WELCOME TO
ENGLISH III HONORS
Course Instructor: Ms. Barletta
Syllabus and Class Information
August 24, 2009
REQUIRED TEXTS
Warriner’s Handbook Fifth Course (Holt 2008)
 Literature McDougal Littell Grade 11 (2008)
 Vocabulary Power Plus SAT Book Three
 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest- Ken Kesey
 Of Mice and Men- John Steinbeck
 The Crucible – Arthur Miller
 The Scarlet Letter – Nathaniel Hawthorne
 The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
 The Sun Also Rises – Ernest Hemingway
 1984- George Orwell
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COMPOSITION OBJECTIVES
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Students will learn how to read literature with an
analytical eye and as a result, write thesis driven
essays.
Students will learn research skills to help support
their arguments. Students will complete a total of
four research papers this year:
Quarter 1: 5 page research/analytical paper on
The Crucible
Quarter 2: 7 page research/analytical paper on
The Scarlet Letter
Quarter 3: 10 page research/analytical paper on
The Great Gatsby
Quarter 4: 15 page research/analytical paper on
The Sun Also Rises or 1984
THE WRITING PROCESS
Students will learn how to revise their writing
through in-class discussions of new points to
consider, therefore strengthening their writing
skills.
 Students will use MLA format and write
organized, informative, and challenging papers.
 Students will learn how to research and write
scholarly papers with supportive evidence from
literary journals and literary criticism.
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EXPECTATIONS
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Written assignments should be proofread to the best
of the student’s ability for spelling and grammar
errors as well as sentence clarity.
Written assignments should be written in a formal
tone while maintaining student’s own style and voice.
All out of class assignments should follow MLA
format, be typed, double spaced, in black ink, and use
a standard font and font size (Times New Roman
12pt. font). When using outside sources, or quoting
from a text, students are expected to cite their sources
and list them on a “Works Cited” Page.
Written assignments should demonstrate the
student’s understanding of the text. The argument
should be well thought out and include textual, and
when required, outside resources to support and
strengthen their argument.
EXPECTATIONS
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In class participation is an important element in this class.
Students are expected to have read the assigned works and
written the assigned essays, response papers, and longer
papers.
Students must have cell phones, PDA’s, iPods, and other
electronic devices other than their laptops turned off during
class. Students should not have these devices out and should
be kept in their backpacks. If necessary, I will take away the
item and return it to the student at the end of the day. If this
happens a second time, the student’s parent will have to come
up to school to pick it up. Students are permitted to have
laptops in class, but they are to be used for academic purposes
only while in my class.
Students must submit original work. Plagiarism is not
tolerated and will result in a grade of “0” Students must cite
their sources and see me if unsure about how to do so. If you
did not write it, cite who did in quotations.
TESTING PROCEDURES
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On test days, students must put their backpacks, purses,
and other items in the back of the room. Students will only
need a pen or pencil for their tests and will be provided
with paper. Talking during a test or quiz will result in a 10
point deduction the first time, and will not be permitted to
finish the exam if there is a second time. If the student is
cheating during a test or quiz, they will receive a grade of
“0.”
Students with special needs must have documentation and
will receive extended time for testing. Students with
extended time must complete the test, without breaks and
finish the test after class. (For example, if a student has my
class “A” period, I would alert their “B” period teacher that
they will be approximately 10-15 minutes late to class and
they will be responsible for completing the assigned work
they might have missed in class.
TESTING PROCEDURES
If a student is absent on a test or quiz day, they
have three school days to make up the exam.
Students must make up the test or quiz during
their own time (before school, after school, break,
or lunch).
 Students can not make up work during my class
or any other class. Students are also responsible
for making up all work missed during their
absence. If there is a major paper or project due,
the due date stands and must be submitted on
time.
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CLASS PREPARATION
Students must be prepared for class with all of
their materials or they will have points taken off
of their participation grade (5 points off of
student participation grade for each day that
they do not have their materials).
 Students should see me if you were unable to
purchase their textbooks, or if they are on order.
 Part of being prepared for class includes having
completed their homework. I will give pop
quizzes on assigned readings, so students should
be prepared. If students have questions about the
reading, they should e-mail me, or come see me
before school.
