English 1010 – 2013-14 Syllabus
“Writing today is not a frill for the few but an
essential skill for the many.”
– National Commission on Writing
Instructor: Emily Parrish
School: Granger High School, G210
Email: eparrish@graniteschools.org
Wikispace: http://grangerhigh-eparrish.wikispaces.com (Please bookmark this page)
Course Description:
English 1010 is the required college freshman composition course. In some schools, it may have a different
course number, but the purpose for the class is the same: to prepare you for the demands of college writing. You are
choosing to take this course while you are in high school, and you are to be commended for taking this on. You will
find that you are going to have to work harder than in any other high school English class, but you will also be glad
that you have taken this challenge on while you are still in high school.
Although college writing (and, indeed, any career or life-long writing tasks) has many formats, a few basic
elements run through all writing tasks, and we’ll be covering these this semester.
 RHETORICAL STRATEGIES: Any time you are faced with a writing task, you have a number of choices you
have to make: How long should my paper be? What will my audience already know about this topic? How
much evidence do I have to present? How should I organize my writing? Most of the time, you consider all of
your rhetorical strategies without really focusing on how complicated each choice is. So, we’re going to look at
these strategies in this class and figure out how to make writing work for you.
 CRITICAL THINKING PROCESSES: I often wonder how much time we spend thinking about how we think and
figure things out. I honestly don’t think that we think about thinking enough, and one of my favorite parts of
this class is focusing on the thinking processes that help us solve our problems, figure out an argument,
consider multiple points of view in an argument, and decide what to wear to school every day. Since writing is
one of the main ways we demonstrate our thinking, we have to include discussion of our thinking skills in a
writing class. In college, the ability to think critically while analyzing, synthesizing, summarizing, arguing, and
persuading is so important.
 COMPOSING PROCESSES: The composing skills fall in place with the rhetorical strategies, but they are a little
different. When you are assigned an essay, how do you figure out what to write about? How do you organize
it? How do you revise your writing? What makes an essay ready to be read by a larger audience (i.e. more
people than just your English teacher)? As with rhetorical strategies, if we figure out our own composing
processes, we can make our writing more efficient and meaningful.
 CONVENTIONS OF WRITING: Obviously, we can’t have a meaningful discussion of writing without
considering the grammar, mechanics, spelling, formatting, etc. etc. of writing. It wouldn’t be an English class if
we didn’t go at our writing with some red ink. But along with that comes the very real possibility that we might
construct better sentences and paragraphs. We might find better word choice and use our words correctly every
time.
All of these elements of writing are essential in creating meaningful written communication, and I am happy to
have the chance to work on these with you in this class this semester. As you can see, this is an ambitious set of goals.
If we’ve all done our work, at the end of this class you will be able to assess an assigned writing task, complete the
steps in the writing process to be successful at that task, produce well-written and thoughtful prose, assess your own
metacognitive process, and leap tall buildings in a single bound (super-hero outfit optional).
Concurrent Enrollment:
Within a concurrent enrollment program, you have an opportunity to take college-level classes while in high
school, something that brings both great benefit to you as well as increased responsibility. You are expected to conduct
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English 1010 – 2013-14 Syllabus
yourself as a college student in this class, and you need to take a college student’s responsibility for the course work,
especially the work load and the deadlines. It can be a little overwhelming. But when you finish this course, you will
have earned three college credits, and, more importantly, you will have completed the required class for all college
students, while still in high school. You’ll be ahead of the game once you start the next phase of your education next
year.
I have a responsibility to the college to make sure that this class is appropriately rigorous and a responsibility to
you to make sure that this class is appropriately relevant. The standards of “rigorous” and “relevant” guide most of the
class activities, and I’m hoping that learning what college instructors/professors expect from you once you start college
will be very beneficial to you. With all the benefits of taking concurrent enrollment classes, you will, I’m sure, be
thrilled to be here, but I also know that in your senior year of high school, a difficult class can become overwhelming.
So, I ask this: if you start to think about dropping the class or giving up on this opportunity, come and talk to me before
making any big decision. I want you to be successful here, and I’ll do what I can to help you.
