Email Alison.Tickle@sduhsd.net
Course Overview
Welcome to English 7 Honors! This class is going to help grow you into a critical thinker, reader, and writer. Over the next semester, we will be reading several pieces of literature, writing in greater depth than you have before, and strengthening our reading and discussion skills through various activities. To accomplish this, you will need to think critically about everything we do and take the time to put these thoughts to work in each and every assignment. We will write thoughtfully and often, including the following pieces: responses to literature, a research report, argumentative essays, a fictional narrative, and several genres of poems. Not only will you be learning how to write in these different formats, but you will be learning how to craft your writing to make it more engaging, thought-provoking, and stylized. We will be reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Animal Farm by George Orwell, The Children’s Story by James Clavell, and a variety of short stories including “The Moustache” by Robert Cormier, “How a Boy Can Become a Grease Fire” by Jason Reynolds, and “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.; myths; and poems. As a speaker, you will be participating in class discussions and presenting. In addition, you will be learning some grammar. This year is going to be full of new learning and experiences, and I look forward to learning right along with you!
Materials suggested, but not required, for Honors English:
Notebook – A three-ring binder with plenty of lined paper
Paper, pens, pencils, highlighters , index cards, and sticky notes (smaller for annotating)
How to be successful in this class
Write your homework in your agenda and do it. Homework is the independent practice that cements your learning.
Study regularly. It will be difficult to earn an A or B if you don’t take the time to study the material. This is an honors class with honors expectations. Make flashcards for key terms and grammar concepts.
Go beyond the obvious. In your responses, provide supporting details and always explain why and/or how you came to that conclusion. Restating quotes or summarizing will not get you full credit. You must explain and justify your answers.
Put yourself out there. You get much more out of the class by being an active participant—share during class discussions, volunteer ideas and answers, and listen and learn from your peers.
Ask for help if needed. Teachers are not mind readers, so let me know if you’re struggling. The practice time at the end of each block period is ideal for this.
Classroom Expectations
Respect others and yourself
Come prepared and ready to learn
Listen to and follow directions
Raise your hand before speaking
Sit up, track the teacher, and be on-task
Be ready to begin promptly at the bell—that means you’re seated with your agenda and homework out
Have a self-selected free read book with you at all times
In accordance with school policy, no hats or hoods are to be worn in class, and gum is not permitted
There is to be no eating or drinking in class, except for water
Use your school-issued chromebook for all class work and assessments
Cell Phone and Electronic Device Policy.
Cellular phones, iPods, or other electronic devices must be in airplane mode or powered off while students are in class. Also, cell phones must be placed in the pocket chart on the wall just inside the doorway. Students must understand they will not be given permission to leave class in order to answer a phone call or text message. The use of electronic devices is prohibited during class time without teacher permission. Students who send inappropriate text messages or photos may be subject to disciplinary consequences.
Earbuds/airpods may not be worn in class without permission.
Students may not record, video, or take a picture of another student or staff member without prior written consent.
The consequences of violating our class contract and school rules
First offense – redirection, whole class reminder
Second offense – loss of participation point, student/teacher conference, seat change, call/email home, or detention Third offense – loss of participation point, phone call home, referral to office, possible activities/privileges revoked
For chronic or serious problems administration will become involved.
Google Classroom and Webpage
Students can find classwork and homework calendars, and helpful links on my class website. In addition, unit calendars are posted in Google Classroom with links so that students can get the materials and assignments they need. Therefore, it is very important that your student ensures that he or she can access both resources and to contact me promptly if any issues arise. In order to access links from my website, the student needs to be logged into their my.sduhsd.net account.
Homework
Students can expect homework nightly. The amount of homework each night varies by unit, by assignment, and by student. What some students can do in 20 minutes, others might be able to do in 10; therefore, it’s hard to say exactly how long each assignment will take. Homework is due at the beginning of class each day. For digital assignments, timestamps in Google Classroom will serve as official indicators as to whether or not assignments are submitted on time. Writing assignments, speeches, or major projects will be accepted late with a deduction, but the on-time homework points cannot be redeemed.
Absences
If students are absent, it is their responsibility to find out what they missed and make up all assignments, quizzes, or tests.
Assignments can be acquired by logging into Google Classroom, checking the website, and calling classmates.
If clarification is needed from me, students must see me before or after class or during practice time. Please do not speak with me during class to ask about making up work missed during an absence. My first priority is teaching the lesson of the day, so it is difficult for me to focus on getting you caught up. Plus, you should be focusing on the lesson of the day as well.
If you are absent on the day an assignment is due, it is due the day you return.
Students have as many days as they were absent to make up any missed work only if the absence is excused. However, due to the workload, if students talk to me upon their return about a timeline, I am happy to help them prioritize their make-up work and create a schedule that works.
