Freshman Pre-IB/Honors English I
Dr. Adrienne Griffin
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Student and Parent/Guardian,
September 2015
It is my pleasure to welcome you to West Morris Mendham High School. I am
honored to teach you in my course, Freshman Pre-IB/Honors English I. This class is
challenging and intellectually stimulating, designed to prepare you for the IB level
and, eventually, the college level. Our focus is on the analytical study of world
literature. In addition, the course also focuses on improving your writing skills.
First and foremost, it is imperative that you have the following materials every day:
 a blue/black pen and/or pencil; an additional highlighter or colored
pen
 a binder with labeled sections: Literature, Writing, Commentary,
Grammar, Vocabulary
 loose leaf paper
 a spiral bound or composition notebook
 Post-it notes
 your school or personal agenda
 your textbook or current reading and your vocabulary workbook
 your homework
Copies of all texts will be available to you; however, you may wish to purchase your
own copies of the major works if you wish to note important details in the text itself.
This is optional but recommended.
You will see by the classroom expectations, grading policy, course outline, and
integrity policy that in order to succeed in this Honors/Pre-IB course, you must be
ready and willing to work hard every day, you must ask for help when you need it,
and you must respect yourself, others, and the learning environment. This course
will require a great deal of personal and academic commitment! Most course
materials including calendars and handouts will be available on my website. Please
check there often.
Parents, please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. You may
email me (agriffin@wmrhsd.org) or leave a voice mail message (x5233). I will
return your call or email in a timely manner. I look forward to working with you
this year. Students, thank you in advance for all of the hard work you will do this
year! I am looking forward to a successful school year!
Sincerely,
Dr. Adrienne Griffin
Dr. Adrienne Griffin
West Morris Mendham High School
English Department
English I Pre-IB/Honors Syllabus 2015-2016
Course Outline
LITERATURE:
 Students will read from a variety of periods, styles, and rhetorical contexts to
develop critical standards for independent appreciation.
 Students will analyze literature individually/collaboratively to produce
oral/written products.
 Students will read varied fiction & nonfiction texts so as to become critical &
analytical readers.
 Major readings will include Short Story, Satire, and Poetry Units, and other
works such as:
Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men
Shakespeare selections: Twelfth Night, The Tempest, Othello, or Romeo
and Juliet
Edith Hamilton’s Mythology and Sophocles’ Oedipus
Dickens’ Great Expectations or Bronte’s Jane Eyre (Student choice)
Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club
Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun
Memoir – Student choice
LITERARY and LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS:
 Literary focus areas are: Plot, Characterization, Point of View, Setting,
Theme, Mood, Irony, Allusion, Symbolism, Figurative Language,
Connotation, Imagery, Inferences, Diction, and Author awareness, all
of which are extended to the application and analysis stages in this
course.
 Literary criticism and commentary will be introduced.
 Vocabulary instruction includes: in context, through analogies, by
word parts, etc.
 Language focus areas are: punctuation of phrases and clauses,
parallelism, pronoun agreement, verb tenses, modifiers, sentence
variety, and complex sentence structures.
WRITING GOALS:
*
To write for a variety of purposes and audiences
*
To develop effective thesis statements & support these with relevant
information in/out of text
*
To utilize a writing rubric as a means for improving one’s own
writing and the writing of others
*
To engage in all steps of the writing process
*
To monitor one’s own writing progress by regular self-assessment
and a writing portfolio
*
To develop the ability to write effective commentary
SPEAKING, VIEWING, LISTENING, RESEARCH, STUDY SKILLS, and TECHNOLOGY
Classroom Expectations
The primary goal in this classroom is to create a learning community based on the
principal of mutual respect, an environment in which each individual is given the
opportunity for success. By committing to this course, you agree to a policy of
personal integrity
To be successful in this class:
 EXHIBIT PERSONAL AND ACADEMIC INTEGRITY Take pride in what you say
or do. I appreciate honesty much more than excuses.
