Mater Lakes Academy Middle/High School
A Miami Dade County Public Charter School
“Home of the Bears”
17300 NW 87 th Avenue
Miami, FL 33018 (305) 512-3917
______________________________________________________________________________________
Ms. Kathleen E. Wile
9th Grade English 1
Room 130
Dear Parents and Students,
Welcome to Mater Lakes Academy! My name is Kathleen Wile and I am very excited to be your child’s 9th grade English 1 teacher. This is my second year teaching at Mater Lakes Academy.
Prior to this point I taught in both Immokalee, Florida and Charlotte, North Carolina. Since I was young, I have always loved reading and the English language. I was inspired by my senior
English teacher in high school to share that love with others. I graduated from Queens University of Charlotte with a Bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Education. Since then, I have enrolled in several classes in order to gain a specialization in both reading, and exceptional student education. I am currently certified to teach Secondary Education (grades 6-12).
GENERAL PROCEDURES
In order to succeed in this class, each student should know what is expected of them. The following are responsibilities that will guarantee a great year. Each student must have PRIDE:

Perseverance:
Always try your hardest in class. This means coming prepared with all materials , never cheating , and never replying with "I don't know" as an answer. If you don't think you know an answer, take a guess. The worst you can be is wrong.

Respect: o Respect others and yourself. Keep your hands to yourself and away from others. Think before you speak.
Racial slurs or bullying comments will not be tolerated in this class and will result in severe consequences.

Involvement: o Participation will be a grade that each student receives at the end of the year.
Students are expected to listen and respond to the teacher and classmates at all times. o During group assignments, students must share the work and will evaluate each other's performances.

Discipline : o Follow all school rules. o Come dressed in uniform every day. o No food or electronics will be allowed in class. o No cheating is allowed! If you are caught cheating, you will receive a 0 on the assignment and you will be asked to stay after school on a Wednesday to redo it in front of me. You will receive a new score for the redo alone.

Enthusiasm:

o When Ms. Wile makes a request of you, you are to do it immediately. o Be active in following all Ms. Wile's and the school rules.
On the first day of school, each student will be randomly assigned to a “house” for which they will earn and lose points for the school year. At the end of each quarter, the “house” with the most points will receive a prize! Students earn points for their house
TARDIES
Tardies will result in a lower conduct/academic grade. If students are tardy in my class, it is their responsibility to either speak with me or another responsible classmate to obtain any missed assignments or notes. Copies of all handouts will be kept in the front of the room and updated each week. After an excessive amount of tardies in my class, there will be a call home, a responsibility paper or if applicable, a detention may be assigned.
ABSENCES
All assignments are expected to be handed in and completed ON TIME , however, if you miss school for an excused reason, you must obtain a pass from the main office and make sure that all your teachers sign it in the designated area. Once that official pass is received, you will be expected to catch up on all assignments missed while you were out. Make-up work should be completed no later than a week after the absence occurred. A “Z” will appear on the grade book until I have received the assignment.
Students have 48 hours from the time they return to school from their absence to “excuse” their absence with the main office. Failure to do so will result in an unexcused absence and in this case, students are not allowed to make up the work. It is imperative you understand the importance in being present in class at all time, because as noted, it directly affects your grade not only in my class, but in all other courses as well.
*Please look to the Parent Contract for information on the school’s policies regarding
“excused” and “unexcused” absences and tardies, along with any additional rules or details that may be of interest to you.
UNEXCUSED LATE WORK
During the school year, no late work will be accepted. Students will receive a “Z” in the grade book for every missed assignment in my class.
HOME LEARNING
Homework will be given on a regular basis and it is expected to be placed in the “Inbox” the next time the class meets, at the very beginning of class . Any homework turned in after class has begun will be considered late. Homework is always thoroughly explained and clearly written on the “homework board” at the very front of the classroom. Students are encouraged to write down their homework in an agenda, but if they fail to do so, they can always view the homework on our website, materlakes.org. Homework is updated on a daily basis and at times, students will be required to print out certain handouts from the site in order to complete an assignment .
Class or school announcements along with important parent/student information will also be posted on the website. I encourage parents and students to access the website routinely as it is a great tool to use.
NO NAME WORK
Students who turn in assignments (homework/classwork/quiz/test) and fail to write their name will not be given credit for their work. All “no name” assignments will be placed in a bin titled
“no name work” until the ending of that particular quarter. If by the ending of the semester, no student claims their work, assignments will be discarded.
HALL PASSES

