website:   http://www.geocities.com/reinsteinalan     email:  [email protected]  

 

Course Description

 

The 2008-2009 Program of Studies presents the freshman curriculum II English class thus: 

 

Ninth-Grade English 221 is a course for students who wish to increase the fluency and control of their reading and writing.  Class size is somewhat smaller than 211.  Students will read at least fifteen pages a night from such works as Of Mice and Men, House on Mango Street, as well as other books of high interest and appropriate reading level.  They will also study Romeo and Juliet, poetry, and short stories.  Students will write clearly-organized, well-documented essays, creative and narrative papers, and persuasive arguments.  This course will focus on mechanics, usage, spelling, grammar, vocabulary development, and speaking, listening, and study skills with an emphasis on organization and study strategies. (17)

 

Selected course texts: 

Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury

Heroes, Gods, and Monsters of the Greek Myths

Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck

The Brave, by Robert Lipsyte

Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare

 

Materials.

·       Three-ring binder (preferably with a 1 1/2 inch spine); five dividers (General Info, Literature, Poetry, Vocabulary, Grammar)

·       Reader Response Journal (pref:  100-page marble composition notebook)

 

Grading and Assignments.  The final grade for the course is based on four term grades and a final exam at the end of the year. A term grade will be arrived at through a straight point system, with following percentages an approximate ratio of different types of student work:

 

• WRITING (25%)
• Four pieces per term—each emphasizing a different writing skill
• mechanics/conventions emphasis
• content/ideas and organization emphasis
• voice emphasis
• sentence fluency and word choice emphasis
• READING COMPREHENSION—Reading homework assignments and quizzes (25%)

 

• VOCABULARY—Weekly quizzes; final test (10%)
• GRAMMAR—Homework assignments and quizzes (10%)
• HOMEWORK—Reading or pre-reading questions—focus on six reading skills (10%)
• CLASSWORK—Participation/effort; DoNows; Silent reading (10%)
• ORGANIZATION—Notebook binder (10%)

 

• EXTRA CREDIT—from a variety of optional extra credit assignments (3%)

 

GRADING SCALE

A  92.9-100 %    A-  90-92.8    B+ 86.9-89.8    B  82.9-86.8    B-  79.9-82.8    C+  76.9-79.8   C  72.9-76.8  

C-  69.9-72.8    D+  66.9-69.8   D  62.9-66.8    D-  58.5-62.8

 

 

 

 

FINAL PORTFOLIO

Instead of a final course exam, each student will submit a PORTFOLIO (a bound collection of work) of selections of his or her finest work of the year that show skill and improvement in both writing and reading. The work of the school year will lead to the creation this portfolio.

 

·       The writing section will contain four types of student writing (personal, creative, persuasive, and analytical) that emphasize six areas of skillful writing:  (1) discussing significant ideas, (2) clear organization, (3) sentence fluency, (4) rich vocabulary, (5) a personal voice, and (6) solid mechanics (spelling and punctuation). 

 

 

Course Schedule

TERM 1

1.      Week of 9/4 (two days—Thurs-Fri)—Course Introduction

2.      Week of 9/8—Summer reading; organization

3.      Week of 9/15—Fahrenheit 451

4.      Week of 9/22—personal or creative writing

5.      Week of 9/29 (Mon—early release [prof devel]; no school Tuesday—Rosh Hashanah; Thurs—Back-to-School night)—Greek Mythology—the Olympians

6.      Week of 10/6 (Mon—mid-term; no school Thursday—Yom Kippur)—the Olympians

7.      Week of 10/13 (no school Monday—Columbus Day)—Heroes, Gods, and Monsters

8.      Week of 10/20—Heroes, Gods, and Monsters

9.      Week of10/27 (Wed—early release [prof devel])—Heroes, Gods, and Monsters

10.    Week of 11/3 (End of Term—Thursday)—Heroes, Gods, and Monsters; outside reading due

 

TERM 2

1.      Week of 11/10 (no school Tuesday—Veterans Day)—mythology test; analytical essay

2.      Week of  11/17—mythology essay due

3.      Week of 11/24 (Thurs-Fri—THANKSGIVING BREAK)

4.      Week of 12/1 (Parent Conferences Tuesday)—The Brave, Chs. 1-5

5.      Week of 12/8 (Thurs—mid-term; parent Conferences Tuesday)—The Brave, Chs. 6-12

6.      Week of 12/15—The Brave, Chs. 13-15; mid-novel essay

7.      Week of 12/22 (only two days—Mon-Tue)—The Brave essay

Week of 12/29—DECEMBER RECESS

8.      Week of 1/5—The Brave, Chs. 16-22

9.      Week of1/12 (Fri—early release [prof devel])—The Brave, Chs. 22-24, final essay

10.    Week of 1/19 (no school Monday—MLK Day; end of term—Friday)—essay due; outside reading

 