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TECHNOLOGY COMPONENT
We will be using the Toshiba Tablet Laptops and
Dyknow software for class instruction. Therefore,
technology will be used as a tool for education
and will provide students with support materials
for each of their classes.
 Students can log into Dyknow to review class
notes and even play back class lessons. Using
technology in the classroom will be part of class
participation and will also be used for
assessments.
 We will typically use laptops everyday except for
test days.
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TECHNOLOGY COMPONENT
A typical day in class will consist of starting a
session in Dyknow and answering 2-5 questions
that will be on students’ screens. Students will
then submit their answers and teachers will be
able to assess students’ needs. We will then begin
class discussions which will be posted through
Dyknow and end class with a writing activity.
 Students will also create presentations and/or
websites at the end of each term to enhance
collaboration and active learning.
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CLASS MATERIALS
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Tablet laptop
Pens/Pencils
Folder
Vocabulary Book
Index Cards for vocabulary (You must bring them to
class on the days we are scheduled to begin a new
vocabulary lesson.) Students may also choose to write
their index cards electronically.
Literature Book (bring according to the schedule)
Novel(s) that we are currently reading (bring
according to the schedule)
Writing and Grammar Text (bring according to the
schedule)
GRAMMAR
Objective:
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Students will learn correct usage of word phrases
and grammatical mechanics.
Preparation:
 In class we will use the Grammar textbook (also
available online) as well as handouts which I will
provide to teach students how to use grammar
properly. Students will learn to write in both
active and passive voice, use parallel structure,
and how to avoid writing run-on sentences.
VOCABULARY
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Objectives:
Students will learn new words and be tested on a
weekly basis which will come from the readings and
the vocabulary text. In addition to the words in the
vocabulary book, I assign an extra 5 words per week
which appear on the weekly vocabulary quiz.
Students must bring index cards to class on
vocabulary days or may choose to type their words
and save them for future testing. Students will also
write short stories for each vocabulary lesson.
Increasing students’ vocabulary will help to improve
their comprehension skills in this class, their other
classes, and on the PSAT, SAT, and ACT exams.
LITERARY ASPECT
Objectives
 Students will learn standard literary terms such
as symbolism, tone, and imagery, and how to
identify them in a text.
 Students will learn to uncover the different levels
of meaning from a text.
 Students will learn about the history of the time
period in which each work was written as well as
whom the author was and how the author was
viewed by society as well as how he/she viewed
society.
READING ASSIGNMENTS
Summer Reading
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One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest- Ken Kesey
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Of Mice and Men- John Steinbeck
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Quarter 1
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest- Ken Kesey
Of Mice and Men- John Steinbeck
The Crucible – Arthur Miller
Quarter 2
The Scarlet Letter – Nathaniel Hawthorne
Quarter 3
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
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Quarter 4
The Sun Also Rises – Ernest Hemingway
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1984-George Orwell
In addition to the above list, students will also read a selection of short stories, essays, poetry, and drama.
ASSESSMENT AND GRADING
Students will be tested on the readings,
vocabulary and grammar on a weekly basis.
Comprehension skills will be determined by the
clarity and depth of written assignments.
Homework assignments will consist of questions
that correspond to the reading, response papers,
and practice exercises in grammar and
vocabulary.
 There will be one 7 page research paper which
will be presented to the class. After completing a
novel, students will write a response paper
approximately 1-1 ½ pages, that responds to the
text which pushes and challenges the themes we
have discussed.
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GRADING SCALE
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Grading:
Tests: 25%
Quizzes: 15%
Papers/Presentations: 20%
Class Participation: 10%
Homework: 15%
Portfolio: 15%
Anytime Extra Credit: Students can earn extra credit
towards the test or quiz of their choice by finding articles in
newspapers or magazines that contain vocabulary words
that we have covered. Students will receive 2 points for
each word they find with a limit of 10 vocabulary words per
quarter.
LATE WORK
All assignments must be submitted on time. One
letter grade will be deducted for each day that
passes without submission. (i.e., if the
assignment is due on Monday, and the student
turns it in on Tuesday, the highest possible grade
they can earn is a “B.”)
 If a student is ill and is not able to be in school on
the day an assignment is due, they must turn in
their work once they return to school with a
doctor’s note. Students may e-mail an
assignment to me if they are unable to print or
attend school.
