Welcome to Honors English I! I am very excited for you to be a part of my class! I am confident that we are going to have a great year! Thoroughly read this syllabus, as it will help you better understand the course and expectations for our class. It’s going to be a fantastic year!
Contact Information:
ljking@greenville.k12.sc.us| Dr. Laura King
SUPPLIES: Highlighters (a variety of colors), pencils, colored pencils, two composition books, and a charged Chromebook
COMMUNICATION:
My email address is ljking@greenville.k12.sc.us - This is the fastest method for me to respond quickly. I will respond within 24 hours.
My telephone number is (864) 355-8527. This phone number will directly connect you to my voicemail. Please leave your name, message, and phone number so I can address your needs when I am finished teaching.
Student Backpack is an essential tool for accessing grades.
Google Classroom will be your greatest asset for staying up to date.
CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS:
In my classroom, I expect students to work with urgency while treating each other with respect and compassion. I will make every effort to ensure you have an English 1 high school course experience that encourages your love of reading and increases your ability to communicate your thoughts effectively; both verbally and in the written form. This means that our classroom environment must be a safe place to wrestle with complex thoughts. Any behaviors that threaten this environment will be subject to Woodmont Middle School’s discipline policy. Please see the student handbook for additional information.
GRADING:
Major Assessments (3-4 minimum) 60% Minor Assessments (12 minimum) 40%
*This is a high school course, so zeros for missing assignments will be awarded. There is not a 50% floor for assignments, which means that scores less than 50% will be recorded.
Major Assessments: Major assessments include tests, formal writing, or culminating products. Students will receive notice in advance and will go through the necessary teacher-directed study and preparation for any major assessment. Students, however, should also spend time preparing for major assessments at home.
Minor Assessments: Minor assessments will include homework, classwork, skills-based quizzes, small writing assignments, and informal presentations.
Make-up Work Policies/Late Work: It is the responsibility of each student to inquire about make-up work upon returning from an absence. Students must also check Google Classroom for classwork and homework information for any days missed.
Work turned in within 5 days past the due date in Google Classroom will not receive any point deduction. After five school days, late work will not be accepted and will earn a zero in the gradebook.
For EACH late assignment, students must complete a short Google form about the late work; this form is in Google Classroom Stream. If the form is not completed, I will not know that it needs to be graded.
Redo/Retake/Revision Policies: wStudents are welcome to redo any minor assignments given in the current quarter; this does not include quizzes. For major assessments, students may complete revisions/retake an assessment once. An alternative assessment may be offered. Students must ask to complete a retake or make revisions within 5 days of the grade posting in the gradebook. Once the quarter ends, grades cannot be altered.
Honors English I Course Overview:
Honors English I Course Overview
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Unit 1:Against All Odds: What does it take to survive a crisis?
Students will learn about people who faced life-threatening situations and survived. The culminating product for this unit will be an argument about the ethics of survival: Does survival require selfishness? They will adapt this argument as an oral presentation (HMH textbook).
Major Texts: Excerpts from Night by Elie Wiesel, The Odyssey, and various informational texts and auto/biographical texts from the 9th-grade HMH textbook and the Commonlit Website
Unit 2: Breaking Through Barriers: Are some differences too great to overcome?
Students will consider the challenges people face in many different situations - and how they overcome them. The culminating product of this unit is a personal narrative about how differences between people can be opportunities rather than obstacles (HMH textbook).
Major Texts: “The Gettysburg Address” by Abraham Lincoln, and various informational texts and auto/biographical texts from the 9th-grade HMH textbook and the website anthology Commonlit.
Unit 3: Love and Loss: How can love bring both joy and pain?
Students will read and analyze one of the most famous love stories ever written, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The Culminating product will be a literary analysis essay and students will participate in a Socratic Seminar.
Major Texts: Romeo and Juliet and various informational texts and auto/biographical texts from the 9th-grade HMH textbook and the website anthology Commonlit.
Unit 4: Freedom at All Costs: Can each of us find freedom?
Students will read fiction and nonfiction works about people overcoming oppression. The culminating product for this unit is a research report and participation in a debate.
Major Texts: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vannegut Jr., “I Have a Dream”, speech by Martin Luther King Jr., Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly, “Reading Lolita” in Tehran by Azar Nafisis, Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return by Marjane Satrapi, and an excerpt from Goodbye, Vietnam by Gloria Whelan and various informational texts and auto/biographical texts from the 9th- grade HMH textbook and the website anthology Commonlit.
The Master List of potential books that could be used in book clubs or all-class reads can be found here.
Guardian and Student Information:
Please complete the boxes below to help me partner with you well this year! I am certain your student will find the most success when you and I are on the same page.
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Film and Novel Guardian Permission:
Throughout the year, students will have the opportunity to view an array of films that accompany the literature studied in class. These films are used for enrichment, enhancement of understanding, comparing and contrasting, and/or analysis of techniques. Only films that align with the South Carolina College and Career Ready Standards are shown. Greenville County Schools requires written parental permission to view film clips with a PG or PG-13 rating. Students are not required to watch the films and can be offered an alternative assignment if desired.
Please view the list of films below used as part of the instructional process in Honors English I. Please sign in the designated area if your child may have permission to view the films throughout the year. Your signature also acknowledges that you’ve approved of the detailed book list above.
Film Adaptations: Rating:
Fahrenheit 451 (2018) NR
Excerpts from Romeo and Juliet (1968) TV-14
Romeo and Juliet (1996) PG-13
Romeo and Juliet (2013) PG-13
The Odyssey (1997) PG-13
Excerpts from: Oprah: Auschwitz Death Camp starring Elie Wiesel (2006) TV-14
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Student’s Name (Please Print)
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Guardian Signature