Greenville Technical Charter High School
English II
Course Syllabus 2026-2027
Ken Gillespie
Room 205
kgillespie@staff.gtchs.org
Course description:
In English II, students will gain an understanding of world literary perspectives from their reading, group work, class/Socratic discussions, and writing. In addition to literary study, students will be exposed to various compositional modes, including narrative, persuasive, expository, poetic, and others as time permits.
Texts (provided):
· All texts for reading assignments will be provided and/or posted on Google Classroom.
Required Materials:
· Pen or pencil.
· College-ruled paper for notes and assignments in class.
· Access to Google Classroom for assignments.
· School-issued Chromebook and charger.
Classroom Routines:
· Students will be allowed multiple opportunities for additional instruction and revision to achieve mastery of relevant skills and content.
· You have received an invitation to join Google Classroom. Check your email and join with your school email
as soon as possible. Be sure to include a valid email for your parent/guardian.
· Assignments are due at the assigned time; ten (10) points per day (not class meetings) will be deducted for late major/minor assignments. Late homework will receive half-credit if the assignment is turned in the next school day.
· Missing work, regardless of the reason, will be recorded as a zero until it is made up.
· The assignment calendar is in Google Classroom and on my website.
· WIN time is required for every student whose quarterly average falls below 80. WIN is each Tuesday during first lunch. You will receive an email if you are assigned to WIN time.
· If you are absent from class, you have five (5) school days (not class meetings) after your return to school to
make up missed work. No make-up work will be accepted after this time.
· Students are expected to be on time for class. If you are not in the classroom when the bell rings, you are tardy. Four tardies to class will result in after-school detention. Five tardies will result in a disciplinary
referral.
· When you enter class, you need to be seated before the bell rings.
· You will need to have your Chromebook and charger every time class meets. Those who do not have Chromebooks/chargers in class will be given alternate hand-written assignments.
· You will need wired headphones (no ear buds) for listening purposes. If I see wireless ear buds, I will take them.
· Per state law, cell phone, smart watch, and smart glasses use is not allowed during the school day. Your cell phone and smart watch must be turned off and in your backpack. If I see either during class, regardless of the reason (“I got a
text from my mom,” “I was checking the time,”etc.), I will take it.
· Eating is not allowed in class (this includes gum, breath mints, cough drops, etc.). Repeated violations will result in Saturday School.
· Water is allowed in clear containers, but this privilege will be revoked if spills and trash become problematic.
· No water is allowed near Chromebooks.
Restroom Policy
· Requests to leave class are disruptive and lead to missed instruction. Students should leave class only for emergencies. Students are allowed three (3) restroom trips each quarter. Each additional trip will require ten (10) minutes of seat time during WIN.
· If you ask to leave class to go to the restroom at any time during a lesson (this includes when I ask, “Are there any questions?”), the answer will be “no.”
· Once you are excused, take the pass hanging by the door and go to the restroom in Building 119 only. Going anywhere ese without permission will result in a referral.
· You do not need to ask permission to use the restroom between classes. This is when you are supposed to use
the restroom. If you enter class after the bell rings, you will be counted as tardy.
· If you have a documented reason for needing to go to the restroom more than three times a quarter, the nurse will make me aware of this.
Academic Dishonesty, Cheating and Plagiarism: These offenses will not be tolerated in any form. Cheating
includes, but is not limited to, copying another student’s work (OF ANY KIND) with or without his/her consent; allowing someone else to copy your work is also cheating. Using AI to do your work for you is cheating as well,
and this includes programs like Grammarly for anything other than proofreading for spelling and grammar (not revising). If AI changes a word, that is no longer your writing. The result of academic dishonesty/cheating/plagiarism will be a grade of 0. Authentic completion of the original assignment will be
allowed with a maximum grade of 50%.
Grading:
Major assignments (papers, projects, presentations): 20%
Minor assignments (shorter essays): 20%
Quizzes: 20%
Daily work (in-class reading/writing assignments): 40%
The midterm exam will count 20% percent of the first semester grade.
There is no final exam in class. The end-of-course test will count 20% of the final grade.
General Course Overview (subject to change):
Unit One: Influence Map
· You will create a digital collage that combines images and text to document key influences in your life.
Unit Two: Short Fiction
· We will read a variety of short stories to investigate how and why authors develop plot, setting,
characterization, narration, symbolism, and irony.
Unit Three: Nonfiction
· We will read a variety of nonfiction texts to investigate how persuasion is used and how effective arguments
are crafted.
Unit Four: Poetry
· We will apply to poetry some of the concepts we discussed in units two and three. We will examine modern
song lyrics to explore the power of poetic devices.
Unit Five: Research
· We will work through benchmarks and revise drafts before submitting a final research paper.
Unit Six: Julius Caesar
· We will analyze Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare.
Unit Seven: To Kill a Mockingbird
· We will analyze To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask me. I’m looking forward to a great year. Thanks!