English+One+Syllabus

English I Mr. Garrels and Mr. Bucklin
 * English I Syllabus - Explorations in Genre**

Course Objectives: To expose students to different genres of literature including poetry, short stories, drama, epic, and the novel. While studying examples of each genre students will encounter components of literature, new vocabulary and grammar which will be applied to their own vocabulary writing in an effort to produce clear, cohesive sentences and paragraphs. Each student will be expected to write in a journal that will written daily and checked sporadically throughout the week.

Class Expectations: All students will be held accountable for reading, understanding, and abiding by the guidelines for classroom behavior and policies as documented in the Winchendon Student Handbook. To highlight some other suggestions for maintaining a respectful and proper learning environment, students are expected to respect the opinions of each other by allowing one person to speak at a time without interruption. Students are expected to bring the proper materials to class every day: book, pen, paper, and response log. Failure to do the aforementioned will result in an unacceptable rating.

In order to maintain an environment conducive to learning, classroom disruptions must be minimized. Students are expected to be in class on time. Three unexcused tardies will result in an unexcused absence, and six unexcused absences will result in Disciplinary Probation. A student arriving later than 10 minutes to class will receive and unexcused absence for that day. A student dismissed from class for inappropriate behavior will also receive an unexcused absence for the day.

Homework will be assigned on a daily basis in the form of reading assignments, group projects, literary responses paragraphs both formal and informal, and quizzes of all sorts and varieties. Response log entries may also be due at the end of a week. Homework assignments will not be accepted late unless in the case of an excused absence; they are due at the beginning of class. Since the nature of this course relies upon immediate feedback, assignments will be discussed in class promptly after they are due.

Text/Materials Prentice Hall Literature, Prentice Hall, Inc. __The Glass Castle__ __Odyssey__ __A River Runs Through It__

Students will need to purchase a large 3-ring binder for handouts, loose leaf paper, and a spiral bound notebook with college-ruled paper for their journals.

Learning Objectives (adopted from the National Council of Teachers of English, NCTE) Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works. Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics). Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge. Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles. Students whose first language is not English make use of their first language to develop competency in the English language arts and to develop understanding of content across the curriculum. Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Grading Policy Grades will be determined each quarter by dividing the points earned that quarter by the total number of possible points and calculating a percentage. A scale in accordance with the student handbook will then be applied to figure the appropriate letter grade. For the most part, response log entries and daily homework assignments can earn a maximum five points; quizzes (both announced and unannounced) ten points; in-class essays and tests twenty-five points; and major papers and unit tests fifty points. The mid-year exam will count as one-third (33%) of the first semester grade, and the end of the year exam the same for the second semester grade. Mid-semester exams will also occur with the same weighting for the quarter.