ENGLISH 2 – A (2015-2016)
TTH 9:05-10:25, F 9:51-10:31 – ROOM 208
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION: Bethany Johnson
Email: bjohnson@fletcheracademy.com
Cell Phone: (828) 606-4915
Office Hours: M-F 10:30am-11:50am, M-TH 2:30pm-3:40pm
Office Phone: (828) 209-6834
MATERIALS NEEDED: Students MUST have all textbooks and class supplies by the end of the first two weeks of
school. After this time, no homework missed because of lack of supplies will be accepted, and no copies of
workbooks will be accepted.
TEXTBOOKS: English 3200, Wordly Wise 3000: Book 10, To Kill a Mockingbird, A Thousand Shall Fall, Cyrano De
Bergerac
OPTIONAL TEXTBOOKS (Extra credit): I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai, The 5 Love Languages Singles Edition
by Dr. Gary Chapman
OTHER: 1 or 1½ inch 3-ring binder (ONLY these sizes), 5 tab dividers for binder, Lined composition book (MUST
have 100 pages), 3x5 index cards
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Class Purpose: The purpose of this class is to facilitate the development of students into critical thinkers who are
prepared for higher education in this life and through eternity by…
1. Enabling them to communicate properly and effectively in Standard English through verbal, written, and
multi-media expression
2. Guiding them in the acquisition of skills, techniques, and strategies needed to comprehend and interpret
the written word
3. Encouraging them to use Bible-based criteria in evaluating media, text, and other information in light of
current events and the Great Controversy
4. Creating a safe environment where respect, responsibility, and self-discipline are fostered
5. Helping them form solid, Biblically-based ethical standards which allow them to value integrity and service
as disciples who have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ and are committed to the Seventh-day
Adventist Church
Specific Class Goals: Students will…
1. Demonstrate the ability to interpret, analyze, and answer questions about various genres of fiction and
non-fiction literature
1. Engage in a broad selection of reading outside the classroom
2. Demonstrate the ability to effectively write a variety of creative and expository compositions in Standard
English with appropriate mechanics and usage
3. Evaluate media in the form of advertisements & online sources
4. Demonstrate the ability to participate in quality smaller scale research
5. Expand their vocabulary
6. Improve their understanding of foundational grammar & usage concepts
7. Demonstrate the use of skills that will prepare them for success in high school & future education/careers
8. Engage in a wide variety of formal and informal communication
9. Memorize & recite meaningful selections of literature
10. Maintain & defend a portfolio that evidences growth & mastery of goals in the English content area
SYLLABUS:
Students are responsible for knowing all information in the syllabus, following guidelines and procedures, checking
due dates of homework/assignments, and are expected to turn in work on time. Consider this syllabus a contract
between the teacher and the students.
ENGLISH 2 – B (2015-2016)
TTH 7:40-9:00, F 8:23-9:03 – ROOM 208
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION: Bethany Johnson
Email: bjohnson@fletcheracademy.com
Cell Phone: (828) 606-4915
Office Hours: M-F 10:30am-11:50am, M-TH 2:30pm-3:40pm
Office Phone: (828) 209-6834
MATERIALS NEEDED: Students MUST have all textbooks and class supplies by the end of the first two weeks of
school. After this time, no homework missed because of lack of supplies will be accepted, and no copies of
workbooks will be accepted.
