10 CP English Description This year-long course will be broken into several units. Significant tasks that focus on reading and/or writing are listed for each unit. Course Standards and Targets Read and comprehend literature with teacher support. Develop reading and critical thinking skills necessary for high school. Develop the capacity for efficient communication both orally and in writing. Increase vocabulary appreciation and application in writing and oral communication. Syllabus Getting Started Class Introduction Expectations and policies Getting familiar with text, dictionaries, and thesauri Justice “What constitutes justice?” Reading “Prisoner Who Wore Glasses” 12 Angry Men “Witness for the Prosecution” “A Sound of Thunder” Writing Time Machine Brochure-persuasive writing Courage “What are you capable of?” Reading “Man in the water” “House Taken Over” (Create House Plans) “On a Rainy River” Rudy (General vs. Specific examples) “Courage” poem by Anne Sexton Writing “Gonna Be a Bear” creative writing Expository essay “Courage” prompt Tradegy “Downfall of characters” Reading “The Interlopers” “And of Clay we are Created” Oedipus Antigone The Pearl by John Steinbeck Writing Script writing-styles of writing Persuasive Essay-“What leads to the downfall of people?” News report-writing for a specific purpose Human Nature “Why do people do what they do?” Reading Poetry-focus on Literary Devices “After The Ball” “Cranes” from Kaffir Boy “Blue Winds Dancing” Writing Expository essay “Defining a person” Childhood Memories “Perceptions are different from reality” Reading “Games at Twilight” “Two Kinds” “The Teacher who Changed My Life” Writing Persuasive Writing “Perception vs. reality” The Mythology of King Arthur Reading “The Crowning of Arthur” “Sir Lancelot du Lake” “The Noble Acts of King Arthur’s Knights” Writing Article writing Shakespeare “Power and influence” Reading Julius Caesar Writing Persuasive Essay “Origination of power” Research Writing Research Paper aligned with the Common Core State Standards Vocabulary will be included throughout the year. There will be ten new words given per week with a quiz every Friday. A Unit test will follow every six weeks. Essays will be evaluated in a manner similar to a HSPE writing response. Several HSPE-like reading assessments will also be connected to selected literary text to best prepare students for the High School Proficiency Exams. Students will work on spelling and grammar also to build proficiency in writing. Policies and Expectations The purpose of education is to prepare students for their future. To this end, I must be allowed to teach and students must be allowed to learn. Therefore, the climate of this classroom must be one of mutual respect so all of us can do our jobs. Respect is not an easy quality to define; however, there are some behaviors that are necessary in order for this respectful climate to occur. Specifically, these behaviors include: Use common sense and courtesy in treatment of others Use school appropriate language in the room and in all assignments and activities…inappropriate material in assignments will not be accepted and will result in no credit for the assignment Create original work…plagiarism or cheating at any level is unacceptable. CHS has a site license to Turnitin; written work will be submitted to this site. Detected plagiarism will be subjected to CHS policies and student will receive no credit for the plagiarized work. Participate in class and present poems aloud Communicate with me; plan ahead and let me know if problems arise Follow CHS guidelines Daily Expectations Arrive on time Be prepared with the proper materials Come to class with a positive attitude Tardy Policy 1st and 2nd tardy, you will be notified. 3rd tardy, you will be referred to the office and further consequences will be given as necessary. Late/Make-up work Assignments and activities will be due at the end of the period in which they are assigned. If extra time is needed, the assignment can be completed at home and returned the next day. Projects or written assessments will be given a due date. Assessments turned in past the due date will be penalized one letter grade and accepted no more than two days past the due date. If the assignment is to be given orally, students must be prepared on the day it is due…no past due date assignments will be accepted. Absences Students gone for pre-excused or school activities should make arrangements to complete work ahead of the absence or as arranged by me. If there is a project of written assessment due during the absence, students must submit work on or before the due date regardless of whether they will be in class. Turning in an assignment/project late if the absence was pre-excused or known about ahead of time will result in a penalty. Grading Grade is based on a point system. Points are given for assignments and assessments and all points will be added together at the end of the semester to determine the student’s final percentage and grade. I do not average quarter grades; grades are based on a percentage determined by the points accumulated during the grading period. Grading Scale: 92-100% A 73-77% C 90-91% A70-72% C88-89% B+ 68-69% D+ 83-87% B 60-67% D 80-82% B0-59% F 78-79% C+