At the beginning of every quarter, every student will be assigned a set of hall passes (3 in total).
These can be used to go to the restroom or drink water. When students want to exit the classroom,
I will remove the pass and I will sign one off. Students are only allowed to use the bathroom/drink water three times throughout the given quarter. Once students have used all three hall passes, they may borrow one from another classmate or use the restroom in another class/period, but they must have a pass available to exit my classroom. If students do not use a certain amount of passes, they can use them towards extra credit at the end of the quarter. I will announce the date hall passes must be submitted in order to receive the credit. Listed below are the extra credit opportunities students have with the passes:
-If all three hall passes are left at the end of the quarter, the student’s house will receive
5 additional points.
SPRINGBOARD CURRICULUM
Mater Lakes Academy is continuing our commitment to college and career readiness through a partnership with the CollegeBoard. As a component of this partnership, students will be using the
“Official Pre-AP Program” known as SpringBoard in their Language Arts classroom.
SpringBoard offers engaging and relevant lessons that teach students proven learning strategies that emphasize higher-order thinking skills, challenging them to aim higher and achieve more. I encourage you to take an active role in your child’s participation in SpringBoard so that you can support and monitor his/her progress along the way. You will see your child grow in his/her ability to apply and communicate concepts - qualities that are transferable to other subject areas and to real-world situations. With both SpringBoard and your support, your child has the potential to realize a very bright future.
SPRINBGOARD TEXTBOOK
At the beginning of the academic year, Springboard books will be distributed to students during class time. Upon distribution, students will be asked to sign a sheet verifying that they received their book and their names will be clearly written on the margin of the book. Books will stay in
Room 130 . Book are consumable, so students are allowed to write on them. At the ending of the year, I will recollect the books. If the child’s book is lost/stolen, they must see me and I will provide them with a financial obligation form. That form indicates that the student lost or misplaced a school resource and I am authorizing them to purchase another one. They must purchase a new Springboard book at the school library for $15.00. Failure to purchase a new book will impact their academic performance in my class.
Lesson Essential Question
Every day, the students will see the "lesson essential question" or "LEQ" on the white board.
These questions are created as higher order thinking questions to check student understanding of each day's lesson. At the end of class each day, as an exit slip, students will be required to answer the LEQ in their notebooks. These will be checked by Ms. Wile each Friday for 10% of the student's overall grade.
ASSESSMENTS
There will be a variety of assessment tools that will be used throughout the year, which include teacher observations, conferencing, projects, quizzes, and tests. Projects, quizzes, and tests are important to use in the classroom setting because it allows me as the teacher to see what are my students strengths and weaknesses. These form of assessments will be assigned on a regular basis and students will be given ample time to prepare. At times, however, I may assign students a pop quiz to ensure that they have understood the material and are well prepared for class.
Announcements concerning projects, quizzes, or tests will be available on our homework board and on our website, materlakes.org.

CLASSROOM RULES
1.
Enter class in complete uniform.
2.
Be seated and ready to work when the bell rings.
3.
Raise your hand and be acknowledged prior to speaking.
4.
Bring all supplies daily.
5.
Bring homework daily.
6.
Treat teacher and fellow students with respect.
7.
Cell phones are to be turned off and put away at all times.
8.
No gum, food, or drinks allowed in classroom.
CONSEQUENCES FOR BREAKING CLASSROOM RULES
1.
Verbal Warning/ Teacher-student conference
2.
PRIDE Paper
3.
Parent contact
4.
Detention
5.
Referral
6.
Indoor/outdoor suspension
CATEGORIES FOR GRADES
Bell Ringers and Lesson Essential
Questions: 10%
Homework: 10%
Classwork/Springboard work: 20%
Tests/Projects: 40%
Quizzes: 20%
ACADEMIC GRADING SCALE
A: 3.5-4.0
B: 2.5-3.4
C: 1.5-2.4
D: 1-1.4
F: Below 1
CONDUCT GRADING SCALE
A: 0-2 warnings
B: 3-5 warnings
C: 6 warnings
D: 7-9 warnings
F: 10 or more warnings
EFFORT GRADING SCALE
1: Outstanding Effort
2: Satisfactory Effort
3: Insufficient Effort
MATERIALS REQUIRED

3 ring binder with pockets for homework and handouts

(1) Mead 3 subject spiral notebook o Bell Ringers/LEQs/notes

(2) Red pens


(3) Highlighters
Pencils

Loose Leaf Paper
Syllabus- 9th Grade Language Arts
Reading Materials and Goals Quarter Assessments Quarter Standards
1 CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.RL.9-10.1
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.RL.9-10.2
CCSS.ELA-
Summer Reading- To Kill a Mockingbird
Springboard Literature Selections:
“Fire and Ice”-Robert Frost

Imagery and Symbols
Novel Test/Project
Digital Scrapbook:
Instructions below http://www.penguin.com.au/ educationcentre/pdf/teachers
Literacy.RL.9-10.3
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.RL.9-10.4
“The Gift of the Maji”- O. Henry
_notes/PDF/978014356759
2.pdf

2
3
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.RL.9-10.5
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.RL.9-10.7
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.W.9-10.3
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.W.9-10.3.a
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.W.9-10.3.b
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.W.9-10.3.c
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.W.9-10.3.d
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.W.9-10.3.e

