Syllabus: English III and Honors III
Sarasota Military Academy
Captain J. Kopacz
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is designed to improve reading, writing, speaking / listening, and critical thinking skills through the study of American literature. The literature study will incorporate a variety of literary genres and will be
developed in a chronological approach. Composition, a major component of this course, focuses on developing control in expository writing (thesis support), moving toward precision in personal narrative, descriptive writing, and literary analysis writing. Grammar, mechanics, and usage will be covered within the
context of writing assignments, diagramming of sentences and analyzing individual parts of speech. Sarasota Military Academy had a high quality of success with FCAT Reading comprehension and FCAT Writing Plus, thus the students will continue to practice these standards throughout the year.
Explanation
The eleventh-grade year is both a challenging and important year for high school students. Students have to pass several state-mandated tests in the eleventh-grade, including three that pertain specifically to English Language Arts: FCAT Reading and Comprehension, FCAT Norm Test, the Mid-Term and End-of-Course Test for American Literature. Furthermore, this is an important year because we are studying American literature—the documents that make up the backbone for our government and our culture. By the end of the year,
students should have some opinion about what it means to be an American, and they should have improved communications skills so that they can be successful American citizens and be an active participants to the world in which they live.
Discipline
Sarasota Military Academy has high demands and high expectations, ergo nothing will be allowed to distract students from learning. The cadet manual outlines the entire disciplinary process.
The first violation with of standards in behavior will result in loss of employability points and one-one counseling with the student at the end of class.
Second violation will include the above and a call to the parent/guardian.
Third violation will result in the above and a referral to the Commandant using the standard Academy referral form.
Future violations will result in the above by teacher, and escalating discipline by commandant. A meeting with parents and student, teacher and colonel Cork.
This means that the teacher and the students must come prepared for class each day, and it means that the teacher must remove any student who disrupts the learning environment to Colonel Cork or the teacher will quickly handle the discipline following the steps. It is the responsibility of the student to bring a binder with paper, duo tang 3 subject folder, a black or blue-ink pen, yellow highlighter, colored markers/pencils, vocabulary workbook, The Interactive Reader Plus (Regular English III), and a planner to class each day. (Students will need the computer disk on days when we use the lab.) No materials will be borrowed during class because this is a disruption. Students should not bring food, gum, drink, or a negative attitude to class because these will not be tolerated.
Course Quick List
Language Conventions (Grammar/Mechanics/Usage)
Taught mainly through individualizing Parts of Speech, writing assignments, diagramming, sentences,
sentence structure, paragraph form, and agreement
Essays
Argumentative
Cause and Effect
Classification
Literary Analysis (Main Focus in Eleventh-Grade)
American Literature (chronological units)
Native Americans and Early Explorers
Puritans and Southern Planters
The Age of Reason and the Revolution
Expansion and Romanticism in the Growing Nation
Realism/Naturalism
Modernism and the World Wars
Fight for Rights (Women's Rights and the Harlem Renaissance)
Contemporary Writers
Novels Include (if a student destroys/losses a novel then he/she is responsible for payment of the novel)
The Crucible: Miller
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
The Great Gatsby: Steinbeck (Honors)
The Catcher in the Rye: Salinger
Great American Short Stories
Materials
A One-Inch Three-Ring Binder with Pockets
Loose-Leaf Paper to be placed in binder
Duo tang 3 subject notebook
Black or blue pen only
Yellow highlighter
Colored markers or pencils
Planner/Handbook for writing homework assignments and important dates
Floppy disk or cd-rw disk
Textbook: (if a student destroys/looses a textbook/workbook he/she will be responsible for payment of item)
Ø The Language of Literature, American Literature: McDougal, Littell
Ø Honors: Vocabulary Workshop, Level G: Sadlier-Oxford
Ø Regular: Vocabulary Workshop Level F: Sadlier-Oxford
Ø Honors will take home the Elements of Literature; Holt, Reinhart, Winston
Ø Regular will take home The Interactive Reader Plus: McDougal Little
Grading Scale
Tests, Projects, Midterm and Final Exam: 40%
Quizzes: 15%
Class work/Homework: 25%
Employability Skills: 20% This includes attendance, punctuality, homework, appropriate dress, attitude and
cooperation, preparedness for class and being on task
Grading Scale:
90 – 100 A
80 – 89 B
70 – 79 C
60 – 69 D
0 – 59 F
Daily Procedures:
· Students are expected to respect and comply with my directives throughout the semester and follow the classroom procedures established by SMA.
· As each class period begins, students should remove required materials from their backpacks and then place backpacks on the hooks in the front of the room and away from any aisle space before going to their assigned seats. If necessary, pencils should be sharpened at the beginning of class.
· Students should then begin the following “bell work” at their assigned seats.
This should be done daily, without prompting from me and without socializing with other students
· At my directive, bell work will be set aside while attendance is taken.
· Students are responsible for copying each day’s homework assignment from the right hand side of the blackboard prior to dismissal. Failure to do so will not excuse a student’s failure to submit assigned homework when due.
· Homework assignments should be logged onto the Homework Assignments Log Sheet provided by me at the beginning of each week and kept in the front of the student’s three-ring binder. Binders will be checked and graded periodically without notice. Students may use agenda book for assignments.
· Attendance will be taken following bell work assignment. Students should stand until their name is called and should respond with “(last name) Here!” prior to being seated.