So, welcome to the college-level.
SLCC General Education Statement:
This course is part of the General Education Program at Salt Lake Community College. It is designed not only
to teach the information and skills required by the discipline, but also to develop vital workplace skills and to teach
strategies and skills that can be used for life-long learning.
While the subject of each course is important and useful, we become truly educated through making
connections of such varied information with the different methods of organizing human experience that are practiced
by different disciplines. Therefore, this course, when combined with other General Education courses, will enable you
to develop broader perspectives and deeper understandings of your community and the world, as well as challenge
previously held assumptions about the world and its inhabitants. You will also explore a wide variety of topics with an
eye toward discovering new interests and uncovering new talents.
General Education courses teach basic skills as well as broaden a student’s knowledge of a wide range of
subjects. Education is much more than the acquisition of facts; it is being able to use information in meaningful ways in
order to enrich one’s life. General Education courses focus on communication, creativity, and critical thinking skills and
along with the substance of the course’s information, an appreciation of the esthetics of the area of study and its
connection to the larger social web.
This course fulfills the EN Composition requirement for General Education.
SLCC ePortfolio:
Each student in General Education courses at SLCC maintains a General Education ePortfolio. Instructors in
every Gen Ed course will ask you to put at least one assignment from the course into your ePortfolio, and accompany it
with reflective writing. It is a requirement in this class for you to add to your ePortfolio, and this syllabus details the
assignments and reflections you are to include. Your ePortfolio will allow you to include your educational goals,
describe your extracurricular activities, and post your resume. When you finish your time at SLCC, your ePortfolio will
then be a multi-media showcase of your educational experience.
For detailed information visit http://www.slcc.edu/gened/eportfolio.
After you have picked an ePortfolio platform, go to the corresponding help site to watch the tutorials and look
at the examples so you can get started on your own:
http://slcceportfolio.yolasite.com
http://slcceportfolio.wordpress.com
http://slcceportfolio.weebly.com
If you would like to start your ePortfolio in a computer lab with a person there to help you, sign up online for
one
of
the
free
workshops
at
the
Taylorsville-Redwood,
South,
and
Jordan
libraries:
http://libweb.slcc.edu/refilt/forms/eportfolio. You may also visit the ePortfolio Lab in the basement of the TaylorsvilleRedwood Library during business hours, and staff will help you without an appointment. Finally, questions regarding
the ePortfolio can be directed to eportfolio@slcc.edu.
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English 1010 – 2013-14 Syllabus
Admission Requirement:
In order to take this class in high school, you need to demonstrate that you can read. The college requires that
you have a score of 20 on the reading section of the ACT or that you have taken the CPT (Accu-placer) at SLCC and
received a score of 81 on the reading section. If you haven’t taken the ACT or gotten the required score, you MUST
take the Accuplacer. We will be giving the test at Granger. Please ask in the Career Center about when and where, and
if you have further questions, let me know. I’ll try to help, but there is only so much I can do.
Text and Materials:
 The Academic Writer: A Brief Guide, by Lisa Ede (The textbook, as all college textbooks, can be purchased at
the SLCC bookstore on campus.)
 A notebook for vocabulary and class notes
 A binder for your completed writing assignments and your portfolio
 Computer access
The Wiki:
In an effort to be a friend to the planet and an all-around better person, I am making the personal commitment
to reduce my paper consumption. I’ll post all assignments and instructions on the class Wiki-space (see the top of the
disclosure for the address).
But in order for this to work, you will have to do your part and bring a notebook to class for class notes and
instructions that I won’t be putting on the Wiki. You will, of course, need a notebook anyway for vocabulary study, and
it is better for you to write things down so that you can remember them.
