E. Dailey
TEXTS: Enriching Your Vocabulary, selected works of Ernest Hemingway, Ellen Foster, The Great Gatsby, and Lord of the Flies.
DESCRIPTION: Essay and Analysis is a course designed to help COLLEGE BOUND students enrich their vocabularies, become more analytical readers, and develop expository writing skills. The four literary works provide a common content area for both class discussions and writing assignments.
REQUIREMENTS: All students MUST actively participate in a variety of daily lessons. Much of the class is conducted in a workshop format. Students are encouraged to be actively engaged in the learning process. Generally the course work for the semester will include:
Vocabulary Study: Students will complete twelve vocabulary lessons of varying content. Students will complete the vocabulary exercises from the text and will use the vocabulary as a springboard for learning grammar and punctuation. The vocabulary portion of the final exam will count approximately 35% of the semester grade.
Literature Circles: Student discussion of the assigned literature is an important component of this class. Students are responsible for active participation in the literature circles. Students will receive a grade for participation in their groups.
Reading/Study Logs: Students will keep a reading/study LOG which is a record of student responses to the literature studied. Reading logs reflect ACTIVE reading of the assigned literature.
Writing Assignments: Students will complete a variety of writing assignments during the course of the semester. Essays are considered MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS. They are worth 200 points. The essays will be graded on content (100 points) and mechanics (100 points). Students are expected to become proficient in the use of proper punctuation and grammar.
Quizzes/Tests: There may be one or more quizzes/tests in any given unit depending on the material studied. If a student is absent on the day of an ANNOUNCED QUIZ/TEST, the student MUST TAKE the quiz/test on the day he/she returns to class. UNANNOUNCED QUIZZES cannot be made up; however, the next quiz taken will count a double grade.
GRADING POLICY: All grades are computed on a 100 point scale. Generally, daily grades are worth 25 or 50 points. Daily grades include worksheets, study guides, and short writing assignments. Daily work may be turned in ONE DAY LATE with a 10% reduction in the total grade. Assignments are generally not accepted more than one day late.
FEEDBACK TO STUDENTS: Students will receive feedback by comments and grades on their returned work. Students who receive low grades on assignments are encouraged to set up a conference to discuss individual problems.
MAKE-UP WORK: Students will regularly receive a syllabus, a schedule of the week�s lessons. It is the student�s responsibility to schedule his/her time so that all assignments are completed. Also it is the RESPONSIBILITY of the student to review the syllabus when absent and complete the assignments that are due. Minimally, the student must complete any reading that has been assigned.
Students are responsible for taking announced quizzes and tests and turning in major assignments on the date of return to class. Because all tests, quizzes, and major assignments are announced several days in advance and noted on the class syllabus, students who are absent the day BEFORE a test or major due date are expected to take the test or hand in the major assignments on the announced date.
If a student is absent on the due date of the assignment, he/she MUST turn in the assignment ON THE DAY that he/she returns to class. The assignment will be counted as LATE otherwise.
If a student is absent on the due date of an ESSAY ASSIGNMENT, he or she must have his or her parent/guardian contact me on the dated of the absence by voice mail or e-mail; OTHERWISE, the assignment will be considered late and marked down 10%. IF A STUDENT IS IN SCHOOL ANY PART OF A DAY ON WHICH AN ESSAY ASSIGNMENT IS DUE, IT IS THE STUDENT�S RESPONSIBILITY TO TURN IN THE ASSIGNMENT. IF THE STUDENT DOES NOT TURN IN THE ASSIGNMENT ON THE DUE DATE, IT WILL BE COUNTED AS LATE.
PRE-ARRANGED ABSENCES: Students who have pre-arranged absences must turn in all the work that was assigned during their absence on the DAY OF RETURN to class. Additionally, any test or quiz give during the absence must be taken on THE DAY OF RETURN.
EXTRA HELP: Students are encouraged to request a conference when they need extra help. I will either assist the student directly, or help the student arrange to be tutored.
EXTRA CREDIT: NO EXTRA CREDIT WORK will be assigned or accepted in order for a student to make up for assignments he/she has FAILED to turn in. All individual extra credit work must be approved before the student begins the work.
Any extra credit assignments that is given to the entire class may be completed by any student. Extra credit work will not be accepted during the last week of the marking period.
CLASSROOM RULES: Students are expected to comply with the rules of the Student Handbook. Students are expected to act in a mature and respectful manner when in the classroom. Students who have problems maintaining discipline will be dealt with on an individual basis.
CHEATING: Any student who allows his/her work to be copied or copies the work of another students will receive a zero for the assignment. Any student who plagiarizes by submitting work that is clearly not authentic will receive a zero for the assignment.
SPECIAL MATERIALS: It is strongly recommended that a dictionary be used to assist in reading.
SEMESTER GRADE: The final examination will count 20% of the final grade. Each marking period grade will count 40%. The second marking period will be the decision maker for the final grade. Students must demonstrate that they have met all the requirements of the class in order to receive a passing grade.