Welcome to English 10-1!
I am thrilled to welcome you into my class and am excited for what this semester has in store for us! My main goal as a teacher is for you to succeed, and it is important to me that you know I am committed to helping you do that this semester. I am available in class, before/after school (by appointment) and during lunch for extra help, or a friendly conversation whenever you need me. I am also available by email and will respond to requests within 24 hours. Students should email me at sbrandford@rvschools.ab.ca
Let's have some fun and learn lots this year!
Ms. Brandford ❤️
Welcome!
ELA 10-1 is an rigorous course, and the expectations for student work are high. Students entering the class with a mark from the prerequisite course of below 65% in English 9 historically struggle with the intense expectations demanded in the class. Be prepared to work hard and take responsibility for using class time effectively. There will be assigned homework and out-of-class work. Through this course, we will:
Analyze a number of texts that explore the complexities of the human experience.
Consider how different literary theories can enhance the meaning and interpretation of a text, especially regarding characterization and conflict.
Heavily focus on writing, specifically the Personal Response Essay, but also the Critical Analytical Response to Literature Essay.
Developing and applying skills for reading comprehension exams.
Course Description
Course Overview
English Language Arts immerses students in the study of language and literature, developing and expanding upon the fundamental reading, writing, and language skills that students have studied previously. Through ELA, students will continue to study and apply the knowledge and skills that will allow them to be successful in this course and on their Provincial Exams. In any one unit of study, the six essential strands: listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing, & representing.
Course Objectives
Analytical Reading: Develop the ability to critically analyze and interpret a variety of complex texts, including literature, essays, poems, films, and articles.
Critical Writing: Enhance writing skills by composing well-structured, coherent, and illuminating critical and personal essays.
Critical Thinking: Foster critical thinking skills by evaluating and synthesizing information, arguments, and themes present in a variety of texts.
Communication: Develop effective oral and written communication skills for expressing ideas, opinions, and arguments clearly and persuasively.
Literary Analysis: Analyze and interpret literature in-depth, including examining themes, characterization, symbolism, and authorial techniques.
Cultural Awareness: Explore diverse texts from a variety of perspectives and backgrounds, and how this shapes personal identity and the human experience.
Preparation for Post-Secondary: Prepare for post-secondary education by honing critical reading and writing skills essential for success in many academic disciplines.
Diploma Exam Readiness: Prepare for the English 30-1 diploma exam, which assesses your proficiency in these skills and knowledge areas.
Scope & Sequence
Materials
A COMPUTER/DEVICE - this is essential to have in every class this semester!
A PLACE FOR NOTES - A binder, notebook, iPad, computer. Whatever works for you, just make sure you bring it!
WRITING UTENSILS - pencils, pens, erasers, and highlighters.
POST IT NOTES - We will use post-it notes or tabs for annotating. I would suggest you buy/bring your own!
TEXTS - Whatever text we are studying, ensure you have it with you for class.
Course Syllabus
Course Schedule and Texts Explored
All units are broken up thematically where every unit will have short story, poetry, film, major text, and non-fiction components. Each unit will be evaluated through a number of tests, projects, and essay assignments.
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Juno directed directed by Jason Reitman
To Kill a Mockingbird stage play
Book Clubs (variety of choice novels)
Where the Crawdad's Sing directed directed by Olivia Newman
Hunt for the Wilderpeople directed by Taika Waititi
"The Scarlet Ibis" and other short stories
Collection of Poetry and Non-Fiction
Expectations
General Expectations
SHOW UP - Attend class every day ready to learn. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of class - be on time (and if you're not, a large cream no sugar coffee is an excellent bribe). If you are absent, YOU are responsible for checking Google Classroom for updates.
BE PREPARED - Be prepared when you come to class. You should come everyday with a computer, writing utensils, and any other supplies or textbooks that we are using at the time.
DO THE WORK - This is English 10-1 a course that you can fail. If you do not pass the course, you must redo it. As you chose the academic stream, you will be expected to do work and assignments outside of class time.
RESPECT - Treat me and fellow classmates with respect. Everyone has a right to be heard and to learn in a secure environment. Critical analysis and questioning ideologies is encouraged, but intolerance, bigotry, bullying, and insensitivity will not be tolerated.
RESPONSIBILITY - Be responsible with your use of technology, assignments completed, and your work ethic.
Absences & Lates
Absences:
It is ALWAYS the student’s responsibility to determine, and complete, any evaluative activity has been missed.
Please check Google Classroom for any updates or missing work for that day. All assignments and information will be available there.
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. The portable doors will be LOCKED as soon as the bell rings. If you arrive late, students will be required to go to the office for a late slip and be escorted out to the portables. This is a new safety procedure at all Rocky View Schools.
