English 10 Syllabus
Mr. Justin T. Reid
Room 242
Jreid@cityschools.com
540-372-1100 ext. 2242
Hello, and welcome to your tenth grade year at THE James Monroe High School. I hope everyone had a safe
and eventful summer, plenty of fresh air and enough time to relax. But summer is over and you are beginning a
sophomore year that will be both challenging and fun, educational and rewarding, and above all else, necessary
towards completing your tenth grade SOL requirements.
This is a year of transition for many students and I look forward to working with all of you towards a
degree of higher level education. This class will be very demanding and requires dedication, a positive attitude,
hard work, and focus. I will do everything in my power to work with you, give help when needed, guide you,
and make class enjoyable on a daily basis. If you need extra help, a little refresher on class material, or anything
else, I will be in my room and available before school begins, and up to an hour after the school day. Also, feel
free to use the information above to get in contact with me whenever you have a question.
Remember: Good communication is key and essential to understanding and succeeding this year. We
will be covering a large amount of important and interesting material, so communicate with me and put forth
strong effort.
Materials Needed: Please have the following materials by class tomorrow.
* Three ring binder with lined paper
* Four dividers (Grammar, Vocabulary, Writing, Literature)
* Composition notebook
* Black and Blue pens to write with
* Red pens (for editing ONLY)
* Pencils with good erasers and extra erasers if needed
* USB Flash drive (Preferred)
* 200-300 Index Cards
* Book cover
General Rules and Guidelines: The James Monroe Student Handbook is the basis for these rules, but my
classrooms guidelines are expected to be followed in addition to anything found inside that document.
1. Students will respect everyone in the classroom. This includes yourself, peers, teachers and
substitutes.
2. When the bell rings you are expected to be IN THE CLASSROOM and PREPARED. Have your
materials and homework out, pencils sharpened and ready to begin the work for the day. Hanging
out in front of my room and rushing in as the bell rings is NOT ALLOWED; this will result in a
tardy.
3. Give the speaker your attention and do not interrupt by talking, getting out of your seat, or doing
something distracting.
4. You may NOT make or receive cell phone calls or text messages during class. Calls or texts from
parents are NOT an exception. The new school policy states that any student who has a cell phone
out during educational hours will receive a DISCIPLINE REFFERAL (DR). IPods, music and
headphones fall into this category as well.
5. Leaving the room during class is not allowed unless you have our permission.
6. Any homework being done for another class will be confiscated.
7. Eating in class will not be permitted unless otherwise approved by us. Eat breakfast before you
come to class. Only water is allowed in my classroom, and it must be in a sealable container.
8. Class does not end with the bell or five minutes before the bell. Class ends when we dismiss you.
Students packing up before the bell will be subject to detention.
9. You may not sleep in class. If you are sick, please ask to go to the nurse. Sleeping during class is a
sign of disrespect toward your teacher and will be handled accordingly.
*** Follow these rules and other directions swiftly when directed by the teacher so the
maximum amount of quality work can be accomplished within my classroom.
Cheating and Plagiarism: By enrolling at The James Monroe High School you are expected to follow the
Honor Code, and any form of cheating or plagiarism directly violates this code.
Cheating includes:
 Talking, whispering, or mouthing words to anyone EXCEPT the teacher from the time the first test or
quiz is distributed, until the last test or quiz is collected. (When you are done, work on another
assignment for MY CLASS ONLY. If you have no work for my class, then read, write, or do something
creative in your seat that is not distracting.)
 Wandering eyes. Keep them on your own material, my walls, or ceiling.
Any violation of these rules will result in a zero for that assignment and will be reported immediately to
administration.
Plagiarism includes:
 Using anyone else’s words as your own without correctly citing and giving due credit to that person
and/or source.
 Copying and pasting, or changing key words in a quote to make it your own.
 Turning in work from another person as your own.
 And all other examples as talked about in class, or seen in The James Monroe Student Handbook.
Be original, thoughtful and take pride in your own work. And know that we will be submitting essays/papers
into a program that will show us EXACTLY how much of your paper was borrowed from ANYONE ELSE.
Turning in a paper with your name on it serves as your pledge to following the Honor Code.
Discipline: I expected the aforementioned rules to be followed daily without constant reminders. However, if
they are not, the following actions will be taken.
1. A silent or verbal warning.
2. I will meet with you in the hall to explain how you are breaking my rules and we will talk about what’s
wrong and how we can fix it. You will be allowed back in my classroom unless you are uncooperative
with me concerning the situation.
3. Detention, a call home to your parent/guardian, and/or a Discipline Referral (DR). *
4. A Discipline Referral (DR) and sent to the office. *
* I reserve the right to skip steps 1 & 2 if the situation calls for it. Physical violence of ANY sort, direct verbal
or physical bullying, or derogatory name calling will NOT BE PERMITTED IN MY CLASSROOM. Also, a
new school rule requires me to give a Discipline Referral (DR) to anyone with a phone, IPod, or any multimedia
device out in the classroom.