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DIGITAL PORTFOLIO
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For this class, students will be keeping an electronic
binder with all of their written assignments. Students
should create an English folder with subsections and
include all assignments. These electronic portfolios
will be checked once per quarter at which point
students will receive feedback on all of their writing
assignments.
The purpose of the portfolio is to keep track of the
lessons covered and for student, teacher, and parent
review. At the end of each quarter, students will
review their work and write a response concerning
the changes they have noticed in their writing. In
addition, students will keep error sheets which will
help to identify grammar and spelling mistakes.
Below is a description of the writing assignments
students will be completing on a weekly basis:
RESPONSES
Responses will be 300-500 words in length (1 ½-2
pages typed). Students will be responding to a
question or a series of questions that I will
assign.
 Responses are analytical pieces of writing in
which students will think and write critically to
answer the prompt. Some of these responses will
be completed in class. These topics will help
prepare students for formal papers which will
have elements of the responses.
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GRAMMAR AND
VOCABULARY
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Writing and Grammar Assignments: The
Writing and Grammar assignments will consist
of class work and homework assignments which
come from the Warriner’s textbook.
Vocabulary Short Stories: Students will write
a short story each week using the vocabulary
words in the current lesson. Students must use
15/20 words in each lesson per week with context
clues. These assignments will typically be due on
Tuesdays since Vocabulary is typically
introduced on Mondays.
ANALYSIS AND FORMAL
PAPERS
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Character Analyses: Character analyses must be 300-400
words in length (2-2 ½ pages typed). For these
assignments, students will analyze a character(s) from the
text we are currently reading. Students must have a thesis
statement and use examples from the text to explain a
particular character.
Rough Drafts: These drafts should include notes,
brainstorming, and the beginnings of the paper.
Formal Papers: Formal papers are longer writing
assignments that I will announce and explain in advance (3
weeks-2 months). These papers must be typed and double
spaced. Students will hand in just the formal paper without
the portfolio and leave it in the portfolio once it has been
commented on and graded.
REVISIONS, TESTS, AND NOTES
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Revised Work: This section is for the papers students
choose to rewrite. I suggest that students rewrite any paper
that is given a grade of “C” or below. The grade that the
student receives on the rewrite will replace the original
grade unless the original paper was turned in late in which
case the two grades will be averaged.
Tests and Quizzes: Students are encouraged to keep tests
and quizzes as study guides for larger exams such as
cumulative tests, midterms, and finals.
Notes: Students are required to take notes in class and will
be asked to periodically post their class notes.
SKILLS DAY SCHEDULE
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Monday: Vocabulary-Introduction of words and SAT
writing
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Tuesday: Literature-Reading and Discussion
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Wednesday: Grammar and Writing
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Thursday: Literature Reading and Discussion
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Friday: Quiz/Test; Writing: responding to literature
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**Tuesdays and Fridays are scheduled test days for
English. There will be a vocabulary quiz every Friday
and there will be announced quizzes and tests on
literature and grammar. Students must come to class
prepared and ready for pop quizzes on assigned
reading materials.
COMING UP THIS WEEK
Week 1 (August 24th-28th)
 M: Introduction to the course; summer reading discussion
 HOMEWORK: Study for Summer Reading Test
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T: Summer Reading Test
HOMEWORK: Make sure you have all books and supplies; make sure you and one
of your parents/guardians signs the class contract
W: MLA review; Discuss Of Mice and Men with special emphasis on themes,
characters, and symbolism followed by a short writing exercise; class contract
due
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TH: Continue discussion on theme, characters, and symbolism; in-class writing
assignment
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HOMEWORK: Finish writing assignment
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F: Grammar Review and Assessment; grammar test on the following grammar
skills you should know at this level including: subject-verb agreement,
prepositional phrases, direct and indirect objects, commas, semi-colons, and
colons, parallel sentence structure, and distinguishing between fragments and
run-on sentences)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Ms. Barletta cbarletta@dphds.org
 Websites to visit:
 www.edline.net (obtain grades and assignment
information)
 www.dphdsenglish.org (English website)
 www.bibliomania.com (Full text books, journal
articles, and study guides)
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