Mr. Higgins, jhiggins@kearsarge.org 

Teacher: John Higgins                   email: jhiggins@kearsarge.org  

Website: https://sites.google.com/kearsarge.org/JohnHiggins  

Course Description: 

This course stresses skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. It will be approached through large group presentations, small group discussions, and individual work. An overview of the more common literary genres will be offered. Grammar and usage will be taught primarily through writing. Journal entries and homework will be required.

Competencies: There are four main competencies in this class. Each competency can either stand alone or be combined with another competency on any particular assignment. For example, an essay on a book we have read in class could assess writing ability, language, and reading comprehension from the book. 

• Reading: Students will read various literature to make inferences, summarize, analyze, synthesize, and reflect on creating meaning.

• Writing: Students will use the standard writing process to create a variety of pieces appropriate to the assigned purpose and audience.

• Speaking/Listening: Students will prepare for and participate in various discussions and presentations.

• Language: Students will demonstrate the ability to use the conventions of Standard English and apply new words, phrases, and concepts in various ways.

Textbooks: Replacement Cost

Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare $15

Anthem, Ayn Rand $15

Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card $15

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Haddon $15

Night, Elie Wiesel $15

Lord of the Flies, William Golding $15

Monster, Walter Dean Myers $15

The Other Wes Moore, Wes Moore $15

Animal Farm, George Orwell $15

Mature Content: We are confident that we have selected age appropriate texts for this course.  Here are brief descriptions of the texts in case you have any concerns.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me as soon as possible. If you are uncomfortable we can arrange an alternative reading.

Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare: The classic story of two star-crossed lovers, their feuding families and the obstacles their love encounters.  This play contains implied sex, sexual language, nudity, and bawdy jokes.

Anthem, Ayn Rand: The tale of a young man who was indoctrinated into a collective society and found his own way. This story is “PG.”  It contains a relationship with no explicit material.

Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card: In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut--young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training (amazon.com). The story does contain violence but no other mature content.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Haddon: This story chronicles Christopher, a fourteen year old boy with Asperger’s, journey through London as he investigates the murder of his neighbor’s dog.  This is also a “PG” story; however, it mentions an affair and has some adult language.

Night, Elie Wiesel: This is a compelling nonfiction memoir that tells the story of Elie Wiesel’s experience in a concentration camp as a young man.  As this story tells the experience of a young man who endured the holocaust, it contains some gruesome images of death.  There are also some mentions of sex.

Lord of the Flies, William Golding:  When Lord of the Flies opens, a plane carrying a group of British boys ages 6 to 12 has crashed on a deserted island in the Pacific Ocean. With no adults around, the boys are left to fend for and govern themselves. Lord of the Flies is about a group pre-adolescent boys, so no sex here, although there is extensive nudity. (schmoop.com) 

Monster, Walter Dean Myers: This is the account of Steve a young man who is on trial for murder.  Throughout the account, the reader is asked to consider: “did he really do it?”  This story includes violence, language, and mentions of sex. 

The Other Wes Moore, Wes Moore:  “Two kids with the same name lived in the same decaying city. One became a Rhodes Scholar, decorated combat veteran, White House Fellow, and business leader. The other is serving a life sentence in prison. Here is the story of two boys and the journey of a generation” (amazon.com).  This is an honest story that contains violence, sex, and teen pregnancy.

Animal Farm, George Orwell: “Animal Farm is George Orwell's satire on equality, where all barnyard animals live free from their human masters' tyranny. Inspired to rebel by Major, an old boar, animals on Mr. Jones' Manor Farm embrace Animalism and stage a revolution to achieve a romantic state of justice and progress.” (cliffsnotes) According to Schmoop.com, Animal Farm has a “G” rating. Nothing going on but baby puppies. 

21st​  Century Learning Expectations 

1. Initiative and Productivity:  ​This category represents students’ skills in time management, independence, production of high-quality work, positive attitude, engagement, rigorous goal setting, and perseverance in learning. 

2. Responsibility and Accountability: ​This category represents students’ skills in promoting and exhibiting appropriate conduct as outlined in the student handbook and classroom policies, and demonstrating respect and involvement for school, local, national, and global community issues. 

3. Collaboration: ​This category represents students’ skills in consistently and actively working towards group goals by contributing knowledge, opinions, skills, and advocacy for self and others in a positive manner; it also reflects how students value and encourage the opinions and contributions of the other group members. 

Grading: The grading categories for this course will be reading, writing, speaking and listening, language, and formative work. Weights for the categories are as follows:

Reading Competency 25% Writing Competency 25 %

Speaking and Listening Competency 25% Language Competency 2%5

Grading Practices 

Students will be assessed multiple times on each competency within a course. Competencies and learning targets will be identified on all assessments. Performance indicators will be used to report levels of student learning on formative assessments (PD, P, BP, I, N). See the description below.

Practice

(informal work)

• 
  Indicated as collected/not collected

Formative Assessments

(with feedback and a score)

• 
  Proficiency level indicators are used to report learning

• Descriptive feedback provided to students

• Used to inform and guide instruction

• Weighted at no more than 10% of an overall course grade

Summative Assessments

(proof of learning)

• 
  Numeric grade and proficiency level indicators are used to report learning

• Multiple competencies may be assessed at one-time

• Achievement on individual competencies is reported separately

• Competencies and learning targets being assessed are clearly labeled on each summative

• Each competency area will be assessed multiple times throughout a semester.

