Pre –AP English II Syllabus
Ms. L. Mendez (915) 937-1238
lmende02@sisd.net
Course objectives:
Students will gain knowledge and that will form the cornerstone for, not only this class, but also for use
in meeting expectations in several disciplines at MECHS. They will learn literacy strategies that will
increase their ability to effectively analyze a variety of texts; develop reading and writing skills to align
with meeting expectations in college readiness; and become proficient in collaborating with others in
order to lead presentations and discussions in an academic manner.
Behavior and Classroom environment expectations:
Students are expected to model acceptable behavior at all times. This includes: being respectful of
others’ ideas, property and beliefs; limiting distractions to learning by avoiding grooming in class, use of
cell phones, iPods or other audio/visual players, or eating in class; practicing listening and discussion
etiquette that ensures undivided attention to speakers and thoughtful, relevant participation on topic.
I encourage everyone to do their part in maintaining a pleasant learning environment by respecting
teacher/ student zones, cleaning up after themselves and generally exhibiting a positive attitude. Please
keep in mind that any privilege that is abused will be discontinued.
Students are expected to take responsibility for their learning and play an active role in developing their
academic skills. Students will receive a class calendar listing upcoming assignments and deadlines well
in advance of due dates so that they will have ample time to complete them without duress.
All work/ reading not finished in class on given date or missed because of absence is the responsibility
of each student. All materials are required at every class for daily grade points. Work not typed when
indicated or done in pencil or ink colors other than blue or black will not be graded.
Assignments are subject to change, including the addition of work, to meet scheduling or academic
needs. Changes will be communicated by the teacher’s web page and via district email. It is the
student’s responsibility to check postings frequently in order to be aware of changes. Failure to do so
will not excuse them from consequences as there are several places on campus to check if there is no
access at home.
Reading Materials:
In addition to the state-adopted Holt McDougal Literature book, students will be reading the following
supplemental novels and plays: A Raisin in the Sun, Heroes Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths,
Inherit the Wind, and Merchant of Venice; excerpts from Don Quixote and The Divine Comedy as well
as a coming of age novel of their choice. All of these texts are works of literary merit by worldrenowned authors and are in compliance with objectives and context set forth in the TEKS and
information about the books’ contents can be found by visiting a book store, a library or the web for
information or by calling me for a summary of the novels. Please feel free to contact me if you have any
questions about the above mentioned texts.
Attendance:
Tardiness is not acceptable. Class will begin promptly at the scheduled time. Material covered during
class will not be repeated as the time allotted for class is divided among the number of daily activities
already scheduled for that day.
Late work Policy:
All deadlines are final. No exceptions.
No late work is accepted. Late work is defined as any assignment not turned it at the beginning of the
class period on the day of deadline.
No assignments may be printed during class time on date of deadline. Likewise, if students must leave
during class time to retrieve the work from another printer, another class, and so forth, the work will be
considered late and therefore, not accepted.
These policies ensure that we are not fostering a culture of absenteeism or tardiness in conjunction with
deadlines which would adversely affect students, in particular as they transition to college. For the same
reason, deadlines will not be extended due to technological glitches which can be circumvented by not
waiting until the last minute to use the variety of resources students have on both at MECHS and EPCC .
Regular attendance is required and absences do not excuse a student from a deadline. It is
important to recognize that the nature of a learning community makes it impossible for class discussions,
presentations and other group work to be recreated in the same fashion even when an absence is
excused. Do not miss a class when you are scheduled to present.
Students are responsible for picking up assignments for the time of their absence and turning in all
assignments on time whether by email or drop off; however, emailing work to instructor when a students
will be in class in order to bypass late work policy is unacceptable. A student with an unforeseen
absence should communicate with teacher in order to arrange for work pick up.
Missed tests will need to be scheduled during Wednesday lunch or Flexible Friday appointments with
teacher. Class work assigned on the day of absence is due one day after students return with an excused
absence slip (unless more days are missed). This does not apply to homework deadlines.
If a student is absent and needs to make up an assignment or quiz, pick up handouts or want help
understanding the missed material, see me at 12:30 on MW or 12:00 on TR. Please note that there is
rarely time to address missed work during our regular instruction time.
