Course Syllabus

Download English 1 Honors Syllabus.docx 

ENGLISH 1 HONORS

Ashley Cabrera, G110

Email: Ashley.Cabrera@ucps.k12.nc.us

Office Hours: Tuesday & Thursday 3:05-3:50

Canvas Page: https://ucps.instructure.com/courses/227705

 

Course Summary:

Students in English 1 are going to be engaged in their learning as readers (of both literature and informational texts). This course will provide a foundational study of poems, novels, short stories, speeches, excerpts, and a range of other supplemental reading materials. Students in English 1 are also going to be engaged in their learning as writers. Students will write formal and informal pieces such as essays, research papers, journals, narratives, and free-writing pieces. Students will learn how to effectively proceed through the writing process while focusing on grammar usage and structure. They will also critically analyze literary techniques found in classics such as the Odyssey, Romeo and Juliet, and modern texts.

 

Specific Learning Goals:

https://www.dpi.nc.gov/media/3994/open

 

Objectives:

As readers of literature, students will learn how to:

  • draw inferences from a text
  • determine theme and central idea
  • analyze the development and impact of complex characters
  • determine the meaning of words and phrases
  • analyze text structure and sequence of events
  • analyze different cultural perspectives

As readers of informational texts, students will learn how to:

  • cite strong and thorough evidence from a text
  • analyze the development of a central idea
  • analyze the series of ideas or events
  • analyze the impact of words and phrases on meaning and tone
  • analyze the development of claims and ideas
  • determine point of view and analyze rhetoric

As writers, students will learn how to:

  • write arguments to support claims using valid reasoning and sufficient evidence
  • integrate credible sources
  • write narratives using detailed and structured technique
  • write informative/explanatory texts analyzing content

 

Honors Differentiation Statement:

English 1 Honors is an honors level course. This course is also available in the Program of Studies at the College Preparatory level. Students earning credit for an Honors level course receive an elevated number of Quality Points for their Grade Point Average. Students choosing the Honors level course should be aware that this Honors level course will include:

  • Required extension opportunities that are directly related to the Standard Course of Study. This includes additional content beyond that covered in the College Preparatory level.
  • More challenging coursework and assessments. Students will be expected to demonstrate higher levels of understanding for grades.
  • Projects and presentations will be more in-depth.
  • Students will have to focus and study regularly to master the content.
  • The expectation that students can move through the coursework at an accelerated pace and students experiencing difficulty should quickly seek guidance from their teacher on how they can be more successful.

 

Required Materials:

  • Binder
  • College Ruled loose leaf paper
  • 3 dividers
  • Blue and Black ink pens
  • Sticky notes
  • Index cards
  • Chromebook with charger
  • Highlighters (yellow, orange, green)

 

Laptops:

Bring laptops to class daily unless otherwise directed.  When laptops are brought to class, they should be charged and ready to use.  When every student needs to plug in their laptops, it causes a tripping hazard.  During times when the whole class is using laptops, students should remain on task and only on appropriate websites.  If the teacher asks students to lower their screens or shut computers, students should save their work and do so immediately.  If a student does not have their laptop in class, they are still responsible for the work.  Most assignments can easily be done on paper.    

 

Pacing:

This table represents a general theme of what each term will focus on. It may be subject to change based on students’ needs and interests.

English 1

Term 1:

Coming of Age

Term 2:

Identity

Term 3:

Making a difference

Term Goals

 

Exploring significant meaning in events and language.

Considering the development of characters and the struggles they face.

Exploring the dynamic use of personal experience and information to construct a view on a matter.

Possible Texts

-Marigolds

-Flowers

-The Scarlet Ibis

-(excerpts of) Romeo and Juliet

-The Road Not Taken

-Louise Gluck poems

-(excerpts of) The Odyssey

 

-“I have a dream” speech

-“Ain’t I a woman”

-Watson HeforShe speech

Evidence of Learning

RACES responses

ACE

Dialectical Journals

Structured Narrative

TIQA

SOAP Stone analysis

Informative essay

 

Resources:  From within the NCEdCloud account in the Clever app, students may use several web-based platforms such as ActivelyLearn, Albert.io, Book Creator, CommonLit, DiscoveryEd, NearPod, NewsELA, Quill, and Quizizz. Students need accounts for EdPuzzle, Flipgrid, Quizlet, and Screencastify with parent approval.

