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Sophomore English – Clackamas High School Mrs. Barbara Wagner: Wagnerb@nclack.k12.or.us 503-353-5810 xt: 38162 Course Objectives Improve your skills in the area of reading, writing, discussion, questioning, and grammar. We will be reading novels, short stories, essays, poetry, as well as viewing some films. We will work on writing through Writer’s Workshop as well as bi-weekly literary reflection papers. You will write a minimum of four CIM-scored papers throughout the year, and maintain a Writing Portfolio. You will be required to attempt one piece for publication in a literary magazine or by entering writing contests. The main focus of the course will be exploring man’s place in society. Text: Elements of Literature: Fourth Course. Austin: Holt, Rhinehart, and Winston, 2000. The following are the novels we will be reading based on availability. See hard copy handout for descriptions. Sept./Oct. : Lord of the Flies Golding, William November: Separate Peace, A Knowles, John December: Antigone Sophocles January: Ricochet River Cody, Robin February: Tale of Two Cities, A Dickens, Charles March: Literature Circles with the following potential novel choices: Anthem Rand, Ayn We Zamyatin Handmaid’s Tale Margaret Atwood Brave New World Huxley, Aldous Fahrenheit 451 Bradbury, Ray April/May Choice books on the Holocaust. * All novels subject to change based on availability. Notice: Students and parents have the right to request a substitute for any piece of literature they find objectionable. Please sign below and return this form to me if you have any questions about the use of a book. Book Title: ______________________________________________________ Parent’s Name: ________________________ Phone: ___________________ Student’s Name: _________________________________________________ E-mail Address (print clearly): _____________________________________ Policies: Attendance 1. Come to class every day with a great attitude. This class in based on activities that cannot be made-up. 2. It is your responsibility to find out from a classmate what you missed - questions will be clarified by the instructor. Check Handout Drawer for any missed handouts during the week. 3. Work that was due the day of the absence will not receive additional make-up days. Long-term projects will also not receive additional time. 4. I will personally contact your parent after 3, 5 and 8 absences or chronic tardies. Late Work 1. Assignments are due when called for in class. 2. If a student submits an assignment late, Mrs. Wagner will save it until the end of the semester. The student’s final letter grade may be raised one level (a C to a B, for instance) if warranted. There will be a due process review of any student who has chosen to submit work late. Work submitted late will not be responded to or graded. 3. There will be no opportunity to make up work for an unexcused absence. 4. Long-range projects and assignments are due on the assigned date regardless of absence. Exception may be made when a parent or a guardian personally contacts me. Grading/Evaluation 1. Formal essays will be evaluated according to the CIM Writing Traits Scoring Guide (Conventions, Sentence Fluency, Voice, Ideas and Content, Organization, and Word Choice) or a similar rubric and holistically. Grades will be based on formal and informal essays (this is the largest portion of the final grade), tests, quizzes, oral participation, presentations, and supplemental reading. I do not offer extra credit. However, I do allow opportunities to rewrite some formal essays. The process for rewrites and final grades on essays will be laid out for each specific essay. 2. Percentages are converted to letter grades based on the following scale: 90% - 100% = A 80% - 89% = B 70% - 79% = C 60% - 69% = D 0% - 59% = F 3. Grades will be posted every two weeks on ESIS. Hard copies may be obtained if you do not have access to Internet. 4. Assignments, calendar due dates, requirements, etc. may be found on my website. Check often. http://poster.4teachers.org/worksheet/view.php?id=122086&page=1 or you can access through CHS Teacher Website. Plagiarism Plagiarism or cheating includes giving or receiving information during a test, copying others’ work, and passing off others’ work as your own by failing to cite sources, properly quote, etc. Any student who plagiarizes or otherwise cheats on an assignment automatically receives a zero for all work associated with that assignment with no opportunity to make up the assignment. A second offense will result in a lowered grade or course failure along with disciplinary action as deemed appropriate by the teacher and the high school administration. Above all, be honest. Please, see me if you have questions or concerns about plagiarism. This will be discussed in class. Vocabulary Test Prep Books This school year, your student will be participating in a SAT vocabulary preparation program. This program will consist of various activities, exams, and vocabulary words that will appear on the SAT. Each student is required to purchase his or her own workbook; because all students are required to complete their own work, students are not able to use books from previous CHS English students. The book is called: Vocabulary Power Plus for the New SAT: Vocabulary, Reading, and Writing Exercises for High Scores, by Prestwick House Publishing. You may purchase this book at the Clackamas High School Bookkeeper’s office for $9.00. Please make checks out to Clackamas High. If for any reason it is not feasible for your family to make this purchase, please let Mrs.Wagner know by Tuesday, September 9. Each student is required to have this book in class on the following dates: Day 1: Thursday, September 11 Day 2: Friday, September 12 English 10: Book Two (Blue) Communication Students and parents are encouraged to contact me with any questions or concerns throughout the year. I am willing to help and can do so best when issues are addressed early on. Be your own self-advocate and keep me informed! My website is a great way to stay informed about assignments and due dates. I will send out periodic broadcast emails alerting you to tests and/or important due dates. Mrs. Wagner’s contact info: Located in the 100 pod; Phone: 503.353.5810 ext. 38162; e-mail: wagnerb@nclack.k12.or.us. Please keep all above pages, but detach this one and return it to Mrs. Wagner. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I understand and I will abide by Mrs. Wagner’s classroom rules and expectations: ________________________________ ________________________________ Student Name (printed) Parent Name(s) ________________________________ ________________________________ Student Signature Date Parent signature _____________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Parent Email * * Please indicate if you prefer not to receive broadcast emails. My student DOES DOES NOT have access to the internet and computer use. |