English III Course Syllabus
Cheatham County Central High School | Fall 2016-Spring 2017
Instructor: Ms.Kathryn Van MaterE-mail:
This syllabus outlines the requirements, expectations, and policies for this course.
You will become familiar with it and may refer to it throughout the semester.
CLASSROOM RULES AND EXPECTATIONS:During this class, students will be expected to oblige to the classroom rules and expectations. The rules are as followed:
1. Come to class ready to learn.
2. Practice RESPECT at all time.
3. Maintain a positive attitude.
4. Bre responsible for your own learning
5. Keep phones AWAY unless given permission.
CONSEQUENCES: If you cannot oblige to the rules, you will be disciplined accordingly. Students who chose to break the rules will comply to the consequences.
1st offense: warning
2nd offense: lunch detention/essay assignment
3rd offense: parent phone call/Tough Tuesday
Additional offense: administrative interference.
*Any student who creates an extreme disruption will be subject to immediate administrative interference which may lead to In or Out of School Suspension.
REWARDS:Please keep in mind that the ultimate reward is the knowledge that you will gain from this class, as well as the satisfaction of a job well done. For no misbehavior and hard work, students will receive: food/drinkprivileges, musicprivileges during appropriate work time, and/or a potluck.
Remember these rewards are a privilege; they may be taken away. When disciplinary action is required or if the class is not on task, thewhole class will lose itsprivileges.
CONTENT: English III is based on American Literature. Because of the EOC testing and the ACT in the spring, this course emphasizes not only reading literature, but also grammar, writing, and other skills necessary for success.
In addition to a variety of poems, short stories, and speeches, we will also study novels throughout this course. The main books we will focus on include: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Great Gastsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Time permitting, we will also read Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and The Cricuble, a play by Authur Miller.
Students will also have an abundance of practice with writing in this class. The types of writing based on the Tennessee State Standards include: narrative, explanatory, and argumentative. Students will practice and write several of these essays throughout the year.
For more information about the writing assessment, visit
MEDIA CONTENT: After reading the literature, we will watch the movie version of the content to compare the different versions. These movies are intended to enhance understanding of the stories. All movies are rated either G or PG13. Please sign below to give consent that your child has permission to participate in these viewings.
METHODS OF EVALUATION AND ASSIGNMENTS:Grading procedures will be based on the Tennessee State Writing Assessment rubric. Writing is a process and therefore students must complete each step of the writing process.All writing for this class, regardless of its context, should follow the conventions of standard written English in sentence structure, punctuation, grammar and usage, and spelling.
PLAGIARISM:Plagiarism will NOT be tolerated in my class. Assignments will be submitted to Turnitin.com, a website that catches plagiarized material. If students are caught copying each other or another person’s work without citation, the student will be given a zero for the assignment and will have to redo the work in his/her own words.
Lastly, I am looking forward to a great year and cannot wait to get to know and teach all of you!
Please sign to consent that you have read and understand the syllabus.
I, ______(parent/guardian printed name) acknowledge and agree to the content of this syllabus in its entirety for Ms. Van Mater’s class. I understand the rules, consequences, and expectations, and fully oblige to them and support them.
Parent Signature______Date______
I, ______(student printed name) acknowledge and agree to the content of this syllabus in its entirety for Ms. Van Mater’s class. I understand the rules, procedures, and policies and fully oblige to them and support them.
Student Signature______Date______