English IVA Syllabus
Mr. Piper (309) 697-1426
or
Welcome back, I hope that you had a great break and are ready to be back. I still intend to keep the class as open and free flowing as you will allow it, but I am going to show you the direction-path-that I will walk on. As always, it will be your choice whether to choose to follow, stay behind or be brave and lead the way. Remember that these are all tentative dates and are subject to change depending upon the speed with which we progress through the material-it maybe slower or faster. The last and biggest motivation that I have for you is this-question everything, accept nothing at face value, and be willing to admit to what you do and receive the consequences (be they good or bad) that go along with that action. With that said, here is what we will do this semester.
Reading:The Great Gatsby
Wuthering Heights
And Then There Were None
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Hamlet
From your Literature Book
from Paradise Lost
from Gulliver’s Travels
“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”
from Pride and Prejudice
“She Walks in Beauty”
“Ode to a Grecian Urn”
“Do not Go Gentle into That Good Night”
“The Sniper”
Grammar:Verb Tense
Use of Modifiers
Parallel Structure
Punctuation
Sentence Completeness
Writing:Reflective Essay (2)
Movie Analysis
Creative Writing
Business Letter
Definition Paper
Detailed Report
Other Miscellaneous Essays
We will also work with the FAFSA about early to mid February. If you have any suggestions (other than the usual “Let’s do nothing”) let me know. If it is a type of writing or parts of grammar then let me know ahead of time to prepare. You will write a total of four (4) précis’ this semester. You will choose the dates to turn them in on; I will NOT be reminding you of when these are due. It is up to you to remember to turn them in. I will only count one for extra credit.
Here are the due dates:
Jan. 14 Feb. 4 Feb. 18Mar. 4 Mar. 18 Apr. 1 Apr. 15 May 6
Remember you will also be completing senior projects that consist of a writing portfolio and an individual project. The writing portfolio will be DUE April 21 and the capstone project will be DUE May 9. There will be more information as we progress through the semester.
Lastly, you will also have two analogies packets that will need to be completed. These will have assigned due dates of: March 11 and April 29
When you finish the first, ask for the second.
The Grading Process
The grading in this class will be as follows:
There will be six main types of grades
- Weekly Participation Grade2%
- Assignments3%
- Quizzes7%
- Projects9%
- Essays15%
- Tests9%
- Research Paper30%
- Senior Projects25%
Total100%
Weekly Participation Grade:
This is a participation grade that will be based upon involvement in class discussions, group work, note taking, bell work, and closing assignment work. Each week will have a total of fifty (50) points. Not working on bell work or closing assignment work will result in a five (5) point deduction per infraction.
The overall point total for all weeks will equal 2% of your overall grade.
Assignment Grades:
These are considered the daily grade type assignments such as grammar handouts or questions from a text. Each assignment will be given a point total (the point totals may differ from assignment to assignment) depending on the amount of work and the difficulty level of the work.
The overall point total for all assignments will equal 3% of your overall grade.
Quizzes:
These are miniature tests over small content areas such as novel chapter quizzes or quizzes over one area of grammar like colons. Each quiz will be given a point total (the point totals may differ from quiz to quiz) depending on the amount of work and the difficulty level of the work.
The overall point total for all quizzes will equal 7% of your overall grade.
Projects:
This is any type of assignment that is encompassing a wide range of material with the student synthesizes into a coherent idea such as a book report, power point presentation, video presentation, or oral presentation. Each project will be given a point total (the point totals may differ from project to project) depending on the amount of work and the difficulty level of the work.
The overall point total for all projects will equal 9% of your overall grade.
Essays:
This is any type of assigned writing that involves a form of any kind such as persuasive, narrative, expository, business letters, reports, or creative writing. Each essay will be given a point total (the point totals may differ from essay to essay) depending on the amount of work and the difficulty level of the work.
The overall point total for all essays will equal 15% of your overall grade.
Tests:
This is any type of formulaic question and answer sheet where the answers for each question comes from your understanding (using your brain) of a certain subject/material area such as a test over a whole novel or a test over a whole area of grammar-not just one point. Each test will be given a point total (the point totals may differ from test to test) depending on the amount of work and the difficulty level of the work.
The overall point total for all tests will equal 9% of your overall grade.
Research Paper:
This will focus on the creation of a document in which the key focus is researching information, using MLA formatting, and combining the information into a coherent final product. The research paper will be worth a total of 600 points.
The overall point total for the Research Paper will equal 30% of your overall grade.
Senior Projects:
This category will have two assignments that it is focused on. The first will be the writing portfolio, which the student will create using prior writing along with documents they will write. Selecting writing is the key focus for this project. The other will be a capstone/individual project that the student will work to create. Student will select a topic that he/she feels comfortable with.
The overall point total for both projects will equal 25% of your overall grade.