Welcome
parents!
All About Me
 My background:
 I grew up in Cleveland, OH.
 I earned a B.A. in English
from John Carroll
University, and a Master’s of
Education from Cleveland
State University.
 I lived in Denver for 3 years
before moving to Tulsa.
 Married without children,
but I do have two large
dogs. Do they count?
th
9 Grade Curriculum
1. Analysis of a short story.
2. Learn and review reading strategies.
3. Grammar: active/passive voice; gerunds; infinitives; and participles.
4. New vocabulary. (Daily)
5. Research with proper MLA citation.
6. Lots and lots of exceptional reads.
For example, Romeo and Juliet, The Odyssey, and Of Mice and
Men are just a few. Pre-AP selections also include Fahrenheit 451,
Animal Farm, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, and The Count of
Monte Cristo and possibly The Picture of Dorian Gray.
7. Speaking and listening skills.
8. Writing in various genres: formal and informal letters, expository
writing, compare and contrast writing, narrative writing, literature
analysis, editorials, and creative writing.
Pre-AP Reading List
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Until We Meet Again
By Michael Korenblit
Fahrenheit 451
By Ray Bradbury (provided)
Animal Farm
By George Orwell (provided)
Of Mice and Men ($7 )
By John Steinbeck
Phantom of the Opera: The Original Novel ($4)
By Gaston Leroux
6.
7.
8.
The Picture of Dorian Gray
By Oscar Wilde (provided)
Les Miserables (Fawcett Premier Version)
By Victor Hugo
The Count of Monte Cristo (Bantam Classic Version)
By Alexandre Dumas
Of Mice and Men and Phantom book money due tomorrow.
Reading/Writing/Thinking/Speaking/Listening
I feel my class will be
essential in the
world beyond high
school.
Skills to use beyond school…
1. Speaking formally in a job
interview.
2. Understanding intellectual inside
jokes.
3. Knowing where to find information
on your interests.
4. Negotiating a business deal.
5. Impressing people.
6. Telling good descriptive.
7. Basically succeeding in life socially
and professionally.
GRADES
90–100 = A
80 – 89 = B
70 – 79 = C
60 – 69 = D
59 – Below = F
Students cannot re-take or re-do assignments.
This is the school’s policy. Therefore, they
should do their best the first and only time.
Grades Continued
Pre-AP weighted grades:
Regular Ninth Grade English:
 40% for tests/quizzes
 This has been changed to a
point based system. Every
 30% for projects/papers
point will equal each other.
 15% for
homework/participation  The semester final is still
worth 15% of the grade.
 15% for semester final
FORMULATION OF GRADES
DAILY WARM-UPS.
QUIZZES/UNIT TESTS.
A FINAL EXAM AT THE END
OF EACH SEMESTER.
CREATIVE ASSIGNMENTS
WRITING INFORMALLY AND
FORMALLY. (Writing portfolio)
READING ASSIGNMENTS/SSR
HOMEWORK
SAT Vocabulary Weekly
Quizzes
Examples of Creative
Activities/Assignments
 Superhero indirect characterization paragraph (Pre



AP only)
Investigation of popular music lyrics to identify
literary terms
Mood and tone through scenes from Mary Poppins
Richard Connell’s “Most Dangerous Game” sequel,
newspaper , or map
Various creative writing assignments, one in which
students pretend to be a peanut butter taster while
reviewing noun usage.
Peanut Butter and
Nouns
Leaving Home
You are living in Chicago after a breathless, exciting career in high school. You have an
apartment that you are sharing with your friend, and you have a new job as a peanut butter
taster.
However, problems have developed. Your teeth are rotting, the rent is going up, and your
roommate is making plans to marry a Brazilian trapeze artist. You want to go to the wedding,
but you have no proper clothes and no money to get to Brazil. The landlord is getting crabby,
and your boss wants you to work nights and weekends for the next 22 years.
