Language and Literature 11 Honors
Course Syllabus
Mrs. Courtney Schiller
Room 205
Course Description: Language and Literature 11 Honors is a course that challenges reading, writing and thinking skills. The course will be composed of literature from a wide range of cultures and time periods, from classical to contemporary. Additionally, the course will include the humanities: religion, philosophy, art, music, et. cetera.
Students will be expected to examine various literary genres (fiction, non-fiction, informational texts, plays, poetry) and express themselves through multiple forms of writing. Additionally, students will be expected to participate in class by offering their opinion and thoughts, and learning from the opinions and perspectives of others.
Materials:Students will need to bring a pen or pencil, planner, textbook, Chromebook and completed assignments with them to class each day. It is suggested that students keep a binder or folder to organize their class work. At certain points in the year, students will be responsible for bringing novels to class.
Attendance:It is very important that you are in class each day. Being in class on time and with materials is imperative. There is a large amount of reading and writing for this course and missing class could easily cause you to fall behind. You will benefit by coming to class and getting the available materials, receiving help from peers and myself and having ample class time to work on assignments. Exams, quizzes, and class work often include questions on material presented only in class, so performance on these directly reflects attendance. If you miss a day, it is your responsibility to get the materials you missed.
Work expectations: Much of the reading for this course will be done outside of class, however students will be given class time for discussion, questions, and collaboration. When turning in an assignment for a grade, it is the expectation that a student wishing to receive full points will turn in quality work. Responses for this class should be written in complete sentences. Work should be neat and must include your name. Work that is incomplete, shows poor effort, or does not meet classroom standards will not be accepted.
Make-Up Work: In the event that you miss a class, you will have the amount of days you were gone to make up assignments with no grade penalty (ie: two days out of class gives you two days to make up missed assignments without penalty). I will be available after school for questions or help with work. However, if an assignment is missed and you were in class you will receive a penalty grade of half credit. If homework is not turned in, the grades will become zeros. It is your responsibility to check the absent work shelves for your missing work.
Retake Policy: In lieu of retakes, students will be allowed to earn back up to 10% (one full grade) on any test or quiz by completing an additional essay response. Students wishing to earn back points must notify teacher within one week of taking the test or quiz and make arrangements to complete the essay response. This option is only available on formal tests and quizzes and cannot be used to earn back points on homework assignments, or homework/reading quizzes. Please keep in mind that preparing fully for your test or quiz the first time around is the best policy.
Class Participation: Your participation in class will be counted as approximately 10% of your final grade in each marking period. Class participation points will be awarded in a number of ways—discussion, group work, use of time, following along in reading, etc. Additionally, certain behaviors will result in loss of participation points—sleeping, poor use of time, using technology at inappropriate times or for reasons that do not pertain to our classroom, failure to participate in group activities, etc.
Books: Textbooks and novels will be signed out to students throughout the year. These books become the responsibility of the student. If a book is misplaced or damaged, a fine will be issued for the book. Please take care of these materials.
Final Exam Policy: All students taking this course are required to take the first semester exam. Students taking this course may opt out of the second semester exam by meeting the following requirements: Students must have a semester grade of 90% or better. Students must have fewer than 7 absences, including the exam day absence. In addition, students must remain free of any out of school suspension or other extreme disciplinary action. Students who meet these requirements may choose to opt out of the second semester exam, in which case their semester grade will be an average of 3rd and 4th marking period grades only.
Grades:
A = 94 – 100C = 77 - 79
A- = 90 – 93C- = 70 - 73
B+ = 87 – 89D+ = 67 - 69
B = 84 – 86D = 64 - 66
B- = 80 – 83D- = 60 - 63
C+ = 77 – 79F = 59 and lower
Your grade is based on total points. Keeping a list of your points on assignments will allow you to keep up with your grade.
Academic Dishonesty: Academic dishonesty will result in a course grade of a 0. Plagiarism involves submitting, as your own work, words or ideas originally presented by someone else. This includes everything from an infraction apparently as minor as failure to document sources properly in a paper to outright copying. To commit plagiarism is intellectually inexcusable, morally weak, and just plain foolish.Additionally, copying another student’s homework, EVEN WITH THEIR PERMISSION, is unacceptable. In this scenario, BOTH students will receive no credit on the assignment.