TEXTBOOKS: English 3200, Wordly Wise 3000: Book 10, To Kill a Mockingbird, A Thousand Shall Fall, Cyrano De
Bergerac
OPTIONAL TEXTBOOKS (Extra credit): I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai, The 5 Love Languages Singles Edition
by Dr. Gary Chapman
OTHER: 1 or 1½ inch 3-ring binder (ONLY these sizes), 5 tab dividers for binder, Lined composition book (MUST
have 100 pages), 3x5 index cards
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Class Purpose: The purpose of this class is to facilitate the development of students into critical thinkers who are
prepared for higher education in this life and through eternity by…
1. Enabling them to communicate properly and effectively in Standard English through verbal, written, and
multi-media expression
2. Guiding them in the acquisition of skills, techniques, and strategies needed to comprehend and interpret
the written word
3. Encouraging them to use Bible-based criteria in evaluating media, text, and other information in light of
current events and the Great Controversy
4. Creating a safe environment where respect, responsibility, and self-discipline are fostered
5. Helping them form solid, Biblically-based ethical standards which allow them to value integrity and service
as disciples who have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ and are committed to the Seventh-day
Adventist Church
Specific Class Goals: Students will…
1. Demonstrate the ability to interpret, analyze, and answer questions about various genres of fiction and
non-fiction literature
2. Engage in a broad selection of reading outside the classroom
3. Demonstrate the ability to effectively write a variety of creative and expository compositions in Standard
English with appropriate mechanics and usage
4. Evaluate media in the form of advertisements & online sources
5. Demonstrate the ability to participate in quality smaller scale research
6. Expand their vocabulary
7. Improve their understanding of foundational grammar & usage concepts
8. Demonstrate the use of skills that will prepare them for success in high school & future education/careers
9. Engage in a wide variety of formal and informal communication
10. Memorize & recite meaningful selections of literature
11. Maintain & defend a portfolio that evidences growth & mastery of goals in the English content area
SYLLABUS:
Students are responsible for knowing all information in the syllabus, following guidelines and procedures, checking
due dates of homework/assignments, and are expected to turn in work on time. Consider this syllabus a contract
between the teacher and the students.
ATTENDANCE
Every student is expected to meet state & school required attendance guidelines as outlined in the Student Handbook
(p. 17-21 ). If the teacher is late to class, students CANNOT dismiss themselves. Students must wait 10 minutes in the
classroom. If the teacher still hasn’t arrived, then one student from the class should go to the academy office to notify
Administration and then return to the classroom with a staff member until further notice. Students who leave without
being dismissed will be counted absent, even if the teacher is tardy.
Mrs. Johnson’s Policies:
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
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Students who come unprepared to class and must leave to get homework/textbooks or who must leave
to change into a proper uniform will be marked tardy.
Students who are late from in-class breaks or who leave class without permission will be marked
tardy/absent depending on how long they are gone.
Students who fall asleep, or appear to be asleep, in class will be marked “Present Sleeping,” which will
cause a loss of attendance points.
Tests, quizzes, and assignments missed because of an unexcused tardy/absence will receive a zero &
cannot be made up! This includes work missed when an out of uniform student is sent to change.
LATE WORK
Homework missed due to an excused absence can be made up on the student’s return to school. Make-up provisions
vary depending on the type of excused absence. Late work will not be accepted after two weeks from when the student
returns to class. It is the responsibility of the student to check with each teacher and arrange for turning in missed
assignments.
When students miss class(es) for school-sponsored trips, assignments are due the next class period upon the
student’s return from the trip.
At the start of the school year, all unexcused late homework will receive 25 percentage points off for each school day
it is late until September 1. From September 1, unexcused late school work will receive zero (0) points.
Mrs. Johnson’s Policies:
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


Homework will be posted on RenWeb and/or the classroom board, and it is the responsibility of the
students to check it and keep up with it.
Students must fill out a Missing Homework Sheet for any missing assignments 1.) in class on the day
unexcused late assignments are due 2.) before the student leaves for a pre-arranged absence 3.) or the
day the student returns from an unplanned, excused absence. These sheets are worth points, and
students will receive a zero if a sheet is not filled out for missing work.
Any homework turned in after I call for it and collect it from the rest of the class is considered late and
will receive no credit, even if it is turned in by the end of that class period.
Unless otherwise announced, I do not accept early homework before the due date.
SCHOOL DRESS
All students are expected to be within the dress code (as outlined in the Student Handbook p. 28-31) when they begin
their first day of school. All school attire must be purchased from the school designated supplier. According to school
policy, students violating the dress code will receive a referral and may be sent to change; this includes wearing nonFletcher outerwear.
CHEATING
Cheating is a form of dishonesty that will not be tolerated. Cheating may include, but is not limited to:
 Copying from any assignment, quiz, or test, or
 Claiming papers from another person as your own.
providing your work for someone else to copy.
 Plagiarizing any printed or online material (using
material without proper documentation).
 Using notes of any kind during quizzes, tests, or
exams except by permission of the teacher.
 Possession of teacher's edition textbooks for any
class (which will be treated as a second offence).