Opportunities to Redo failing work:
Any work considered below par and marked Redo by instructor is due the next class day from date it is
given to student unless other arrangements are made. This concession will be at teacher discretion on
assignments with failing grades only and only when revisions will add to a deepening understanding of
ongoing material. It is a student’s responsibility to maintain a desired grade point average and no re-dos
will be accepted after the grace period the student has been given for revision.
Academic Honesty:
MECHS prides itself on its standards of academic excellence. In the classroom and in all matters of
intellectual pursuit, students are expected to uphold the highest standards of academic integrity and
strive to achieve excellence based on the quality of work produced by the individual. Any form of
scholastic dishonesty is an affront to the pursuit of knowledge and jeopardizes the quality of education at
MECHS and will therefore not be tolerated In short: If you didn’t write or design it yourself, give
credit to whoever did. Otherwise, your use of the material constitutes dishonesty.
Description of course requirements and assignments:
Specific rubrics and instructions for each type of assignment will be supplied throughout the course.
I. Reading:.
A. Active class reading
B. Close Outside reading. It is expected that students will have read assigned materials and be
prepared to LEAD a discussion on them. It is advisable at all times for students to be prepared
with notes for an opening written response to assigned reading or quiz at the beginning of class.
II. Writing:
A. Essay writing
1. Expository
2. Persuasive
3. Narrative
B. Journaling
1. Free writes
2. Brainstorming
3. Focused free writes
4. Journal responses
C. Annotated bibliography
D. Poetry
III. Research:
A. Essay support
B. Bibliography sources
C. Critical Analysis/ Scholarly Critique
D. Text support
IV. Presentation:
A. Group Seminars- students will periodically be asked to select a text to present to the class in
groups. .
B. Literature Circles: Students will work in a literacy group each nine weeks. Everyone will
serve a different role each time.
C. Individual Material Presentation
V. Discussion:
A. Questions preparation
B. Inner Outer Circles
C. Socratic Seminar
VI. Exams: No formal review will be given for tests; however, high points for each assignment will be
done throughout the semester by the instructor. For this reason, student notes are crucial for good
performance on assessments.
VII. Organization
A. Class Binders, well maintained and updated frequently
1. Class information
2. Notes
3. Graded Papers
4. Possible Portfolio Pieces
B. Portfolios: Students will be responsible for maintaining a portfolio of their writing.
1. hard copy
2. electronic version that is easily accessible and revisable
VIII. Conferencing with teacher outside of class time is required for:
A. Presentation previewing
B. Revision workshopping
C. Make-up
Grading: Grades are broken down in the following manner: 50% consists of class participation,
quizzes, journals, and other daily assignments; 40% is determined by tests and project grades; and the
remaining 10% is comprised of a nine week’s test as set forth by the district.
Please note that there are no extra credit assignments or quiz/ tests retakes so it is important to prepare
well for class work and assessments. Each grading period will consist of a minimum of 16 daily grades,
3 exams and the final. The lowest daily grade is dropped each grading period to account for situations
outside of student control that might otherwise adversely affect an average grade.
Note: This syllabus is approved and on file with school administration and is available for online
viewing on instructor’s web page. This document is to become a permanent part of student’s binder
as the first page in the class information section and will make up a portion of every binder check
grade throughout the course. Feel free to contact instructor at any time for clarification of any
portion of class norms or procedures.
Please sign and return the last page upon receipt. Both the agreement and check in of class supplies
will count as part of the grade on the student’s first binder check.
English II Parent/ Student Agreement:
We have read the Mission Early College High School English II course outline and agree to adhere to
the rules and conditions set forth by the course instructor. Any questions or concerns that may arise
should be directed to the instructor immediately for response and/ or clarification. I often communicate
with parents through email, so I would appreciate an address through which I can reach you.
________________________________
Student name (printed)
_____________________________
Student signature
________________________________
Parent name (printed)
_____________________________
Parent signature
________________________________
Contact number (s)
_____________________________
Parent email
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Supplies and requirements:
Students need to assign one section in their 3 ring school binder for English.
Please do not get a binder larger than two inches or one with Velcro or fold-over flaps; do not
keep notes from other classes or any personal correspondence in your English section.
lined paper (straight edged; nothing torn out of spiral notebooks please)
blue or black pens for all class assignments
red or purple pen for annotations
standard composition notebook for journal (no spirals or those with tear out pages)
one set of dividers