 BE RESPECTFUL OF OTHERS Treat others exactly how you would want to be
treated
 BE PREPARED Bring your homework, pen, binder, agenda, and text to class
every day. You may not retrieve these items from your locker during class.
 BE STUDIOUS Use your planner, read and study regularly, and finish
assignments neatly and completely.
 BE POSITIVE Taking a risk is part of the learning process; be ready and willing
to try!
 BE ON TIME Class begins when the bell rings. Hand in all assignments on time.
 BE RESPONSIBLE Refer to your calendar for assignments. You can find all
missed assignments in your class folder. I will not ask you for make up work if
you are absent. That is your responsibility.
Grading Policy
Grading Criteria
 Essays, Exams, & Major Projects: 60%
 Classwork, Homework, & Quizzes: 30%
 Participation: 10%
 All commentaries, essays, and oral presentation will be assessed with IB rubrics.
You should become familiar with these rubrics before you begin writing.
 Grades will be calculated through the total points system. Your grade will include
essays, tests, class work, literature seminars, inquiries, and participation.
 You can calculate your grade by dividing the Total Points Possible by the Total
Points Earned.
 All assignments should be saved for revisions, easy reference, tests, and final
exams.
Participation COUNTS!!! There are countless ways in which you can participate in
this class. The first and most important is that you come to class on time and are
prepared. Additional ways in which you can participate: you can share your
homework response in class; you can volunteer to share your insights on the topic
at hand; you can highlight and important textual detail to support our discussion;
you can support a classmate’s point of view; you can clarify a difficult point that
other classmates may be struggling with.
I will keep track of your participation on a grading sheet. You may view this
record at any time.
Classwork may be collected and graded; most will factor into overall participation.
Homework will mostly consist of assigned reading, as we have a heavy reading load
in this class. In addition, you will have some written homework as well which may
or may not be collected.
 Homework, Papers, and Projects are due at the beginning of the period.
Late homework will not be accepted; organize your time wisely, and come for extra
help when you need it! One missing essay or project and/or multiple missing
homeworks could affect your marking period grade. Use your agenda regularly!
Failing to do homework in an honors class is unacceptable.
Quizzes will be both announced and unannounced to check if you are reading
regularly.
Writing A major goal of this course is to strengthen your writing skills. You will
write formal essays, commentaries, position papers, response papers, and informal
responses.
Tests, Projects, and Formal Papers will cover one major literary work or unit.
Students will submit papers to turnitin.com; all students under 18 must have their
parents’ permission to utilize this website.
Workshop/Portfolio Approach This course is focused on the writing process. You
will receive one on one coaching with me on your drafts for some assignments. The
goal of this approach is to improve your reading, writing, and thinking skills. Often,
you will write several drafts before creating a published piece. These drafts will be
kept in a writing portfolio folder as a means of tracking your progress.
Attendance
1. Class begins when the bell rings
2. If you are ill and cannot come to school, it is your responsibility to rely on
the web-site and your classmates to find out any material you may have
missed. If you miss a quiz or a test, please see me the day you return to
schedule a make-up.
3. You have one (1) make-up day per day absent to make up any daily work,
such as class work and homework. After that time the missing grade
becomes a zero (0). Please take the initiative to show this to me. I will
not ask to see it.
4. You have 1 week to make up tests and quizzes missed when absent. After
1 week the grade becomes a zero. Please approach me to make this work
up. This is your responsibility.
5. If you are absent on the day a paper is due, you must submit that paper to
me on the first day you return to school. Please either hand the paper
directly to me or put it in my mailbox by the end of the school day.
Anything submitted after this time frame is considered late. One (1)
whole letter grade will be deducted for every day your paper is late.
REMEMBER: It is your responsibility to make up work completed during
your absence. I WILL NOT PURSUE YOU ABOUT YOUR MISSED WORK.