Grading Policy:





Tests:
Participation/Class work:
Quizzes:
Writing Assignments/Essays:
Homework:
30%
15%
20%
25%
10%
Grades will be calculated at the end of each 9-week period based on the total number of graded materials and
their averages. Extra credit is NOT OFFERED in classroom. Do the work that is expected of you and turn it in
to me on time. REMEMBER: I do not give grades to you, it is you who EARNS grades by what you
accomplish in my classroom.
In accordance with The James Monroe Student Handbook, making up assignments WILL NOT be permitted
unless you have an excused absence confirmed by the attendance officer for me to view in the SMS Attendance
System. Daily homework will not be accepted late. For other assignments, every day it is late will be a full letter
grade deduction until the assignment reaches zero. After this point, absolutely no credit will be given. It is
advised that if you miss more than one day of class, you contact the school and/or one of us to request missed
assignments. Only one day will be given to make up missed work per day you are absent excused. Extensions
will be considered when circumstances permit. REMEMBER: It is your responsibility to come see me for
missed work.
If you miss a day with a test or quiz, you will be expected to reschedule that test/quiz within two days of your
return to school. You must also come and see me for material missed from that day in class.
Excused absences, in accordance with the student handbook are those receiving a hospital/doctor’s note, note
from court, etc.
Absences: Remember that EIGHT ABSENCES are permitted a semester. Anymore beyond that will result in
an attendance failure for that class. Seat time may be made up on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Please contact
the administrative offices to make arrangements, when necessary.
REMEMBER: I cannot teach you if you are not here.
I hope this document has been helpful in understanding what my expectations are for this
class. Our students are nearing adulthood and must understand the expectations and
demands of the working world, as well as what it takes to be successful. These rules and
guidelines are meant to help them become the best students they can, and create a
learning environment where everyone feels safe. Thank you and I look forward to meeting
and working with all of you.
- Mr. Justin T. Reid, English Teacher
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS
In signing this form, we acknowledge receipt of the written 2012-2013 Classroom Expectations for Mr. Reid’s
class. We have read and understand the expectations, procedures, and the consequence of violations.
Printed student name ______________________________________________________
Student signature:
__________________________
Date:
__________________
Parent signature:
__________________________
Date:
__________________
Parent preferred contact information:
Parent Name: ____________________________________________
Phone number where best reached: ___________________________
Best times to contact parent: ________________________________
E-mail address: __________________________________________
Student, please return this form to Mr. Reid no later than Friday, September 6th. It will be counted as a homework
grade.
English 10 Syllabus
Mr. Reid
Room 242
Jreid@cityschools.com
540-372-1100 ext 2242
Textbooks:
1. Holt McDougal, Literature. Grade 10
2. Prestwick House, Vocabulary Power Plus for the New SAT: Vocabulary
Reading, and Writing Exercises for High Scores. Book Two
I.
Literature
A. Short Story Elements
i.
Plot
ii.
Conflict
iii.
Characterization and Motivation
iv.
Point of View
v.
Theme
vi.
Irony
vii.
Symbolism
viii.
Tone
ix.
Allusion
x.
Imagery
B. Drama
i.
ii.
iii.
Twelve Angry Men
Othello
Antigone
C. Novel
i.
To Kill a Mockingbird
D. Poetry- various selections from the text
i.
Figurative language
ii.
Forms of poetry
iii.
Reading and analyzing poetry of different types
iv.
Self-expression through poetry
E.
Non-Fiction
i.
Essay
ii.
Consumer Materials
iii.
Informational Materials
II.
Grammar
A. Parts of a Sentence
i.
Review sentence complements (if necessary)
ii.
Recognize and correcting sentence structure errors
iii.
Distinguishing independent and subordinate clauses
iv.
Writing clear, concise sentences
v.
Review punctuation, usage, and agreement (if necessary)
B. Phrases
i.
ii.
iii.
C. Clauses
i.
ii.
Recognizing verbal phrases – participial, gerund and infinitive
Using appositive phrases correctly
Recognizing and correcting errors in phrase placement and punctuation
Using and punctuating noun, adjective, and adverb clauses correctly
Recognizing and punctuating simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex
sentences
III. Vocabulary
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Vocabulary units and spelling
Synonyms and antonyms
Sentence completion
Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes
Using inference
IV. Writing
A. Poetry
B. Persuasive and Expository writing- with a focus on the essay format and related to the literature
selections read.
C. Research Project- with a focus on careers and the world of work
V. SOL Concepts
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Writing prompts
Reading comprehension
Usage skills
Sentence structure
Information/Consumer materials