English 10 Syllabus

English 10 Syllabus Written by Mr. Williams and adapted by Ms. Nugent


Welcome to English 10! We have a great semester in store, with some terrific class texts and no doubt some exciting conversations. This will be a demanding course, but if you maintain good attendance, keep up with all class assignments, participate regularly, and challenge yourself in thinking and writing, you will have success. Expect the workload to be significant yet manageable. You will have regular homework assignments outside of class that further the work we do in class and are essential for success. If at any point you are feeling overwhelmed or need clarification, please do not hesitate to schedule an appointment and meet with me.


Goals:

Our goals this year will be to develop your reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. This will be accomplished through reading a broad range of texts, both literary and non-fiction, as well as regular class discussions, journaling activities, short answer responses, and longer analytical essays. We will also work to improve close reading skills, textual analysis, critical thinking, and higher order thinking. Every text has been selected carefully, and every activity is deliberate and purposeful. If we work hard, we will accomplish all of these goals.


Class Texts:

The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare

All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque

Lord of the Flies, by William Golding

The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros

Selected Poetry

Selected Short Stories


A major component of English 10 is also a research paper. It will require time, patience, and energy to complete, but will pay off with the knowledge gained as well as the research skills learned. More on this will be forthcoming as the project comes closer.


General Expectations:

For our class to function effectively and for everyone to make the most of our limited time together, I expect you to …

  • Complete all assignments, whether begun in class or outside of class
  • Come to class prepared with necessary materials
  • Participate regularly in class discussion
  • Come with an open mind, and embrace the points of view of others
  • Support each other with respect and dignity
  • Challenge your current thinking and preconceived notions
  • Make yourself open to new ideas and perspectives
  • Invest serious time and energy into all coursework
  • See me if you need extra help or want to extend a conversation already under way


Daily Procedure:

  • Be in your seat with materials out, ready to work before the bell rings
  • Check the board for any Bell Work
  • If / when finishing early, double check all work before submitting, then read an independent novel
  • When it is time to come together as a group or change activities, transition quickly – NO WASTED TIME!
  • Double check the weekly agenda for homework every day


Discipline:

  • Everyone is expected to behave like mature young adults, to contribute to class discussions, to participate, to volunteer answers, and to work in groups responsibly and productively
  • We must each help each other’s learning process – we are a community of learners
  • If you interrupt class, disrupt others’ learning, are disrespectful to me or other students, come to class late or unprepared, and/or fail to turn in assignments, actions will be taken to correct the issue


Cell Phones:


  • Cell phones can be tremendously distracting from our work in the classroom
  • First offense: Teacher takes phone and student retrieves it at end of day
  • Second offense: Teacher submits phone to administration and student retrieves later
  • Third offense: Teacher submits phone to administration and student’s parent must retrieve it


Bathroom Visits:


  • Students should use the restroom before class
  • Occasionally one may need to leave the classroom for a bathroom visit
  • If you need to leave, it must not be during direct instruction, but rather ‘independent work time’ (after a quiz, after a journaling activity, while starting the homework, etc.)
  • Be mature; be reasonable


Tardiness / Passes:

  • You are expected to be in your seat ready for class before the bell rings
  • If you arrive late to class you need a pass from your previous teacher
  • Repeat tardiness will result in disciplinary actions


Grading:

The breakdown for grading will be roughly as follows:

Journals - 10%

Homework and Quizzes - 20%

Daily Classwork - 10%

Tests and Essays - 30%

Class Participation - 10%

Research Project - 20%


English Department Policy for Late Work:


  • Late work will be penalized 10% per day it is late
  • If a legitimate emergency arises and prevents you from being prepared, you must report this situation to your teacher no later than 7:45 (before first period) on the due date
  • If you are legally excused from English but attend school for part of the same day, the English class assignments are still due that day
  • A truancy of the day of an assignment or test results in a grade of zero
  • I do not accept assignments via email. Assignments are late if they are not printed out and ready for submission at the beginning of class. (Some assignments will be submitted through Spartan Apps.)

Suggested Class Materials:

- 3-Ring Binder with dividers

- 3 x 5 inch note cards (for research project and short daily assignments)

- loose leaf paper (for quizzes, journaling, notes, daily work)

- sticky notes (for in-text note taking strategies)

- pens, pencils, eraser


Availability:

Where is the Nugent?

































Please review the syllabus and sign to indicate that you have read and understand the expectations for English 10. If you have any questions or concerns, now would be a great time to discuss them. Thank you, and I look forward to working with you this semester!




Signature of student: _______________________________________________________ Date: ________________




Signature of parent / guardian: ___________________________________________ Date: ________________



Questions, comments, concerns: