English III: American Literature Syllabus 2014-2015

Name: Noel B. Miles

Room: 320

Email:

Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays (12:15-1:15)

Class Schedule: 1st period (English III) 8:00-8:45

2nd period (English III Honors) 9:14-10:00

3rd period (English III) 10:03-10:48

7th period (English III Honors) 1:35—2:21

8th period (English III Honors) 2:24—3:10

Welcome! I am excited to be spending this year in English with you. English III is a challenging and demanding course of study. Throughout the year we will be examining American literature by focusing on the historical and social context in which it was written and how it is perceived today.

Along with reading, we will have weekly timed writing assignments, daily SAT vocabulary study, the junior research project, and collaborative activities, among other assignments. In addition, we will bolster our study of American Literature by integrating pertinent music and art.

CLASSROOM POLICIES

My classroom policies are simple. You are expected to follow all policies, which are the same as your home school.

  1. Be respectful of the teacher, as well as your fellow students. Do not talk when others are speaking and be tolerant of different points of view. Raise your hand before speaking!
  2. Be prepared by being in class when the bell rings and by bringing all materials to class, including your binder or notebook, loose leaf paper, and a pen. Make sure your pencil is sharpened before the bell rings! I teach bell to bell meaning we will be using our full allotment of time, so remain in your seat until the bell rings.
  3. Be positive which results in success for everyone. Your attitude is the essential element of the classroom environment.

CELL PHONES

Being respectful is an important aspect of my classroom and this includes your use of your cell phone. Even though it might be an essential part of your life, there is no need for use of it in the classroom. Excuses of checking the time or having your mother call will not be accepted. Text messaging and blatant disrespect of this rule will result in confiscation of the phone and having it turned into the office! Once your phone is in the office, if a parent or guardian does not come to pick it up at the end of the day, it will remain at the school overnight. You will only receive one warning. This is your warning! Do not leave your phone on your desk!

ATTENDANCE

Homework and class work will be assigned each day at the beginning of class. When you are absent, it is your responsibility to retrieve the missed work. You will have two days for every day absent to turn in make-up work. You will not be able to make up any missed work past this allotted time!

According to the WSFC School Board policy, students with six or more absences per quarter can be denied credit for a specific course. So, if you have six or more absences in a quarter and more than one of them is unexcused, you will most likely receive an administrative F for the quarter regardless of what you actually earned. This F will remain on your report card until you successfully complete a quarter without breaking the attendance policy. Therefore, it is imperative that students bring a signed excuse note from home within two days of their absence. The following five pieces of information should be on the note: Student’s full name (not a nickname), student number, reason for absence, date of absence, parent (guardian) signature. A separate note for the home school and Career Center is required. Please do not ask me to make a copy for you. I am not Kinkos (if you do not know what Kinkos is, you are lucky).

TARDY POLICY

The following is school policy:

  • 1st and 2nd unexcused tardies: Verbal warning
  • 3rd and 4th unexcused tardies: Period detention assigned by teacher and parent contact
  • 5th unexcused tardy: D1 Form
  • 6th unexcused tardy: In-School Suspension
  • 7th unexcused tardy: Out-of –school suspension
  • If you miss more than 50% of a class period you will be considered absent from class.

MATERIALS

  1. A three-ring binder with paper, or a notebook, that you will bring to class every day. I will frequently perform notebook checks as part of your grade. Therefore, you will need a separate English notebook that you can turn in to me for periods of time.
  2. Plenty of paper
  3. A writing utensil, preferably a pen.
  4. Internet access—I will post all homework assignments and due dates on my website, which can be accessed from the Career Center website by searching under teacher web pages.

LITERATURE

Tentative list of our studies this year include:

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

The Autobiography of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

The American Experience: Penguin textbook

The poetry of Walt Whitman, Edgar Allan Poe, James Baldwin, and a short story unit of American authors.

GRADING POLICY

Tests, Papers, & Projects (35%)

Quizzes (25%)

Homework (15%)

Class work (15%)

Participation (10%)

(Regarding homework, your overall grade will begin as 100%. As the year progresses, each time you fail to turn in your homework your grade will drop by 3%. If you miss a class or two, homework assignments will be posted on my webpage. I expect you to return to class with your assignments completed if possible. In addition, each time you fail to bring your materials to class (i.e. notebook, pen, text, etc.) your homework grade will drop by another 1%.)

PARENTS

If at any time you wish to check on your child’s performance, you may access all of his or her grades, assignments, and absences on the wsfcs website. Look under “Quick Links” and select “Parent Portal.” The school system should send you your access code. If you do not receive it or find it does not work, you must contact your child’s home school to retrieve it. Also, progress reports are put together twice a quarter. If a student is making a 76% or below at the time progress reports are due, he/she will be given a paper copy to take home and get signed by a parent. Of course, regardless of performance or day, students can always request a report.

Progress report schedule

Quarter 1 / Quarter 2 / Quarter 3 / Quarter 4
September 23 / November 24 / February 17 / April 28
October 14 / January 6 / March 10 / May 19

CHEATING

I do not tolerate cheating. Cheating includes plagiarism, looking at someone’s answers during a test, copying homework, reading Cliff’s Notes, etc. Both the cheater and cheatee will receive zeros!

FOOD AND DRINKS

While drinks with lids are allowed in the classroom, food is prohibited. If I see you eating in class (even chips or nuts) your food will be confiscated. Repeated warnings will lead to administrative action.

BATHRROOM POLICY

Please limit bathroom breaks to about one every two weeks. Our time together is already limited, and it is a complete disruption for you to be using the restroom on a frequent basis. It is your responsibility to make time before class begins to use the bathroom, get water, make a phone call, etc. You will be asked to turn in your cell phone to me before using the restroom. In addition, I ask that you sign a bathroom sign-out sheet so that you don’t abuse this privilege.

Parent Signature: ______Date: ______

Student Signature: ______Date: ______