Class Description

This one-semester English elective is designed for juniors and seniors who seek challenging literary experiences.  This class does meet NCAA academic eligibility requirements for English literature.  Contemporary with regard to literature is defined as "writing published from post World War II to the present day, which addresses social and political change, identity and culture, and disillusionment."  The literature studied will include articles, essays, short stories, plays, novels, and film.  Here we will read, of course, and we will write a variety of modes -- including but not limited to -- journals, literary analyses, essays, and presentations.  Students are expected to work toward mastery in all State ELA Standards of Reading,Writing, Speaking, Listening, Researching, and Using Technology. 

Syllabus

Expectations:  

1.  Engage!  Students need to participate in their own education.  This means students will be both speaking & listening during class discussions, as well as taking notes.  

2. Be responsible:  Students are to charge their chromebooks at home, write down assignments & due dates, notice the items on the board, listen to & follow instructions, attend regularly, and do their own work.  Students should include first & last name, date, and class period on all submitted work.

3. Be respectful:  Students are to honor one another in word & deed.  So, students need to be mindful of what they say and what they do.  

4. As a teacher, I am expected to engage & be passionate about learning, education, and my students.  

5. As a teacher, I am expected to be responsible:  The teacher should grade & provide feedback in a timely fashion, communicating regularly with students.

6. As a teacher, I am respectful of my students as valuable & unique human beings.

Extended Absence:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NOaEeqJmLzNqoJrFQA_Wq01bH67dXP2F62VSPp-EC5M/edit?usp=sharing_eil&ts=6a7a3541

Student Google Classroom Information

3rd period:  

https://classroom.google.com/c/ODcyMDA2NDMzMDg1?cjc=2dlerdzi

Course Syllabus: SHS Contemporary Literature

Teacher:  Mrs. Sue Herdt, Room 131

sherdt@sbps.net

Welcome

I am so excited to have this opportunity to teach and to work together with you as we all become better communicators.  I’m pumped about this academic class for juniors and seniors through which each of you will be able to develop your reading, writing, and thinking skills.  English is -- and has always been -- my favorite subject, of course!  It’s incredible how much we read, write, speak, and listen every single day, and now we get to do that together.  It’s going to be a great year!

Expectations

Be present!  Make every minute count!

Within the first few days, we will discuss what we expect of each other, actually.  I do, however, have a few non-negotiables:  primarily respect, responsibility, and readiness.  So many things fall under these categories. 

Respect for self, others, and property.  This includes behavior, language, identity, effort, ideas, and more.

Responsibility to take care of yourself and be there for others.  Your behavior = your responsibility.  There will likely be lots of notetaking, not necessarily from lecture, but from class discussion, so you will want to keep track of the conversations about concepts.

Readiness with your materials (chromebook, notebook, pen/pencil, completed work) and your whole self (attendance, notes, organization, presence, willingness, participation). 

I intend to create an environment where you feel safe and comfortable enough to learn and grow; to stumble, fall, and get back up to try again;to ask questions and search for answers; to express yourself; to find your voice.  I expect you to be decent human beings to yourself and to each other.  Everyone gets to become the best version of themselves, and we can be very successful . . . together.   

Curriculum

Obviously, this is an English class, so we will be focused on those skills of reading, writing, speaking, and listening on a wide variety of topics.  

1. There will be a daily bell ringer question/statement that demands YOUR reaction.  Students will be expected to write their thorough responses on a document to be submitted weekly.  

2. Short pieces of literature will be read aloud and silently to verify comprehension and application of main literary elements, such as – but not limited to – ethos, pathos, logos, and characterization, conceptual development, and theme.  

3. This includes reading and analyzing various forms of literature:  at least two novels, and several short stories, as well as poetry and drama. Comprehension of materials and application of concepts will be practiced, mastered, and assessed.  Students will engage in a rigorous variety of both writing and reading.  The writing will consist primarily of essays of analysis and evaluation regarding the literature experienced.  We will spend time looking at content, of course, but greater energy will be put towards identifying, understanding, and applying the concepts.  This will lead you to the MOTWAAW:  the Meaning of the Work as a Whole.  I do not believe in busy work, so all that we do (reading, writing, discussing) is intentional and purposeful.  There is something valuable for you to learn and internalize. I want you to be able to see the relevance in what you experience because of this class, so you can apply these skills to life today and tomorrow.  Once you own the experience of your own education, it can never be taken from you.  I teach students . . . not just subjects.  

Materials  (Please notify me privately if you cannot acquire these items for yourself.)

-- chromebook (charged daily)

-- one college-ruled spiral notebook for class notes

-- class folder to keep handouts and returned papers

-- writing utensils (black/blue pen and pencil)

-- (optional) An actual planner is the best tool to help you stay organized.  I know there is more to you than just being a student in an English class, so this strategy helps you efficiently and effectively balance the roles in your life.

Missing/Late Work

I realize you are required to attend, but I intend to create a classroom environment where you will want to be.  I can guarantee that if you are absent you will miss something and be missed.  If something is not in on time, I will issue you an “M” in the Infinite Campus gradebook, so you are alerted.  As a professional, I believe it is my responsibility to grade your submissions and provide helpful feedback in a timely manner.  So, late work will be accepted until the end of each quarter/unit.  I do, however, expect you to do all that is assigned; you get to do these things to help you learn, practice, master, and apply some very important lifeskills.  