What are you to do? You need to talk to someone about your problems. You need to get help.
You could phone home. Unfortunately, your new zebra skinned I phone has been stolen, You
decide a letter would be a better option. In your letter you will tell them about your difficulties
and ask them for help. Don’t make things sound too terrible, though, or they will make you
come home and go to Barber school—just as you promised to do if it didn’t work out in Chicago.
Directions: Use, highlight, and label at least 4 proper nouns, 4 common nouns, 4 concrete nouns,
4 abstract nouns, 4 singular nouns, 4 plural nouns, 1 collective noun, 1 compound noun, and 1
possessive nouns, in your letter. Do not repeat anyway or they won’t count. Be sure to Tell the
truth, but tell it carefully. Be sure to include a MLA heading. Good luck!
Daily Vocabulary: How to enforce at
home
 Ask your student about today’s word or check my website.
 Make your student post the word and definition on the
refrigerator.
 Have you and your child create funny sentences using the
vocabulary.
 Have your student tell you about his or her day attempting to use
the word of the day.
 Spend five minutes a night quizzing your student over the words.
***All words are taken from Charles Gulotta’s 500 Key Words for the SAT.
You can purchase a copy on amazon.com or your student can sign out
a copy from my classroom.
Writing Portfolio
 Stored at school.
 Will include all informal and formal writing
assignments.
 Rubrics will be provided for all formal assignments.
Interactive Reader
 A tool the school provides
 Allows students to “interact” with the literature
 A good resource to use outside of school in order to practice
thoughtful reading
Parent Portal and
Holder’s Website
 to look up grades,
 to find daily assignments and
homework,
 Holder’s website can be accessed at
jenksps.org
Classroom Community
 Our classroom is a community. It is imperative for the community
to have rules in order to create a fair and orderly environment.
 Our class rules are:
 Respect everyone in this classroom.
 Be organized and follow directions.
 Be on time.
 Be prepared.
 Do not plagiarize.
 Do not bring cell phones or any electronic devices to class.
Keep all devices in lockers throughout the school day. All
devices will be confiscated and given to the office.
 Dress appropriately.
 No food or beverages in the classroom. If I don’t see it, you can
chew gum until I find it.
 Wear your ID at all times, or you will be sent to the office to
receive an offense. IDs must be worn around necks and must
be visible.
 Try your best.
Homework
 Students are encouraged to use
their daily planners in order to
remember homework and
tests.
 Class assignments can be
found online to help guide
students with time
management.
 No late work is accepted for
full credit after 1 day from the
original due date.
OUTSIDE ASSIGNMENTS
(with the exception of overnight homework)
 Must be typed and double-
spaced.
 Use Times New Roman size 12.
 Use proper MLA format.(see
syllabus)
 Main campus library offers
computers to type work until
5pm Monday - Thursday.
SSR
Fridays
 Every Friday, we will have a vocabulary quiz
that precedes SSR, or silent sustained reading.
 Students will be assigned something to read or
they may be encouraged to bring something to
class they WANT to read. Please work with
your student to find a book or magazine that
may interest him or her.
Consequences for Good Behavior: Please
emphasize these points at home.
 Good grades.
 Creative assignments.
 More freedom of choices.
 Personal success.
Procedures for Unacceptable Behavior:
1. 1 Verbal Warning.
2. After school detention and
phone call home.
3. Another phone call home.
4. Supervised School
Detention, (Friday
afternoons) and phone call
home.
5. Referral to principal.
WERE YOU
LISTENING OR
FALLING ASLEEP?
TIME FOR
A SHORT
QUIZ!
JUST
KIDDING
Communication
 Please know I value communication.
 If you ever have a question, concern, or comment,
e-mail is the best way to reach me.
amanda.holder@jenksps.org
 If you are unable to e-mail me, you can call
(918) 299-4411 X 2539.
Let’s work together
to help your child
succeed!
To a Grand Year!