ENGLISH II HONORS MS. PIERCE

1. ENGLISH II HONORSMS. PIERCE Welcome back honors students of 2015! Please make a name card to help me and your classmates to identify you. Place it on your desk for the next few days. After I take roll, I will share with you a little about myself… 

2. SYLLABUS Time for the most exciting part of the year: the syllabus review! Please follow along on your syllabus handout while I go over the rules, regulations, expectations, protocols, etc.

3. SYLLABUS REVIEW • Note: My phone number and e-mail address are provided. Contact Do’s and Don’ts: • DO save phone number AND e-mail in your phone. • DO NOT loose/throw away this information. • DO NOT call/text me after 9:30 p.m. • DO be patient in waiting for a reply. I have two jobs & silence my phone, thus may not get a text for hours. • DO NOT text/call me for anything but emergencies or confirmations that I received your work. • DO text/call friends if you can find out the information from them OR consult a handout if it can answer a question. (My pet peeve is providing info. that’s easily obtainable elsewhere.)

4. COURSE DESCRIPTION This course is designed for the university-bound student. The major emphasis of the course lies on literary analysis through the study of American and English literature. Critical reading and writing skills will be utilized and developed. The course is part of a series of courses offered at Vista del Lago that lead to Advanced Placement English and align with the Health Academy curriculum. The course is aligned with the Reading/ Language Arts Framework for California Public Schools, the California Language Arts Content Standards and the California English Language Development Standards.

5. MAJOR WORKS COVERED 1. A Separate Peace 6. Nectar in a Sieve 2. Black Boy 7. Fahrenheit 451 3. Lord of the Flies 8. Antigone 4. To Kill a Mockingbird 9. Various short stories and poems 5. Julius Cesar 10. Excerpts from critical essays or speeches

6. FILMS/DOCUMENTARIES -Hotel Rwanda -Everything Is Illuminated - News Reports/Documentaries

7. REQUIRED DAILY MATERIALS -Three-ring binder with college-ruled paper and subject dividers. *Note: keep ALL returned work in this binder; throw nothing away *See syllabus for suggested dividers -Planner or calendar (phones may only be used as planners after class). -Blue or black ink pens and pencils. -Highlighter -Post-its (for textual annotation) -Dictionary and thesaurus (for use at home)

8. MATERIALS QUIZ! 1. If you do not have a pen, paper, or other vital learning materials, what should you do? a. quietly ask to borrow or bum the necessary materials from a classmate at the beginning of class. b. sit and do nothing, because you think this is an excuse of sorts 2. You should assure that everyday during class, you write down your assigned homework and due dates… a. in your cellular device. b. on your buttocks. c. in a planner. 3. Ms. Pierce wants you to carry a binder in order to… a. help you with your physical fitness goals. b. assure that you keep ALL returned work/important handouts.

9. EXPECTATIONS The following are the specific rules and consequences that will apply in my classroom: 1. Be in your seat and ready to work when the bell rings. 2. Bring all required books, assignments and materials to class. 3. Do your best and actively participate. 4. Follow school rules: • No phones, MP3 players out in class OR on during class. • No gum chewing, eating or drinking in class. • No leaving class without permission. • Dress appropriately (dress code). 5. No sleeping OR resting head on desk at any time during class. 6. RESPECT everyone in the room at all times!!!

10. NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES I. Warning II. Loss of participation points III. Confiscation of personal property IV. Detention for the period V. Parent contact VI. After school/lunch detention VII. Referral (possible suspension) *Severe disruption during the period will result in immediate suspension from classroom and/or referral to the office.

11. POSITIVE CONSEQUENCES 1. Positive parent contact (note/call). 2. Good grades/participation points 3. Extra credit points 4. Knowing your teacher is happy (…priceless)

12. EXPECTATIONS QUIZ! 1. You are not to have any electronic devices ____ or _____. (fill in the blanks) 2. What action is absolutely not permitted in Ms. Pierce’s classroom because it is disrespectful towards Ms. Pierce, disrespectful towards the learning environment and because it inhibits one’s ability to learn? 3. If you are having a bad day, should you: a. act in a rude manner towards your loving teacher and your kind-hearted peers? b. rest your head on the desk and cease to exist? c. let Ms. Pierce know before entering the classroom (so she does not pick on you) and keep on truckin’?

13. PARTICIPATION POINTS You can earn 25 participation points each month. In order to earn participation points, you must: 1. Be present (*Note: Excessive absences will adversely affect a student’s grade). 2. Be in your seat and ready to work when the bell rings. 3. Bring all required books, assignments and materials. 4. Be on task and PARTICIPATING throughout the class period. 5. Refrain from resting head on desk at any time or using the restroom without a passport.

14. TARDY POLICY You must be in your seat and ready to work with all required books, assignments and materials when the bell rings. -You may not go to your locker to get anything for any reason. • You lose participation points for every tardy. Tardies are cumulative each quarter. • Parents/guardians may be notified after two tardies. • If you are tardy more than three times, you may be assigned Saturday school. • Tardy sweeps will occur in the hallways on random days, in random halls; those that are tardy will receive Saturday school.