 Communicating with another student through any
means during quizzes, tests, or exams.
Cheating may result in:
First Offense during the school year
• Teacher-student-parent consultation with administration
• A zero for the assignment(s)
Second Offense during the school year
• The previous, plus loss of academic credit for the
class the cheating happened in
EXAM PERMITS
Exam permits are required before a student may take semester examinations. Exam permits will not be issued unless
the student’s account and any fines are paid in full.
Mrs. Johnson’s Policies:
•
•
•
•
Students who still have books checked out from my classroom library or who still have classroom copies
of books will either have to pay a fine for each book or return the book.
Students who lose or damage a classroom camera/camera equipment will be charged a fine. Fines also
may be required for students who return the cameras late.
Students who write on classroom desks or deface the desks in any way will be charged a $20.00 fine.
Students may also be required to clean all the desks or be given a referral for multiple offences.
Students who sign up for more than 1 turnitin.com account will be charged a $50 fine
GRADE REPORTS
Fletcher Academy utilizes an internet service (www.RenWeb.com) which allows parents and students to monitor
progress in every class on a regular basis. This site is used by administration and teachers to keep the students and
parents informed of classroom procedures, assignments, and supplemental materials.
GRADE CRITERIA: The following is the school-wide grading system:
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
D-
4.00
3.67
3.34
3.00
2.67
2.34
2.00
1.67
1.34
1.00
0.67
94-100
90-93
87-89
83-86
80-82
77-79
73-76
70-72
67-69
63-66
60-62
Excellent
Above Average
Average
Below Average
F
0.00
0-59
Unsatisfactory
I
0.00
0
Incomplete
Mrs. Johnson’s Grade Categories
Daily Class Work & Projects
Homework
Quizzes
Tests
Special Projects
Final Exam
20%
15%
15%
15%
10%
25%
CELL PHONES
The use of cell phones in any way is not permitted during school hours in the ad building. Students seen using
cell phones during this time will have their phones taken according to school policy in the Student Handbook p. 25.
Mrs. Johnson’s Policies:
 Students are not to have their cell phones in the classroom. Any cell phone that needs to be in the
classroom must be left in the bowl at the front of the room. Any cell phones seen or heard anywhere in
the classroom will be taken according to school policy.
 The use of any other technology & electronics without teacher permission is not permitted.
IN-CLASS BREAKS
Students will not be allowed to take bathroom breaks during class time except when given permission in the
case of an emergency. The time in-between classes or in-class breaks should be used wisely for bathroom needs. If
students cause disruptions during in-class breaks, breaks will be taken away.
GUM/FOOD
Gum, food, and drinks (other than water) are not permitted in the classroom unless the teacher says otherwise.
CLASSROOM GRADE CATEGORIES
Tests: 15 % of Grade
Most tests will only cover materials since the last test; however, some comprehensive tests may be given. Each
student may retake any ONE written test of his or her choice per school year.
Quizzes: 15 % of Grade
Students will be quizzed over every reading assignment, and other quizzes will be announced. 1-2 of each
student’s lowest quiz scores will be dropped per semester (Number dropped depends on number of quizzes given).
Daily Class Work & Projects: 20% of Grade
Daily Participation: Participation is more than just physically being in class; it means that students come to
class prepared, on time, and are actively participating in the class activities. The Daily Participation Grade will be
recorded every few weeks, and students will start with a clean slate each time. A more detailed description of the
Daily Participation grade requirements will be given in a separate handout.
D.E.A.R Time: Frequently, students will be given time to read their Outside Reading books in class. This time can
only be spent in reading, not working on classwork or homework. Students should always bring a book to read
with them to every class. Students will be graded on bringing their book(s) every class period and quietly
reading. Students must complete one book each month. On the last day of the month they will fill out a One-Pager
in class over their book.
In-Class Activities: Students will be given activities or assignments to complete, often in groups, during class
time. Students will be graded on participation, correctly completing their task, and team work.
Interactive Student Notebooks (ISN): Students will maintain a composition journal that contains bellwork
(task on the board at start of class) & class notes. Students will be graded on quality of work/notes and creatively
using different formats, sensory preference tools, and color to make their notebook an effective study guide.
Outside Reading Projects: Each quarter, students will prepare a project & presentation over a book from an
assigned genre. All projects must be over books on the Approved Outside Reading List.