Grading Scale:
As with most teachers, I give the highest grades to the students I like best. For the rest of the class, though, I
follow the grading scale below:
94% —100% =
90% — 93% =
87% — 89% =
83% — 86% =
80% — 82% =
77% — 79% =
Not turning in the
A
73% — 76%
A70% — 72%
B+
67% — 69%
B
63% — 66%
B60% — 62%
C+
Below 60%
required portfolio writing assignment:
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
C
CD+
D
DF
I
Grade Categories:
I divide the scores in this class into three categories for the purposes of grading:
Daily Work:
35%
Major Projects, Tests, and Essays:
35%
Participation:
30%
Participation grades are earned by being in class, being on time for class, being responsible for excusing missed
classes, and working appropriately while in class. If we have a group project, I will be watching to see who the
slackers are and who the motivators are, and points will be given accordingly. I admit that these are somewhat
subjective grades, but over the years, I have become pretty good at reading student behavior in groups, and I usually
find out who has been and who has not been behaving themselves.
Daily work is whatever we are doing in class and for homework on a daily basis. Written responses, reading
quizzes, quizzes under 100 points, and all vocabulary study are a part of our daily work grades. We also count the peer
review in class for the daily work.
The major projects (MWPs), tests, and final group presentations are in the final category. The MWP grade
includes all process work, all peer-reviewed and self-edited drafts of the paper, and the self-reflection for the essay.
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English 1010 – 2013-14 Syllabus
Class Rules:
Most seniors in high school, especially the ones who take AP English, do not need a lot of rules. Most of you
know how to behave in an academic setting. Most of you know how to respect the ideas and opinions of others. Most
of you know how to do your share of the work so that the rest of the group doesn’t get stuck with the minutiae. But, it
is a custom these days to establish “norms” for behavior, so here are my requirements:
n No food or drinks in the classroom. This rule follows the rules for the building, and I will be enforcing it as
well. I do make exceptions for students who require hydration, of course. I allow closed water bottles in class.
Please do not add any dyes or colors to water, since it would leave an ugly stain on the floor when kicked over.
n Gum…Hmmmm…Gum… The question, “Can we chew gum in class?” always puzzles me because I don’t
know that many teachers who ban it. I, of course, don’t chew gum. But I don’t have a problem with students
chewing it AS LONG AS it remains inaudible, inodorous, and invisible to me. I will not tolerate chomping,
popping, or bubble blowing. It’s like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. If asked, please throw gum into the
trash and do not stick it on the bottom of the desk. Remember that someone will have to clean it up, and no
one should have to do that for some student who is just too lazy to walk over to the trash can. Also, don’t
swallow chewing gum…it will sit, undigested, in your stomach for seven years.
n Cell phones and electronics are both the bane and the blessing of modern society. They allow us to access
information, loved ones, and games at the touch of a hand. Texting has become our ubiquitous form of
communication, and we just love it. We have become so used to our phones that we don’t even think about
the effect on others that our constant use of our little device may have, In a classroom, the cell phone can be a
distraction and an annoyance. Tweeting while a class discussion is going on is disrespectful. Carrying on a
long argument by text message during study time is a waste. Taking a phone call while your teacher is
discussing your essential communication skills is downright rude. Ignoring your fellow human beings who are
trying to engage you in discussion because you think that you are a better student while your music is playing
in one ear, carefully hidden by a lock of hair, of course, is unacceptable. Playing games while the rest of the
class wrestles with literary questions of good and evil is just not right! And forcing a well-intentioned teacher
to become the phone fascist is not fair. I will ask one time for a phone to be put away, out of reach of both
student hands and student hearing. After that, I will take the phone, and depending on my level of “annoyed,”
a student may or may not get it back at the end of class. I hate this fight, by the way. Please don’t put me into
this position.
n The Hall Pass. I don’t have a restriction on hall pass use, except that I don’t like to interrupt class activities to
talk about it. But here’s my rule: Any student who wants to borrow my hall pass must first surrender her or his
cell phone. I will not have my hall pass out in the halls in the clutches of a student, stumbling down the hall in
a daze, who is arguing with his or her girlfriend or boyfriend about who said what to whom. I have found that
the cell phone rule for hall pass usage cuts down on frivolous excuses to get out of class and guarantees that
any trip to the hall is as short as humanly possible.
n A few rules for classroom behavior are so obvious that I don’t think they will be a problem. You’ve been
students long enough to know how to behave in a class without my reminding you all the time. I mention them
here only for the purposes of setting them down for consideration by all:
 Don’t speak when someone else is speaking. Basic conversational politeness is a requirement in
most academic and professional settings, so setting up the habits here is a good idea.
