Course Syllabus

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Lindsay.Barron@ucps.k12.nc.us

Work: (704) 296-3800

Cell: (704) 557-6040

First Semester Second Semester
1st English I Honors 1st English I Honors
2nd English III Honors--AP Companion 2nd AP Language
3rd English I 3rd PLANNING
4th PLANNING 4th English I

 

books-on-a-shelf.jpg       

Course Description:

English I follows the North Carolina Course of Study. Students will engage in meaningful communication for expressive, expository, argumentative, and literary purposes. Students will participate in genres, elements, and traditions to form a firm literary foundation for higher-level courses. 

Using a variety of texts and supplementary materials, students will explore various genres of literature written by various authors and will enhance their grammar and writing skills. The study of literary genres--short stories, poetry, drama, and non-fiction--will coincide with the scaffolded direct writing instruction. 

Supplies Required: 

To achieve these goals, students must bring the following to class every day unless otherwise instructed:

  • 3-ring binder with dividers and lined loose-leaf paper
  • 1-subject notebook with a pocket for grammar and vocabulary 

Binder is divided into the following FIVE sections: 

Unit 1: St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised By Wolves 

Unit 2: Letters to Young Poet & Black Swan Green 

Unit 3: Romeo & Juliet 

Unit 4: Lord of the Flies 

Unit 5: Research and Argument

  • Post-it notes (for personal use)
  • Black or blue pen (pencils are acceptable) for personal use
  • Highlighters (for personal use)

Parent & Student Resources: 

EmpowerED Family Portal:

 Provides parents with links to online resources and apps that students can access.

  • Canvas (Learning Platform at Central Academy): Class Modules, assignments, and materials are accessed through our online learning platform. Students not having used Canvas before should alert the teacher, and they will be shown how to submit assignments on Canvas. Individual assignments will indicate which method of submission on Canvas is expected. If students need a refresher or have questions, they can access the Canvas Student Guide for specific instructions. It is the student's responsibility to submit assignments on time and to contact the instructor if there is a problem. The Canvas Learning Platform logs every student log-in on Canvas which provides teachers with a list of when students log in to Canvas using their user ID.
  • Canvas is used to grade assignments as well, however, the grades in Canvas, while accurate to that assignment, are NOT the teacher's grade book. The teacher's grade book includes categories of assignments that may be weighted differently and may include grades for assignments that did not use the Canvas Learning Platform. Therefore, students and parents should always check their child's true average on the Parent Portal on PowerSchool.

 

Teacher Expectations and Keys to Success:                                                       

Students will be responsible for all assignments (unless otherwise specified by the teacher). Any questions can be cleared up with a conference or a quick chat either before school, during lunch, or after school. If a student performs to the best of his or her ability, then he or she will be successful in my class.        

Grading Policy/ Assessment:           

10%--Homework & Class Work 

20%--Quizzes

35%--Tests & Projects 

35%--Papers

  • Students will have the opportunity to rewrite papers; you will have TWO DAYS (unless otherwise specified by the teacher) to turn in rewrites in addition to other assigned work to add at least ten-fifteen points to the current grade. Again, this is optional.
  • Make-Ups: In my room before or after school---must be scheduled in advance.
  • Absences: You will have TWO DAYS to turn in assignments only if absent on the day the assignment was given. YOU are responsible for obtaining and turning in makeup work on YOUR OWN TIME unless otherwise specified by the teacher (located in the make-up folder).
  • Any late work that cannot be made up at all is recorded as a 0
  • If a student has the opportunity to make up work then, the grade is recorded as a 1

--- NOTE: if a test/paper/project was assigned in advance, meaning you already knew about it BEFORE the day of your absence or were absent on the due date, the test/paper/project is due THE DAY YOU RETURN except for EXTREME CASES. This policy applies to everyone.                          

  • Cheating: DON’T DO IT!!! I have a zero-tolerance policy, and I will write you up for every offense. Be forewarned!!! Cheating includes copying another student’s work or plagiarizing from another source!!!