System for Reporting Out on Student Learning

Kearsarge High School uses rolling grades. The term “rolling grades” means that grades simply continue throughout the entirety of a course. The grading term starts on the first day of class and ends on the last day. Grades are calculated based on the totality of work for the entire course. Comprehensive midterm and final assessments are included in the overall course grade. Students are given multiple opportunities and various pathways to demonstrate that they have met the competency (at a minimum of basic proficiency, or BP level). A student's proficiency levels and grades are not averaged across quarters or semesters to determine final course grades.

Major Assignment Policy:

1. Essays must include your full name, date, and assignment in the upper right-hand corner.

2. All final drafts must be typed in double space with size 12 font.

Work Policies

• Whenever students are absent-excused (AE), they have one additional class meeting day to make up missed work for each absence. The student should make arrangements with their teacher(s) regarding missed work on the class period that they return from their absence. 

• Students who do not submit work for absences or other reasons will receive a 40% or an N (No Evidence).  Students who miss work for unexcused absences (UA) may not be eligible to remediate that work for credit.  

• All missing schoolwork associated with an incomplete grade should be submitted within ten (10) school days of the close of grades during the semester in which the incomplete status was issued.

Reassessment: See the KRHS CBE Handbook for more details. Students forfeit the right to reassess if all formative work has yet to be completed prior to the summative assessment. Students are eligible to retake summative assessments after the following steps take place:

1.  The student writes an email to the teacher within 3 (school) days of the scores being posted that contains the following information:

a.      the assessment and competency(ies) the student wishes to remediate

b.      the reasons for the student’s poor performance on the first attempt

c.   the student’s specific plans to be proactive and successful moving forward

2.  The student and teacher develop a contract for reassessment that is mutually agreed upon. This may include:

a. additional work sessions,

b. a determined end date which students must meet in order receive a new score,

 c. an alternative version of the assessment. In order to remediate a writing summative (e.g. an essay), a student must write an entirely new essay on a new topic to be determined by teacher and student.

3.  In addition, the following procedures will be followed for reassessment:

a.       Students who receive BP, I, or N on their first attempt will be permitted to reassess a summative up to two (2) times.

b.      Students who receive a proficient (P) grade on their first attempt may reassess one (1) time.

c.       Any grade of PD on the first attempt will stand, and no reassessment opportunity will be offered.

d.      In any reassessment opportunity, the higher grade will be recorded.

e.       Final and midterm exams are not open to reassessment.

4. If the student does not complete the agreed upon remediation plan, the original grade will stand in Power School and cannot be remediated unless otherwise discussed with the teacher due to extenuating circumstances. 

1. Each teacher will use professional discretion to decide whether the student will complete an entirely new assessment on the same competencies or the same original assessment. 

2. Teachers reserve the right not to accept student work based on individual student follow-through (21st-century skills). 

Academic Dishonesty: ­­ From the KRHS Student Handbook: Includes acts of plagiarism and/or cheating. Plagiarism is using another’s work as your own without giving proper credit. A student will also be considered to be violating this policy if they knowingly share their work with another student to let that student use it as their own.  

Range of Responses: Documented warning, lunch detentions, after-school detention, restorative practices, referral to a counselor or other school personnel, loss of privileges, in-school suspension, out-of-school, expulsion.

Extra Help—I am available most days after school and FLEX. Please schedule a time to meet if you feel you need extra help.

Materials:

1. Pencil or Pen - blue or black ink only, please.

2. Three-ring notebook with a folder or binder (notebooks should be designated for Freshman English only - please do not use the same notebook for English 9 as for Math, World Perspectives, Foreign Language - I may collect this notebook at times) 

3. White lined paper

4. Agenda (will be provided by the school)

5. School-issued chromebook and charger

6. Headphones with a microphone - these will be useful for both at home and at school, if you have trouble getting a pair of headphones, please let me know and I can try to get you some from the school district! 

Classroom Policies:

1. Students are expected to be in class on time, both during virtual days and in school days to be marked present. 

2. Be responsible: I expect you to come to class prepared and complete the assigned work. It is your responsibility to keep up with due dates.

3. Be respectful to yourself and others: I expect you to treat everyone in the room respectfully.  This means listening courteously when others speak and treating people as you would like to be treated.

4. Be prepared: I expect you to come to class on time with the necessary materials to engage meaningfully.

5. Tidiness: Please keep the room neat and clean. Put trash and recyclables in the appropriate bin.  Do not deface the walls or furniture. 

Cell phones are not allowed in class.  

Students will be asked to place their cell phones and/or electronic devices in an assigned location within the classroom before each class. Students who refuse to place their cell phone and/or electronic device in the identified classroom location will be sent to the main office. Students who are found in possession of, or using cell phones and/or other electronic devices during class will have to have a parent/guardian pick up the device from the main office or the classroom teacher. Students who are found in possession of, or using cell phones and/or other electronic devices during a summative evaluation will receive an N on the assessment. This includes but is not limited to smartwatches, cell phones, earbuds, headphones, and other electronic devices in student possession.

1. From the KRHS Student Handbook: “Cell Phones and Personal Electronic Devices”

   1. Unless authorized by a teacher for educational purposes, cell phone and/or personal electronic devices use will be prohibited in class during the academic day or during a school-wide activity, advisory or assembly.  Students may be asked to place their device in an assigned location within each classroom.  The volume of the device should be at a low level at all times.  Parents are asked to please call the main office at 603-927-4261 should an emergency arise.

   2. Because personal devices can be used for digital communication during the school day, it should be noted that improper conduct using a personal device is in violation of the Responsible Use Policy (RUP), under part 1: Safety and Security: Hardware and Networks.
      
      

Extra Help– Varied by the teacher. Schedule for flex time, either in person or virtually, or schedule for after school with your teacher.