Effective Speaking and Writing 2011-2012 – Gr. 10
Instructor: Ms. AlessiaCopersini
I have been a teacher for nine years, four of which here in Cairo. I have worked with students of all ages, from elementary to college. English is my passion and I hope to convey my passion to my students. Throughout my career I have met a variety of students with different backgrounds and together we have worked enthusiastically to meet our learning goals.
My aim is to teach the Grade 10 students how to develop self-confidence and the skills needed to convey effective messages. They will become familiar with different types of writings and speeches. I am looking forward to working with the students in order to help them improve their writing skills, further their critical thinking, and experience their speaking abilities.
Students are expected:
1. To come to class ON TIME!
2. To bring all needed materials with them to class
3. To keep their binder organized
4. To show respect to everyone at school and in the class
5. To be focused in class
Most of all, I am expecting students to participate with enthusiasm and motivation and I encourage them to communicate as much as they can with me, to ask questions and share ideas.
COURSE OUTLINE
ALL YEAR
o Daily journal writing
o Daily news
o Basic grammar and vocabulary review through quizzes or editing
o Discussion leader – one student will facilitate a discussion on a pre-approved topic of his/her choice
FIRST SEMESTER will include, but is not limited to, the following:
o Review of what plagiarism is and how to avoid it
o Review of (5-paragraph) essay writing
o Review of MLA format
o Writing a narrative essay
o Organizing and writing an informational interdisciplinary research
paper/speech
o Presenting a persuasive appeal
o Choosing, analyzing and delivering a famous persuasive speech
o Write and deliver own persuasive speech
o Independent reading of one book per term
o Do some reflective writing on growth in speaking and writing skills during the semester
SECOND SEMESTER will include, but is not limited to, the following:
o Cover these genres in either speeches or essays
o Definition
o Compare/contrast
o Cause/effect
o Process analysis
o History
o Write an SAT essay to become familiar with what is needed to score well
o Put together a resume and cover letter
o Write a film critique
o Independent reading of one book per term
o Do some reflective writing on growth in speaking and writing skills during the semester
Supply List
· A binder to be used throughout the course to keep all your written work and handouts
· Loose-leaf paper
· 10 U shaped sheets
· Dividers
· Pens (2 black or blue, 1 red)
· Pencils with eraser
· Pencil sharpener
· Highlighters (two colors)
· Flash drive
· 3x5 index cards for research papers
· Black and white hard cover composition notebook specifically for journaling in class
Grading Scale:
15% = Participation
15% = Quizzes/Tests
35% = Writing/Projects
35% = Speeches/Presentations
*Everyone will begin with 100%. Deductions will be made for missed homework assignments/journal entries/daily grammar exercises, tardies, disrupting class, and coming to class unprepared. This includes speaking English at all times, sitting in class on time with your materials out and ready to begin. Your preparation and facilitation of a discussion goes into this grade, as does contributing to classroom discussion.
Course Policies
§ Submit essays and papers to turnitin.com before the start of the class in which the assignment is due and have a hard copy printed out to turn in that day at the start of class.
§ Late work will earn half credit, which is an F. If you miss a test that you knew about in advance, you can only score a maximum of 50% on the exam and the exam must be retaken the very same day after school.
o You will not be allowed to leave to go print your paper. If you walk in tardy the day an assignment is due, the assignment will be counted LATE (half credit/F) if it has been collected. This means that you must not wait until the last minute and if you do wait until the last minute, you will have to problem solve when your computer crashes and your printer runs out of ink. No excuses will be accepted.
§ If you come in late on a day where you are presenting, you will also earn half credit.
§ Papers not meeting the following specifications will NOT be accepted: Times New Roman font, size 12, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins in MLA format.
o If you do not follow these specifications, that means your paper will be late, which only earns half-credit because you will have to fix your formatting and turn it in again.
§ Plagiarized work and cheating will earn no credit
o That means if you are cheating with another student, both of you will get an F. You will also have to take the assignment home, show your parents, and have them sign a letter saying they are aware of your poor choice to cheat and/or plagiarize.
§ In-class assignments, class notes, and the following days homework assignment is your responsibility to obtain if you are absent. You may take a missed quiz or test on the day you return during lunch and will receive half credit unless you have missed class for a school related trip.
§ Read your student handbook on policies related to tardies, absences or any other school policy. All these rules will be enforced.
**Get the following COMPLETELY filled out. Turn in your signed class policies next class for homework.**
Student name (printed): Date:
Student Signature:
Student e-mail address and phone #:
Parent(s) name (printed): Date:
Parent(s) Signature: