English 30-1 

• A binder, in order and up-to-date, complete with both lined paper.

• Several HB pencils & pens, eraser, and a few highlighters.

• Post-it Notes, Pencil Crayons, poster paper, and other additional materials may be required for some projects.  Notification will be provided.

• A pocket dictionary and/or thesaurus (recommended).

• Class textbooks, novels, and other materials;

• A positive attitude and a willingness to participate.

UNIT 1:ILLUSIONS VS.REALITY (MULTI-GENRE #1) | approx. 3 WEEKS

— TEXTS: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, “Horses of the Night” (M. Laurence), “How to Write with Style” (K. Vonnegut), various other texts as required and writing exemplars of PERTs.

— Focus Form: Graphic Essay & Critical/Personal Commentaries (CPU)

UNIT 2: WHAT IS LOVE? BABY DON’T HURT ME | approx. 2 WEEKS

— Texts: A Streetcar Named Desire, Lars & the Real Girl or Blue Jasmine, various other texts as required.

— Focus Form: Critical Analytical Response to Literature

UNIT 3:  THREADS IN A WEB (MULTI-GENRE #2) | 2 WEEKS

— Texts: “On the Rainy River” (T. O’Brien), “Boys & Girls” (A. Munro), various other texts as required. 

— Descriptive, Narrative & Analogy.

UNIT 4: LIKE A MOUSE IN A MICROWAVE | 3 WEEKS

— Texts: Othello, various other Shakespearean Excerpts and related texts.

— Focus Form: Creative Writing

UNIT 5: I DREAM A DREAM OF DAYS GONE BY | 2 WEEKS

— Texts: The Great Gatsby, various other texts as required.

— Focus Form: Annotations B

UNIT 6: “THE BOWS FROM WHICH YOUR CHILDREN AS LIVING ARROWS ARE SENT FORTH” | If Time Texts

— Texts: Death of a Salesman, The Godfather, various other texts as required.

— Focus Form: Diploma Examination Preparation

• Students will attend class every day, prepared to work, with a writing utensil, an organized binder, and any other supplies or textbooks that are being used for the unit being studied.

• Food may be used responsibly, but teachers have the right to disallow food if garbage, or allergies, become an issue.

• Students will treat the teacher and fellow classmates with respect. Everyone has a right to be heard and to learn in a secure environment.

• Students will treat the property of the school and the property of others in a proper manner.

• Students will not let anything impair their ability to communicate (cell phones, MP3 players, hats, etc.) and the teacher may confiscate the item if it becomes an issue.

Absences:

• It is always the student’s responsibility to determine, and complete, any evaluative activity has been missed. 

Excused Absence:

• An excused absence occurs when a parent or guardian phones the school at 403-948-3800 (24 hours a day) to report an absence. Telephone calls from students are not acceptable, unless the student has “adult status” confirmed by the administration of BCHS. Parents are requested to phone in advance of the absence if possible. If that is not possible, parents must call the day of the absence, or no later than the day after the absence (i.e. within 24 hours) if it is to be excused. Notes received from parents within this time frame are also acceptable.

• If a student is excusably absent from class on days during which an assignment, quiz, examination or other evaluation activity occurs, the student shall be given the opportunity to make up the missed work through either the original or replacement work at the teacher's discretion.

Unexcused Absence:

• An unexcused absence includes those absences for which no phone call or note has been received within 24 hours following the absence.  If the student misses a class where there is an assignment due or a quiz or exam written, the work will be awarded a designation of “NHI” (Not Handed In), which constitutes a zero for the purpose of calculating grades. (Chapter S-3, Part 1.14, School Act, 2000).  

Late Arrival:

• Please arrive to class on time.  If you are late for any reason, you will knock on the door and wait outside until it is convenient for your admission into the classroom.

• Repeatedly being late will result in disciplinary action which is specific to the presiding teacher. BCHS policy also applies.

Readability:

• Sloppy or illegible work WILL NOT be accepted.  If it can’t be read, it can’t be graded.

Missed Assignments:

• If no attempt is made to contact the teacher or the work is not completed within the agreed time an “NHI” will be awarded for the assignment.

Extensions:

• Extensions on assignments will only be considered if a student makes arrangement at least one (1) day prior to the due date.  An accompanying signature/note from a parent indicating the circumstances of the extension would be welcomed.

Digital Submissions:

• Assignments may be submitted electronically only at the discretion of the presiding teacher. If the teacher in question does not permit electronic submissions, an assignment submitted in this manner will not be accepted. 

