Senior Literature, Composition, & Communication (SLCC)

English 4 - PGA - 2021-2022

Teacher: Ms. Tiana Song and Ms. Hannah Ramirez
Email: tsong@psdschools.org or hramirez@psdschools.org
Semester 2 Live Classes: Virtual Thursday 9 am on Teams
Asynchronous Classes Virtual:Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday

English 4 - Course Description: We’re reading more than ever, writing more than ever, and
communicating more than ever. But to what end? Are we growing as critical thinkers? We will
use counter narratives and voices to explore thematic connections. To grow as authentic writers,
we must authentically read, and seek to collaborate in learning communities.

In this course, there are several core components of learning* that we will be required:
Inquiry Questions, Our classroom will be rooted in critical questioning. Inquiry questions are driven
Journals and One Pagers by the learner, created by the learner, and intended to create connections
(20% of overall learning) between our lives, the world, and our studies. We will often use Journal Entries
or One Pagers to respond to inquiry questions. A One Pager is a semi-formal
piece of writing where you explore and examine your thinking, ideas, or text.
One Pagers can usually be written in the first person, unless otherwise noted.
One Pagers are intended to generate ideas, practice discourse, and explore
bigger questions.

Critical Reading (30% of To truly examine our own writing, we must be willing to read anything we can
overall learning) get our hands on. We will read some required texts chosen by me, but you will
have some choice in what you read. By taking ownership of your choice, you
can pursue reading for pleasure as well as for critical analysis.

Major & Minor Writing Throughout the semester, we will encounter Major Writing Tasks, which are
Tasks (30% of overall critical standards and writing tasks. If a student does not complete the Major
learning) Writing Tasks, they may not earn credit in the course. These tasks are given
ample time to draft, revise, and polish. A completion must be earned on a
Major WT. Minor Writing Tasks will be informal assignments to practice the
moves that writers make, strategies, and skills. As long as the task is attempted
with full effort it is considered complete. As a writer, you may be asked to revise
the task to show understanding of a particular skill.

Collaboration (20% of In a small learning community, every member is crucial to the success of the
 Senior Literature, Composition, & Communication (SLCC)

overall learning) learning goals. You will work in partners frequently, small groups every so
often, and as a whole team quite frequently.Life is one big group project. Let’s
learn how you can positively contribute and grow as a co-worker.
**We will celebrate the diversity in our learning community. We acknowledge
and respect that learning looks different for each person.**
*Please note: this is not a weight-of-grades break down. This is a progress building classroom -- keep reading for how grading will
function in this course.

Respect yourself and your classmates: Our goals will require open-minded thinking and
empathy. Our course of study will often ask you to confront your preconceived notions, examine
the biases & systemic oppression of society, and will always be inclusive of many voices and
perspectives.

Attendance Policy: Either you are registered for PGA Hybrid or Virtual. Attendance is often
linked to success and learning in a course. If a student misses a Live Session, it is their
responsibility to make up the material (either through watching a recording or connecting with
Ms. Tiana or Ms. Hannah). Please do everything in your power to be present for Live Sessions
and work on classwork during the school day. It is the student’s responsibility to seek
make-up assignments for missed live class days. Please refer to the PGA Student Handbook for information
on excused and unexcused absences, and more detail on attendance.

Progress Building Classroom: How Grading Works in this Course

A) This course employs a non-traditional grading approach. Instead of being
assigned letter grades or points, your tasks will often be assessed for completion based
on the learning evidence a student can produce. You and I will partner closely to track
your growth and learning through heavy feedback, self reflection (on your part), and
student-set goals.

We will focus on (and you will see progress towards) completion of tasks to demonstrate
mastery of specific skills. Together, we will develop student-to-teacher agreements on
what makes an A, B, C, etc., within this course (since we will need to record quarter and
semester grades to earn credit). Students will be invited to help create grade
agreements for this course that we will all collaborate upon and agree to.