Bathroom Policy:
Sadly, we do not have bathrooms or water fountains in the portables. The portable doors and school doors are locked during the day. As such, all students are to use the QR code to sign out AND back in when leaving the classroom. Please take the purple FOB to get access in and out of the portables and school. Be mindful of your classmates and return to class promptly. I would suggest coming to class with bladders empty and water bottles filled.
Assignments
Google Classroom and Digital Submission
All assignments must be submitted through Google Classroom.
If you have a paper copy, please take a digital picture of it and upload it. Ms. Brandford has no organizational skills and will lose your assignment otherwise ❤️
Sloppy or illegible work WILL NOT be accepted. If it can’t be read, it can’t be graded.
Assignment Policy
ON TIME: Assignments submitted on time will be graded with priority and ample feedback! Deadlines will be communicated in class, on the board, and on Google Classroom. I will do my best to get assignments (essays, exams, projects) back to you with feedback within three weeks.
LATE: Students will have two weeks to submit work through Google Classroom, graded in accordance to when they have handed the assignment in. Feedback may be limited if work is submitted after the original deadline.
AFTER DEAD DATE: After two weeks, students will no longer be able to hand in the assignment and will be awarded a zero. Students are able to redo up to three of these assignments at the end of the semester.
Extensions:
Life happens. Extensions on assignments will be considered if a you make arrangements at least one (1) day prior to the due date.
Don't ask me the day of or when I'm collecting the assignment! Be proactive and time manage.
Rewrites and Intervention:
Reading comprehension corrections will be allowed on all reading comprehension tests in the course. Including the baseline.
Essay assignment rewrites are not permitted, however, if you take the feedback I give you and apply it to the next assignment of a similar calibur, I will replace the grade.
Intervention week is during exam break. If you would like to rewrite an assignment, I welcome you to come to intervention week at the end of the semester. You can do a maximum of three rewritten assessments!
Computer Usage
Please bring a computer every day to English Language Arts! We will be reading and/or writing every single day, and technology is a huge asset. If you do not have your own, please take out a long-term loan from the Learning Commons.
Cellphones and Headphones
Phones are a part of our daily lives. However, they are a MAJOR distraction (I can't compete with TikTok/Snapchat/Instagram, and I don't want to). In this class, I would expect my students to be mature enough to practice responsible use. However, for clarity:
When You Can't Use Them:
Exams/tests/quizzes
During lecture
When Ms. Brandford is speaking at/to you
Group discussion
When You Can Use Them:
Independent work time
Group work time
Breaks
If your tech becomes an obvious distraction, Ms. Brandford will communicate with your parents a plan
Cheating, Plagiarism, and A.I.
We have had an influx of plagiarism and cheating at Bert Church High School since the pandemic.
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is taking someone else's ideas (writing, thoughts, perceptions) and claiming them as our own.
This could look like copying and pasting an essay from online, taking sentences from Sparknotes and pretending you wrote it, or using an AI generator to write your work.
By plagiarizing, you are also doing yourself a disservice by not practicing important writing techniques that can help you in the future and on your diploma exam.
This is highly unethical and a very serious academic offense, which will result in a 0 on the assignment and an email home.
Cheating:
Cheating is having access to or using information during a summative assessment when it is not permitted.
This could mean searching for the answers on your phone during a test, sharing an exam with a student from another class, or working on an in-class essay after it is due.
This is highly unethical and a very serious academic offense, which will result in a 0 on the assignment and an email home.
Artificial Intelligence:
Work completed by Artificial Intelligence (Chat GPT, Microsoft Bing, Chatbot, Quillbot) is not permitted.
The BCHS English Department runs all suspected AI essays and assignments through an AI checker, and Google Classroom has a built in plagarism detector.
This is highly unethical and a very serious academic offense, which will result in a 0 on the assignment and an email home.
The Bert Church High School cheating/plagiarism policy is as follows:
First Offense
Email/call home to parent and a 0 on the assignment. The assignment can only be made up during intervention week at the end of the semester.
Second Offense
The case will be taken to the school administration. This could result in a suspension.
Friday Schedule
On Fridays in English, we will have FLEX and Reading Comp Practice.
READING COMP: The first half of class will be reading comprehension practice passage. This will help you build stamina and practice for future exams and the diploma exam.
FLEX: Students can work on ENGLISH 10-1 assignments from the week, annotations, essay writing development, and thesis building. If all assignments for English are complete, other assignments for other classes may be permitted.
Assessment
In class, students will be assessed on the criteria listed below. Regular attendance, classroom participation and an attitude conducive to learning are necessary for optimum performance and success in the English classroom.
Intervention week is available during exam break, where, if needed, any 10-1 student is invited to attend and redo a maximum of three re-assessments.