· Unless assigned to group activity, students should remain quiet and attentive during class. No student should speak or leave his/her desk without first raising his/her hand and receiving permission. If necessary or appropriate, a series of chime tones will be used to bring the classroom back into order and focus. Any student who is still standing, talking, or otherwise behaving disruptively after the third prompt will receive a referral for misconduct. Students will be responsible for using a daily index card system to record conduct errors as a process of self-awareness and self-management.
Hall Passes
Students will not be able to leave the room without a yellow hall pass. I encourage students to stay in the classroom so as to not disrupt the learning process. Students may not get out of their seats without my permission, nor leave the room.
Assignments/Homework:
The proper heading is required for full credit on all collected work. The following must appear in the top right corner of your paper:
Line 1: last name, first name
Line 2: class period
Line 3: date assignment due
Work should be in ink and in cursive, unless otherwise authorized by me. Alternatively, work may be typed.
Tests/Quizzes:
Students will take a vocabulary quiz covering approximately one unit (2 units for Honors) that have been provided to them a week in advance. Each Friday prior to testing, students will be required turn in web diagram using vocabulary words related to the unit for class review and test preparation. These web diagrams will be graded as homework.
With the exception of a few pop quizzes, students will be given several days notice prior to any scheduled test and or quiz. If a student misses a test or quiz due to an excused absence, he/she will be required to make it up on the day of his/her return.
Projects:
Students will be assigned several major projects over the course of the semester. They will be given 2 - 4 weeks advance notice of the project and will be expected to present or turn in the project on the date due. In many cases, a major portion of the student’s grade will be based upon his/her formal presentation in class. Students cannot receive full credit for the assignment/project without presenting before the class.
Please note that homework that is not turned in is a “zero” toward your mid-term or final grade. Unfortunately, it takes two “100’s” on another assignment to pull a “zero” up to a mid-D; three “100’s will pull the same “zero” up to a mid “C.”
Reading Assignments:
Students will also be assigned various novels for reading at home. It is the responsibility of the student to maintain any book assigned in good condition. Books that are damaged or not timely returned must be replaced at the student’s expense.
I am asking students to read a minimum of 30 minutes a day (or a total of 3 hours/week) outside their regular assignments at SMA. Parents will be provided a reading log to help students keep up with the amount of time spent reading weekly, which students should turn in every Monday for credit. Students are encouraged to use some of this time to read the editorial section of the newspaper and to discuss interesting articles with family members as it will help them with class discussion and projects.
Essays/Written Assignments:
· Essays, position papers, etc., must be in ink or typed, as well as double-
spaced, in order to receive credit. Work that does not meet this requirement will not be accepted. While students are encouraged to have parents review their written work for suggestions regarding editing, punctuation, etc., students are responsible for writing their own compositions.
· Plagiarism will result in a call to the parent and referral to the administration as an Honor Code violation. Cutting and pasting material directly from the Web or transcribing verbatim from any source without citation credit is unacceptable and will be dealt with accordingly.
· Points will be deducted for errors in grammar, syntax, sentence structure, spelling, etc., on any written assignment, as well as neatness. Specific codes will be noted in the margins of a student’s paper that will indicate the nature of the error(s). It will be the student’s responsibility to identify the precise location of each error in the paragraph and correct it for additional credit.
· Students may check out an English grammar book for use at home throughout the semester. It must be returned at the end of the semester in good condition.
Absences:
Absences will be marked unexcused until and unless student provides a written excuse from a parent/guardian for faculty signature. Written excuses are required, regardless of whether or not the parent called or contacted the school prior to or on the day of a student’s absence.
Students are responsible for ensuring that that they make up missed work and assignments.
· student is responsible for picking up missed work from his/her personal folder located at the back of the room
· work should be picked up on the first day of student’s return
· for each day of an excused absence, student will have one day to make up work
· exceptions will only be granted due to extraordinary circumstances
· absence from school the day prior to an exam, test, quiz, etc., will not excuse a student from taking the exam or test if advance notice has been given
· full credit for homework can only be given if the assignment is turned in on the date due (unless delayed by excused absence)
Late work will be accepted for up to five days, with a 10 point deduction for every day it is received late.
Extra Credit:
I do not assign extra credit. It is my philosophy that work should be done at the time it is assigned. Granting extra credit is additional work for me and unfair to others who have turned in their work in a timely manner. Furthermore, students in my class have up to five days to turn in work late and still get partial credit.
On the other hand, the entire class will have numerous opportunities to earn “Kopacz Coins,” which are worth five extra-credit points each against a student’s lowest grade(s) on homework or class work assignments. They can be earned and awarded for outstanding work, exceptional behavior, or special classroom contribution. Once awarded, it is the responsibility of the student to put his/her name on the back and to turn it back in to me immediately prior to the end of the grading period. No extra credit will be awarded for either lost or stolen dollars, or dollars that have been defaced.
Please cut the bottom and return tomorrow for verification of understanding.
" -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A successful student in English III (Honors)...
is honest
shows respect
attends class every day on time and prepared
participates fully and is cooperative in class
follows all Sarasota Military Academy rules
Parents/Guardians
If you leave a message and your phone number with the office (941 926-1700), I will return your call as soon as possible. You can also reach me through email (jodi_kopacz@srqit.sarasota.k12.fl.us) I prefer emails as our main contact because it is more accessible to me.
Please sign below to show that you have read and understood this syllabus.
Print Parent Name __________________________ Parent Signature: ______________________________
Print Student Name _________________________Student Signature: _____________________________