TERM 3

1.      Week of 1/26—Of Mice and Men, pre-reading and Pt. 1

2.      Week of 2/2—Of Mice and Men, Pts. 2-3

3.      Week of 2/9—Of Mice and Men, Pts. 4-6

Week of 2/16—WINTER BREAK

4.      Week of 2/23—Of Mice and Men persuasive essay

5.      Week of 3/2 (Tues—mid-term)—essay due; Shakespearean sonnet creative writing

6.      Week of 3/9—complete sonnet; Romeo and Juliet, 1.1

7.      Week of 3/16 (Thurs—early release [prof devel])—Romeo and Juliet, 1.2-1.4

8.      Week of 3/23—Romeo and Juliet, 1.5-2.3

9.      Week of 3/30 (ELA MCAS—Tues-Thurs)—Romeo and Juliet, 2.4-2.6, 3.3; outside reading

 

TERM 4

1.      Week of 4/6—3.4-3.5; 4.1-4.2

2.      Week of 4/13—4.3-4.5; 5.1-5.3 (end of the play)

Week of 4/20—SPRING BREAK

3.      Week of 4/27—Romeo and Juliet personal and analytical essay

4.      Week of 5/4—Romeo and Juliet personal and analytical essay due; readings in the lecture hall

5.      Week of 5/11 (Mon—mid-term)—PORTFOLIO final project, Reading Section

6.      Week of 5/18 (Math MCAS—Tues-Wed)—PORTFOLIO final project—Reading Section, Writing Section

7.      Week of 5/25 (no school Monday—Memorial Day)—PORTFOLIO final project—Writing Section

8.      Week of 6/1 (Science MCAS—Freshman—Thurs-Fri; end of term—Fri)—PORTFOLIO final project

9.      Week of 6/8—Review Week—PORTFOLIO final project public presentations

10.    Week of 6/15—Final Exam Week; Friday—last day for students

 

Late Work/Make-up Policy.

·      Assignments turned in after the date due may receive one grade lower (for example, from a B to a C) and after one week has passed, two grades lower (from a B to a D).  If you are absent for an excusable reason and are unable to turn in an assignment on time, you have until the day you return to school to hand in the assignment.  Afterwards, the same policy applies.  Special circumstances must be discussed with the teacher. In the case of an excusable delay, please be sure to have a short parent/guardian explanation accompany the paper.

 

·      If you miss a class, you are responsible to find out about work missed, the evening’s homework, and be prepared the following day.  Weekly assignment schedules will be given to each student as well as be available on the class website.  Please email any concerns or questions.

 

 

·      If you miss the explanation of an assignment because of an excusable absence, you are still responsible to complete the assignment by the given due date.  In some cases, you may be given an appropriate extension.

 

If you miss a quiz or exam because of an excused absence, you have one week from the day of your return to school to make up the test.  If you do not take the make-up the quiz or exam within the given time, you may receive an F.  Special circumstances must be discussed with the teacher.

 

Attendance.   You are expected to be in class, on time every day.  If you are late, you must bring a note from a teacher, counselor, nurse, or house secretary; otherwise, it will be considered an unexcused tardy.  Three unexcused tardies equal one class cut.  A first cut results in a J-block detention with me.  For subsequent cuts, your housemaster assigns administrative detentions.  Three cuts or a total of nine absences (excused or unexcused) in a term results in a failing grade (N) for that term.

 

• Excused Absence.  If your absence from class is excused, your name will show up on the attendance list as either absent, tardy to school, dismissed early, or on an attached list from a teacher with an appropriate explanation.

 

• Unexcused Absence.  If you are not in school and neither a parent nor guardian has called in to the house office, you will be listed in attendance as AbsUn.  I will record this as an unexcused absence and schedule a detention.  The absence may become excused only with a blue note from the house secretary and then no detention is necessary.  It is your  responsibility to bring a blue note promptly, within a week of the absence.

 

• Class Cut.  If you miss a class but that same day are present in homeroom, your name will not show up on the daily attendance sheet, and it will be assumed that you have cut the class.