Instructional Syllabus
English 9A
Instructors:Jason McFarland & Tosha Duczkowski-Oxley (1st 6 weeks: Mike Long)
E-mail Address:
(1st 6 weeks: )
Online Resources:Assignments and Grades can be monitored on Infinite Campus. Deadlines, announcements, and class information can be viewed on our class websites which are conveniently linked at the Freshman Center Page at
Course Content: English 9A introduces students to High School Reading and Writing expectations and explores the major themes in Homer’s the Odyssey. Students will spend time with fiction and non-fiction stories and articles, novels, drama, poetry, grammar, and the process of conducting independent research. Some material will be review. Some will add new skills to the student’s knowledge. All is geared to helping students build a solid foundation for success in high school as well as in the world beyond high school.
Course Objectives:
- To foster awareness of and appreciation for the various literary genre.
- To improve the use of grammar rules determined to be necessary to write and speak properly.
- To develop and improve writing skills through short answers, essays, short papers, and constructed responses.
- To develop skills in reading, writing, researching, speaking, and listening.
Grading Philosophy: In 9th grade, students' final grade will reflect 10% participation, 30% process assignments, and 60% product assessments. The gradebook categories will reflect these purposes, so overall averages will clearly reflect specific accomplishments within the course.
Course Requirements: While it is expected that students complete ALL assignments, the consequences for late or missing work is spelled out in the Late Policy section of the syllabus. There is a final exam is worth 20% of the trimester grade. Students earning at least a 60% average on the trimester grade will receive ½ credit for the course. However, students failing to reach a 60% average at the trimester will need to seek out alternatives for earning the ½ credit. Students must earn the 1/2 credit for English 9A prior to graduation at Lowell High School.
Tardies: Our Tardy Policy is in agreement with the Freshman Center Tardy Policy. Students NOT IN THE ROOM at the BEGINNING of the bell will be marked tardy.
Being Prepared: Students are expected to bring the following supplies to class each day: a writing utensil (blue or black ink pen, preferred), 3-ring binder containing notebook paper, appropriate text books, an independent reading source (electronic or print) assignments, and a positive attitude. In addition, students should address anticipated bathroom needs PRIOR to class.
Late Work: Time passes quickly in a trimester. We will be engaging in a rigorously paced delivery of curriculum, and students will need to stay on top of their learning expectations every day to achieve their personal best. It is ideal for all students to complete assignments and assessments within the scheduled time frame. However, there may some circumstances that occur where students are unable to complete work within the designated time frame. Students should always attempt to communicate directly with the instructor regarding the inability to meet a deadline BEFORE the assignment is late.
Late Work Grading Policy: Any assignment not turned in at the time of collection is considered "late." Daily work may still be completed and handed in for no more than 59% of the possible points. However, once the unit assessment has been completed, daily lessons designed to improve knowledge and skill specific to that unit will no longer be collected, scored, or counted. Therefore, ALL MISSING WORK MUST BE SUBMITTED PRIOR TO THE UNIT ASSESSMENT. Large projects/papers will be reduced by 10% for each school day they are late.
Late Work Due to Absence:Consistent attendance enhances the learning experience for all students. Students should do everything possible to be in school every day. However, emergencies and illnesses happen. When class must be missed, it is the student's responsibility to learn what he/she missed. This can be done by checking our web sites, a peer from class, or sending an email request and should be done BEFORE returning to class. Students can pop in for a quick chat at the beginning of the day. In order to maintain the integrity of classroom instruction, students who wait until the next class has started to seek information regarding a missed class, may not get the most thorough or immediate response. Freshman students MUST learn how to handle missed class responsibly.
Assignments that were due during the missed class must be turned in upon return. If a student is only absent for part of a day, he/she still needs to hand in assignments that are due, even if he/she is absent DURING this class. For example, if a student misses class due to an appointment but returns next hour to resume school, he/she is still expected to turn in the work collected during that missed class. If the student WAITS until the next day to turn in the assignment, it will be marked late because he/she had returned to school but failed to turn in the assignment on time. In addition, any work assigned during the previous day would be late if it wasn't completed. Again, the objective is teaching kids to handle missed class responsibly.
Students will receive time equivalent to the time missed to make up assignments from full day excused absences.
***Deadlines known PRIOR to the absence(s) are expected to be honored.***
Students have one week to make up any ASSESSMENTS missed due to an excused absence. It may be necessary for students to schedule a time outside of class to meet this expectation.
Work missed due to an UNEXCUSED absence may not be made up.
Grading: Your points will be totaled and averaged, giving you a percentage that will reflect the letter grade you have received. The following scale will be used:
A95-100C73-76
A-90-94C-70-72
B+87-89D+67-69
B83-86D 63-66
B-80-82D-60-62
C+77-79E 0-59