Pearl River Central High School

7407 Highway 11

Carriere, MS 39426

Phone: 601-798-1986

English II and English II Honors Syllabus

Teacher Name: Melynda Moseley (mmoseley@prc.k12.ms.us)

Room Number: A-20

Available for conferences Monday and Wednesday from 2:40 to 3:00 p.m.

Course Description:

This course is designed to provide opportunities for sophomore level English students to engage in an in-depth examination of literature and the writing process as required by the Mississippi College and Career Readiness Standards (MCCRS). Opportunities will be provided for the student to examine practical and creative applications of course content in order to enhance reading and writing enrichment.

State Assessment:

• At the conclusion of the course, each student is mandated by the State of Mississippi to pass the English II state test in order to graduate and in order to progress to higher level required English courses.

• Attendance is imperative because of the nature of this class. Students must be in class and on-task each and every day. Appropriate behavior is essential for success.

Students will be able to:

• Analyze and contextualize the evolution of various cultures through literature reflective of given literary periods from the ancient Greeks through modern times by exploring the customs and norms of each period as revealed through unique perspectives from a variety of authors

• Improve their analytical skills by understanding rhetorical strategies: that form is related to function, and meaningful writing requires authors to choose the most effective voice and genre according to their purpose and audience

• Ascertain an author’s purpose and determine the specific strategies and techniques the author employs to achieve accomplishment, and understand that effective writing (including fiction) conveys an argument

• Express maturity in their own writing through a variety of sentence structures and syntactical methods as well as through sophisticated diction

• Demonstrate proficiency in CCRS English and reading standards

• Utilize grade-appropriate vocabulary and determine the meanings of unfamiliar words using context clues, root words, and affixes

Supplies:

1. 1 to 1-1/2 inch binder

2. White College Ruled, Standard Sized Notebook Paper (not extra large)

3. One pack Page Protectors (for documents which will be frequently referred to)

4. 3 Dividers (Notes, Classwork, Essays, Paragraph of the Week, Bell Work, Essentials)

5. Pens

   1. Black - first drafts

   2. Blue - revisions

   3. Red - editing

6. White Out (tape or liquid)--optional

7. Pack of 250 index cards

Requirements:

• Successful completion of English I (9^th grade English)

• Complete vocabulary assignments. Objectives tests, which include vocabulary, will be given on Fridays of each week unless otherwise stated.

• Complete journal assignments as assigned by the teacher.

• Complete written products to meet requirements for the MCCRS writing standards.

• Actively participate in all class activities.

• Come to class ready to 1) be fully there, 2) make someone’s day, 3) choose a positive attitude, 4) have fun while learning/working.

Primary Learning Goals:

By the end of the semester, students will:

• Learn to appreciate literature by reading aesthetically to build connections to the text, not just rotely or to simply glean information;

• Analyze, compare, and evaluate various works of literature – read between the lines;

• Understand that effective authors of fiction, nonfiction and poetry carefully consider their stylistic choices as they pertain to purpose and audience;

• Discern and analyze the rhetorical strategies authors employ, and students will apply some of these strategies to enhance their own writing as appropriate;

• Demonstrate serious engagement with the readings through close reading and analytical writing;

• Participate in active class analytical discussions;

• Express analysis and practice writing skills through academic writing assignments including argument, informative, and narrative essays developed and completed in class;

• Express themselves through creative writing and free writing;

• Apply steps of the writing process as they write;

• Apply spelling, proofreading, basic grammatical and editing skills to augment their writing;

• Continue to develop sophisticated sentence structures and syntax – subordination and coordination;

• Demonstrate a knowledge of the basic design and types of multi-paragraph essays;

• Transcend the five-paragraph essay form;

• Improve their vocabulary skills;

• Develop and apply the study and research skills necessary for academic success;

• Develop and apply oral and presentation skills;

• Develop and apply listening skills;

• Arrange writing conferences for individual instruction;

• Demonstrate comprehension of material presented through adequate completion of regularly scheduled quizzes and tests;

• Develop test-taking skills through multiple-choice quizzes and constructed responses;

• Develop adequate speed when completing written assignments, quizzes, and tests.

Grades are based on the following scale:

4.0 - 90-100....................A

3.0 - 80-89......................B

2.0 - 70-79 .....................C

1.0 - 65-69......................D

0 - 0-64........................F

Class Procedures and Rules:

1. Arrive on time, prepared to fully participate in all class activities. (Please be aware that tardies do affect your eligibility for exemption as well as your eligibility for attendance awards/rewards.)

2. Demonstrate age-appropriate maturity by adhering to class routines without unnecessary reminders.

3. Have all required materials and supplies in class each and every day.

4. Place cell phone in the designated area upon entering the classroom. (Cell phone policies in the handbook will be strictly adhered to.)

