Honors English 1

Honors English I Syllabus 2023-2024

Teia Jensen

tjensen@eanesisd.net

Room 220

6th Period Conference

Course Overview

Honors English I is designed as part of a highly-accelerated program that ultimately prepares students to take rigorous Advanced Placement courses and related tests in their junior and senior years of high school. Students enrolled in this course are often seeking and enjoy the challenge of intensive reading and writing assignments. In this course, emphasis will be placed on literary analysis and author’s craft along with various modes of writing. Major literary works will include a choice of independent reading books, novels, and a classic play. In addition, selected short stories and poetry will be studied and analyzed in a similar manner.  

There will be major grade process writing assignments as well as in-class timed-writings. There will also be frequent discussions, major projects, and outside reading. Students will be expected to independently manage reading and writing assignments by using a variety of organizational resources and time management strategies. Honors English I students will be expected to demonstrate strong critical thinking skills of analysis, evaluation, and synthesis through participation in classroom discussion and writing. 

Class Expectations

• Be respectful, kind, and honest

• Be on time and ready-to-go

• Be the mindful creator of your work*

• No phones or headphones out during class

Class Procedures

• Be proactive and engage regularly in communication with your teacher

• Give coursework your best effort, especially when it challenges you

• Use provided organizational and planning resources to keep up with class work

• Expect and be patient with tech issues, yours and mine

• Be responsible with your iPads, class materials, and texts

• Follow school rules, policies, and procedures as well as class norms

Daily Required Materials

Optional Materials- depending on your learning needs

Charged school issued iPad 

Charger

Notebook/Journal 

Reading Materials: class study literary works and independent novel (paper copies only)

Loose leaf paper

Pens, pencils, highlighter, sharpie 

Headphones

Planner/Planning System

Student grades for each nine-week grading period will be based on:

Major 55% Tests, compositions, major projects, and other summative assessments

Quiz 25% Announced quizzes, involved group work, minor presentations and projects, and other assignments that build mastery. 

Daily 15% Unannounced quizzes, routine classwork, written homework, minor research, group work, and formative assessment

Skills Development 5% Timeliness (attached to all components of major grade assignments)

NOTE: Assignments posted in Skyward are coded as follows:

* - Assignments that have yet to be graded/entered (this is NOT a missing assignment)

0 or INC - A missing or incomplete assignment

100 - A numeric value entered means the assignment has been graded and entered. 

Remember: Thoroughly evaluated assignments take time to assess, and grades will be entered in Skyward once I have completed the feedback and evaluation process.

Absence Procedures 

Students will receive one make-up day per day of excused absence. It is the student’s responsibility to manage absences and make-up work—students are expected to complete missed assignments in accordance with the school policy for credit. Previously assigned work is due the day the student returns unless the student communicates with me ahead of time (24 hours prior to a due date) about needing an extra day. Note: Please reach out ahead of time in the case of prolonged absences or emergencies, and we can set up a plan that allows students to complete assignments in a mutually agreed upon way that facilitates recovery and reentry to the course. 

If an absence is deemed unexcused, the student will not be given credit for any assignment(s) submitted, including quizzes, tests, and major grade assignments as per school policy. Please check Google Classroom and provided organizational documents for assignments and due dates.  It is the student’s responsibility to meet with me regarding any questions/concerns on the work missed. 

Tardy Policy

Students should be well-versed with the handbook’s policy regarding tardiness. Students must be present for attendance at the beginning of class each day of the week. 

English Department Grading Policies

Major Grades: 

From time to time, emergencies happen - such as illness, hospitalization, injury, or a death in the family - that will interfere with a student’s ability to submit work in a timely manner.  In these cases, the student is expected to contact the teacher in person or by email as soon as the crisis arises to request a reasonable extension. Your schedule, extra-curricular activities, and technological issues are not “emergencies.”

Students are expected to submit their work by the assigned due date and time. To encourage the skill of meeting deadlines and to ensure skills are practiced when assigned, the following policy will be implemented:

• Major Grades will be accompanied by a 5% Timeliness Grade (100 for on time, 0 for not on time). When a student receives a zero for timeliness, they will still have up to 1 week to turn in the late Major Grade assessment for up to 100%. 

  • Late assignments are not eligible for a rewrite. 

  • Major assignments turned in between 7-14 days late may earn up to a 70. After 14 days, assignments may earn up to a 50.

Rewrites:

Major grade process writings can be revised and resubmitted for a maximum grade of 80 if the following conditions have been met:

• Work was submitted by the deadline

• Conference with teacher 

• Completed revision plan form

• Original grade was 79 or lower

• Resubmission is done in a timely manner

Daily and Quiz Grades

No late daily grades are accepted. Daily grade assignments provide students the opportunity to practice skills and new material independently as well as serving as preparation for participation during class and are therefore expected to be completed by the assigned due date in order for the material to be relevant. It is essential that assigned reading is completed by the due date for a literature class to maximize student participation and understanding.

For grades in the quiz category, late assignments will be accepted up to one day after the due date for up to a 70. After one day, the grade will be a 0. 

Should a situation arise in which a student is not able to complete a daily/quiz-grade assignment on time and would like to request an extension, an email should be sent to the teacher at least 24 hours prior to the due date. Without prior communication, late daily work is not accepted. 

WHS Academic Integrity Honor Code*

Artificial Intelligence

The purpose of written assignments in English courses is to assess students’ ability to think critically and to effectively communicate their thinking; the use of Artificial Intelligence to complete these tasks prevents an accurate evaluation of student learning.  Therefore, the use of any Artificial Intelligence tools (e.g. ChatGPT or DALL-E) or essay writing services (e.g. Chegg or Course Hero) to brainstorm, draft, or revise and edit student work related to any formative or summative assessment is strictly prohibited.  Students who submit assignments with AI assistance will be subject to an honor code violation, as outlined in the WHS Student Handbook, and will receive a zero for the assignment. 

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is taking the words, ideas, and even structure of another person’s writing, whether from a website, tutor, video, blog, print source, or an essay written by someone else; claiming authorship for it; and submitting it for a grade. Writers must always cite any material (except what is common knowledge) taken from a source and included in their writing, whether it be quoted directly or paraphrased. Students should never submit one essay, even a refashioned version of it, for multiple courses.  Students who submit plagiarized assignments will be subject to an honor code violation, as outlined in the WHS Student Handbook, and will receive a zero for the assignment. 

On the first violation of the WHS Academic Honor Code only, students may request to redo the assignment (or an alternate) for a maximum grade of 50. Any subsequent violations will not be eligible for resubmission.

• Grading Categories (Major/Minor/Daily/Quiz/etc)

  • Board Policy:
    When calculating a nine-week average, no single assignment/assessment grade may count more than 25% of the total average, regardless of the grade category (such as major or daily grade). It should be noted, however, that some major projects may comprise more than one assignment/grade.

• For grades in the quiz category, late assignments will be accepted one day after the due date for up to a 70. After one day, the grade will be a 0. 

• Daily assignments are not accepted late unless you have requested an extension 24 hours prior to the deadline.

• We do not offer extra credit on the Honors 1 level.  

STAAR Test 

This course is designated by the state to include a STAAR test. Updates on the timing, manner, and delivery of the test will be provided by the state, and we will communicate this information as it becomes available.

Google Classroom

Westlake High School utilizes the Google Classroom platform to share classroom resources, many assignments, and assessment preparation materials to students. WHS students will receive a classroom code to access these materials, submit assignments, and track any missing work. 

Current Calendar 

Google Classroom Calendar

Summer Reading Assignment 

Click HERE to look over the 2022-2023 Summer Reading Assignment