POTENTIAL MAJOR READING SELECTIONS FOR THIS COURSE MAY INCLUDE:
GilgameshGreek Literature: Oedipus Rex and The Iliad
Roman Literature: The AeneidBeowulf
Macbeth by William ShakespeareNight by Elie Wiesel
The Lord of the Flies by William GoldingA Separate Peace by John Knowles
Choice Novel Units (multiple selections)
IB OVERVIEW
International Baccalaureate (IB) offers high quality programs of international education to a worldwide community of schools. There are more than 700,000 IB students in more than 130 countries throughout the world. In essence, IB is a different way of approaching education. It is employed to organize cross-curricular units to give students a broader perspective of course content. Its main goal is to increase student awareness of global issues and better prepare them for the challenges of the 21st century. This course will still follow the Michigan Merit Curriculum based on the State of MI High School Content Expectations, but will be organized into IB units.
The aim of all IB programs is to develop students who strive to be inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced and reflective. The traits of IB Learner Profile are embedded into every learning opportunity so students will develop their awareness of, and sensitivity to, the experiences of others beyond the local or national community.
YOUWILL :
- Follow the rules of the OHS Student Handbook
- Treat others as we would like to be treated and show care for our peers, teachers, ourselves and our building and community
- Listen to, participate with, and respect each other
- Work on communication with one another on a daily basis through class discussions, peer interaction, and writing assignments
- Be principled in all actions, responses and interactions
- Practice being open minded and respectful of all opinions
- Do our best to remain balanced in order to get the most out of class
YOUR TEACHERS WILL:
- Provide opportunities for inquiry
- Help you become more knowledgeable
- Provide assignments, scenarios, and articles that encourage thinking and forming your own opinions in a safe environment
- Encourage you to be a risk-taker, to challenge yourself daily
- Provide an environment where you feel comfortable, encouraged and supported while being reflective on lessons, topics, and assignments
Mrs. Schiller’s Classroom Policies
1)Please be prepared for class. This includes arriving on time with a pencil/pen, your novel or textbook, Chromebook, planner, paper, and completed assignments.
2)Please sit in your assigned seat. Please be respectful of the assigned seating arrangement and take your seat when class begins. Failure to do so may result in being marked late. Any concerns with your assigned seat should be addressed with Mrs. Schiller in private.
3)Be respectful. This is a school environment. Refrain from using profanity, demeaning your classmates, or behaving in a rude, loud, or disrespectful manner.
4)Be responsible. Use your time in between classes to take care of personal matters, whether that means using the restroom, speaking to another teacher, getting a drink, etc. You DO HAVE TIME. Passes will only be given for emergencies.
5)Use of technology is very limited in this classroom. Please put your phone OUT OF SIGHT when you enter the room. If your phone is a distraction to our classroom and your learning, you will be asked to place it in my desk for the class period. If this becomes a frequent issue, the phone will be taken to the office. REMOVE your headphones. I do not wish to talk over your music. PLEASE PLACE CHROMEBOOKS in the bin underneath your desk when you enter the room. We will access them only when needed.
6)Food and drink are allowed in my classroom. Messes are not. Please be responsible for cleaning up after yourself. Passes are not given to purchase food and drink,or to get breakfast, so please take care of this on your own time.
7)Help to keep the classroom beautiful! I enjoy an environment that looks and smells nice. If you do not like my air freshener or candles, please suggest an alternate option. It can get unpleasant with this many bodies in one space. Additionally, please assist me in keeping the room nice by picking up papers (even if they aren’t yours), not writing on desks, bulletin boards or posters, and never sticking gum on the desks.
8)Backpacks are not welcome in the classroom unless you have a pass from the office.
9)Guests in our room (speakers, substitute teachers, counselors) will be treated with the utmost respect. Any names left by a substitute teacher will be subject to a referral.
10)Announcements are important. During morning announcements, or any other message that comes over the PA, it is imperative that you are quiet and we are able to hear.
11)Everyone has certain “pet peeves”. Here are some of mine: bottle flipping, fidget spinners, and lack of effort. If you will try to avoid these things, it will make my day better! Please let me know if there are ways I can make your day better too!
12)Finally, and most importantly, be open-minded, positive, and NICE. Think before you speak.