English 9

Class Syllabus

Joe White Jacqueline Davis

860-738-9070 860-738-9070

Overview

A full year multi-faceted course, English 9 is designed to provide speaking and writing opportunities; prepare students for standardized assessments (Smarter Balanced); develop of speaking, listening, reading and writing skills; and expand upon seminal works of literature. The structure of the course encourages critical thinking, class participation, and process writing.

Course Objectives

Over the course of this year, students will:

·  Comprehend and use new words from a variety of sources.

·  Function productively in cooperative learning groups.

·  Participate in and contribute meaningfully to class discussions.

·  Comprehend reading and study assignments as evidenced by response writing, quizzes, tests, research assignments, and/or reflection in class discussions and other activities.

·  Demonstrate competence in the organization and presentation of various speech and/or debate forms.

·  Use literary terms to enhance their response to literature.

·  Write and speak about personal experiences in literature.

·  Analyze and evaluate varying literary forms.

·  Write expository, narrative, descriptive and persuasive essays as well as the research paper and other modes of imaginative writing.

·  Apply standard grammatical usage and mechanical skills to all speaking and writing activities.

·  Understand the basic concepts of the Smarter Balanced Testing and other standardized assessment forms.

·  Improve standard grammatical usage and mechanical skills, and apply learned skills to all speaking and writing activities.

Curriculum Materials List

The potential selection of novels is listed below. Short story and other supplemental resources may vary. Novels/Plays

·  Big Mouth, Ugly Girl by Joyce Carol Oates

·  Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger

·  Hiroshima by John Hersey

·  The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

·  Maus: A Survivor’s Tale by Art Spiegelman

·  Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

·  Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Course Supplies

·  A three-ring binder or notebook, and a folder to keep class materials (handouts, etc.).

·  Loose notebook paper for class assignments.

o  Use college-ruled paper if your handwriting neat. Use school-ruled paper if you need a little more space to communicate neatly.

o  Paper ripped from spiral-bound notebooks is not acceptable for assignments, quizzes, and other class activities. Please turn in neatly removed paper.

·  Blue / black ink or pencil is required for all work.

·  A USB flash drive.

Requirements

Students will be required to do the following work:

·  Write journal entries in which you respond to assigned journal prompts.

·  Read assigned texts.

·  Participate in class discussions.

·  Complete assigned projects and essays.

·  Do in-class exercises, quizzes, and other activities.

·  Maintain regular, punctual attendance.

Grading

Elements of the course are approximately weighted as follows:

Tests and Essays / = 50% of the final grade
Participation / = 25% of the final grade
Homework and Quizzes / = 25% of the final grade

Each assignment will have a different number value based on the scale above. We will discuss how much a typical assignment is worth in class. The grading weights may change to fit class structure.

Class Policies

Please look at the “English Class Policies” sheet for an overview of course rules and expectations.

Note – After 6 unexcused absences, the highest grade you can receive in the class is a 60%. If you are late to class three times, you will receive one unexcused absence. Skipping class counts as one unexcused absence for the class.