River Parishes Community College
&
St. James Parish School District
English Composition I/English IV
Course Name: English Composition I/English IV
Course Number: ENGL 1010
Credit Hrs. 3
Instructor: Carly S. Zeller
Email: cazeller@stjames.k12.la.us
Planning Period: 1st Block (7:45-9:00). Parents who wish to set up a conference are asked to
schedule at least a day or two ahead of time and must contact the front office in order to schedule
(258-4500).
Course Description: This course introduces students to the critical thinking, reading, writing and
rhetorical skills required in the college/university and beyond, including citation and documentation,
writing as process, audience awareness, and writing effective essays.
Prerequisites: Pass ENGL 0091 with a “C” or higher OR an ACT score of 18 of higher in English.
Suggested Enrollment Cap: 25
Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
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Communicate effectively in written English;
Read with comprehension;
Reason abstractly and think critically;
Utilize library/information resources;
Learn about and practice analysis and argument;
Learn about and properly use MLA format;
Incorporate research into writing.
Assessment Measures: The student will be assessed and graded using some or all of the following
assessment tools based upon each individual professor’s or instructor’s grading methods, scales, and
rubrics, except where the assessment is performed by all sections of ENGL 1010:
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Diagnostic Essay (required);
At least three major papers that have undergone significant revising and editing (required):
~At least one of those papers should contain more than one credible outside resource
(required)
~At least one of those papers should contain no fewer than three pages (required)
~The types of essays to be assigned are as follows: summary, paraphrase, analysis,
cause/effect, comparison/contrast, and reports
All papers should include research and proper documentation (MLA).
Minor in-class and out-of-class assignments;
Quizzes;
Examinations.
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First Call, RPCC: FirstCall Interactive Network is an Emergency Notification System that strives to aid in
the safety of the campus community. The mission of FirstCall is to increase the overall well-being of
students and faculty by keeping them informed and aware when a crisis arises. In conjunction with your
own campus administrators, FirstCall alerts you in the event of an emergency on or around-campus. The
range of communication mechanisms includes voice, email and text messaging. The FirstCall Interactive
Network is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to assist with any and all activations of the system.
FirstCall is service-based, which means there is no hardware or software for the university to maintain.
REGISTER YOURSELF: www.rpcc.edu
St. James Parish School Board Online Communications Policy: All communications between
employees and students must be appropriate and in accordance with state law. All electronic or any other
communications by employees to students or students to employees at any time shall be expected to be
professional, acceptable in content to any reasonable person, and limited to information that is schoolrelated or is acceptable to both student and parent. All electronic communication, including electronic
mail, by an employee at a school to a student enrolled at that school relative to the educational services
provided to the student shall use a means provided by or otherwise made available by the school system
for this purpose and the School Board shall prohibit the use of all such system means to electronically
communicate with a student for a purpose not related to such educational services. Students and parents
should check all district, school, and class websites following an extreme emergency for announcements
and information.
Disability Statement: At River Parishes Community College, the Office of Counseling Services (OCS)
coordinates accommodations for eligible students with disabilities. These accommodations are provided
to ensure that all students have access to the College’s services and programs. For more information
please view www.rpcc.edu.
Grading: This course uses a ten point grading scale. Make-up work for days when the student misses an
in-class grading assignment will not be accepted unless a viable excuse is provided, and work is completed
within three days of the student’s return. However, if the work can be submitted via email and/or Moodle,
then it is still due on the original date. Further, if a student was present on the day an assignment was
given, the assignment must still be turned in on the due date. Excused or unexcused absences will be
treated the same. Students who are absent due to a doctor’s appointment, field trip, musical performance,
or athletic event are required to get their homework the day before they miss class. Students who are
absent due to illness are expected to meet with teachers before school on the day they return. Students
who are absent for any reason must check the class Moodle page for daily changes; homework will be
posted weekly and adjusted as needed. Again, due dates for long-term assignments and group
assignments will not change because a student is absent. Students in In-School Suspension are
present and are required to turn in their assignments on time. Failure to do so will result in a letter
grade deduction for every day it is late.
Grading in English IV/0091, 1010, or any Dual Enrollment classes is cumulative; thus, the final
grade, when all grades of the semester are accumulated, is the student’s grade for the course.
However, you may keep track of your current grade by checking “S1” on Powerschool (Q1 or 2
will only show your grade for the quarter, not altogether, are therefore do not accurately reflect the
only grade of consequence, the total, or S1, grade). Students and parents should check
Powerschool weekly to assess course performance.
In order to receive credit for Dual Enrollment courses, a student must end with a C average.