15. PARTICIPATION AND TARDIES QUIZ! 1. You can go to your locker… • Whenever is convenient for you. • Only before class starts; never during class. 2. You will lose participation points for all of the following except: • Coming to class late without a pass. • Putting your head down. • Not bringing the required book to class. • Being beautiful.

16. GRADING POLICY Assignments will be weighted as follows: • 25% - Essays, Projects, Tests • 15% - Portfolio (See Department Policy Letter) • 20% - Homework • 10% - Class work • 10% - Participation • 10% - Warm-ups • 10% - Midterm/Final Exam

17. GRADE SCALE A 100% - 89.9% B 89.8% - 79.9% C 79.8% - 69.9% D 69.8% - 59.9% F 59.8% and below

18. MAKE-UP WORK AND LATE WORK How to get make-up work: You may get make-up work in two ways: • see Ms. Pierce after class or after school (never during class) or • b) go online to Ms. Pierce’s website and access the daily PowerPoint. The student will be responsible complete all warm-ups, being aware of important reminders mentioned for that day and completing the assignments specified on the PowerPoint. To make-up reading quizzes, write a one paragraph summary of what the reading quiz covered.

19. MAKE-UP WORK AND LATE WORK To get make-up work the same day (after 3:15 p.m.) from my webpage: 1) Go to VLHS homepage, 2) click on “Students” tab, 3) click on “classes/homework” tab, 4) click on “English”, 5) click “Ms. Pierce,” 6) click on your class/period, 7) find the day of the PowerPoint that you need to view and associated worksheets.

20. MAKE-UP WORK AND LATE WORK • It is the student’s responsibility to see the teacher after class or after school (depending on the teacher’s availability) for make-up work, tests and quizzes following an absence. Generally, students who are absent have one day to make up missed work for each day absent.  

21. MAKE-UP WORK AND LATE WORK • If students have been assigned a long-term project or paper that they knew of prior to their absence, it will be due at the same due date that they were originally given; no additional time will be given to make up long-term projects/papers. Tests and quizzes will be made up immediately upon return following an absence. • For those students who have not been absent but have chosen not to turn in an assignment on the due date, late homework or class work will not be accepted.

22. PARTICIPATION AND TARDIES QUIZ! 1. How should you obtain your make-up work from Ms. Pierce? • Raise your hand in the middle of a discussion to announce that you were absent and need the work you missed. • See Ms. Pierce after class or after school, since she is a busy teacher before and during class. 2. You are required to get your make-up work… • About a month after you are absent • Immediately following an absence • You don’t need to get it; Ms. Pierce will remember that you were absent and will personally deliver it to your home the following day.

23. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY You are expected to complete all assignments with the integrity that is expected of your honors status. You are to display integrity by following the district’s policy regarding plagiarism.

24. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY Plagiarism of any sort is strictly prohibited. Plagiarism is defined as using phrases, parts, or the entirety of the written works of other persons without proper citation. This includes not only fellow students, but persons with whom you have contact with outside of school, persons who have posted work on the internet, or persons who have written works that have been published in books, magazines, journals or newspapers. All written work that is not properly cited must be entirely original.

25. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY If you are caught plagiarizing, you will receive the following negative consequences: • You will be issued a written a referral • You will be given a zero for the plagiarized assignment, without an opportunity to make up the grade for this assignment • You will risk being removed from the honors program and Health Academy program • You will lose my trust and my belief in your integrity • *Note: the same rules and consequences apply to plagiarizing test answers.

26. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY QUIZ! 1. What counts as plagiarizing? 2. What will happen to you if you plagiarize?

27. WARM-UPS Each day when you come in there will be a warm-up on the board. These warm-ups may include: -Reading Analysis -Vocabulary Development -Journals -Grammar Exercises These warm-ups require your full attention and should be done quietly, unless otherwise instructed. Bring warm-ups to class EVERYDAY. Warm-ups will be collected weekly.

28. WARM-UPS • Each week, warm-ups will be collected as follows: • Monday: 1st period • Tuesday: 2nd period • Wednesday: 3rd period • Thursday: 4th period • Friday: 6th period • If you do not bring your completed warm-ups to class on the collection day, you will have until the end of that same day to turn in your completed warm-ups. After this, no late warm-ups will be accepted without an excused absence. • IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to see me immediately after an absence to make up the missed warm-up. If you come more than one day after your return from an absence, you may not possibly be permitted to make-up the warm-up work.

29. HANDOUTS Please read the Grading Rubric information on your own. Keep this syllabus in your three-ring binder and refer back to it when necessary.

30. ANY QUESTIONS???

31. RETURN SLIP Make sure to have your parents fill out all the information the return slip at the bottom of the syllabus (note: also fill out your name please). Returning this means that they have read and agree with the content covered in the syllabus If you return it by the date specified, you will receive 10 points. After that, it will be worth 5 points.

32. CLOSING Now that you have a basic idea of what I expect of you, answer this final question on your information card: What do you expect out of this course? What are you hoping to learn this year and/or what are you looking forward to? When you are done, turn in your information on the wooden stool in front.