COURSE SYLLABUS – English 203/204B-Composition and Analysis
Instructor Name:
Email Address:
Joshua Joesten
Use Kmail!
Office Hours:
7-7:40AM M-F, 3:15-3:45pm M-F (If I am not in a meeting).
Welcome to English 203/204B! You are currently enrolled in a class that will hopefully create the space for
you to improve your writing skills by developing a deeper sense of grammar, develop solid reading
comprehension skills and a subsequent appreciation for the short story and novel as well as a myriad of nonfiction selections. The following information is intended to help you participate successfully in class and to
ensure that we have a great year. Please read it carefully and keep it in the front of your binder. You should
consider this syllabus as a contract between you (the student) and me (the teacher). It includes all of the
policies and procedures you need to know to successfully take this course, as well as the behavior that I
expect of all of my students.
PREPARING FOR SUCCESS—What you need and expect for class every day
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One English Folder (with at least 2 pockets; should be left in learning labs)
A mechanical pencil with functional eraser
A positive attitude towards learning and respect for the rules of our class and classroom
You will turn in the other materials you will need for class at the beginning of the year. These items will be
used at your table throughout the school year.
Other required items include: markers/colored pencils, red/blue/black pen, tape, hole punch, loose leaf
college-ruled paper, highlighters, post-it notes, etc.
DAILY Check In —A daily system to maximize learning time
Expect a check in or what we professionals call a pre-assessment. We will be meeting 3 times a week!
Enrichment and FIT time will occupy the rest of the week. Enrichment will be a time for me to work with
students who clearly need more to do and FIT time will allow me the time to work with students who need
additional help. It is your responsibility to be knowledgeable of your online/offline work as well as what we
covered the previous day when we meet.
CLASSWORK/LAB WORK/ HOMEWORK/PROJECTS
As you may have guessed, you will have a lot of work to complete. With Silicon Valley Flex Academy making
the shift to using Common Core Standards, you will accountable for completing work that reflects your
mastery of these standards. With that being said, it is VERY important you stay on top of your work load that
is assigned to you. Here’s how to be a rock star!
1. Login daily to OLS! Here you will log in each day and you will be made aware of your weekly
schedule as well as which online lesson you need to complete (if at all). Some weeks you will not be
completing any online work, you will be expected to complete your offline work. Eventually, we will
be utilizing Google Education to correspond and exchange information for assignments. For now,
however, log on to the OLS.
2. Complete your work as it is assigned to you each week. Do not allow yourself to fall behind. Each
week, I will make it very clear what you need to do and how you will get it to me for grading.
3. Ask questions! You can KMAIL me, you can flag me down in the lab, you can ask your coaches if you
are unsure of ANYTHING you are assigned.
LATE WORK POLICY —please read carefully!!
Each week you will submit a folder. What you put in that folder will be told to you through your WEEKLY
PLAN. Weekly Plans will be posted in the announcements and in doc sharing. All weekly work will be
assigned on a Monday and expected to be turned in no later than the following Monday. Essays, tests,
projects will have separate due dates that will be communicated to you through the WEEKLY PLAN.
Note: If you are not sure what these are, look at the attached document, “How to Successfully Navigate English
203 Coarse.”
No late work will be accepted without a valid reason.
I will grant due date extensions on assignments under some circumstances. You should never assume that I
will automatically grant these requests, however, due date extensions must be requested before the due date
of the assignment and on a school day. Requests received on or past the due date, or on a non-school day will
most likely not be granted.
TEST REVISIONS / CORRECTIONS
Above all else, I value student learning. For that reason, I believe that students should have the opportunity
to correct and/or revise work that they are unsatisfied with. Tests must be retaken within one week of the
original exam, and be scheduled with Mr. Joesten.
