10Grade Literature & Composition Fall 2016

Ms. Sara Little Phone: (706) 602-0320 ext. 3271

Course of Study: The 10th grade English course is designed to help students become more effective readers, writers, and speakers. Students will be encouraged to work interactively with the texts to create meaning. Much of the class time will be devoted to reading and discussing texts. The goal is for the students to become more sophisticated readers who are attentive to voice, style, and language which will help them become more skilled at inferring meanings and making links between texts and their own lives. Students should come to class each day ready to participate in daily activities and discussions.

Reading: As the students read each text, they will be learning a number of new literary terms and literary analysis techniques. They will be learning about basic literary theory and criticism and will apply their new knowledge to the critical analysis and interpretation of the course texts. Students will increase vocabulary while reading outside of class as well as in the classroom.

Writing/Grammar: Students in this class will build upon previous knowledge of narrative, informational, and persuasive writing styles and learn to incorporate clearly defined thesis statements, smooth transition sentences, correct structure, grammar, and various organizational strategies to their writing. Each formal piece of writing will be graded using the SAT writing rubric, the GHSGT writing rubric, or a rubric specific to the writing style. Students will work to improve their skills by focusing on improvement in specific areas for each assignment.

Semester Time Frame:The 18 week semester for this class will be broken into three major units of study. Each major unit will be six weeks in length.

Unit One: Out of the Darkness – Night and the Holocaust, Research

Unit Two: World Religion – Excerpts from Indian, Christian, Judaic, and Islamic texts

Unit Three: Shakespeare and the Stage – Midsummer Night’s Dream

Assessments: A variety of assessments will be used including quizzes, tests, projects, presentations, seminars, and in-class writing assignments. Formal assessments will be graded using a rubric specific to the task. An assessment may be given at any time without prior announcement.

**Benchmark exams will be given every six weeks. These cumulative assessments will be used to monitor student progress.

Grading Scheme:

18 weeks

60% - Formal assessments (tests, major writing assignments, projects, presentations)

20% - Benchmarks ( 6 weeks, 12 weeks)

20% - Informal (daily, computer work, discussions, teamwork, vocabulary checks; reading checks; short in-class assignments, etc)

Semester Grade Calculation:

85% - 18 weeks cumulative average

15% - final exam

Absences and Makeup Work (Per Gordon County Board of Education Policy):

  • There is a time limit of three school days following an excused absence to complete make-up work or to make arrangements with the teacher for an extension.
  • Long periods for make-up work are granted only in the event of prolonged illness or extenuating circumstances. In such cases, definite deadlines must be established.
  • Long-range assignments due in the dates of an excused absence shall be due immediately upon the student’s return. In the case of a pre-arranged absence, the student must complete and turn in all work prior to the planned absence(s) unless otherwise arranged with teacher(s).
  • With the exception of benchmark exams, final exams, and projects (including essays), students may not make up any assignment which was missed due to an unexcused absence. Out-of-school suspension (OSS) is treated as an unexcused absence.
  • Please note that tests and quizzes do not fall under the exam category: if missed due to an unexcused absence, they are automatic zeroes.
  • Students who are “truant” may not make-up any assignment including exams and projects.
  • Credit recovery cannot be provided for assignments missed due to an unexcused absence.
  • For any formal assessment in which a student scores a 69 or below, a re-take is allowed within ten days of receiving the original graded work.AFTER TEN DAYS, A STUDENT WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO REVISE AN ASSIGNMENT.
  • No work may be made up or revised during the last two weeks of the semester.
  • You may not re-take a benchmark exam.
  • Additionally, there are NO make-up opportunities for missing daily grades. If a student is absent on the day such work is completed in class or due as homework, then he or she is exempted from this work. Late homework will not be accepted.

Tardies: Students are expected to be in the room and ready to work before the tardy bell stops ringing. Students will be counted tardy if not in the room at the end of the tardy bell. After the 3rd tardy, a notice will be submitted to the administration. Keep in mind that 3 tardies equals 1 absence from class for exemption purposes. If students miss more than 30 minutes of class from checking in or out of school, they will be counted absent from that class for that day.

Class Rules

  • Be Prepared - You will be counted tardy after the bell rings. 4 tardies to class = 1 absence
  • Be On Time - You should have all of your materials at your desk, ready to begin class when the bell rings.
  • Be Respectful - To the teacher, to the other students, to the classroom, AND to yourself.
  • Be Present - You miss important information when you are not in class.

Plagiarism

Students will submit their own work or give credit to sources of information that are not original in content; they must do so using the standards established by the Modern Language Association (MLA). Students who copy the work of another, without giving credit to the source, have committed plagiarism. Work that contains plagiarism will be recorded as a zero. Depending on the type, degree, and severity of the plagiarism, the student may receive a zero for the assignment without any opportunity for revision and without opportunity for replacement of the grade with an alternate assignment.

Personal tutoring or assistance

Students who wish to schedule time before or after school must provide me with one day’s notification. Additionally, a SHS English teacher is available before school (7:15-7:45am) or after school (3:20-3:50pm) every Wednesday.

This syllabus is subject to change at the teacher’s discretion.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I have read and understand the rules and requirements for 10th Grade Literature and Composition. I understand the consequences of failing to meet expectations and how grades will be calculated. A copy of the syllabus is on Ms. Little’s web page on the Sonoraville High School website.

If my parent/ guardian requests a copy of the syllabus, I will inform Ms. Little.

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