Senior CP English 1

Mrs. Taylor

(330)954-2247

I.COURSE OBJECTIVE

The main objective of this course is to explore literature from multiple genres, cultures and periods in order to become more competent writers, thinkers and speakers of English. A secondary goal is to explore the following themes through reading, writing, speaking and listening:

Where am I from?

Who am I?

Why am I here?

Where am I going?

A secondary (although no less important) objective of the course is preparation for college/career. Rules will not be flexible. You will be expected to turn assignments in on time with few reminders. You will be expected to make good decisions about studying based on the calendars and the guides you are given, not based on teacher reminders and harassment!

II.GOALS

Become an independent learner
Develop personal voice in writing, taking into consideration audience and purpose
Learn to read in-between-the-lines through close reading skills and evaluation of literary devices
Cite strong and appropriate textual evidence to support arguments in all formal papers
Use context and knowledge of stems to determine meaning of words.
Write in a variety of genres for a variety of purposes and meaning.
Demonstrate appropriate grade level listening/viewing skills through interaction with a variety of media

Demonstrate appropriate grade level speaking/presentation skills
Don’t settle for the first edition; revise, revise, revise

III.ATTENDANCE

Good attendance is essentialfor the successful completion of this course. You will not be reminded to obtain make-up work or to turn it in. This is your responsibility. Also (and this is very important) do not hand your make up work to me. That is a sure-fire way to lose it. Place it in the designated bin on the table.

The school rule is--1 day out, 1 day to make up, etc. Missing a review does not mean you miss the test. Regularly given assignments or previously scheduled tests are still your responsibility upon return from an absence. Daily assignments are posted on the calendar, SchoolPointe, Twitter, Google Classroom, or my Facebook page. Therefore, you can stay current with the classroom activities.

Use of Schoolpointe is REQUIRED for this class. I post daily assignments, monthly calendars, and files and links on this site. You are expected to use it. If you are absent, you are still responsible for the reading and assignments posted to Schoolpointe.
Use of Google Classroom is REQUIRED for this class. I post daily or weekly assignments and you are expected to participate and use the Classroom. If you are absent, you are still responsible for the reading and assignments posted to Google Classroom.
Tardiness is disrespectful and often disruptive. However, due to the uncontrollable nature of some circumstances, you are allowed two tardies per quarter. In the event that you incur two tardies, you will receive a 15-minute detention for any subsequent late arrivals to class (to be served at my convenience).

IV.CLASSROOM RULES

Please be seated and ready to go when the bell rings. If you forget your book or something else of paramount importance, you may ask to procure those items. Excessive forgetfulness will not be tolerated and these will count as tardies, so just don't forget your stuff.
No food or drinks in the room. Only plain drinking water is allowed. It's school policy. It's in your handbook.
All other school rules stated in the student handbook apply. This means no profanity and no disrespect.
Electronic devices are used at the teacher’s direction. We will use Aurora City School’s BYOD policy. Use of electronics for personal (not educational) use will result in confiscation of the device per school policy.
Chrome Books are now a part of our school. You are expected to have your Chromebook with you and usable in class each day (even though it may not be a part of each day’s lesson). It must always be charged and ready to use; if you have problems, please follow the school policy for repairs and replacements; this is not an excuse to come to class unprepared.
Be respectful—treat others as you would like to be treated.
Overall, do not disrupt my teaching or anyone else’s learning.
At ALL times you must be working on Language Arts.
Absolutely, NO WHINING!
Any work done through collaboration or collusion without my permission is academic dishonesty. One can be expelled from college due to colluding with another and turning in the assignments. If you are to work on any assignment within a group, it will be assigned as such.

*If you are caught cheating (homework, test, papers, etc.), you will be given a zero for the assignment and a referral! Be responsible and do your own work.

You will NEVER, EVER, EVER, state in class how much you dislike a book while we are reading it—for every book/reading you are to determine its literary merit and author purpose. Your feelings about the book can be discussed once we conclude.

V.DISCIPLINE

You are expected to comply with the school's official code of conduct outlined in the student handbook.

VI.SUPPLIES / MATERIALS (recommended)

A. You are expected to use Google Docs, or a Flash drive (even though it’s not compatible with the Chromebooks). You need a way to work with files both at home and at school, even when the internet is down and you cannot access email.

B. A three-ring binder with divider pages. The sections will be organized as follows: Literature, Writing, Vocabulary, Notes, Quick-Writes.

C. Students are required to procure their own texts throughout the year. These may be purchased from the school bookstore, borrowed from the school library, or purchased elsewhere. Any student who qualifies for free or reduced lunch may obtain their books from Mrs. Wolf in the library at no charge.

VII. HOMEWORK

Homework is to be completed and ready to turn in or to be checked at the beginning of the period the day it is due. I'm not into late work. Formative assignments are not accepted late. For summative assignments, points will be taken off for every day it’s late (one letter day off a day) and only half credit will be given for more than one day up to one week. No credit will be given for summative assignments more than a week late.