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Students who withdraw or end with a D or an F may be adversely affected when it is time to
register for college after graduation. Therefore, it is pertinent that students and parents read,
understand, and sign the attached Dual Enrollment Student Expectations Agreement. I will
remind students of the date by which they may withdraw from the D.E. portion of the class with
or without a W, but they will have to change schedules to be put in a non-dual English IV course.
In addition, all students in D.E. must fill out the application form attached. All forms are due by
Monday, August 10th. Any questions should be directed to me at cazeller@stjames.k12.la.us.
Policy for late work:
If a student does not submit the assignments due during periods of absence on his/her first day
back at school, the assignment will be accepted with a late work penalty of a letter grade
deduction for every day it is late. Missing assignments will be marked on PowerSchool as 0%
Missing until the assignment is completed.
Attendance Policy: For English 1010, students may miss no more than 30% of the class meetings;
this is a mandatory attendance policy. If a student is tardy or absent, the parent or guardian must
submit a written excuse, signed and dated, to school authorities upon the student's return to classes, stating
the reason for the student's absence from school. A doctor's, dentist’s, or nurse practitioner’s written
statement of student's incapacity to attend school shall be required for those absences for three (3) or
more consecutive days due to illness, contagious illness in a family, hospitalization, or accidents. All
excuses for a student's absence, including medical verification of extended personal illness, must be
presented within five (5) school days of the student's return to school, or the student's absence shall be
considered unexcused.
General Policies:
***Cell phones are not to be SEEN or HEARD, per St. James Parish School Board policy.***
Students must come prepared daily with laptops that are fully charged. Students are expected to follow the
behavior guidelines set forth in both the district and school manual. There are two simple signs of
classroom courtesy that are expected: ask before standing and be recognized before speaking. Under
no circumstances will bullying be tolerated either inside or outside of the classroom.
Cheating and Plagiarism: If a student cheats on or plagiarizes an assignment, then he or she will receive
no credit for the assignment and an administrative conference will be held.
Safety Concerns: No items that may be harmful to one’s self or others should not be brought to class:
please refer to the district handbook for more detailed information about what this entails.
Library/Learning Resources: Students are encouraged to use the library for research and reading
enjoyment as part of lifelong learning.
Course Assignments:
Essays: 50%
Mid-term: 15%
Final Exam: 15%
Quizzes/Journals/In Class Assignments: 10%
Homework: 10%
The following paragraph and essay assignments will be completed throughout the course of the semester and will
progressively become more complex and challenging; the point allotment for the essay assignments is reflective of
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this and is as follows:
Essay #1: Diagnostic Essay (Remembering an Event)
Essay #2: Writing Profiles
Essay #3: Explaining a Concept
Essay #4: Common Ground Assignment
Detailed instructions regarding each assignment will be distributed at least one week prior to the scheduled Peer
Review session for that particular assignment. The majority of assignments, particularly second and final drafts, will
be uploaded to Moodle.
Mid-Term and Final Examinations:
The final will be a two-part examination completed on two different days. Part I will be similar in format to the MidTerm Examination, while Part II will be an in-class, written examination; the Final Examination is intended to
demonstrate your attainment of the above-noted course goals and objectives. More detailed instruction will be
provided later in the semester.
Textbooks:
Axelrod, Rise B. and Charles R. Cooper. The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing. 10th edition. Boston: Bedford/St.
Martin’s, 2013. Print. (provided)
Cooley, Thomas, ed. The Norton Sampler: Short Essays for Composition, 8th edition. New York, London: W. W.
Norton & Company, 2013. Print. (provided)
Fowler, H. Ramsey, and Jane E. Aaron. The Little, Brown Handbook. 10th edition. Boston: Pearson Custom,
2007. Print. (provided)
Literature: British Literature. Evanston: McDougal Littell, 2008. Print. (provided)
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. London: Methuen, 1982. Print. You may purchase if you prefer to have a
hard copy of the text, but this can also be accessed online.