We will focus on two key questions to developing a course grade agreement:

1) What is the learning goal of a task and the class?
2) What work do you need to do in order to prove that learning?

B) This class-wide grade agreement will be developed in Week 2. All students must
approve & actively contribute to the grade agreement.

C) → So, what will I see in the gradebook?

 Senior Literature, Composition, & Communication (SLCC)

Important to Note: Instead of a column titled “Grade” in Google Classroom or Synergy, you will
see all assignments are labeled as “activities” in gradebook. Each activity is evaluated on a
scale from 1-4. You will not receive grades for individual assignments; only a number that
corresponds to where you’re at in the journey of completion of tasks.

This scale IS NOT a grade, but rather a guide to help you know where you stand in your
progress with the activity. This gives you the opportunity (if you choose) to complete the activity
again until you reach your full potential in progress with your mastery of the skills.

Example: You are on track for several weeks, but do not complete a One Pager. Your grade in
class drops from 100% to 94%. This is not a letter grade. This is feedback that you need to
complete an assignment or task, and drive your grade back to 100% completion.

Unfortunately, in the Synergy gradebook it will show up as a percentage or grade. You

can ignore that grade, but instead look at the point scale for each assignment/activity. If
you do not have a 4 on that activity, it just means you likely have something that needs to
be attended to and completed still.

Remember: Just because something is done doesn’t mean it is truly complete, or that full
learning has been accomplished. Just like learning to ride a bike, mastery takes time, effort,
mistakes, and feedback. Click here (feedback key) to see what the numbers in Google
Classroom and Synergy will mean in terms of your learning journey.

In addition to the numerical code in Google Classroom and Synergy, you’ll receive lots of
feedback, comments, and partnership around your learning. We will employ technology tools
including Google Drive apps (Docs, Sites). Review the feedback key above.

All missing work, excused or unexcused, is always due by the end of each
quarter.

Late Passes: There are no late passes in this class because there is no punitive late work.
Please review the gradeless policy above, and see me with questions. Significant missing or
late work will eventually impact your final grade negotiation.

No Stress Policy: All learning requires many skills outside of just content
knowledge or ability. Online and hybrid learning often requires even more executive functioning.
Time management, self control, persistence, and organization are a few of the many executive
skills you’ll need to be successful in this course. With time, effort, and support these skills get
stronger. However, if for any reason you find yourself overwhelmed with the class, assignments,
or work load, please talk to me (do not wait!). I am committed to your academic success and
 Senior Literature, Composition, & Communication (SLCC)

we will work together to create a plan for your success. I honor communication as an
academic skill, and we will get you on track.

Scholastic Dishonesty and Cheating

PSD’s policies can be found in the student PGA handbook. Cheating and academic dishonesty
are not tolerated. Plagiarism is using other people’s ideas and words without clearly stating
the source of that information (whether intentional or unintentional).

Examples of plagiarism:
1. Restating someone else’s words in your own without giving credit to the original source.
(Paraphrasing and summarizing.)
2. Copying pieces of an article found on the Internet into your research paper without using
quotation marks and identifying the source. If it’s not in quotation marks and cited, you’re
claiming you created it. This includes paraphrasing.
3. Putting your name on someone else’s work and saying it is your own. (Don’t let your friends
copy your work! You’ll both get in trouble.) This includes collaborating on assignments that
should be individual work (quizzes, writing, IN reflections, etc.).
4. Using anything as small as a sentence, to a paragraph, or "Free Research Papers.com" (any
source: book, magazine, website, film) without citing the source.
When in doubt, cite it. PGA and I take plagiarism very seriously. If a student
plagiarizes, their parents will be contacted, and the principal will be informed. If a student
plagiarizes twice in the same class, they may fail the class. Academic dishonesty may include
incidents for which there is no intent to cheat, but are outside the domain of responsible, honest,
and acceptable academic work.