Learning is not a spectator sport.

Donald Blocher

 

 

 

 

Parkview High School

Course Syllabus

Freshman Gifted English

 Spring 2008

 

Teacher:  Susan Henderson

 

 

 

Language Arts Workroom 770-806-3817

 

susan_henderson@gwinnett.k12.ga.us

 

 

 

Classroom Website –

 

http://www.parkview.net/mainmenu/teachers/shenderson/index.html

 

 


Welcome to Freshman English!

 

Course Description:

Freshman Gifted English is an integrated language-arts course.  This course includes work in listening, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary, and research.

 

Objectives:

            Gwinnett County Public Schools 9th Grade Language Arts Academic Knowledge and Skills.

(Please see the student AKS book or visit http://gwintranet.gcps.k12/gcps-mainweb01.nsf.)

 

Units to Be Covered: (The teacher reserves the right to make adjustments to the curriculum as needed.)

 

            Literature

·         Mythology

·         Short Stories

·         Poetry

·         Nonfiction

·         Drama (Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet)

·         In-class Novel (Anthem by Ayn Rand)

·         Independent novel(s) from teacher list

 

Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics

 

Vocabulary

 

Writing

·         Descriptive Writing

·         Narrative Writing

·         Persuasive Writing

·         Literary Analysis

·         Comparison and Contrast

·         Research & MLA Style Documentation (Parenthetical Citations & Works-Cited Page)

 

Texts:

 

            Prentice Hall Literature: Gold Level (Lost book replacement cost is $61.95.)

            Prentice Hall Writing and Grammar: Gold Level (Lost book replacement cost is $55.55.)

 

Note: The teacher may supplement the material in the textbooks with various newspaper and magazine articles and video clips.  Video excerpts may include the 1968 Franco Zefferelli film and/or the 1996 Baz Luhrmann movie version of Romeo and Juliet.  I may also use clips from Renaissance Man.

 

Required Materials:

 

·         Blue or black ink pens

·         Pencils

·         Lined composition paper (college-ruled or wide-ruled paper)          

·         Binder with sections to keep vocabulary, literature, composition, and grammar notes

·         Notecards

·         Cloth book cover

 

 

Grading Policy:           

                                                                       

            90-100  =          A                      80-89 =             B                      74-79 =             C

            70-73 =             D                      0-69 =               F

 

In this class, grading will be done on a point system, with assignments having different point values.

50 % = major assignments (tests, essays, projects, etc.)

30 % = daily grades (homework, class work, quizzes, etc.)

15 % = state end-of-course test (EOCT)

5 %   = county performance exam            

 

Cheating:

 

Every assignment submitted for credit is accepted as the student’s own work.  It may not, therefore, have been composed, wholly or partially, by another person or copied, wholly or partially, from a book, article, essay, newspaper, another student’s paper or notebook, or any other written or printed source.  Cheating by students is considered inexcusable conduct, and it will not be tolerated.  A zero will be given to the student for the assignment involved, and parents and administrators will be contacted. 

 

Make-Up Work:

 

            When a student has an excused absence, he or she must make up any missed work within five school

days.  It is the student’s responsibility to get the missing assignments and get extra help or explanations at the teacher’s convenience, before or after school.

 

            The five-day rule does not apply to pre-announced due dates on assignments such as projects and

essays.  In those cases, it is generally expected that the student would turn in the assignment or take the

exam on the first day back to school.

 

A student must show the teacher the excuse for an absence within two days of his/her return to school, or the absence is automatically unexcused.  Students will not be allowed to make up work for unexcused absences.

 

Tardy Policy:

 

Parkview High School has instituted a Student Tardy Accountability Management Program (STAMP).  Any student in the hall after the tardy bell rings and who does not have a hall pass will be sent to the attendance office in Building H (near the media center).  The administrator on duty will issue a warning or consequence and give the student an admit form to class.  Students will be given a warning for the first three tardies.  After the third tardy, consequences will range from administrative detention to out-of-school suspension.

 

Remember:  A student is considered tardy if he or she is not in the classroom when the tardy bell rings.

 

Late Assignments:

 

Ten percent of the points for an assignment will be deducted for each day the assignment is turned in late.  An assignment is late if it is not handed in when I ask for it.  This means that if a student turns in the assignment any time after I have collected it, it is late.  (A malfunctioning printer, by the way, is not an excuse for turning an assignment in late.  Students may bring in the document on a disk and print it in one of the school computer labs.)  I do not accept any assignment that is more than three days late.

 

Parkview High School

Language Arts Department

Composition Standards:

 

 

Follow these guidelines for final drafts of edited essays:

 

·         Papers should be typed if at all possible.

 

·         Type a heading in the upper left corner of the first page, including your name, your teacher’s name, the name of the course, and the date. 

 

Joe Smith

Ms. Henderson

Freshman English

September 5, 2005

·         Center and type the title of the paper.  Use standard capitalization rules.  Space once between the title and the body of the paper.  Do not underline the title.

 

·         Double-space the entire paper, including the heading.  (If you must write your paper by hand, skip lines.  Do not leave an extra space between paragraphs.)

 

·         For multi-paged papers, number all pages in the upper right-hand corner.  (Using the header function of your word processor, indicate your last name and page number, beginning on page 1.)

 

·         Write or print on only one side of the paper.

 

·         Use blue or black ink on lined, loose-leaf notebook paper if you are handwriting your paper.

 

·         Edit your papers carefully.  Rules concerning Standard English apply to all assignments.

 

·         Take pride in the overall appearance of your paper!

 

 

For in-class essays, you will use the heading and title described above.  However, you will not be required to skip lines or number pages.
Acknowledgement of Classroom Procedures and Requirements

Ms. Henderson

Freshman Gifted English

 

 

 

 

 

______________________________

Student (please print)

 

 

______________________________

Class period

 

I have read and understand the course syllabus, standard procedures, and classroom expectations.  I agree to follow the procedures and expectations for the class.  I understand that there are penalties for not following the procedures and expectations and that these penalties are to be determined by the teacher.

 

 

______________________________

Student signature

 

 

______________________________

Date

 

 

 

 

 

We have read and understand the course syllabus, standard procedures, and classroom expectations.  We further understand that there are penalties for not following the procedures and expectations and that these penalties are to be determined by the teacher.

 

______________________________

Parent signature

 

______________________________

Date