Honors II
Mrs. McDonald
Heads Up: You will be expected to do a massive amount of multi-tasking in this
class. We will run different units at the same time—KEEP UP!
Materials Required:
 Always bring (insert novel that we are studying here) to class!
Basic homework and grading policies:
 Assignments can be found on my school wires page AND it will be announced
in class as well.
 Some writing assignments will be on schoology.com – I will direct you there
if necessary.
 Please keep up with all reading assignments. (HINT: It is the key to getting a
good grade in this class!) BTW- I read Sparknotes and book rags and pink
monkey and Shmoop too 
 Grades will be calculated using a total point system and point values for each
assignment will vary.
 If you have a question about your grade, see me during extra help hours or
make an appointment. Do not ask me about grades during class.
Late and Makeup Work:
 All printed/written assignments are due at the BEGINNING of class. The
following excuses will not be tolerated:
o “My computer didn’t work” (ALL of your computers didn’t work? You
can always hand-write it)
o “My computer crashed and I lost everything I saved” (Always back it
up on a flash drive, on the school network, or on googledocs)
o “I couldn’t print it out” (You can always email me if you get stuck)
 NOTE: There will be NO printing at the student printers during
school hours. You must print before school, after school, or AT
HOME!
o “I didn’t know we had homework” (WOW)


This is an honors class therefore; no one should be handing in late work. If
you do happen to turn in late work, you will receive a 50% deduction on
the assignment (including 100 point essays) and your parents will be
notified.
If you are absent, homework is due upon your return to the class. I will not
ask you for your work. It is YOUR responsibility to check my website or call a
friend to find out what you missed.
Participation:
 This class is heavily based on class discussion and participation. You MUST
be able to speak up and voice your opinion. Your participation is 10% of your
marking period grade.
Extra Help:
 I am usually here by 7:30 AM, so if you want to drop in, go ahead.
 Because I am the volleyball coach, my after school schedule gets kind of
crazy, so I would suggest trying to make an appointment.
 I will be around for some of the pascack periods, so you can always drop by
then too!
Next Year:

I will make my first recommendations in December and final
recommendations in March. There will be no changes after March.
 You must maintain at least an 80% average (including midterms) in order to
stay in honors III for next year.
 If you maintain a 90% or higher, I will recommend you for AP English. I will
NOT recommend you if you do not maintain that average.
 It is up to you if you would like to apply to get in to AP for next year.
Units to be covered:
 Short Story Unit
 Ongoing writing units
 All Quiet on the Western Front
 Macbeth
 The Tortilla Curtain
 Little Bee
 Catcher in the Rye
Contact me @ smcdonald@pascack.k12.nj.us
This is BY FAR the easiest way to get in touch with me!