You have two options for retakes:
1. Do all test corrections and then retake the exam and I will take higher of your two scores.
2. Do no test corrections and I’ll take the average of your two scores.
GRADING SCALE
90 - 100
80-89
70-79
61-69
59-0
A (Excellent)
B (Good)
C (Average)
D (Minimum
Pass)
F (Failing)
Grading- This is real simple! 70% of your grade is K12 assigned work that is
already in the online gradebook. This includes Unit Tests, Quizzes,
Discussion, Journal Assignments, Essays etc. etc. The remaining 30% will be
in the form of your weekly folder. Each week you submit a folder with your
offline, supplemental work, you will receive points. Each week of the
semester will be added to the grade book so you can monitor your progress.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY—Knowledge is too precious to be stolen
Make sure everything that you turn in to me is your own work. Students caught copying from other students,
plagiarizing other’s work or ideas, or submitting work that is not of their own creation will receive a zero on
that assignment and will face disciplinary action.
EXPECTATIONS FROM Mr. Joesten —What you can expect from me
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Fairness and consistency, Excellent, engaging classes that take place in a safe learning atmosphere
Letters of recommendation (absolute minimum of 24 hours’ notice—but 2 weeks is preferred)
Time before/after school to ask for extra help or to do make-up work – please schedule in advance
An open line of communication. If ever you need to reach me, I can be contacted via Kmail
The remainder of this document will provide an overview of the K12 online course policies and components.
A Little about the Course
Unit 1: Persuasive Speech
Students take a piece of persuasive writing they have previously written and repurpose it into a speech. They
then deliver their speech to the class and to the teacher through an online Elluminate session.
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Semester 2 Introduction
Introduction to Persuasive Speech
Repurposing a Persuasive Essay into a Speech
Practicing a Persuasive Speech
Delivering and Listening to Persuasive Speeches
Unit 2: Building Critical Reading Skills 3
Students learn to use reading skills to take standardized tests. They read a passage and then answer several
multiple-choice questions.
Unit 3: Novel Choice
Students read a novel of their choice from an approved list. Choices include Sense and Sensibility by Jane
Austen, The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy, Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton, Night by Elie
Wiesel, The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday, and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
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Read Novel Choice
Unit 4: Research Paper
Students learn and practice research skills such as finding information, citing sources, creating a Works Cited
page, and making a formal outline.
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Analyzing a Model Research Paper
Focusing on a Topic
Finding Information Sources
Taking Notes
Organizing and Outlining a Research Paper
Citing Sources
Writing a Research Paper
Revising a Research Paper
Proofreading and Publishing a Research Paper
Unit 5: Macbeth
Students read William Shakespeare’s renowned tragedy, Macbeth. Students begin by learning background
information about the author and this work before exploring the important characters, events, language, and
themes of Shakespeare’s so-called “Scottish play.”
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William Shakespeare and the Scottish Play
Read Macbeth
Unit 6: Social Commentary
Students study four pieces of literature—two poems, one short story, and one letter—and analyze them as
pieces of literature and as social commentaries.
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"Theme for English B"
"Harrison Bergeron"
“Letter from Birmingham Jail”
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"Ballad of Birmingham"
Unit 7: Narrative Prompts
Students have already gained experience in writing responses to prompts under timed conditions. In this
unit, they write about a time when they helped others or others helped them.
Unit 8: Words About War
Students explore the genre of war poetry by examining the genre’s history and reading several poems written
in the last two centuries about war. They analyze the language and themes of these works, understanding
them individually and then comparing them to one another to better understand the various viewpoints that
war poetry can encompass.
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Introductions to War Poetry and Recitations
Civil War Poems
“The Soldier” and “In Flanders Fields”
“Dulce et Decorum Est”
Lamentations
Unit 9: Poetry Recitation 2
Students recite one poem from this semester’s reading and be evaluated on their efforts. They will then
deliver their speech to the class and to the teacher through an online Elluminate session.
Unit 10: Critical Reading Skills Practice 4
Students learn to use reading skills to take standardized tests. They read a passage and then answer several
multiple-choice questions.
