Deer Park High School—South Campus
Mrs. Black
Room 2242a
English IV Syllabus
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course covers a variety of works in British literature and is also designed to enhance various skills in reading and writing to prepare students for a successful post high school transition.
Emphasis will be placed on close reading to examine and conduct literary analysis of major genres of literature including: short story, poetry,novel, drama, and analytical prose. This course will also concentrate on the writing process and development of various forms of writing to prepare students for real-world and college writing situations. The following is a list of the major points of focus throughout the year:
Analysis of literature with consideration of speaker, occasion, audience, purpose, subject and tone:
- Students will read excerpts and versions of various works such as Beowulf, Canterbury Tales, and Macbeth, gaining knowledge of historical background and conventions of writing throughout time.
- Students will conduct close reading of non-fiction literature to understand how the author’s choices contribute to the work as a whole.
- Students will annotate fiction and non-fiction literature to practice the habits of a successful reader and to identify important aspects of reading passages.
Writing Process:
- Students will develop fluency and refinement by composing in a variety of modalities and under a variety of circumstances.
- Students will learn the literary and rhetorical strategies of effective writers and how to employ these strategies appropriately in their own writing.
- Students will learn how to complete the writing process including brainstorming, prewriting, creating rough drafts, revising and editing, and producing final drafts in a variety of styles and with or without time restraint.
Short Stories and the Elements:
- Students will learn how devices make meaning and will come to recognize how imagery, diction, irony, and figurative language affect tone and theme and how form and function are complimentary.
- Topics may vary. Through the process of research, students will learn to evaluate, internalize, and synthesize both critical and literary texts, creating a written product that shows significant thought and successfully follows MLA conventions.
- Students will review sentence structure and other grammar skills that are used to develop and enhance writing.
- Students will examine the effectiveness of particular grammar and understand the purposeful choices an author makes in a piece of writing.
- Students will develop and utilize various skills that will aid in their transition from a high school environment to a college or work environment which includes time management, cooperative learning, goal setting, study skills, self-motivation, community participation, self-evaluation, and active participation in learning communities
ASSESSMENT
There are several areas by which you will be assessed in this class including:
- Participation – Some of your grades will come from the amount of participation you during lectures and group discussions. You must actively participate in class and always be ready to be called upon. Appropriate use of formal and informal language will be expected.
- Online Discussion Boards – online-learning community in which students generate and respond to literature and themes in a well-organized and articulate manner.
- Quizzes – quizzes in this class may include vocabulary quizzes, an extensive assignment that requires more time and effort, and quizzes based on literature.
- Essays – essays are a very important part of this class. There may be some instances where students will only write a partial essay to focus on certain elements. We will go through the entire writing process with several of the essays we do this year. Organization, development, focus, thesis, grammar, format, quality, and improvement will be the main focus for essay grades.
- Exams - only material we have covered will be on an exam. Students will know exactly what content will be on the exams. It is their responsibility to study this material and be prepared for them!
Grading - Students will find that they get the grade they EARN. The percentages are as follows:
Daily = 25%
Minor = 30%
Major = 45%
When I return papers, quizzes, or other assignments to you, do not throw them away. Keep them until you confirm your final grade in the course, so if for some reason a correction needs to be made, you will have the record of both doing the work and receiving the grade.
LATE WORK:
- 20 points off for 1 day late
- 30 points off for 2 days late
- After 3 days, the teacher can either not accept the work or give a grade of no higher than a 50!
MAKE-UP WORK:
It is the student’s responsibility tocome in for tutorials when absent and to get make-up work/notes/video assignments before or after school. During class is not the time to ask!
You are responsible for making up warm-ups when you are absent because they are part of a major grade.
Make-up work (daily grades/major grades/exams) is due within five school days of an absence, or you will receive a zero. However, if an assignment is part of an on-going process and the student has been aware of the date prior to the absence, the final due date will stand.
Make-up exams and retests can be done during tutorials
Unexcused absence = Zero on any assignment, even exams
TARDIES:
Once the tardy bell rings, you cannot enter the room without a pass from the tardy station. If you attempt to “sneak” in thinking I did not notice, I can manually enter in your tardy at the computer.
CELL PHONES:
- BYOT = Only when the teacher specifically states that you can have out your phone.
- If your phone is out for any reason and I ask for it, you must immediately give it to me. Failure to do so will result in more serious consequences and disciplinary action.
- Even if you only have your phone out for a second, it can be taken up. Don’t take the chance!
PASSES:
You may not use the restroom during instruction or tests. If you need to use the restroom while you are working in class, you may ask, take the hall pass, and leave. You should not be gone an excessive amount of time, and you should not ask constantly.
