Twelfth Grade English

Twelfth Grade English

Course Outline

Mrs. Coombs

I look forward to working with you for the remainder of this year and am excited to help you make the most of your 12th grade English experience. I realize that the transition from one teacher to another can be difficult, but I hope that we will work together to make this transition as painless as possible. The following are important aspects of my expectations and focus for the rest of 2016.

Goals:

· To engage in critical thinking and to apply those skills to our lives

· To challenge ourselves to meet personal goals and standards

· To encourage and promote achievement and improvement in others

· To actively participate as a member of the classroom community as we strive to become stronger readers, speakers and writers

· To prepare for future college-level reading, writing and speaking

Materials:

Please make it a point to be consistently prepared for class. With this said, it is important that you STAY ORGANIZED. Handouts come in sequential order-- on a daily and weekly basis. Also, our time together is extremely valuable, and once you enter the classroom you should be ready (and prepared) to learn.

· A 2-3” binder w/ 7 dividers

· Loose Leaf Paper

· A Composition Notebook ( an inexpensive, hard-bound black and white marbled journal)

· Pens and at least one highlighter (You may also want a red pen for revisions.)

Literature Component:

Your final novel in English 12 will be The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (One of my all time favorites). You will be responsible for all texts read with Mr. Johnson including: Hamlet, Black Boy, The Crucible, and Ordinary People for your final exam which will be given during the last week of April.

Note: We will also incorporate a collection of approved short stories, poetry, films and documentaries.

Writing Component:

We will be writing in one form or another, EVERY DAY!

Writing will include but is not limited to: journals, free writes, exit tickets, essays, etc.

We will utilize the writing process for major writing assignments,

Speaking Component/ Class Participation:

You will be expected to participate in daily discussions and activities.

The following is a list of public speaking activities for this school year:

· Classroom Discussions and Debates

· Socratic Seminars

· Presentations

· Research Panels

Papers, projects and assignments:

... must be submitted ON TIME! Significant point value will be lost on a daily basis for any late assignment. Usually, ten points will be reduced per day on assignments worth a total of one hundred points. Of course, extenuating circumstances will allow for extensions. Illness or (God forbid) death in the family would qualify as an "extenuating circumstance." Here are a few excuses I have heard over the years that DO NOT qualify for extensions...

"My family and I are leaving early for vacation, before the assignment is due... can I just hand it in when we get back?"

"I was sick on the day that the paper was due, so I'm handing it in a week/month/semester late."

"I didn't really understand the assignment (that I had a month to work on and conference about) so I will need an extension."

You get the picture. Also...

· All homework assignments are on the board and updated daily in Room 206. They are also updated daily, on my website. Really, there is no excuse to miss an assignment. You should be writing assignments down daily in your agenda book.

· All assignments are due the day they are due. Most will be required to be typed. If you are sick the day the assignment is due, it's your responsibility to have the assignment ready to hand in THE DAY YOU GET BACK. (This is reasonable as some college professors would not accept a late assignment due to illness). If you have a field trip, the assignment is still due on the day it is assigned.

· Music Lessons are at the discretion of the teacher! While I thoroughly support and respect our District's amazing music program, I also acknowledge the fact that I have a right to say: "No, please do not go to a lesson today." (This rarely happens.) You are still responsible for the class work that you've missed.

New York State Standards:

The diverse curriculum of this course will allow us to continue to progress toward achieving all performance standards in the common core that foster skills in reading, writing, listening, research and speaking.

Your Responsibilities:

· To arrive on time.

· To be organized and prepared.

· To actively participate in class activities.

· To complete assignments on time and to show up for individual writing conferences on time.

· To ask for help when necessary.

· To behave responsibly and respectfully.

· To work to the best of your ability.

· To take responsibility for your own work ethic.

Dear Parent / Guardian,

I look forward to helping your Twelfth grader make the most of this year’s English class. I welcome any input you might have and will always be available to address any ideas or concerns about your child. Certainly, I will encourage him or her to be responsible for his/her own work, and to self advocate for him/herself-- especially given the fact that college is a mere year away.

However the support that you give him/her is invaluable. I deeply appreciate your involvement and interest. With this said, please feel free to contact me at anytime should you feel it necessary.

Your child has been given explicit directions on how to receive homework assignments via my website. You will also receive a copy of these directions at open house.

Please sign below to indicate that you have shared the information in the course outline with your son/daughter. Again, thank you for your time and commitment.

Sincerely,

Franklin Aquilina

______

Parent’s / Guardian’s Signature Date

______

Student’s Signature Date

*Please sign and return by ______.

Grading

Your grade will be based on a total point system. You will receive a number grade each marking period. All projects, papers, journal entries and quizzes will have a specific point value. Point values will vary depending upon the work involved. You will be informed of the point values prior to each assignment. The total number of the points that you earn will be divided by the total possible points for each assignment. This is how I will calculate your grade for the quarter. Most of you should be used to this system as many teachers at CCHS use it, but we’ll do an example in class together.