Course Syllabus

Instructor Name: Ms. Cassandra Edwards Room #: 113

Google Telephone #: 336-560-7679

Email Address: edwardc@gcsnc.com Remind Code: @mcateng3

NOTE: Students are responsible for reading, understanding, and following their syllabi. Any messages received on weekends will receive a response during the work week. Please allow a 48-hour turn around on returning emails.

Other Information:

Parent/Teacher Conference Days and Times: Scheduled by email, phone or Remind app.

Tutoring Days and Times: Scheduled by email, phone or Remind app.

Course Description:

This course complies with the curricular requirements described in the Guilford County Schools

English III pacing guide and with Common Core State Standards for eleventh grade. Honors English III course is an overview of excellent literature across the major forms and genres (short story, novel, poetry, drama, epic poetry, and nonfiction). This course is designed around the North Carolina Standard Course of Study, therefore focusing on reading, speaking, listening and language to help students improve their literacy skills. This course is one of the four English credits required for all students to graduate.

Course Objectives/ Learning Outcomes:

Students will:

Read various forms of literature and non-print texts (fiction and nonfiction).
Analyze, infer, conclude, and question literary techniques in a given piece of text.
Conduct research including gathering, evaluating, and organizing information to support a thesis while using MLA citation methods.
Write a variety of short and more sustained essays with an introduction, thesis, body paragraphs with evidence, transitions, and conclusions that demonstrate application of the writing process.
Present information with and without technology for a variety of purposes.
Collaborate in various group sizes to express opinions, make suggestions, persuade others, and contribute to the group process.

Course Content/Textbook:

MyPerspectives: American Literature is the textbook we will use for this course. It is available in two volumes as a consumable textbook and there is also an online version of the textbooks available to students on their dashboard. We will use both versions of the text, so students need to familiarize themselves with the online textbook as well. My Perspectives is an English curriculum that values the perspective of the student learner and provides learning experiences for students to complete collectively and individually that promote high achievement and develop the competencies needed for college and career readiness.

The six units we will focus on include:

Unit 1: Writing Freedom

Unit 2: The Individual and Society

Unit 3: Power, Protest, and Change

Unit 4: Grit and Grandeur

Unit 5: Facing Our Fears

Unit 6: Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Tales

Course Expectations:

STUDENTS

Join classroom Remind. Text 81010 and enter message @mcateng3
Be on time and prepared for class each day.
Check Canvas daily for assignments, especially when absent from school. (This is your responsibility)
This class has been designed to prepare you for college-level coursework. Focus and diligently take care of all assignments, both in class and at home. Procrastination is not your friend. Stay on top of your assignments so you do not get behind on your work. Complete and submit assignments on time. Points will be deducted for late assignments submitted whether in class or online.
Keep an open mind and good attitude. Do your best so you can enjoy class. Avoid comparing yourself to others. Every scholar in the class has an abundance of life experience and knowledge to share.
Be an active participant in class and watch corresponding instructional videos for extra assistance.
Be prepared and plan accordingly to completing the weekly assignments.
Acknowledge your struggles and seek assistance for them. I am available to assist in your success.
Have academic integrity. Plagiarism is not okay and will not be tolerated!
You will have to completes some tasks outside of class. It is important that you complete these tasks as to not limit class time on activities and assignments.
Work together during collaborative work by doing your part, participating and lending your ideas to the group.
Think only of improving yourself and preparing for college and for the 21^st-century workforce. The beauty of literature comes from the things each person sees and understands. Our ideas of interpreting literature may differ, but everyone’s ideas are relevant.
Learn how to understand the connotations of what you read and think for yourself.

PARENTS

Join Remind as a parent.
Provide student with materials needed for class (1 subject spiral notebook and colored highlighters). Please let me know of any hardships
Encourage your student to keep track of all assignments using a planner and a reminder on the cellphone.
Encourage your student to be punctual to class and have all assignments completed in a timely manner.
Encourage your student to study for any upcoming tests/quizzes or assignments.
Ensure your student is reading outside of class. Each student should be independently reading grade-level texts, including fiction and non-fiction articles to improve comprehension and critical thinking skills.
PLEASE STRESS the importance of a cellphone free environment UNLESS being utilized for an in- class activity.

Classroom Guidelines:

I will respect all students and expect the same from each of them. This refers, but is not limited to, appropriate language and attitude, compliance to directions, and showing respect for the learning environment, adults and peers.
This is a cellphone free environment. The use or display of phones, electronic devices, headphones, earbuds/air pods, hairbrushes, hats, hoods or headgear are NOT ALLOWED in class. If displayed, they will be confiscated until the end of class.
When absent, students can find any missing assignments upon returning from absence in the designated file folders. Student will fill out necessary request to take any missing quizzes or tests. Then and only then will teacher give student access to quiz or test.
IF ABOVE RULES ARE NOT FOLLOWED, PARENT CONTACT WILL BE MADE VIA PARENT APPROVED METHOD (TEXT, REMIND APP, PHONE CALL, EMAIL)

External Expectations

Students are expected to read outside of class. Each student should be independently reading grade-level texts, including fiction and non-fiction articles to improve comprehension and critical thinking skills.

Complete homework assignments when assigned. THERE ARE NO “NO HOMEWORK” DAYS.

Grading Policy:

Students will always be informed ahead of time if an assignment will be counted as a Test grade.