Late-Work Policy:                                                                            

I allow adequate time to complete assignments. TURN WORK IN ON TIME. If you have an excused absence, you have TWO DAYS to turn in work. Late work with the chance for submission will be entered into the Gradebook as a 1, once the make-up window passes the grade will become a 0, with no chance of makeup.

Classroom Procedures, Rules, and Consequences:                                               

  1. Be respectful---I will always allow you to express yourself to the fullest, within reason, without interruptions. Therefore, do not talk while someone else is talking, that includes another student and, most importantly, ME. Refrain from derogatory and otherwise unnecessary comments or gestures (cursing, put-downs, etc.) about ANYONE in the class.
  2. Be prepared---When you come into class, ON TIME, you need to SIT DOWN, HAVE MATERIALS READY to begin class. If you lack something, please make an effort to acquire it before asking me.
  3. Be focused---RAISE HANDS to be recognized unless otherwise instructed. Ask questions after the lesson instructions. Do the work that is asked of you and set short-term goals for yourselves.
  4. Be aware---PAY ATTENTION to what is going on in class at all times (no sleeping or heads down). There is a time for work and a time for play; make sure you know the difference. If you need clarification, ask me. I will either explain it to you or ask a student to do so. You are now at an age where certain things are expected.
  5. Be positive---I have certain expectations of high school students. One of those is A POSITIVE ATTITUDE because a positive attitude will foster proper behavior. Negative attitudes have various consequences.
  6. Absolutely no food in the classroom.

***ALL POLICIES IN THE STUDENT HANDBOOK WILL BE FOLLOWED ALONG WITH PENALTIES (INCLUDING NO FOOD/DRINK; NO VISIBLE OR AUDIBLE CELL PHONES; PROPER CLOTHING)

Available Tutoring and Conference Times:                                                           

My tutoring times are during Cougar Time on Tuesdays and Thursdays or before and after school. You need to let me know in advance if you are staying and meet me in my room by 3:45 for after-school appointments.

Scope and Sequence:                                            

This syllabus is a tentative overview of the material to be covered, and any additional material or changes will be up to the teacher’s discretion. Some sections will overlap from one time period in history to the next as is noted below. This listing may include but is not limited to the following:

Unit 1: “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves”

In this unit, students will be introduced to skills, practices, and routines that will be used on a regular basis in the ELA classroom throughout the semester: close-reading, annotating text, collaborative conversation, and evidence-based writing, especially through teacher-led text-dependent questioning. Students will learn an approach to close reading that develops their ability to critically analyze texts for deep meaning and collect and analyze evidence for use in writing and discussion. 

Unit 2: Letters to a Young Poet & Black Swan Green 

In this unit, students will continue to practice and refine routines such as close reading, annotation, identification of evidence, and participation in collaborative discussions. Students will study the author’s use of language to create meaning and build characters. They will also build vocabulary, write routinely, and, at the end of the unit, develop an essay that synthesizes ideas in the two texts. 

Unit 3: Romeo & Juliet

In this unit, students continue to develop habits and skills related to close reading, annotation, using evidence, building vocabulary, and participating in a structured discussion, they do so with text that is more qualitatively complex than in the earlier two units. This may be students’ first exposure to Shakespeare and the format of the play, so the instruction will include a focus on Shakespeare’s use of language and on the organization of the play. Students will study the structure of his language and speeches for craft and impact on character development. 

Unit 4: Lord of the Flies

In this unit, students read a full-length novel, using the skills developed in the previous units to understand the author’s use of language to develop characters and create thematic motifs. Students will read non-fiction texts that correlate with the novel as preparation for the following unit’s focus on argumentative writing. Students will continue to develop synthesizing ideas from multiple texts. 

Unit 5: Research & Argument

In this unit, students read, analyze, and evaluate informational and argument writing and build, through focused instruction, the skills required to craft strong and well-supported argument writing of their own. Through the study of various texts, students learn to think of the products they use and consume every day as part of a complex web of global production and trade that extends not only to distant lands but to the past as well.