 Be prepared for class. I don’t really like the question: “Do we need to write this down?” The
answer to this is: “Yes.” If I put instructions or information on a PowerPoint slide, chances are, it is
important enough to write down. If you have trouble remembering things that are said in class, it
is probably a good idea to write them down. Bring your supplies…Write your notes…Bring your
books…It’s not rocket science, just school.
 Be respectful in class discussions and conversation. We all know that some language is appropriate
for a classroom environment and some is not. I may not be able to stop anyone from using
offensive or bigoted language outside of my hearing, but I won’t tolerate it within my hearing. And
if I do hear it, the person who says something offensive or bigoted is likely to get a stern lecture
about the power of language to marginalize, hurt, or permanently harm others. In an academic or
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English 1010 – 2013-14 Syllabus






professional group setting, words that offend a portion of the population but don’t bother others
are inappropriate. I expect that all students will treat my classroom with the same level or respect
they would treat a workplace and will behave appropriately.
Follow directions. Again, this seems pretty obvious, but it gets annoying to repeat myself over and
over (and OVER and OVER).
Get all of the course work completed and turned in in a timely fashion. I recognize that things
come up in the lives of busy high school students, and I’m pretty lenient on a day or two of mercy,
but getting a stack of late work the day before grades are due is bound to get on my nerves.
Participate meaningfully in all group configurations: no surly refusals to participate, no slacking on
getting an individual portion of a group project completed, no negativity in the face of what is
bound to be an absolutely wonderfully challenging group assignment, etc.
Be on time. Duh.
Don’t interrupt class with minutiae—signing forms for field trips, “Can we talk about my grade?”
comments, the “What did we do for the last five times I missed class?” questions, etc. The best
time to ask me things like this is at the end of class, when I’ve finished with all class activities and
we are patiently waiting for the bell that brings sweet freedom.
Etc. Etc.
In-Class Reading:
To begin with this, you need to know that I am a reader. I consider reading one of the best ways for me to use
my time, and I can’t understand people who don’t read. With that said, though, I have to say that I have heard often
that students are pleased and proud that they have not read a book since Green Eggs and Ham. I have to ask, “What’s
up with that?!?” Individual reading projects are a requirement of a literate person, and I will support the efforts of all
students to develop those individual reading habits and skills. To that end, we are going to create and follow a reading
plan in class. Silent Sustained Reading (SSR) will be a part of our daily routine in this class. We will come to class
with the expectation that we start by reading. You need to bring your reading material, though. You can read a selfselected book or a class-required book. What you CAN’T do, though, is avoid reading. Don’t sleep, use your phone,
put on/in your ear phones, talk, do homework for my class or another, write anything, etc. It’s time for reading! Of
course, this will be a part of your grade, so to measure your participation in SSR, you will be given different types of
assignments that check your progress.
Success in English 1010 (Straight As):
Since this is a college-level course, the grade that you will earn will follow you on your college transcript as
well as on your high school report card. So, getting a good grade in this class is obviously important. It is just as
important, though, for you to learn some essential writing, thinking, and reading skills for college success. So, as you
are considering the work load for this class, you might be asking yourself, “How am I going to get an A in this class?”
Well, I’m happy to give you some pointers on how to be successful in this class. (I’ll leave it up to you to figure out
what kind of bribe to offer…)
cademics: There is a certain way of looking at academics and engaging in the academic process. You have to
want to know stuff…You have to have some tenacity to stay with your search. And you have to want to know
more about what people say and write in all classes. In this class, I’m going to give you a lot of writing
assignments, but you are going to have to bring the ideas and evidence to prove your points. So you need to
engage with everything that you are learning. You need to find the connections between what we are writing
in English and what you are studying in math, financial literacy, biology or chemistry, art, music. This whole
educational picture that you are developing is important, and it is UP TO YOU to find out how it all applies to
the life that you are building for yourself.
