Professional Documents
Culture Documents
09-10 Junior Course Syllabus
09-10 Junior Course Syllabus
Students engage in challenging tasks in which they draw upon personal strengths and diverse experiences, create meaningful
connections, and develop innovative problem-solving skills. With the confidence and character gained from these experiences,
students pursue their individual passions and participate responsibly and effectively in their communities.
Office Hours: 2nd Period; 5th Period; ARC 6th Period; After School (as needed)
Materials Needed:
3-ring binder (1 inch) with pockets, dividers and loose leaf paper
Required readings – all available for purchase through the GCHS Bookstore
GCHS Student Handbook/Passport – provided to all students at no cost
Pens/Pencils/Highlighters (2 colors)
Textbooks:
Novels:
Summer Reading text of your choice
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
Other:
Teacher selected short stories, poems, criticisms, nonfiction, etc.
Course Description:
Junior English is the study of American literature as viewed through the lens
of the American experience—historical, political, cultural, and economic. To
that end, we will follow a fairly chronological sequence of such events to
recognize more clearly what exactly makes up the “American experience”
and how this experience has expressed itself in the particular art of literature.
Semester Breakdown:
Course Objectives
Grading Practices:
Weights: Scale:
Participation – 5%
Homework – 20% 98 – A B 78 – C 68 – D
88-89
Tests/Quizzes – 15% 100 + + 79 + 69 +
Essays/Projects – 40%93 – 97 83 – 73 – 63 – 0 -
A B C D F
87 77 67 59
Final Exam – 20%
80 – 70 – 60 –
90 – 92 A- B- C- D-
82 72 62
Course Expectations
Attitudes & Behavior
I hope that together we are able to create an environment in our
classroom that allows for everyone to grow, learn, and be successful
over the course of the year. In order for that to happen, we must work
together to establish a respectful, caring atmosphere where everyone
feels safe to express their thoughts and feelings. We will develop a
sense of community inside our classroom where everyone is valued
and respected. Crude language, derogatory comments, and
harassment of any kind damage this atmosphere and cause everyone
to suffer – disrespectful comments and actions will result in disciplinary
action including loss of participation credit for the day, detentions, as
well as possible referrals to the discipline office. Also, it is imperative
that you come to class each day with an open mind and a positive
attitude. Without respect, open-mindedness, and a positive attitude,
you will not experience success in our classroom.
Electronic Devices
As explained on pages 50-51 of your student handbook, please leave
your MP3 players, cell phones, and any other electronic device in your
locker or backpack. If I see it or hear it (that includes vibrations) it will
be taken away and your dean will be notified – consider this your one
warning. I see these devices as distractions to the learning
environment and they will not be tolerated.
Cheating/Plagiarism
While you can check your handbook for the penalties for
cheating/plagiarism, I want to make sure that you clearly understand
what I consider to be examples of these offenses so that you can keep
yourself out of trouble. We are here to help you learn, and you cannot
do that unless you do the work yourself. Instances of cheating and
plagiarism will result in a zero for the assignment and a referral to your
dean. As stated in the handbook, further punishments may include
failure of the course, detentions, suspensions and expulsions. These
will be handled on a case-by-case basis. While some teachers may
refer to cheating and plagiarism as synonyms, I like to break them
down into two categories:
Plagiarism:
Restroom Use
Our class time together is valuable, so I ask that you do your best to
make use of the restrooms before or after class – that is what passing
periods are partially for. If you are worried that you will be late for
class, feel free to drop your stuff off and let me know where you are
going before the bell rings. At no point should you interrupt class to
ask to use the restroom unless it is an ABSOLUTE EMERGENCY. If there
is a personal situation that needs to be addressed, please see me in
private.
A Final Note:
I am here for you! Do not hesitate to contact me (by phone, e-mail, or
in person) to talk about any questions, comments, suggestions,
concerns, etc. I would like to speak with you privately if you feel that
there is a personal situation that may affect your performance in the
class. You are my number one priority, and I will do anything and
everything in my power to help you succeed and enjoy English this
year. I’m looking forward to getting to know each of you and having
an enjoyable year!
(tear here)
After reading this document, please sign and return this slip
before: ____________