You must check your assignment calendar, check with your fellow
students, or get notes and explanations from a trusted classmate
Plagiarism & Cheating
Cheating and plagiarism of any kind are not acceptable. Cheating and
plagiarism include “lifting phrases” from another person’s homework, looking at
someone else’s test/quiz, copying papers word for word, and taking papers or any
part of a paper or discussion from another source, from the Internet, or from a
fellow student. Plagiarism also includes using phrases from Sparknotes, Cliff’s
notes, Pink Monkey, or any other study aid. Basically, it means you decided to take
someone else’s intellectual work and claim it as your own. At any time you may be
asked to submit your written essay work on a disk. Per the student handbook:
1st offense: A warning is issued. Your parent/guardian will be notified via
telephone.
You will earn a failing grade for that particular assignment.
2nd offense: You will earn a failing grade for the marking period.
Lateness to Class: You are expected to arrive before the bell rings. You will be
marked late each time you arrive after this point. If you must return to your locker
to retrieve materials necessary for class, you will be considered late to class. Your
participation grade will go down 1 letter grade after 4 lates to class.
Late Papers:
 I understand that life sometimes gets in the way of school. For this reason, I
allow each student ONE (1) late per school year on papers only. You may be
late only ONE day after the paper is due and you will not receive a deduction
on your grade. This means, however, that I do not accept excuses for late
work after you receive your free late pass. THIS MEANS USE YOUR LATE
PASS WISELY!!
I do not accept the following excuses for a late: email malfunctions, disk
malfunctions
 All late papers after this pass will be subtracted one (1) letter grade
each day it is late. I do not accept late papers after four (4) days. These
papers will be a 0.
 If you are in school the day a paper is due, but you are absent from my class
due to a field trip, trip to the nurses office, guidance appointment, or you are
cutting you must turn in your paper to me. If you do not turn it in, you will be
late one day.
 If you are absent the day the paper is due, you must turn the paper into me
the next day you are present in school; otherwise it is late.
 You must have the paper printed out BEFORE my class. I will not allow you to
print it during class.
 If you are absent the day a paper is due, you must submit that paper to me on
the first day you return to school.
Late Homework: I do not accept late homework. This includes literature seminar
work, debate work, and pass/fail weekly writing. You must have it the day it is due.
Cutting Class: Any assignment missed as a result of cutting class will be a zero.
Passes out of Class: You are only permitted to leave the classroom TWICE per
marking period for the bathroom/a drink. I do not tolerate those who like to
wander during my class. If you do not use your pass at all during the marking
period, you will receive extra credit.
Cell Phones: If your phone is visible during class, or if you are using it
surreptitiously, I will take it away. Do not text message during class.
Extra Help – I am usually available for extra help during my prep and duty periods
and after school by appointment. Just ask me ahead of time and I would be happy to
schedule an individual or group help session. Please do not ask the day before a test
or right before an essay is due.
Dear Parent or Guardian of __________________________________________,
Please read and discuss the attached information regarding your child’s
freshman English class.
I have found e-mail to be a very efficient and effective means of
communicating with parents and guardians about their child’s progress, but I
am happy to have a phone or personal conference at any time.
Kindly fill in and return the information below in order to optimize homeschool communication during the school year.
Thank you and I look forward to working with you!
My preferred method of communication is: e-mail /
phone
E-mail address: ________________________________
How frequently do you check e-mail? ________________________________
Phone Number:
(Home)
________________________________
(Work or Cell) ________________________________
The best time(s) to reach me by phone is: __________________________________
I have read the welcome letter, classroom expectations, course outline,
grading policy, and the English Department integrity policy and have
discussed them with my child.
Name: (please print)__________________________________
Signature: ________________________________
Date: _____________________________
I have read the attached letter, classroom expectations, course outline,
grading policy, and integrity policy and have discussed them with my
parent/guardian.
Name: (please print)__________________________________
Signature: ________________________________
Date: _____________________________