Shea, Renée Hausmann., Lawrence Scanlon, and Robin Dissin. Aufses. The Language of Composition: Reading,
Writing, Rhetoric. Boston, MA: Bedford / St. Martins, 2012. Print. (provided)
Course Outline:
AUGUST (Beowulf):
1. Diagnostic Essay
2. Introductory Material
A. Plagiarism
B. MLA
C. Invention Strategies
1. Mapping
2. Writing
D. Basic Writing Strategies
1. Orienting/Thesis Statements
2. Paragraphing/Topic Sentences
3. Cohesive Devices
4. Transitions
E. Library Orientation
SEPTEMBER (Pygmalion):
3. Remembering an Event Essay
A. Brainstorm/Outline
B. Rough Draft Evaluation
C. Peer Review Evaluation
D. Teacher/Student Conferences
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OCTOBER (Canterbury Tales)
III. Writing Profiles Essay
A. Brainstorm/Outline
B. Rough Draft Evaluation
C. Peer Review Evaluation
D. Possible Teacher/Student Conference
NOVEMBER (Hamlet and sonnets):
IV. Explaining a Concept Essay
A. Brainstorm/Outline
B. Rough Draft Evaluation
C. Peer Review Evaluation
D. Possible Teacher/Student Conference
DECEMBER (Swift and Satire):
V. Finding Common Ground Essay
A. Brainstorm/Outline
B. Rough Draft Evaluation
C. Peer Review Evaluation
D. Possible Teacher/Student Conference
Behavior Expectations:
You are a senior nearing graduation. I expect that you will care enough about this to try your hardest in every
endeavor. You are well aware that cell phones are not to be seen or heard, that cursing in front of your teachers and
peers is NOT acceptable, to remain seated unless you receive permission to do otherwise, to listen quietly when I
speak, to participate in class activities, to limit your bathroom requests to once every two-three weeks. I believe in
you!!!!! I know you will be successful.
Daily Procedures:
1) Come in to class and you will either write a journal (the topic will be written on the board, and YES, I want you
to stick to the topic. You may certainly veer from it, but come back to it by the end of the journal. Journals should
be at least one page long). –or—
You will have an ACT prep or other worksheet to be edited/corrected. These may be collected for a class grade
from time to time. No, I will not tell you whether or not I will pick it up when you walk into class, so do not ask:
just get busy!
2) Grammar exercise: We will complete a brief ten-fifteen minute grammatical lesson each day after we share
journals or review bell-ringers. Your participation is expected and encouraged.
3) Reading: We will read literature, but we will also read non-fiction, narrative and informative pieces to make
connections to that literature and what we will be writing about.
4) Moodle Responses: After every reading, you will be asked to answer higher order questions on Moodle;
sometimes, you will write paragraphs in response to questions individually. Other times, you will work in groups.
YOU MUST ALWAYS READ THE INSTRUCTIONS ON MOODLE CAREFULLY TO MAKE SURE YOU
COMPLETE ASSIGNMENTS SUCCESSFULLY.
5) Every other Friday, there will be a creative writing session where students will write a short piece of
fiction or non-fiction to be shared with their response groups of four people. At the end of the term,
students will choose their best piece they want to submit for publication in a Class of ’16 soft or hardcover
book. Permission forms for student submissions will be distributed in December.
*Creative writing pieces will be graded on completion only.
6) When taking a quiz or test, all cell phones will be picked up and stored in a safe place. When ALL
students are done their work, phones will be returned.
Behavior Expectations:
You are a senior nearing graduation. I expect that you will care enough about this to try your hardest in every
endeavor. You are well aware that cell phones are not to be seen or heard, that cursing in front of your teachers and
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peers is NOT acceptable, to remain seated unless you receive permission to do otherwise, to listen quietly when I
speak, to participate in class activities, to limit your bathroom requests to once every two-three weeks. I believe in
you!!!!! I know you will be successful.
Consequences for Choosing Not to Follow Procedures:
1. Warning is given for procedure violation.
2. Second warning and reflection log is assigned.
3. Student receives lunch detention and parent is contacted.
4. Student receives lunch detention and parent conference is scheduled.
5. Student is referred to the Administration.
Changes to Syllabus: Schedules, policies, and procedures in this course are subject to change in the event
of extenuating circumstances. All parents and students will be notified of changes.
Supplies: (Needed daily)
Pen/pencils/liquid paper or white out
Loose-leaf in a binder with a section designated for this course
A plastic folder to submit essay drafts (including rough, draft, and final drafts)
*All appropriate papers that I give you must be kept there as well; I will NOT be making
additional copies as it is your responsibility to keep track of YOUR work.
*YOUR LAPTOP must be brought to class and fully charged for each day’s work. There is no
excuse not to have this important resource with you. A zip drive must be used to store your
important assignments.
*A speckled notebook for daily journals is required; NO journals are to be typed. Journals will be
collected for a grade every few weeks or ten journals.
*A two pocket folder is due by August 11th. This folder will be used for essay submissions.
Please fill in, sign, and turn in the syllabus agreement form below by August 11th, 2015. Please
keep the previous pages for your information and convenience.
By signing this form, I, _____________________, parent/guardian of
________________________, understand and agree to abide by the policies and procedures
outlined in the English IV/1010 syllabus.
Parent Contact Information:
Phone number (cell):_______________________ Work (or other #):_______________________
Email address:____________________________________________________________________
Mailing Address:___________________________________________________________________
Student Class Schedule Fall Term 2015
1st Block:____________
2nd Block:____________
3rd Block:____________
4th Block:____________
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