ENGLISH HONORS II OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTATIONS
Captain Jensen
First period
Second semester 2009
"The pen is mightier than the sword" coined by Edward Butler-Lytton for his play Richelieu; Or the Conspiracy. We see the influence of the pen in our media. Our media has influenced and shaped our culture and our own written laws, to an extent. The most influential writers for the media possess the attributes that embody a knowledge and understanding of literature in all its forms. A writer must have solid writing skills to be credible. Through our readings of literature and discussions, we will reflect on our own literary heritage and our relationships in our culture while developing on our own writing skills.
Objectives: The students will identify literary and social influences from other cultures, utilize skill of literary analysis, refine research skills, develop a more sophisticated vocabulary, improve reading comprehension skills, write formal and informal papers based on literature assignments, present oral reports on specific literature assignments, read a variety of literary genres, improve FCAT, and use technology to produce written work and projects.
Primary Texts
Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary Workshop, Level F
McDougal Little: The Language of Literature
Strunk and White: The Elements of Style (not provided at school – we will go over what is needed in class; however, this is a great book to have for reference – it is about pocket size – 85 pages and about $10.00. We used this in law school for our writing class.)
Note: All textbooks, workbooks, and Vocabulary Workshop Level F will be collected at the end of the year. Each student is responsible for the assigned text; do not leave in the classroom or you will have to pay for your textbook if it becomes missing.
Supplement Literary Works: The following is a list of supplemental reading that is planned for our English class this year. This list is provided for your information an in accordance with School Board Policy 8.209(15)(b). Some supplemental reading may contain mature themes or language. If you have any questions or concerns about any of these works, please feel free to contact me.
Sophocles, Antigone White, Once More to the Lake
Benet, By the Waters of Babylon King, Montgomery Boycott
Asimov, Dial v. Digital Chekhov, The Bear
Conrad, Heart of Darkness Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Julius Ceasar
Golding, Lord of the Flies Orwell, 1984
Materials: Students must bring the necessary materials to class each day:
1. A separate three-ring binder with an ample supply of loose paper for this class
2. Blue and red pens and pencils
3. Your books
4. A reflective notebook for journals
5. An eraser. Scantrons, which are not erased properly will be counted as incorrect.
6. The Agenda and the Journal Writing Assignments
Class Room Procedures:
1. Chatting with class mates shall be done outside of the classroom
2. When class begins, you will start bell work on your own and not speak to others
3. You should know the bell work because you have an agenda, thus, do not ask the teacher
4. You should not ask to borrow pens or pencils or paper or materials from the teacher
5. There will be no talking in class with classmates, unless so instructed
6. There will no passes to make phone calls, go to the bathroom or get a drink
7. If there is a clerical matter you need to ask me about, ask before class begins or after class or e-mail me.
8. Papers and assignment must be submitted on their due dates. Due dates have been given in advance on the agenda, except for the stories by Conrad, Orwell and Golding. You will have individual dates and assignments for those works. Any assignment turned in one day late will be reduced by one letter grade fore each day beyond the due date.
9. For teacher conferences, call the school or e-mail. Because I am a professional outside of the school, I do not check a voice mail.
10. Polices for absences:
a. If you plan to miss a class for a field trip or other school sanctioned activity then bring the assignment to class before the trip or have school personnel put it in my box or send it with someone. If someone does not give it to me, it is still your responsibility.
b. If you are absent on the day the assignment is due, and you are unexcused, your letter grade for the assignment will drop a letter for each day it is late. If you are excused, you must bring the assignment(s) in the next day you return to school.
c. It is your responsibility to request arrangements as to when you need to make up work or tests.
d. If you are present when a long-range assignment is assigned, that student is required to submit that work on its due date, even if you have had absences between the dates.
e. Please note students and parents, I will not chase down missing assignments and tests to have make ups.
Parents and Students: Please understand that the Class Room Procedures outlined above are for the good of the class. When one child chooses to disrupt the class by talking out of turn or other disruptive behavior, that child impedes the development and learning of the other students. My goal for your children and my students is SUCCESS and RESPONSIBILITY. I expect a lot from my students in a society that expects almost nothing from high school students. I know that without good writing and reading skills, my students’ success in their future will be hindered. In these tough economic times, we know that being employable and having a good education can mean getting a job over the next person. Please understand that if one of my students test me with regard to the class room procedures, there will be a warning then a call to my students’ parent/guardian if the warning was not successful then a written referral. If the student is so disruptive that I have to have that person escorted out of the class then call his or her parent later that day then that is what I will have to do for the other children. My HOPE is that parent participation in understanding my rules will eliminate any disciplinary action. A good learning environment will create success. These policies also promote personal responsibility, which also creates success.
Grading Policy:
1. The grading scale conforms to Sarasota Military Academy policy.
2. Missing tests, quizzes, and assignments will be averaged as zero.
Writing Assignments:
1. Use standard 8.5” x 11” ruled paper for all written work submitted to the teacher.
2. Submit all written work in blue or black ink only.
3. Write on one side of the sheet only.
4. All major papers are to be typed, 1.5 spaced, in MLA format. All drafts should be turned in with the final drafts.
5. Label each assignment as follows: name, class period, assignment due date and title of assignment.
Any paper not in compliance with the above, 1 through 5, will be returned unread as a zero.
6. Plagiarism policy: Plagiarism is the use of ideas, facts, opinions, illustrative material, or exact words of another scholar or writer-professional or student-without giving proper credit to that other scholar or writer. Any assignment, which is plagiarized, will receive a zero.
The major works listed are by Conrad, Orwell and Golding and will be read by the students on their own time and assignments will be given periodically to see progress. These works are supplemented by short stories, poetry and creative non-fiction.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I, _____________________________, HAVE THOROUGHLY READ AND UNDERSTAND THE EXPECTATIONS SET FORTH BY CAPTAIN JENSEN FOR SUCESSFUL COMPLETION OF ENGLISH 10 HONORS. THERE WERE FOUR (4) TOTAL PAGES. MY PARENTS ALSO READ AND UNDERSTOOD AND ACCEPTED THE TERMS SET FORTH.
WE UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS A CLASS AGENDA AND JOURNAL WRITING ASSIGNMENTS ON THE SMA WEBSITE AND WE HAVE PRINTED OUT THE SAME.
________________________________________
Student Signature and Printed Name and date
______________________________________________
Parent or Guardian Signature and Printed Name and date
THESE SIGNED EXPECTATIONS ARE DUE BY FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 2008.