5. While extra talk and noise may not be detrimental to your learning, it may be very detrimental to others in class. As a result, during instruction only one person will speak at a time. All others will participate through active listening. There will be many opportunities for collaboration and small group discussions; these are limited to times indicated by the teacher.

6. All purses or bags are to be kept on the floor, under your desk.

7. In the event of an excused absence, homework assigned on the last day the student was in school is due upon the student’s return.

8. Students who have an excused absence on the day they are assigned to speak must present their speeches on the day they return to class.

9. In the event of a school closing, all assignments due on the day of the closing will be due on the first-day school resumes.

10. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the teacher during/after an excused absence to inquire about any make-up work missed during the absence. Failure to contact the teacher in accordance with the policy stated in the handbook will result in a grade of zero for the missed assignment(s). (See Addendum A for details of related handbook policies.)

11. Students are to abide by the norms of academic integrity. This means that students are expected to complete their own work and not to plagiarize. Cheating includes the unauthorized copying from the work of another student; using notes or other materials not authorized during an examination, quiz or test; giving or receiving information or assistance on work when it is expected that a student will do his/her own work; or engaging in any similar act that violates the concept of academic integrity. Cheating may occur on an examination, test, quiz, homework assignment, speech, or any other work submitted by a student to fulfill course requirements. Plagiarism is representing the words of another as one's own in any academic exercise. There are several kinds of plagiarism:

a. Copying word for word or incompletely paraphrasing a phrase, sentence, group of phrases, a group of sentences, or whole paragraphs from another source without crediting that source. This kind of plagiarism can be quantified as the copying, at a minimum, of six words or more in a row, including a, an, and the, from another source without citing the source.

b. Giving a speech or submitting a paper, poster, project, or any other assignment that has been written completely or partially by someone else.

c. Cutting and pasting material found on the Internet or in other electronic databases into one's own paper, oral presentation, poster, project or other assignments without crediting the source.

d. Downloading entire texts and presenting them as one's own work.

e. Presenting ideas from another source as one's own original thoughts. These can be ideas taken from textual sources or from speeches, lectures, television programs, or other forms of oral language.

f. Improperly citing sources with the intent of misleading the reader (e.g., making up citations) as to the source of the information presented.

***Cheating and plagiarism will be referred to the administration and will be dealt with as stated in the Student Handbook.***

12. Rewrite Policy

Any written assignment that receives a less than desirable grade may be revised and rescored, so long as: 1) it was initially submitted on time, 2) a student-teacher conference has taken place, and 3) the rewritten assignment is resubmitted in a timely fashion (no more than 3 days after the assignment was returned to the student).

Unit I Overview (4 weeks)

**** MCCRS Writing Rubric is attached following Addendum A ****

Addendum A

Pearl River Central High School

Makeup Work Policy 2019-2020

It is the responsibility of each student to obtain make-up assignments from each teacher on the day he/she returns to class from an absence. Assignments and projects in all classes will be given a firm due date that will be recorded on the outline for the assignment or project by the classroom teacher. Students absent are required to get missed work from the teacher during the next class. Previously announced tests, quizzes, or assignments that have been scheduled BEFORE a student is absent MUST be made up the day the student returns to school. Teachers can use their discretion when unavoidable circumstances arise.

Absence Policy

A student who is absent is required to make up all coursework missed regardless of whether the absence is excused or unexcused. At a minimum, the student shall have no less than one week from the day the student returns to school to complete and hand in make-up work for credit. Makeup work for absences is graded and recorded in the grade book by teachers without penalty to students if submitted according to the timeframe in this policy. Specific arrangements must be made with the student’s teacher(s). If a student is not in school on the day an assignment is due, that assignment is due and expected the next class.

Late Work Policy

The expectation is that all students will turn in all assignments on time; however, when this does not occur, we need to encourage students to show responsibility for their learning by completing the assignments. Late work not due to absence will not be accepted for full credit. Late is any time after the assignment is collected by the teacher. Students will be allowed to submit a late assignment or project. Work turned in after the due date will reflect a 20 point deduction. Except for extenuating circumstances, work will not be accepted more than one week after the due date.

Students who have been suspended out of school (OSS) will be allowed to make-up work at the discretion of the principal.

With administrative prior approval, missed exams should be made up within ten (10) school days after the end of the reporting period.

If a student must be out for an extended absence of three (3) days or more, it may be helpful to send home those assignments that the teacher feels can be completed individually. In such a case it would be helpful if the parent would provide the teacher(s) with a minimum of 24 hours notice. Work for students can be obtained by calling the office at 601-798-1986 between the hours of 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. The secretarial staff would be glad to forward the request to the teachers.