ENGLISH 1

COURSE SUPPLIES

Texts
Prentice Hall Literature, Gold Level
Grammar for Writing, Level Blue
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D
Writing the Research Paper

Novels
House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Night by Elie Wiesel
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Materials
Composition Book
Three-ring binder with five dividers
Pencil Holder and Hole Puncher
Loose-leaf college-ruled paper (8.5” x 11”)
Black, blue, red and green pens (or 4-in-1 pen)
One highlighter
Sharpened No. 2 pencils with eraser
3-prong hole puncher

GRADING POLICY
Project            10%
Tests            15%
Quizzes        15%
HCP            20%
Compositions        20%
Final Exam        20%

COURSE OUTLINE
HCP – Homework and classwork will be given throughout the semester. You will earn participation points by being to class on time, bringing all of your supplies to class every class, and behaving appropriately.

Quizzes – There will be two types of quizzes: vocabulary and literature. The quizzes will check whether or not you completed an assignment and studied. All assigned reading will usually be followed by a quiz before that section of reading is reviewed in class. Therefore, it is imperative that you complete the reading on the days assigned.

Projects – There will be at least two projects per semester. These projects will be multimedia in nature.

Compositions – There will be several compositions each semester. When writing literary analysis, students will write in Jane Schaffer format. However, by the end of the year, students will have completed a short story, a poem, and a piece of narrative nonfiction.

Tests – Students will be tested on literature and vocabulary during the tests. Each test is worth 50 points and will consist of multiple-choice and matching questions.

Midterm/Final Exam – These tests will cover everything students completed during the previous nine weeks.

BEHAVIORAL EXPECTATIONS
Respect everyone in the classroom, including the teacher
Follow Bishop Amat rules spelled out in Lancer Life

COURSE POLICIES
Absent work – Absent students must turn in homework and essays the next time they are in class. Quizzes cannot be made up, however two will be dropped. Students must arrange time with teachers to make up tests. I will NOT approach students to tell them about make-up work. They must see the teacher the day they come back to school.

Late work – No unexcused late work will be accepted.

OTHER NOTES
Online work – Much of the work in this class will be done online. While some students may not have access to a computer at home, every student has access to a computer on campus. If you do not have access, be sure your parents allow you to use the computers on campus. In addition, whining and complaining about doing work on the computer will only inspire the teacher to assign more work in that fashion.

Sustained silent reading and journaling – Also, I expect a lot from my students. I expect them to be ready to learn the moment they come into my classroom. While some students may hate reading and/or writing, these are arguably the two most important skills they will learn while in high school. As a result, the first five minutes of each class will be dedicated to journaling. The last 10 will be dedicated to sustained silent reading, which means that students can read any book they want, as long as it is not a required text.

Movies – Do not ask about movies or TV shows. I do use these throughout the year, but will think of some other things to do if students pester me about watching TV.