Assessments/Credits

Assessments are 70% of your total grade, so, yes, they matter.  These “tests” may be literally a written exam, and other forms of assessment -- like speeches, final drafts, skill demonstrations, etc -- will also be used.  I do expect your best effort, and I will give you mine, as well.  

You must re-take assessments where you score below a 60%, and you may retake (or correct) passed assessments in an attempt to raise your score.  However, you are expected to take the initiative to come and talk to me about this.  It’s your education, so you are in charge of scheduling re-teaching and re-taking as needed.  I will gladly help you understand the concepts to do well on the assessments.  Life is busy, of course, so we’ll need to plan a time that works for both of us, which may involve the Media Center or even Saturday School.  NOTE:  You can retake assessments until the end of the assigned quarter.  There is also a new tutoring opportunity available to you this year:  virtual tutoring through Nebraska State Colleges in Chadron, Peru,and Wayne, nscs.edu/NebraskaSMART.

The other 30% of your grade is acquired through classroom participation, practice, daily assignments, and discussion.  I hope you’re all in!

The grading scale will be the same as all SHS classes:  A=90-100%, B=80-89%, C=70-79%, D=60-69%, and F=0-59%.  

For each passing semester, you earn 5 credits; you must have 40 credits of English to graduate.

Attendance/Tardy Policy 

We will follow the SHS policy that governs all high school students. PLEASE be certain you understand the changes for this year and moving forward!  You are now limited to only 10 No Contact absences!  It is your responsibility, of course, to come to class and to report on time.  You are first given the opportunity to take care of business.  If the evidence shows you cannot and you have multiple offenses, I will then reach out to your parents/guardians for assistance.  Please be in your seat – with your phone placed in the caddy – and ready to learn when class starts.

PED

This classroom is a Red Zone, so there is to be no cell phone use during the class period.  Phones and other PEDs are to be placed in an assigned slot at the beginning of each class period.  This gives you 45 minutes in each class to really engage in the experiences at hand; you get to be completely present!  PEDs are returned to the owners at the end of each class period.  Your cooperation is both expected and appreciated.  

Chromebooks

Let’s hear it for technology!  (I know you have been born into it, and I am grateful you are willing to help me continue upping my game.)  We will be using them often in class -- but not always.  Chromebooks can be both an attraction and a distraction.  I will help you manage both. You are expected to use this technology responsibly.  The whole world is full of temptations, so you will be acquiring yet another valuable lifeskill. Chromebooks should be turned off and closed unless I have provided specific instructions for use.  You are expected to come to school every day with a completely charged Chromebook.  Knowing this, you need to plan and set aside time and a location to plug it in every night.  (I don’t have enough outlets or electricity for everyone to plug in in the classroom.) 

Restroom/Drinks

Because you are human, I realize there are basic bodily needs that require your attention.  I expect you to know what yours are and respond accordingly and appropriately in the educational setting.  You may have a water bottle with a closed lid with you in the room.  No cans! You are to use the facilities as you pass from class to class, but if an emergency arises, I expect you to communicate that privately to me, so you can take care of things.  New this year is the e-Hall pass.  You will be trained on this new system, but here’s the scoop:  

1. You will complete the form online on your chromebook to request the pass to go to a specific location.  You may not go at all in the first 5 minutes of class.  

2. I then can approve or deny, again on your chromebook.  If it is all good, you go and take care of business in an efficient manner.  

3. You get 4 of these passes a day total in all classes.

4. Only one person out of the room at a time, like usual.

I do believe we can all handle ourselves with maturity and respect for others; you can do so without creating an interruption.  Please know, you will be missing something when you are gone, so hurry back and return to business.  

Plagiarism

You are always expected to do your own work.  I would rather see your best efforts, so I can learn the truth about what you know and can do, and we can grow together.  And, yes, there are times when you’ll be quoting someone else or referencing another person’s ideas; I will help you use proper citation methods, so you can give the credit where it belongs.  Plagiarism is theft of ideas and words and claiming them as your own.  It is not only unethical; it is illegal, and there are serious consequences here and in college, as well.  This cheating includes googling answers (without specific instruction to do so), papers, assessments, assignments, and even test/assignment answers:  the one who provides the answers and the one who submits them as their own are equally guilty of cheating.  At the first offense, you will be required to re-do the work, perhaps with different parameters, for half credit.  The second offense is usually a zero, and the third offense is likely to be an F for the course.  (There’s just no need, really.  Talk to me.  I can work with you through your academic concerns to make decisions you’re proud of.)

We will use turnitin often as a place for you to first hand in your assignment, then submit to googleclassroom or print and hand in.  Please also reference Scottsbluff Public Schools Board Policy 6288 regarding AI, and know that I want to see YOUR work:  your ideas, your designs, your words.

Googleclassroom

We have a google classroom set up for this class, of course.  I will post many – if not all – items here for you to use; this includes not just assignments, but also materials that I’d like to share with you.  Please be certain to join and be aware.  

Student/Parent Square

I will communicate with you and your parents through this opportunity.  Please encourage your adults to log on, and be sure to teach them if they need assistance.

Us

Each class is unique.  It is my hope that we get to know each other -- not just as teacher and student, but simply as human beings.  I believe respect is mutual, and I value the trust placed in me by you and your family.  I believe in your greatness -- even if you haven’t found it yet.  I am here and available for you with regard to English (of course!) but, more importantly, about life.  I got you. 

Parent Google Classroom Information

If a parent would like to receive a summary from Google Classroom, then please email sherdt@sbps.net. The parent will then receive an email to accept the invitation.