Patrick Henry High School
IB Prep 10
2006-2007
Mr. Compton
Room 214
Voicemail: 612-668-7690
E-mail: paul.compton@mpls.k12.mn.us
Course Description
IB Prep 10 English will engage students in a variety of skills intended to prepare students
for pursuit of the IB diploma or medallion in their junior and senior years. Instruction will
cover literary analysis techniques, writing skills, grammar, and public presentation skills.
Students will also be instructed in engaging texts as critical thinkers, considering multiple
points of view and contexts, and reaching conclusions based on available information.
Course Objectives
Students will learn:
1. academic terminology for reading, analyzing, and discussing fiction and
nonfiction.
2. note taking skills and strategies, focusing on the Dialectical Notebook form.
3. analytical strategies for finding individual meanings in texts from multiple
perspectives
4. to examine text independently as individuals and cooperatively in groups
5. to research, organize and present conclusions in oral presentations
6. to structure and write clear paragraphs and essays
Required Texts and Other Supplies
Novels and texts we will read this year:
The Color of Water by James McBride
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
The play, “MacBeth” by William Shakespeare
The play, “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” by William Shakespeare
Night by Elie Wiesel
1984 by George Orwell
The play “Antigone” by Sophocles
Various multicultural nonfiction selections, short stories, poems integrated into each unit
Students are encouraged to purchase some novels covered in the class. Personal copies
allow students to highlight, record questions, and make notes in these novels with no
repercussions for “damaging” the texts. Students will be informed which readings would
be to their advantage to own. Students are further encouraged to bookmark
http://www.dictionary.com on personal computers at home, or have an available
dictionary at home. A class set of dictionaries will be present in our classroom.
The following supplies are required for each student and should be present in class each
day:
• three-ring binder with pockets and loose-leaf paper and dividers
• pen or pencil for daily work
• highlighter
• student planner (absolutely necessary for hall passes)
• visible student ID
Assignments
• Major Assessments: 1 to 2 formal essays each quarter. Oral Presentation
Projects. Antigone essay. Persuasive essay. Shakespeare presentation/analysis/essay on
ambiguous language.
• Daily Assignments: Students will study and be tested on vocabulary. Students
will keep dialectic notebooks on materials read for class. Students will analyze and
present findings as individuals and in groups.
• Homework: Students will be responsible for reading assigned pages on nights
they are assigned. Nightly reading assignments will NOT be unwieldy and consequently
will be expected to be completed. Nightly reading assignments will be often accompanied
by guiding questions to be answered on loose leaf paper and turned in at the beginning of
the next day’s class. Student work MUST be completed on time. Late work will be
penalized heavily unless excused by a signed statement from parents or guardians.
Grading Policies
Components:
Citizenship (tardies, attendance, behavior, supplies)
Vocabulary Study and Quizzes
Grammar, Writing, Journaling
Tests and Quizzes
Final Exam
Grading Scale:
Please Note that it is a school policy that there are no A +’s.
94 =
A
90-93 =
A88-89 =
B+
84-87 =
B
80-83 =
B78-79 =
C+
74-77 =
C
70-73 =
C68-69 =
D+
64-67 =
D
60-63 =
D59.9 =
F
Class Policies:
• BE ON TIME: Students are expected to attend class every day class is held unless
excused by activities or parents/guardians. Students are expected to be in their seats when
the bell rings. Lingering in hallways and around the door is not acceptable. On most
days there will be a warm up to start on when students enter the room, and students will
be expected to begin working on it without prompting. Unexcused tardiness is strongly
discouraged. For the purposes of this class, 3 unexcused tardies will count as one
unexcused absence from the class, and will carry a point loss as well.
• BE PREPARED: Students will have their own materials, and have them ready to use
or turn in.
• BE POLITE: Students will be expected to raise hands and be called upon in order to
speak. Other students will be expected to listen carefully to their peers and consider their
input without interruption. Students will be expected to read instructions carefully and
fully before asking for assistance.
Academic Support: Opportunities for Extra Help
* After-School Tutorial: Mr. Compton will be available from 3:05-4:00 on Tuesdays for
after school tutorial sessions. Bus tokens will be available to students who need them.
* Communication: Students and parents needing to make contact with Mr. Compton can
do so by the following means.
* Voice mail: 612-668-7690.
* Email: paul.compton@mpls.k12.mn.us
Miscellany
* Planners and Passes: Students will receive a free planner at the beginning of the year.
Students are encouraged to use them to keep track of assignments and due dates. Students
MUST have a planner to use for hall passes for bathroom trips, etc. Students will be
granted 3 passes per quarter. If planners are lost, replacements are available for $3.
Passes will NOT be granted without a planner.
* Advisory Teacher: Advisory occurs weekly after 1st hour on Thursdays. Advisory
teachers will assist students in tracking completion of graduation requirements.
* Peer Support: Students are encouraged to work and find support amongst their peers.
Many students find it useful to find a formal “study buddy” that can act as a sounding
board for ideas, a source of information for missed assignments, and a cooperative
partner for exploring ideas and points of view. Students need only be sure NOT to
plagiarize or copy each other’s work.