Unit 11: Semester 2 Review and Assessment
Students review and test the skills and knowledge acquired this semester. They are responsible for all
readings from the semester.
Unit 12: Honors Project: Novel Choice – Honors ONLY
Students read an additional novel of their choice from an approved list. Choices include Sense and Sensibility by
Jane Austen, The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy,Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton, Night by Elie
Wiesel, The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday, and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
Academic Integrity (Cheating and Plagiarism)
Students who submit work as their own, when it is not wholly and completely their own, are guilty of
cheating and/or plagiarism and will receive a grade of zero on the entire assignment. Assisting other students
in cheating or plagiarism is also considered academic dishonesty and students who do this will receive a
grade of zero on their assignment submission as well.
Students who are found guilty of cheating or plagiarism will be referred to the school administration for
breach of the school’s Behavior Code.
The K12 online system utilizes a technology that helps to prevent cheating for some tests. Before these tests,
you will be prompted to install a small piece of software on your computer, called Exam Guard. You will be
required to install this piece of software before taking the assessment. Once you access the test, you will be
unable to copy, paste or open new browser windows or programs during the assessment. If you experience
any difficulty, contact an Academic Coach or other staff member immediately.
Attendance
Regular and daily attendance is required:
You must log into the course and complete the scheduled work every school day.
Unless otherwise specified, course log in is required even when assignments occur offline as you are
expected to review any updated announcements, What’s New items and threaded discussion
responses daily.
You should expect to spend 60 to 75 minutes each day reading, responding, and completing other
activities both online and offline.
If you know you will not be able to log into the course on any given day, please contact me
immediately by k-mail. If you encounter technical difficulties, contact me by phone. If you do not
contact me before missing an activity, you can expect to hear directly from me.
Students who continually fail to enter the course and show progress will be referred to the school
administration.
Submitting Assignments and File Types
Names of files you submit Files you submit to me through the Dropbox tool should have a filename that
indicates which assignment it is, followed by your first and last name.
File type and size At all times, attempt to keep the size of files you submit less than 3 MB.
Unless otherwise indicated in the assignment directions, the only file types you should submit to me are .doc,
.txt, .ppt and .tif. Assignments in other formats will be returned for resubmission.
Doc Sharing There is an area in our course called Doc Sharing. I will occasionally upload documents to this
area for you to download for use in class. Students can also upload files to this area. Please refrain from
uploading files there unless you have asked my permission first. Students who upload files without
permission will be referred to the administration for breaking the school’s Acceptable Use Policy.
Expectations of Difficulty, Participation and Time Commitment
Students often find that going to school online takes longer and is more difficult than going to school in a
traditional setting. Be prepared for this course and online schooling in general to be a little more difficult than
you might expect. If you are not spending at least 60 minutes on this course each day, you’re probably not
doing enough to pass the class. If this is happening, make an appointment to meet with me or visit me during
tutoring hours so we can review what you are doing each day. If you need help in working out a personal
schedule, staying motivated or creating an effective home learning environment, contact your advisor. This
person is there to help you with any of these concerns!
Grading Policy
In the Course Home on the left-side of the course is an item titled Grading Information. In it you will find a
summary of the graded assignments and assessments for this course. You will notice that some types of
assignments are worth more points, overall, than others. For example, it is very possible to take only
computer-scored quizzes in this course and get an A on each one, but still fail the course. This would happen
because computer-scored quizzes make up a small percentage of the total points in the course. Please note
that this online score may not always reflect your in-class and offline work scores; see your teacher for the
most up-to-date and comprehensive information.
Please sign and return this section to Mr. Joesten to acknowledge that you have read, understood and agreed
to all requirements and expectations laid out in this document. (This will count as your first homework
assignment!)
___________________________________________________________
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(Student Printed Name)
(Date)
_________________________________________________________
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(Parent/Guardian Printed Name)
(Date)
_________________________________________________________
(Student Signature)
(Parent/Guardian Signature)