Being absent on the date that an assignment is due is not a legitimate excuse for work handed in late. You are provided with ample notice of due dates. Assignments may be emailed from home or turned in early if you are absent on the day an assignment is due. Any student attending a field trip, college visitation or other planned absence must complete the work beforehand or make arrangements with the teacher.

VIII. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

Plagiarism of someone else's words or ideas will not be tolerated in my classroom. This includes copy/paste from the web. If I catch someone plagiarizing, I will confront him/her first. Then I will make a phone call home and finally I will write up an office referral. The main office typically issues a Saturday School Detention in addition to keeping the academically dishonest work in the student's permanent file.

IX. COLLUDING

Any work done through collaboration or collusion without my permission is academic dishonesty as well. One can be expelled from college due to colluding with another and turning in the assignments. If you are to work on any assignment within a group, it will be assigned as such.

X.EVALUATION

Grades in this class are weighted: formative 30% and summatives 70%.

Grace Passes. I don’t accept late work. Late or incomplete work is not acceptable in college or in real life. Therefore, in an attempt to get you college and career ready, it will not be accepted here either. The exception: You will be given (2) grace passes for the YEAR. This allows you to submit the assignment one week late with no penalty. You may use these at any time as long as there is one and one-half weeks left in the grade period. Please choose carefully when you use these; I recommend that you do not use them for formative assignments or for homework assignments. One your two passes have been used, late work will receive a maximum of 50% of the points.

All papers MUST be typed. All papers must have the proper MLA heading. All papers must be double-spaced and 12 pt. font. All formal writing assignments will be submitted to turnitin.com. All students must turn in a hard copy of the assignment on the teacher assigned due date and then submit the assignment to turnitin.com. The expectation is for the student to submit to turnitin.com on the day that the assignment is due in class; however, a grace period of one week after the assignment due date is given for submission to turnitin.com. This grace period should cover any technology difficulties that may arise. If the student does not submit the required work within the allotted week, the student is then assigned a discipline referral to the office. Non-submission of assignments will result in a “0”.

Literary Paper Grades: Most of your papers will be graded using a scoring rubric. Understand that I will make little if any analytical markings on your papers. You are CP seniors; I expect quality papers with few grammatical and spelling mistakes. My grading will focus on the quality of the content, structure, diction and syntax of your papers. A word to the wise: I will not grade crap. After reading the opening paragraph, if I find that the paper is a last minute, jumble of thoughts, I will read no further. I will draw a line where I stopped and expect you to take a lower grade in order to re-do the paper. One criterion for this is spelling. I will mark a paper one complete grade lower for blatant and egregious spelling and grammatical errors.

Writing Practice Grades: If I check at all, you will earn a few completion points for some of the writing practice we do. However, don't expect a ton of padding points from these exercises/assignments. Writing practice is just that: practice. I expect that you have the intrinsic motivation to do what's necessary to grow as a writer regardless if there is a possibility to earn points.

Senior Narrative Grades: This year-long project will have various rubrics that I will give to you prior to the due dates. All of the writing practice exercises are designed to help you develop this project. Due dates will be given each quarter.

XI.SELF-SELECTED READING

Because reading and writing go hand in hand, we will read with variety and depth. Both teacher chosen and self-selected books will be a part of this course. Although shared reading experiences are valuable and we will engage in them, self-selected reading is another way to find not only the questions of life but also the answers. So, you are required to choose and read at least one self-selected fiction or non-fiction book per quarter (not 4th quarter). You will be given some in-class time to read, but expect to read the majority of these works outside of class. At the beginning of the quarter you will sign up for your book. Then, near the end of each quarter you will submit a brief evaluation of this book. Specific directions will be forthcoming on a handout. Only adult reading selections will be approved –no young adult novels; use your understanding of lexile scoring to help you choose. Books you were assigned in previous classes are not permitted.

XII.VOCABULARY

Part of growing as a writer involves increasing one's vocabulary. Thus, for each written essay or paper, you are expected to include high level vocabulary from the list given in class. These words come from your Word Within A Word stem study from the past years. Five or more words are to be correctly used and highlighted; an annotation will be attached that includes the definitions, stems, and parts of speech of the words you used.

XIII.SchoolPointe

I will upload all documents, calendars and useful links to my SchoolPointe webpage. Please utilize it.

XIV. Facebook

There is a Facebook group I encourage you to join: Mrs. Taylor’s English Class. I will post assignments and reminders, and it’s a way to easily communicate with me and your peers.

XV. Twitter

Twitter will be used to send out quick messages and information.

Please do not direct message me—this is for one way communication only.

You may follow my school account @TTaylorAHS

*If you don’t have a Twitter account, or if you prefer to receive my tweets quickly, send a text message to 40404 and put “Follow @TTaylorAHS” in the subject line. You will receive confirmation that you are following @TTaylorAHS. You will now receive any and all of my posts via text message.

XVI.Google Classroom

There will be assignments posted through Google Classrooms as well as topics for discussion. Please utilize it.

