Mr. Nottingham
English III is a literature based college preparatory course, chronologically designed to
cover the literature of American authors within the historical context. The course begins
with Native American literature and culminates with contemporary American writers.
The genres covered include poetry, the short story, drama, the novel, and the memoir.
Analytical take home essays, as well as timed essays, a formal research paper, grammar,
SAT vocabulary, and technology are integrated to structure a thorough college
preparatory curriculum.
Texts to be used: The Language of Literature, McDougal Little
Elements of Language, Holt, Rinehart, and Winston
SAT Hot Words
The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, Douglass
Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ,Williams
One flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Kesey
The Crucible, Arthur Miller
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot
Exit Level Skills:
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Analyze and interpret samples of superior writing by identifying and explaining an author’s use of
rhetorical strategies and techniques.
Apply effective strategies and techniques in their own writing.
Create and sustain arguments based on readings, research, and personal experience.
Demonstrate understanding and mastery of standard written English, as well as a stylistic
maturity in compositions.
Write in a variety of genres and contexts, both formal and informal, employing appropriate
conventions.
Move effectively through the stages of the writing process with careful attention to inquiry and
research, drafting, revising, editing, and review.
Mark, highlight, and annotate a text in order to discern patterns and relationships.
Policies and Procedures.
Late Work: All late work will receive a grade of 70 after first day if the work is done at an “A” level, no
questions asked. By the third day, the maximum score is 50. Students are given at least a week to plan
ahead for essays, so there is no excuse for a late paper whether you are absent on the due date or not.
Papers will be accepted on the due date until 3:30 P.M. by e-mail, if you are absent on the due date.
Assignments:
Essays
Tests
Quizzes
Daily work, homework, pop quizzes and timed essays
Plagiarism/Copyright Violation:
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As defined in Webster’s Dictionary, plagiarism is the offering of another’s artistic or literary
work as one’s own.
Plagiarism entails using another’s person’s work as your own, including copying from
resources without proper documentation, copying from the Internet, and copying another
student’s homework and/or other works. Also, please be sure that your parents, grandparents,
tutors, friends, and so on do not do your work for you.
The act of plagiarizing is both a moral and legal offense and will not be tolerated in this class.
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Any work that is not the original work of the student will receive a grade of “0” F. If you
copy work from another student, that student will also receive a grade of “0” F.
Copyright laws must also not be violated in any form (video, music, audio, and graphics).
While creating classroom presentations, students can not use music and videos that they have
illegally downloaded or copied.
Revision Policy:
Rationale: All strong writing requires revision or rethinking and rewriting. One of the best ways to learn is to
practice the art of revision through one-on-one conferences. Each one of you has writing problems, unique to your
piece, that require individualized instruction. Simply reading my comments on your paper will not ensure your
growth as a thinker and writer. So, I will accept all revisions, if you take the time to conference with me, and
average the grades.
The Process: Those students eligible to conference and revise are those who handed their papers in on time.
Those students may take the following steps to revise their work in order to improve:
1.
Schedule an individual writing conference to go over your current draft and discuss potential revisions.
2.
Rewrite and implement the discussed revision within one week from the conference date.
3.
Schedule one more conference to discuss your new draft. Be sure to bring your original draft.
4.
If necessary, rewrite and schedule another conference
I will discuss and grade rewrites only with you present - and NOT during class. If you simply revise
and resubmit the paper, I will not reassess it.
Note: If you schedule a writing conference appointment and
do not keep it, you may lose the opportunity to revise.
My e-mail address is mnotting@houstonisd.org. My conference period is A2, and I would be
happy to come early or stay after school for a scheduled conference.
Please review, sign, and return this form to Mr. Nottingham by the end of the first week.
Student signature ______________________________ date_______
Parent signature________________________________date_______