If students miss a quiz or test due to an absence, it must be made up within the week, or the student will earn a zero. All quizzes and tests are notated on the website and Google Classroom, so students must be responsible for knowing what they missed. However, as students have several classes for which they must make up assignments, if they have a scheduling conflict and as long as they speak with me in a timely manner, I will work with them to set up an alternate make-up schedule.
It is the students' responsibility to make sure their work is turned in at the appropriate time and to the appropriate place. If students wait until scores are posted in Aeries, it may be too late to make up/turn in the work.
Vacations: Please understand that it may not be possible for me to provide work in advance if you will be out for vacation. According to Ed Code, vacations are considered unexcused absences, so being provided with the opportunity to make up any missed work is a privilege. In some cases, there may be some assignments that may not be made up at all. If work is provided for you in advance, it is due the day you return and quiz and test make-ups will be notated on your packet. If work cannot be provided for you, it is your responsibility to be checking the website and doing the best you can to stay caught up.
Late Work
Late work includes assignments that are not submitted on time for various reasons, including unexcused absences. This is not connected to on-time homework points but is for assignments collected and graded in addition to earning on-time points. Assignments should be completed and submitted at the beginning of class on the due date. Points will be deducted from late work.
Students will receive full credit for work submitted one day late (the on-time points, however, cannot be restored).
Students will receive partial credit for work submitted 2 or more days late.
Late assignments will not be accepted after one week
Essays/projects will lose one letter grade per day that they are late.
Late work will be graded and entered on Aeries at least two times per quarter. My priority is grading the work that is submitted on time.
Summative Assessments
This class provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of the standards in many ways. Students should expect an assessment at the end of each unit. The assessments allow me to adjust future units and reteach standards that were commonly missed. All assessments are cumulative, which means that once we finish a unit, students will still be tested in the future on the skills taught in previous units to encourage true learning. Formal and informal research-based discussions will be conducted and assessed. Quizzes and tests consist of multiple choice, true/false, matching, and sometimes constructed response questions. In addition, students will write a variety of process pieces this year – a response to literature, a research-based essay, an argumentative essay, a narrative, and poetry. In each process piece, students will be expected to use the grammar we have studied this year. Under no circumstances should a student communicate with another student during an in-class assessment. Violation of this rule will result in a zero on the assessment. If you have a question or issue during an assessment, please discuss your needs with your teacher, not your peers. All digital assessments must be completed on school-issued chromebooks. Also, once a quiz or test is turned in, it may not be retrieved or unsubmitted without permission from the teacher. Assessments range in point value from 10-100 points.
Academic Honesty Policy
Unless specifically indicated by the teacher, all assignments MUST be completed individually. Any assignment (homework, quiz, exam, project, etc.) submitted as one’s own work but obtained by using another person’s work is academically dishonest and will result in a zero for everyone involved and a referral to the assistant principal's office. Work that is found to have been plagiarized cannot be resubmitted. Plagiarism also includes copying and/or failing to properly cite material from any printed or online resources.
Extra Help
Due to the current climate, extra help is available during most practice times and when scheduled in advance. If you/your student needs extra help or needs to make-up a quiz or test, the student must speak to me before or after class or email me with specific details as to what must be made up or what they require help with so that a time can be arranged. Here is an example of what that email should look like.
How to Study
The best way to study is to be in class and focused each day. I give many handouts, and all of these handouts have a specific purpose. When studying for a test, you should read over these handouts, look for key terms, look for highlights and labels. Make flashcards, and study them. Any information that I discuss in class, give as notes, or distribute as a handout will most likely be tested. You should also keep your own notes as we study literature and write down examples we discuss of different literary elements such as themes, irony, foreshadowing, etc. Do not procrastinate. You should not expect to do well on tests/quizzes for this class if you study only the night before the test rather than consistently throughout the unit.
Grades
I utilize a total point system. Students will earn their grades through active involvement in writing, reading, class work, and discussion. Credit or no credit will be given on most homework assignments and class work. Not every piece of writing will be graded; some may be used as formative pieces leading up to an end product. Projects, essays, and unit tests will be graded according to the specific guidelines outlined in class and are worth more points than daily homework, classwork, and quizzes. Essays and speeches turned in or presented late will have one letter grade deducted for each day they are late.
Email Contact
Email is the best method of communication. Due to the block schedule, however, please allow at least 48 hours for a response because I only have a prep period every other day.
Appointments
I am always willing to meet with parents by appointment. When an appointment is scheduled, please check in at the main office and then come to my room (M-1). Please understand that I am unable to meet for conferences without an appointment as it takes time to prepare for them, or I may have a previously scheduled meeting. To schedule a meeting (in-person, virtual, or by telephone) please email me.