. Also, repeated tardiness will result in a referral to administration. Keep in mind that as participation is part of your overall grade, attendance issues will cause a drop in your participation credit as well. Please refer to the CHAMPS attendance policy for more information.

Website – (mrhowardspage.weebly.com)

I keep my website updated with class documents, assignments, and a calendar of activities. If you are absent, please check my website to see what you missed. Technology, when used effectively, can be an excellent tool. I try to incorporate my website into classroom activities and communication with parents and guardians.

Contacting Me

Email will always be the best way to reach me. See my availability for parent meetings, phone calls, and tutoring below:

Parent meetings and phone calls – 8:30-9:30 AM Wednesday and Friday

Writing Workshop/Tutoring – Lunch (11:43-12:43) on Wednesday and Friday

Please let me know ahead of time if you would like to meet at any of these times.

I will also be using the free messaging tool Remind this year as a way to stay in touch on a near-daily basis. You can subscribe by text message, email, or using the smartphone app. See the attached Remind instructions.

Class Guidelines

- Treat everyone in the classroom with respect – this includes yourself, your peers, and the teacher

- Be responsible – complete assignments on time, and hold yourself to a high standard!

- Use electronics only as directed – you will be given the opportunity to use your electronics in class; only use them when given permission by the teacher. THIS INCLUDES HEADPHONES.

- Plagiarism or copying of any kind will not be tolerated - any copying or cheating will result in an automatic zero for all people involved. In addition, any talking during a quiz or exam (to anyone other than the teacher for any reason) will result in an automatic zero.

Failure to follow these guidelines will result in the following consequences.

Please read the attached contract, sign it, and return it to Mr. Howard immediately. Be sure to keep the rest of this document for your records!

Student and Parent/Guardian Contract

Return this form to Mr. Howard

I have received and read the syllabus for Mr. Howard’s English class with my parent/guardian.

- I agree to follow the Classroom Guidelines at all times.

- I understand that if I do not follow the Classroom Guidelines, there will be appropriate consequences for my actions.

- I will acquire all of the Required Texts by the book check dates, and I will let Mr. Howard know at least 72 hours before the book check date if I need his help finding a book.

- I especially reviewed the Late Policy, Plagiarism Policy, and Attendance Policy sections, and made sure that both my parent/guardian and I understand them clearly.

- I know what is expected of me in Mr. Howard’s class and I know it is my responsibility to meet those expectations every day.

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Student Name (please print)

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Parent Name (please print)

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Student Signature

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Parent Signature

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Date

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Date

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Parent Phone Number

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Parent Email Address

Use this space for any comments or concerns you may have:

Please also complete the survey on the back of this document!

New Student Survey:

Student, please fill out the following information:

Personal Info:

What was your favorite class last year? Why?

What class are you most looking forward to this year? Why?

What do you do in your free time?

Three words to describe you are…

1.

2.

3.

What is a book, movie, show, or band that Mr. Howard should read/watch/listen to?