sk: Ask me for help…if you don’t understand what’s going on and you need further clarification. Ask me for
help….if you are struggling with a deadline. Ask me for help…if the assignment isn’t clear. Don’t be afraid to
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English 1010 – 2013-14 Syllabus
confess that you are not sure what needs to be done; most of your classmates probably wish that they had the
nerve to ask these same questions. Don’t just let things roll by you. ASK for help!
ssignments: Now, I know that you would never do this because you are a careful, diligent student, but I have
known students who get overwhelmed by the requirements of an assignment, so they just stop doing
ANYTHING. On the day that the assignment is due, in between the heaving sobs, students tell me that they just
don’t care about the grade. It was “just too much.” So, let me just head this one off…If you find that you are
going to fall behind or the assignment is just getting away from you, please (please…please…)don’t just give
up. Come and talk to me. You might think that dropping one assignment or giving up on one class won’t
matter, but it will. I’m willing to help you out with things, but it helps if you come to me and give me a chance
to help you. Otherwise, you might make a mistake that will follow you.
ttendance: It is easy to have one of those moments on the way to class when you say to yourself, “Self, you
have been working so hard this week. It would be okay for you to take this class off, go hang out at the store
across the street, and you can make things up later.” Oh, yes, I’ve been there. But here is some really good
advice: DON’T! When you miss my class, you will miss something important. You will miss a discussion with
your peers. You will miss some sort of adjustment to an assignment or some greater explanation of a difficult
assignment that you weren’t sure how to do. You will miss something that could make you think a little bit
more about your subjects and assignments. I record attendance for your grade, but you might think that you
can make up anything done in class, and you can (with excused absences), but you can’t make up the
discussion, the critical thinking, the learning that goes on in class. So show up!
Specific Attendance Policy:
To get the most out of this class, you will have to be here. But I acknowledge that there are times when you
have legitimate reasons for missing class. When that happens, you are responsible for going to the attendance office
with a valid excuse note from a parent/guardian or some other reliable source. When I do attendance at the beginning
of class, I will mark you absent and deduct 20 points from your grade. The only way to get those 20 points excused is
to get proof that your absence was excused and bring it to me. You can get a printout from the attendance office or
you can bring me electronic proof at a convenient time for grade changes. I advise you not to let attendance become a
problem.
As with so many rules, there is one exception to the excused absence rule: peer review. A big part of the grade
for this class comes from the writing process work that goes into each MWP, and the essential element of that process
work is in peer review. For each essay, we will be editing and reviewing in peer groups twice. If you are not here, of
course you can get your paper edited and reviewed outside of class. But what you will miss is the opportunity
(responsibility) to edit and review someone else’s work, and that, sadly, is not a situation I can re-create, even if your
absence is excused. So, I require that you are in attendance on peer review days to get the 50 points that you earn for
participating in the reviewing process; there is no way to get those points back if you miss class on those days.
As for tardiness, well, I deduct points for that as well. If you are late to class, I deduct five points from the 20
points that you earn for each day you are in class and participating. Now, five points doesn’t seem like that much, and
it isn’t. But if you are chronically late, it will hurt you. And it’s sloppy. And you should develop better habits. So, get to
class on time.
The Attendance Bump:
I think that attendance is the MOST important habit you will be forming this year, so I am going to reward
good attendance. I will reward the whole class when everyone is here on time, but for individuals who have excellent
attendance, there is an additional incentive. If you miss no more than three classes in a term and if the absences that
you have are excused, and you have no tardies, I will “bump” your grade a level at the end of the term. So, if you are
getting an A-, but you earn the bump, you will get a straight A. (And if you are earning an F, you can get bumped to a
D-.)
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English 1010 – 2013-14 Syllabus
Late Work:
I think that late work is more sloppy academic training, but I usually will accept it for partial credit and only if
the absence that may have contributed to the late work is excused. Try not to let this become a crutch, though, because
you will end up doing the same amount of work but getting less credit for it.
There is ONE MAJOR EXCEPTION to this rule though: I will not accept the Major Writing Projects (MWPs)
late. On the day that the project is due, it must be in my hands (or in the hands of my designated proxy) by 2:30 P.M.