XVII. LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

If you would like me to write you a letter of recommendation for admission to a university or for a scholarship, you need to follow the procedure below:

1. Ask me in person if I would write you a letter of recommendation.

2. Obtain and complete a copy of the recommendation form.

3. Return the completed form no less than 2 WEEKS before the application deadline. You must personally submit this form to me. Do not place it on my desk, in my mailbox or in my homework tray. I will not write the letter if you do not hand the form to me personally. Additionally, I will not write the letter if I do not have at least 2 weeks in which to complete it.

4. Write a letter of thanks to me once I've given you or the guidance office the letter of recommendation.

XVIII. COURSE OUTLINE

Primary Text: World Literature. Holt, Rinehart and Winston: New York, 2001.

QUARTER ONE

Theme: Where am I from?

"We who are clay blended by the Master Potter, come from the kiln of Creation in many hues." Polingaysi Qoyawayma, Hopi

"We are all related." Cherokee saying

Titles

Seek by Paul Fleischman*
Literary criticism “Jeremy”

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho*

Novel of student's choice

Short stories, poetry and the arts TBA

Major Assessments

Summer Reading Essay
NY Times formatted book review for summer reading novel
College Admissions Essay
Vocabulary

Self-selected Reading Assignment

Polished Pieces for senior narrative (could include college admission essay)

Literary Criticism Pieces

QUARTER TWO

Theme: Who am I?

"If you could be anyone, would you choose to be yourself?" Naomi Shihab Nye

"He who knows others is wise; He who knows himself is enlightened." Lao-tzu

"The man who does not value himself, cannot value anything or anyone." Ayn Rand

"We do not know what we want and yet we are responsible for what we are - that is the fact." Jean Paul Sartre

"This above all: to thine own self be true." Shakespeare

Titles

Oedipus by Sophocles*

Himalaya - a film

Novel of student's choice

Short stories, poetry and the arts TBA

Major Assessments

Multi-genre short story assignment

Vocabulary
Oedipus Two Voice Poem

Self-selected Reading Assignment

Polished Pieces for senior narrative

QUARTER THREE

Theme: Why am I here?

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." Ecclesiasties 2:16

"The gods help them that help themselves." Aesop

"The superior man ... does not set his mind either for anything, or against anything what is right he will follow." Confucius

"Man-every man-is an end in himself, not a means to the ends of others; he must live for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself." Ayn Rand

"You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life." Albert Camus

"Our life is a long and arduous quest after Truth." Mahatma Gandhi

Titles

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka*
Othello by William Shakespeare*

Novel of student's choice

Short stories, poetry and the arts TBA

Major Assessments

The Metamorphosis essay
Othello character analysis project
Vocabulary

Self-selected Reading Assignment
Genre analysis
Pieces for senior narrative

QUARTER FOUR

Theme: Where am I going?

"If a man take no thought about what is distant, he will find sorrow near at hand." Confucius

"Nothing endures but change." Heraclitus

"All that is gold does not glitter; not all those that wander are lost." J.R.R. Tolkein

Titles

The Kite Runner* by Khaled Hosseini

Major Assessments

Senior Narrative Summative Assignment

Self-selected Reading assignment
Senior Narrative

*Denotes the texts that will be purchased by the student. Students should purchase their books from the school book store to ensure that the correct edition is purchased. New, clean (non-highlighted) texts are required. Grades will be taken for interaction. Again, these books may be purchased from the school bookstore, borrowed from the school library, or read on a device. Any student who qualifies for free or reduced lunch may obtain their books from Mrs. Wolf in the library at no charge.

XIX. WRITING RUBRIC

A typical rubric might include

a formal literary attention-getting opener and introduction that effectively transition into the thesis. (W.12.2a, W.12.2c)
a thesis statement that addresses the “so what”, the “what” and the “how.” (W.12.2a)
body paragraphs with a topic sentence that introduces the evidence used in that paragraph, relating back to the thesis. (W.12.2a)
body paragraphs with the best textual evidence which aligns with the central idea of the paper, supports the thesis, is integrated/embedded into the text, and is cited correctly (MLA format). (W.12.2b)
thorough explanations of evidence, making a connection to the topic sentence and thesis statement. (W.12.2b)
concluding sentences in the body paragraphs which tie the body paragraph back to the “so what” of the thesis. (W.12.2f)
a conclusion referring back to the thesis idea of the paper and includes a concluding thought. (W.12.2f)
the prompt is sufficiently and thoroughly addressed within the entire paper; the thesis/”so what” is the focus of the paper and is thoroughly proven
transitions in order to connect the main ideas of the paper. (W.12.2c)
correct usage of spelling, grammar, and varied sentence structure. (W.12.2e)
high level vocabulary including literary terms that are appropriate for the paper (consider audience & purpose). (W.12.2d) (W.12.4)
a Works Cited page in proper MLA format. (W.12.8)

*These are the state standards for English Language Arts