PLAGAIRISM:
Cheating and plagiarism of any kind are not acceptable. Cheating and plagiarism include “lifting phrases” from another person’s homework, looking at someone else’s test/quiz, copying papers word for word, and taking papers or any part of a paper or discussion from another source, from the Internet, or from a fellow student. Plagiarism also includes using phrases from Sparknotes, Cliff’s notes, Pink Monkey, or any other study aid. Students may be given a 0 without the possibility of a retake on any assignment for which they were caught cheating!
SUPPLIES:
- Pen/Pencil every day you are in class
- Paper
- Folder with pockets
- Assigned supplies for classroom use (I will let each class period know what to bring!)
Not having the appropriate materials is not an excuse to not do your assignment.
PAPER FORMAT:
All work must have a specific heading on it in this class. Failure to properly format your paper will result in a deduction of points. Also, make sure the paper you turn in is clean, presentable, and does not have any “fringe.” This means to make sure your “friend” does not think it’s funny to crumble up your homework!!
MISCELLANEOUS:
- I don’t go through your belongings, so please keep your hands off of mine (items on my desk/tables, file cabinets, closets, etc.).
- Water only
- Students should only be in my class during their designated class time or during tutorial hours. I cannot give students assistance during my conference period and I cannot remove you from another class to do work in my class.
- Too many absences = Not getting credit for this course/not being able to exempt in the Spring/not graduating.
- Doing other classes’ work in here when you are supposed to be doing our work is not acceptable. Feel free to work on other classes’ work after you are finished with what we are doing.
- Textbooks, desks, and sets of class materials should be kept in the same condition you found them. Please do not vandalize anything that is not yours.
- Once the tardy bell rings, you should be in your seat starting the warm-up without me telling you to do so.
- Keep your desks clear during class. Please keep purses and backpacks underneath the desk. This is to prevent any misconceptions about cheating, cell phone use, and being off task.
- Teacher at front of room = no talking
- Raise your hand to be called on to speak; no side-talking, no talking across the room, no calling out things; simply raise your hand, and we’ll be glad to hear what you have to say.
- Sharpen pencils at the beginning of class, and throw away trash at the end of class, not while I am addressing the class.
- Stay quiet when announcements are made or someone else (teacher, visitor, or peer) is talking.
- All district and school policies/rules/consequences as well as policies/rules/consequences in the Student Handbook will be enforced including:
Cell phones will be taken up and turned in to the office (see “Cell Phones” section above)
No electronic devices; listening to your iPod in school doesn’t look as cool as you might think it does.
Dress code/ID issues. You know better by now.
Use school appropriate language. Even if you think I cannot hear you, I probably do and you will probably be written up for it!
EXTRA CREDIT
There will be extra credit opportunities throughout the year. However, it is not required that I offer extra credit, so do not rely on extra credit to pass you!
THIS IS YOUR SENIOR YEAR!!!
BUILD YOUR CHARACTER AND CHERISH THESE MOMENTS
PARENTS/GUARDIANS:
Please be sure that you have read the above information as well as the following list of videos and audio selections we will be using this semester. This is only a list of possible videos and not all videos listed below will be viewed. Also, please be aware that additional clips/news media that have an educational purpose may be shown throughout the semester. You and your child need to sign below and your child needs to return it to me by the assigned deadline.
- Becket
- Hamlet
- Macbeth
- Paradise Lost
- The Canterbury Tales—animated versions
- Beowulf
- Shakespeare’s London
- A Survey of English Verse: Milton
- Shakespeare: The Animated Tales
- The Island
- A Light History of the English Language
- A Knight’s Tale
- Geoffrey Chaucer: Poet and Pilgrim
- Hunger Games
- 9/11 Documentary
KEEP TRACK OF WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE CLASSROOM
Modern technology has made it easier than ever to keep track of your child’s progress in the classroom. There are a couple of different ways that you can receive updated information on my classroom activities and your child’s grades:
- Skyward – All students and parents should have access to Skyward to see current grades and absences. Through the Skyward system, I will send out progress reports once or twice in a six week period. Parents, please make sure an accurate email address is registered in the Skyward database and please make sure you are registered to access Skyward, so that you can also monitor your child’s grades. If you are unsure about the Skyward system, please contact the school, so that they can explain how you can register for this helpful system.
I have read, understood, and agreed to the syllabus and the video list. I also understand that students are responsible for turning in their work on time and in the proper format, and that the students must be responsible for the grade that they earn.
The policies/procedures of this class support the school’s policies.
Student signature______Date ______
Parent/Guardian signature ______Date ______
Parent Email______
Concerns: ______