 

Grading:

The overall course grade  is calculated per state requirement as follows:

Term 1 grade- 25%,  Term 2 grade- 25%,  Term 3 grade- 25%,  *Final exam (teacher-made): 25%.

*NOTE:The final exam may be exempted based on UCPS attendance and grading policy.

 

Make-up Work: A student who misses homework or other other assignments or due dates because of an absence, whether excused or unexcused, must be allowed to make up the work. The student must initiate contact with the teacher within five school days upon their return to school to make arrangements for completing the work. These arrangements should include a schedule for completion of the work that may exceed the 5-day time frame when appropriate.

 

Late Work: Credit for late work shall be awarded according to the following guidelines:

 

  • Students will receive a maximum 90% grade for work if turned in 1 day late.
  • Students will receive a maximum 80% grade for work if turned in 2 days late.
  • Students will receive a maximum 70% grade for work if turned in 3 or more days late.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Any and all late work must be submitted one week prior to the end of the marking period [September 27/November 9/January 7].

 

Remediation/Reassessment: Students who score below a 79% can redo a summative assessment after completing remediation.  Remediation could be offered in a one-on-one conference, when students attend office hours, etc. Students will receive the higher grade for a maximum of 79%. Therefore, students who score a 79-100% on their retest will receive a score of 79%. Any grade below a 79% will be recorded as is. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate and complete the remediation and the retest process.

 

Grade Distribution:

A: 90-100

B: 80-89

C: 70-79

D: 60-69

F: Anything 59 and below

 

Formative Assignments

Summative Assessments

40% Term Grade

60% Term Grade

Formative assignments will be linked to specific objectives and include a variety of assignments such as warm-ups, short quizzes, group work, in-class tasks, homework, etc.

Summative assessments will be linked to specific objectives and include a variety of assignments such as tests, comprehensive writing assignments, projects, academic discussions, etc.

 

Classroom Expectations:

(All rules stated in the student handbook apply in the classroom.)

  • Be Respectful - Students should behave respectfully with their peers and teachers.
  • Be Ready to Learn - Before the tardy bell rings, students should be in their assigned seats with their required materials ready.
  • Be Responsible - Students should pay attention, give their best effort, and engage in their learning.

 

Discipline Procedures:

  1. Verbal warning
  2. Family contact and/or counselor referral
  3. Detention with teacher (lunch or after school) and Family contact
  4. Once all of the above have been used, an administrative referral will be submitted.

 

Canvas:

Many of the assignments not completed on paper must be submitted on our learning platform, Canvas. Assignments can be submitted in a variety of ways: uploading files, typing into text boxes, sharing Google documents/presentations, participating, and responding in discussion boards, etc. Students will be shown how to submit assignments on Canvas during the first week of school and as needed. Individual assignments will indicate which method of submission on Canvas is expected. If students have questions, they can access the Canvas Student Guide for specific instructions. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure assignments are submitted on time and to contact me if there is a problem. Please note student activity is logged while in Canvas so as the teacher I will be able to see if the student opened an assignment. There is also a log of student activity during online tests and quizzes. Students are not allowed to leave the testing window during assessments. Doing so is considered cheating and will be handled according to the Porter Ridge High School Handbook.

NOTICE: Although many assignments are submitted and graded in our learning platform, Canvas, the “final” grades shown may not be properly weighted and do not contain assignments that were not graded in Canvas. For the student official grades, please continue to access the parent portal through Powerschool. Login information should be the same as last year. If you need assistance accessing the parent portal, please contact the school.

 

Honor Code and Plagiarism:

Cheating will NOT be tolerated.  Porter Ridge High School has adopted an Honor Code. Students will refrain from copying, using, or otherwise claiming work of others to be their own. Students shall not cheat on tests, copy the work of another, or complete any type of academic assignment in a dishonest or deceptive manner. Students shall not forge parents/guardians/teachers signatures or make fraudulent use of official school documents. Forgery, cheating, or plagiarism will result in an academic consequence assigned by the student’s teacher, and may result in the removal from honor or recognition based groups on campus. Additionally, students may be referred to administrators for cheating or plagiarism.

 

* Students will be accountable for daily assignments that pertain to vocabulary, grammar, and reading comprehension.

*Information presented may be subject to change

Course Summary:

Date Details Due