• Teachers are permitted to establish their own practices for electronic submissions.

Missed Assignments/Earned Zero Policy:

• When a student has an excused absence, it is their responsibility to contact the teacher about missed work, as they are still responsible for the work covered in your absence. 

• If a task is given that day, the student must contact the teacher to determine a mutually agreeable time for missed assignments to be handed in for marking. Such issues must be discussed with the teacher on the day of the student’s return to classes, or earlier if possible (email).

• If excusably absent on the due date of an assignment, then the assignment is due the day you return to school.

The following assignment policy will apply to the class:

• Assignments submitted on the due date – Will be marked in as timely a fashion as possible (typically 2-3 weeks, depending on the size/type of assignment).  These will be given a rubric, and formative feedback.

• Assignments submitted within 2 weeks from the due date – Will be marked as other assignments allow (these are not the priority, and the only timeline that can be assured is prior to the end of the semester).  Students will receive no written feedback.

• Assignments submitted after 2 weeks from due date – Will be awarded a zero, unless special arrangements are made at the discretion of the teacher.  This is known as an assignment “Dead Date.”

Please Note: The presiding teacher has no onus to grade late work immediately. The teacher will do everything in their power to mark late work as quickly as possible, but it may not be marked until the conclusion of the course.

Reassessment Plan:

Given the variety of assignments and processes present in an ELA class, no singular method of reassessment is always applicable.  The type of reassessment is dependent on the type of task, the category of the task, and the significance/importance/weighting of the task, and teacher professional discretion. Teachers will communicate whole class opportunities for reassessment to students throughout the term.  It is important to note that not all work in the course can be reassessed and that reassessment does not guarantee a mark increase.

WHEN | prior to a reassessment occurring:

• The student must complete all outstanding major assignments in the course.

• The original assignment must have been submitted on time.

• The student must discuss it with the teacher. This discussion should occur no sooner than one week after the assignment is returned.

• Teachers and students will create a plan for reassessment.

• Once a reassessment plan is created, students are expected to adhere to the requirements of that plan.

TYPES | the types of reassessment that may occur in the class are based on teacher discretion and may include, but are not limited to:

• Replacement Grades - the most recent example of student achievement will replace the previous one.  

• Corrections - students are asked to fix mistakes to build upon previous work.

• Dropping Lowest Scores - the lowest grade in a particular category may be omitted.

• Redo Original task - complete or recomplete the original assignment.

• New Task - a new prompt and/or assignment may be given.

DETAILS | the following specifics apply:

         Major Writing Pieces:

If major writing pieces are submitted by the due date, students may take the option to re-write their pieces based on feedback given by the teacher in a writing conference. Students will not be able to boost their score on writing mechanics to place an emphasis on editing work before submission, but all other categories of the rubric are up for grabs in terms of boosting a grade! Re-writes must be submitted to the teacher within an agreed upon date and no lates will be accepted. If students do not choose to implement feedback and boost their grade, the original awarded grade will stand. 

PLANNED | these reassessments are already determined for the course: 

• Critical Writing - Replacement Grades

• Personal Response Writing - Highest Grade Emphasized

• Text Specific Unit Tests - MC Reading Comp Replacement

• Shakespeare Quizzes - Drop Lowest (Keep best 3)

An educationally functional electronic device as outlined by Bert Church High School policy is an asset.  If such a device is to be used, it is expected that students will bring their device to class with charge sufficient for use throughout the period.

Inappropriate AI usage may result in the student(s) receiving a zero (0), or students may be asked to complete an alternative assignment (depending on the circumstances). In some cases, students may be referred to administration.  Please follow all assigment instructions closely.

• Presentation on AI 

Cell phones do not replace the use of a Chromebook/Laptop, and significant research reveals that such devices are significant distractions to student learning and impediments to success. As such, cell phones, tablets, and other non-educational electronic devices should not be used in-class unless expressly directed by the teacher. 

Providing or using unauthorized assistance, such as:

• Copying another’s work (including plagiarism)

• Telling others what is on a test

• Presenting another’s ideas as your own

• Taking notes/aids into a test situation

This may result in the student(s) receiving a zero (0), or students may be asked to complete an alternative assignment (depending on the circumstances). In some cases, students may be referred to administration.

• Presentation on Plagiarism

Students are not permitted to utilize AI unless expressly invited to.  This means they are not permitted to copy and paste into templates provided.  Please Note: Grammarly and similar editing software is using AI.

• Presentation on AI