Irony
“The Stolen Party”- Liliana Heker

Dialogue, Plot
“The Cask of Amontillado”- Edgar Allen Poe

Irony, Characterization
Other Selections:
“How to Become a Writer”- Lorrie Moore

Point of view
“Lamb to the Slaughter”- Roahl Dahl

Symbolism, Theme, Pacing
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.RL.9-10.4
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.RL.9-10.6
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.RI.9-10.1
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.RI.9-10.2
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.RI.9-10.3
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.RI.9-10.4
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.RI.9-10.5
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.RI.9-10.6
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.W.9-10.1
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.W.9-10.1.a
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.W.9-10.1.b
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.W.9-10.1.c
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.W.9-10.1.e
In the Time of the Butterflies-Julia Alvarez
Springboard Selections
“Remarks by the President in a National Address to
America’s Schoolchildren”- Barack Obama

Rhetorical Appeals
“An Early Start on College” – Star Tribune
“Why College Isn’t for Everyone” – Richard Vedder
“Actually, College is Very Much Worth It”- Andrew
Rotherham

Audience, Claims, Reasoning
Photographs of southern life from the 1930s to the
1960s.
“Jim Crow: Shorthand for Separation”- Rick
Edmonds
“Letter from Birmingham Jail”-Martin Luther King
Junior

Context, Research
Other Selections:
Various commercials and PSAs.
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.RL.9-10.9
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.W.9-10.2
Romeo and Juliet- William Shakespeare
Springboard Selections:
“Nicki Rosa” – Nikki Giovanni
“We Real Cool”- Gwendolyn Brooks
“Ego Tripping” – Nikki Giovanni
End of Quarter Test
Each student will write a short story using the following writing techniques: a theme chosen by the teacher, flashbacks, parallel plots, complex characters including a narrator, well-chosen details, dialogue, logical pacing, , sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and a conclusion.
*Pop Quizzes and scheduled quizzes will be given on both grammar and vocabulary.
Research the era in which In the Time of the Butterflies is set. Prepare a multimedia presentation for the class about a certain topic within that era. Students must follow the proper process for research as well as find a creative and interactive method in which to present this to the class.
Quarter Test
Prepare and write a research paper on a controversial modern issue of your choice using a specific perspective as well as following all steps of research including pre-planning, drafting, revising, and presentation.
*Pop Quizzes and scheduled quizzes will be given on both grammar and vocabulary.
Novel Test/Project
Create a modern film interpretation of an important scene in Romeo and Juliet. It must contain:

4
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.W.9-10.5
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.W.9-10.6
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.W.9-10.7
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.W.9-10.8
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.W.9-10.9
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.W.9-10.9.a
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.W.9-10.9.b
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.SL.9-
10.1.d
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.SL.9-10.2
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.SL.9-10.3
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.RI.9-10.7
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Literacy.RI.9-10.8
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.W.9-10.2.a
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.W.9-10.2.b
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.W.9-10.2.c
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.W.9-10.2.d
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.W.9-10.2.e
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.W.9-10.2.f
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.SL.9-10.1
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.SL.9-
10.1.a
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.SL.9-
10.1.b
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.SL.9-
10.1.c
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.SL.9-10.4
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.SL.9-10.5
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.SL.9-10.6
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.W.9-10.4
“Sonnet 18” – William Shakespeare
Tim Burton Mini-Unit
Other Selections:
“We Grow Accustomed to the Dark” – Emily
Dickingson
Assorted Natasha Tretheway poems
“ Royals” – Lorde
“Bring Me Down” – Kanye West ft. Brandy
“Rolling in the Deep” – Adele
West Side Story
Assorted Selections -
Springboard Selections
Tim Burton Mini-Unit
Various poetry selections
Other Selections
Weekly articles about current political events from major news outlets.
1.
Allusions
2.
Literary Devices
3.
An informational essay analyzing these elements in the novel as well as the historical references given by
Shakespeare and why they are significant.
Quarter Test
Write an informational essay analyzing one of three short stories or poems assigned by Ms. Wile during the quarter. Analysis must include theme, literary devices, allusion, syntax, diction, etc.
*Pop Quizzes and scheduled quizzes will be given on both grammar and vocabulary.
Novel Test/Project

CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.RI.9-10.9
I encourage you to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Feel free to call our main office at 305-512-3917 or you can also e-mail, which is the most effective way to get in contact with me. My email will be on the school website. I am looking forward to working with you and your child. Remember, communication is the key to a great parent-teacher relationship.
Sincerely,
Ms. Kathleen Wile
Ms. Kathleen Wile
_____________________________________________________________________________
*REMEMBER*
Please sign the attached form, stating that you have read and understand the terms of this letter/contract.
THANK YOU