Updated: 10/28/09 English 9/10 Course Outline i Course Purpose Materials Units Grades Late Work Missed Class? Find Mr. Stratton Purpose and Outline of the Course • The 9/10 English program is designed to provide a variety of writing, reading, speaking and basic skills activities that will prepare students for high school and a world outside school. • The literature program exposes students to literary elements through various genres, including the short story, poetry, drama, the novel and others. Expository essays, technology projects and oral presentations, among other projects, are assigned as part of the study of literature. • Skill work in vocabulary, grammar, and spelling is presented as problems are identified during the year. All ninth grade students are involved in completing writing activities and a wide variety of technology projects in the computer lab. • The Christensen Rhetoric Program is introduced for the first time with an emphasis on writing the effective sentence. All writing begins with an understanding of how to write an effective sentence and the goal of this course is to teach students how to write great sentences. • All students are expected two write insightful and fairly lengthy comments on blog posts from the English 910 Weblog at least 5 times a quarter as part of their class participation grade. Materials You Need for English Class — all year long Required Required Required Recommended 1.5- or 2-inch binder OR a folder for English work A sipral bound notebook and loose leaf paper Pens and pencils — a supply to last all year A flash or thumb drive to save computer work Units of Study in English Class Depending on the year, the following units are studied in English 9/10: Media Literacy — a unit focused on identifying , understanding and analyzing media that affect our lives daily. Research — This unit on the unexplained and mysterious asks studets to present findings to their classmates in a documentary that they research, write, narrate and produce in the computer lab and library. Storytelling — This unit focuses on the art of storytelling as a way to help students develop skills to better comprehend what they read. The end product is an unscripted/scripted story they tell and record in front of a live audience. Literature The Short Story — audio literature available The Novel — Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, and Monster by Walter Dean Myers Radio Drama — During this unit, students read and listen to the famous radio drama, War of the Worlds, as an introduction to the art of voice over and the history of the genre. The end product is one or two recorded radio dramas produced by students. Christensen Rhetoric is introduced for the first time with an emphasis on writing the effective sentence. All writing begins with an understanding of how to write an effective sentence and the goal of this course is to teach students how to write great sentences. Ongoing Units & Lessons Independent Reading, the English 910 Web Blog, Christensen Rhetoric, criticizing art and making inferences based on art... Your Grade in English Class Grading: Your grade will be based on your tests, projects, presentations, quizzes, homework, essays, and other major and minor writing assignments. Each assignment is given a point value on a case by case basis, and we will tell you how much each assignment is worth when we assign it. You can also check the Homework page of myenglishclass.us to find out an assignment's point value. i Lowest Grades Dropped: At least one homework grade will be dropped each marking period. Typical English Class Assignment Values: i • Homework: 5-10 points • Quizzes: 10-30 points • Minor Writing Assignments: 10-30 points • Tests: 30-60 points • Projects and Portfolios: 25-75 points • Presentations: 20-50 points • Essays: 30-36 points • Major Writing Assignments: 30-72 points What's My Grade? Let's say in a given marking period that you earned 246 points out of a possible 300. Dividing 246 by 300 gives you your grade: 0.82 or 82 percent. Late Work in English Class • LATE WORK WILL NOT BE TAKEN LIGHTLY in English class. • Late work is discounted 10% each day it is not turned in. • After the third day, the assignment becomes a ZERO. • Some assignments are one time awards, meaning that if you do not complete the assignmente on time, it becomes a zero that day. • No excuses will be accepted for late work. • Check the Homework page for weekly assignments. Absent from Class for Some Reason? • If you miss class for any reason, you are responsible for the work you miss. • Always come to class before going to music lessons or leaving school and ask for your assignment. • Missing class for a reason other than illness does not mean you can't do the homework. • If you miss class Wednesday because of a dentist appointment, for instance, you are still responsible for work due Thursday. Remember that Wednesday's task was assigned on Monday — the day the assignment sheet was handed out. The "I wasn't here" excuse doesn't apply in cases like these. • If you are unsure about an assignment, check the Homework page. • Good students are responsible and resourceful, which means they know how to find what they're looking for and then they take care of business once they've found it. You can get what you want if you can navigate this site. • If you are home sick from school, you have three days to make up missed work. This is your reminder. Find Mr. Stratton During the School Day - Period 1 — Rm. 230 or library/lab - Period 4 Odd Days — Rm. 207 or library/lab - Period 4 Even Days — Rm. 230 - Period 9 Odd Days —Rm. 207 or library/lab - Period 9 Even Days— Rm. 230 or fitness center - Telephone — 642-8351 - Email Mr. Stratton from this site or sstratton@nvcs.stier.org - After school appointments can easily be set up as well.