Crawl out of your sick bed and bring it to me. Send it with a reliable friend or parent. Attach it to a reliable carrier
pigeon. BUT GET YOUR MAJOR WRITING PROJECTS TURNED IN ON TIME! (I have had students drop whole letter
grades because of missing this deadline. And if you miss it, I won’t accept your paper for a lowered score. I WON’T
ACCEPT IT AT ALL. So that will be a big, fat 0!)
Academic Integrity:
I hate to even bring this up because I don’t want to believe that anyone in any of my classes would ever cheat.
It’s wrong. It’s unfair to yourself and others. It’s a bad habit. And I think you’ll find out that you will spend more time
figuring out how to cheat than you would spend just studying. So, just don’t do it.
What happens, then, if against all my good advice, you decide that you just can’t be bothered to study and you
get caught cheating? In class, if I suspect you are cheating on a quiz or assignment, I’ll be disappointed. I will discuss
my suspicions with you and deduct points from your grade accordingly. If it happens a second time, I’ll be really
disappointed in you, and I’ll have to share that disappointment with your parent/guardian. If I find that you have
plagiarized a paper, I’ll be ever so much more disappointed and you’ll get a big 0 on a major assignment. And I’ll be
mad because I had to grade work from someone who wasn’t even you. (Believe it or not, English teachers can usually
tell the difference between your writing and someone else’s writing.)
I’m always surprised when students tell me that someone in my class is cheating. (You should probably know
that someone will eventually tell me.) I have realized over the years that other students are angry when someone gets
away with shoddy work and lying to the teacher. So, I usually find out when someone has been cheating, and I am
always so disappointed. Even if you get away with it, though, you will feel guilty FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. (I
know this. I feel tremendous guilt for every teacher I ever disappointed.)
Office Hours:
I am here at school pretty early in the morning, most days, and I can help with questions or problems at that
time. I reserve Mondays after school for make-up and remediation work. If Monday doesn’t work, though, it will be
up to you to schedule a time to meet with me.
I am also available through email and Canvas; please contact me at the email listed above. I usually handle
email questions in the morning when I arrive at school; anyone who emails me at 1:00 A.M. with a question about an
assignment that is due the next day will probably not get a 1:00 A.M. answer. Please plan accordingly.
I try to post assignments and slides from in-class discussions and slide shows on the Wikispace for those 1:00
A.M. questions, and I hope that will prove helpful.
To the Parents/Guardians of My Students:
First of all, thanks for reading this disclosure. Over the years, I’ve had a lot of students tell me that no one ever
reads disclosure statements, but I figure I’m pretty entertaining, so I am ever hopeful.
Teaching your student is the best, most rewarding part of my job, and I’m looking forward to getting to know
her or him. Getting students ready for the next level of education—usually college—is one of my priorities as an
educator, and I commend you for supporting your student in taking on a college-level course while still in high school.
I’ll do all I can to help you help your student. I hope that we can coordinate our efforts for his or her success, both in
this senior year of high school and in the next step in his or her education.
Since this is a college class, I assume that most parents/guardians will want their student to handle issues and
problems that come up in class with deadlines, absences, etc. It is good practice for them. However, I also know that
there may be questions you have or concerns or issues in your student’s life of which I should be aware, so I want you
to feel free to contact me. As the semester goes on, there may also be things that require that I contact you. To create
this contact list, and to acknowledge the information in this disclosure statement, I ask that you send me an email. As a
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English 1010 – 2013-14 Syllabus
bonus to your student, I will give 25 bonus points to him or her when I receive this email from you. Please include
your name and your student’s full name, as well as the class your student is in. (Email return addresses don’t always
match the student names on my list.) If you do not have email or wish to maintain some other form of written contact,
you may send a note with your student, and I will give the same bonus.
I can be reached at the email address above (best option), through Canvas or Gradebook (second-best option),
by calling the school (not a great option; although I have a phone in my room, it doesn’t actually ring), or by signal fire
(Please keep in mind that my classroom window faces northeast, so any other direction is not really feasible during the
school day).
Thank you for reading this long disclosure; I look forward to meeting with you at parent/teacher conferences.
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