A = 90 -100

B = 80 - 89

C = 70 - 79

D = 60 - 69

F = 59 and BELOW

I = Incomplete

Grades will be updated in PowerSchool weekly. Expect to spend a minimum of 3-5 hours each week preparing to do well in this course. Expect to spend this time reading and fully participating with communicating, preparing and completing group and individual assignments, as well as preparing to take quizzes and tests.

Weights for Assignments

It is important that students complete all assignments assigned in class. However, some are weighted differently. The breakdown is below:

Test/Projects/ Essays 40%

Quizzes 25%

Classwork/Homework/Participation 35%

All work is to be submitted electronically via Canvas.

Late work will be accepted as long as the module remains open. Once you notice a module is closed in Canvas work is no longer being accepted for that assignment. Once modules close, they WILL NOT be reopened except for extenuating circumstances approved by principal. Points are deducted for late work.

Assignment Make-Up Policy:

If students miss tests, quizzes, and/or assignments because of absences, it is their responsibility to find out what they missed and arrange a time and method of making up that missed work by sending an email, Remind message, phone call or written message in class. Students have three days to turn in make-up work after an absence. After that time, grade will turn into a zero in the grade book.

Reteach/Retest

For any test or quiz below 70%, students may retake that test or quiz one time. The highest score a student may receive on a retest is 70%. Note: There may be certain assignments (e.g. projects or final drafts of essays) to which the reteach/retest policy will not apply.

Rough Drafts vs. Final Drafts

Rough drafts are typically counted as quiz grades and are graded primarily for completion; the purpose of a rough draft is to receive feedback as part of the writing process, not to receive a preliminary grade that is in any way a direct indicator of how the final draft may be graded. Therefore, it is entirely possible, and even likely, that students may receive a higher grade on their rough drafts than on their final drafts.

Group Assignments

Students will be assigned to a Group to complete various group activities throughout the semester. A grading rubric will be posted with the assignment. If a Group member does not participate, their name will not be included on the assignment. Group assignments cannot be made up WITHOUT WRITTEN PARENT/DOCTOR NOTE OF ABSENCE.

Possible Assignments for this Class (Subject to Change)

· Research Project (Individual) Author and Era Research, College Research

· One Pager (Individual and Group)

· Sketch Notes

· Interactive Notebook

· Character Autopsy (Individual and Group)

· Comparison/Contrast, Argumentative, Analytical Essays

Attendance and Tardy Policy:

Attendance is key in all classes. In addition to the following district policy to earn credit for the course, students leaving early for practice or games MUST be signed out at the office by a parent or guardian for their absences to be excused. Students WILL NOT be dismissed from class without parent/guardian COMING INTO the building to appropriately sign student out. Students can make up work if absent, however, a zero will be entered in the gradebook until missing work is submitted. Missing assignments will lose points DAILY if absence is unexcused.

Tardy Policy:

If a student is late to class, he must obtain a note from the office to enter class. Parents will be notified via parent contact method if students are habitually late to class. Students can make up work if absent, however, a zero will be entered in the gradebook until missing work is submitted. Missing assignments will lose points DAILY if absence is unexcused.

Leaving the Classroom:

Students may use the restroom once during class but NOT during the first 20 minutes nor the last 20 minutes of class. Students MUST use the restroom ON THE 1st floor ONLY unless maintenance requires the restroom to be closed.

Students will ONLY be dismissed by the teacher and are not allowed to simply walk out of class. Before leaving the room, student should pick up any trash items around their area. Students must stay in class the entire period unless a note from a teacher on staff is provided or they are required to leave for travel due to extracurricular activities.

Phone Policy:

Cell phones will be collected from students at the beginning of class and returned at the end of class. Students will be allowed to use their phones only for academic purposes. Parents can contact students during class time by calling the school (336-691-0941). Students who need to make a call for an urgent need may request access to use the classroom phone.

Students who refuse to follow these guidelines will be directed to an administrator and parents will be contacted. The teacher or the administrator may confiscate the phone for the day if this is a repeated offense.

Academic Integrity/Dishonesty:

Academic honesty enables each of us to fulfill our potential, learn effectively with and from one another, acquire specialized knowledge and skills, become informed, responsible and creative thinkers and have pride in our institution’s standing. To these ends students are required to submit work representative of his own effort accurately and truthfully without cheating, fabrication, falsification or forgery, multiple submissions, plagiarism, complicity and computer misuse, according to the policies in Guilford County Schools Student Handbook on Academic Integrity.

Although students may discuss assignments with others in this class, the final answers that a student turns in for grading must be written independently by the student, and reflect the student’s own efforts, knowledge, understanding and expression of ideas. Use of others’ work constitutes academic dishonesty. In addition, offering or providing work to others is also a form of academic dishonesty (complicity). If a student has questions or is confused about what is or is not appropriate regarding this, or other issues of academic integrity, please err on the side of caution.

Academic dishonesty may include but is not limited to copying work belonging to another student or plagiarism (using information, ideas, or phrasing of other writers without proper acknowledgement). Academic dishonesty may be punished by failure on assignment; failure in course; and/or expulsion from school. If a student is found responsible for academic dishonesty, the student will be referred to the principal immediately for consequences to be discussed and rendered.

REMINDER: ALL A & T FOUR MC STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO ABIDE BY THE GUIDELINES OF OUR SCHOOL CREED AND THE ESSENTIAL 10.