Other Projects: All other projects will be announced and explained in detail at the appropriate times.
Homework: 15% of Grade
Reading: Students will be assigned reading from various genres of literature, articles, handouts, and online
resources. Students are expected to come to class having read the assignment for the day and should be prepared
to discuss the reading and answer questions about it.
Article of the Week: Every other week, students will do an in depth reading of one current events article and
complete an assignment on their article, due Fridays we do not have vocab tests. Sometimes I will select the
article, and other times students may choose the article themselves.
Writing: Students will be assigned many different types of writing assignments. All major writing assignments
must be turned in to turnitin.com by midnight on the day of their due date. Papers that have not been turned in
to turnitin.com will not be graded and will receive a zero.
Grammar & Vocab: Various grammar/vocab activities will be done together in class, but worksheets or
exercises will also be assigned as homework. Each vocab lesson will take two weeks to cover, and students
should expect a vocab lesson as homework each class period and a test every other Friday.
Special Projects: 10% of Grade
o Freshman: Grammar Bee
o
Sophomore: Biology Research Paper
o
Senior: Research Project
Final Exam: 25% of Grade
Portfolios: Students will maintain a 3-ring binder that contains handouts, returned classwork, writing practices,
class learning goals, evidence that student has met class learning goals, and student self-evaluations/reflections.
Portfolios will have and initial, midway, and final grading check each semester to guide students’ progress. The
initial check grade will be entered under the Daily Work & Projects category, but the midway & final checks will be
entered under the Final Exam category. Students are free to take their portfolios out of the classroom as long as they
bring them back each class period and leave them during announced grading checks.
Scheduled Final Exams: Students will give a presentation in which they showcase & defend their portfolio and
their growth over the semester to a panel of the teacher and their classmates.
Freshman: Students will take a written final exam over grammar concepts at the end of each semester instead of
giving a portfolio presentation.
Extra Credit: Up to +5%
If a student has done poorly on an assignment or made a mistake that has affected his/her grade, that student
has a chance to earn back points by showing mastery of English content or classroom values in other ways.
However, students should not count on extra credit for keeping a good grade in the class. Extra Credit options are:
 Demonstrating quick mastery in class activities & games for varied extra credit points.
 Having an original piece of writing published during the school year by a legitimate publishing source for up to
5% extra credit.
 Reading one of the teacher-selected extra credit books & completing the written assignment with it for up to
3% extra credit. You may read one book each semester, & this book cannot count as an O.R. book.
 Never falling asleep in class for 1% extra credit.
 Finding & showing me corrected grammatical or spelling errors, 20 errors = 1% extra credit —Only spelling
errors will be accepted from whiteboards. Students may take non-disruptive pictures of errors (signs,
PowerPoints, etc.) to show me later, but I will not be accepting errors from text messages or notes from other
people (including teachers) that verify students have found an error.
STRATEGIES FOR STUDENT SUCCESS:
• Communicate with the teacher! I will do my best to work with students who communicate with me IN
ADVANCE if they have an emergency that interferes with their ability to do their homework. You can always
call or text me before 10pm or email me after 10pm the night before if needed.
• Tell the teacher if you are struggling. I want to meet each student’s needs, but I may not know you need help
unless you tell me.
• Come prepared to participate in class. Bring paper, a writing utensil, all textbooks, an O.R. book, & your
portfolio each day unless told otherwise.
• Follow instructions & be responsible. Ask questions if you are not sure what’s expected of you, and be
proactive about getting what you need to done. Don’t make excuses.
• Turn your work in on time. Zeroes for late work will really hurt your grade.
COURSE SCHEDULE:
1st Quarter
· A Thousand Shall Fall &
Selected Short Stories
· Paragraph Review
· Vocab Lessons 1-3
· Grammar Lessons 21-23
2nd Quarter
· Cyrano de Bergerac
· Lit Response 5
Paragraph Essay
· Vocab 4-7
· Grammar 24-28
3rd Quarter
· To Kill a Mockingbird
· MLA Research Paper
· Vocab 8-11
· Grammar 29-35
4th Quarter
· To Kill a Mockingbird &
Selected Poetry
· Poetry
· Vocab 12-15
· Grammar 35-40