Mrs. Wright's English Class
Welcome Scholars and Parents!
Dear Mustang,
Welcome to Morrow High School’s 2022 Spring Semester. While this year brings new challenges to the learning environment, rest assured that I am here to help you.
The courses I teach are: American Literature (11th grade) and World Literature (10th grade)
The syllabus for each course is located on this webpage. The syllabus provides general information about the course, grading guidelines, and scheduled meeting times for classes.
I will provide coursework and course updates regularly through the Canvas platform. Look for the Modules tab!
Students are expected to participate in classes every day, as attendance will be taken daily.
Outside of class meeting times, I am available for instructional support and tutorial assistance. Please refer to the syllabus for instructional support and tutorial times. Feel free to email me at deidra.wright@clayton.k12.ga.us if you have questions.
You can expect a response within 48 hours.
Let’s have a great semester at Morrow High School!
Respectfully,
Mrs. D. Wright
This website will be updated to provide information about assignments, and provide supplemental resources.
Syllabus
COURSE SYLLABUS
10th Grade World Literature Honors Fall 2019
Morrow High School
2299 Old Rex Morrow Rd.
Morrow, GA 30260
Teacher: Mrs. Wright
Email:
Google Phone: (404) 721-2427
School Phone: (770) 473-3241
Course Description:
Students will read/watch, critically analyze, discuss, and write about significant works of world literature (poems, short stories, music, and novels) of the 20th and 21st Centuries with emphasis on ideas and the ways in which they reflect cultural and aesthetic values.
Learning Outcomes (Objectives)
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Students will develop methods and strategies for analyzing and interpreting texts.
- Outline, take notes and annotate texts
- Develop multimedia presentations
- Recognize explicit and implicit main idea and supporting details
- Use grammatical, stylistic, and mechanical formats and conventions appropriate for a variety of audiences.
- Critique their own and others' work in written and oral format
- Produce coherent, organized, readable prose for a variety of rhetorical situations
- Reflect on what contributed to their writing process and evaluate their own work
- Critically analyze and engage with text(s)
Required Texts and Materials:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Collections: Student Edition Grade 10 2017 1st Edition
Collections Close Reader: Student Edition Grade 9
Performance Assessment Workbook
3 Ring Binder, 5-7 Notebook dividers with labels
Pen
100 notecards
Recommended Text:
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Modern Language Association Handbook
The Norton Anthology of World Literature
The Routledge Reader in Carribean Literature
Helpful Websites
- www.dictionary.com – Online English Dictionary
- www.azargammar.com – Grammar Reference and Practice
- www.quizlet.com – Vocabulary Practice
- www.newsela.com
- www.studyisland.com content practice (all areas)
- www.usatestprep.com content practice (all areas)
- www.eric.ed.gov
Course Work ( subject to modification)
1. Classwork: Bellringers, reading responses, writing assignments, reflective essay,group work etc. 25%
2. Quizzes/Assessments 10%
3. Projects/Reports 10%
All reports and projects will follow the MLA format. Topics and specific assignments will be provided in class. A reflective essay is due the day after you submit ALL projects and reports.
A reflective essay is an essay in which the writer examines his or her experiences in life. The writer then writes about those experiences, exploring how he or she has changed, developed or grown from those experiences.
Project 1 Establishing a Blog
Post your blog in our google classroom and email your blog site to me
Project 2 Due pending date before class
Project 3 Environmental Project
Project 4: TBA Paper 4 (5-7 pages long) Due Dec._____
4. Test 20%
Test 1:
Test 2:
5. Homework 15%
6. EOCT/ Final Exam 20%
(tentative)
Grading Scale: 90-100=A; 80-89=B; 70-79=C; 60-69=D; below 60=F.
Course Policies
1. Late work: Late work is bad for both of us and makes it impossible for me to give you careful feedback on your work. Furthermore, if you turn in work late, I may not be able to return it in time for my feedback to help you on the next assignment. Each day your work is late it drops a letter grade each day prior to grading for content knowledge. Come to class prepared to submit the work that is due that day.
2. Submitting papers: This course emphasizes the development of your ideas in various stages of the writing process. We will work on your drafts in class before papers are due; paperclip a copy of these rough drafts to your final papers when you submit them for a grade. Final papers, drafts for peer review, and all out-of-class writing should be typed double-spaced with standard 1 inch margins and 10-12 Times New Roman font, and follow MLA guidelines. Computers are available in the classroom and the library. Papers are due at the beginning of class on the date due.
3. Academic Misconduct: Morrow High School expects its students to adhere to the code of student conduct, especially as it pertains to academic conduct. All students are expected to turn in their original work and all final papers must be submitted to www.plagly.com to check for plagiarism. Students are expected to adhere to the highest standards of academic honesty. Plagiarism occurs when a student uses or purchases ghostwritten papers or products. It also occurs when a student utilizes ideas or information obtained from another person without giving credit to that person. If plagiarism or another act of academic dishonesty occurs, it will be dealt with in accordance with the academic misconduct policy as stated in the Clayton County School System Handbook.
5. Attendance and Participation
Writing is a skill that requires practice through strategies, revisions, and collaboration. Talking about ideas with others--including class discussions--improves your reading comprehension, and writing skills as it helps clarify, and create knowledge. Being late to class more than 2 times will earn you a deduction in your class participation grade. Students will be given 3 bathroom passes per semester and if they aren’t used, then you can use them on your lowest assignment for six points. Make-up work can be picked up when you return back to class and you are given three days to submit the make-up assignment.
DEFICIENCY Reports: Parents and guardians are informed when students are making unsatisfactory progress in classes. Poor performance will be reported to parents and guardians as soon as problems are evident. Deficiency reports with plans for remediation will be written for all students making unsatisfactory progress, and parent/ guardians conferences must be scheduled. Unsatisfactory grades should never come as a surprise to parents, guardians, or students. Teachers will:
● Contact parents and guardians early in the semester if academic, attendance, or behavioral difficulties are apparent.
● Notify the counselor, SST/RTI Chair, and the academy leader of serious problems that are affecting classroom performance.
Schedule of Readings and Assignments
Please Note: Reading and writing assignments are due at the beginning of class on the day for which they are listed. I will provide detailed daily assignments and may make changes to the syllabus to meet the class's educational goals more effectively. Please keep abreast of these changes by recording all revisions below. If you miss class, you are still responsible for any changes I announce in class, so consult a peer for what you missed.
Classwork (tentative schedule)
Unit 1-2 Jan-March
Project 1 Due:
Unit 3-4
March-May
Project 2 Due:
Week 10: Test #1 Assessment
Project 3:
Test # 2 Dec 5th
Final Exam_________
Grades will be posted no later than _______
Mandatory Classroom Expectations: Follow school policies as directed within the handbook.
1. HAVE: Arrive on time and with supplies.
2. ENGAGE: Be ready and willing to learn.
3. RESPECT: Listen to the presenter (teacher and student).
4. OFFER: Be willing and ready to help your peers. (Raise your hand to ask for help.)
Additional Expectations:
USE ELECTRONIC DEVICES ONLY AS DIRECTED. PUT ALL PHONES AWAY
11th Grade
Syllabus 2022
Morrow High School
Spring 2022
American Literature and Composition
Instructor: Mrs. Wright
E-mail: deidra.wright@clayton.k12.ga.us
Office hours will be held on Mondays by appointment only.
Please email me to schedule your virtual office hour appointment.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course presents a one-semester survey of American literature from the literary period of exploration and settlement to the present. Students will study works of prose, poetry, drama, and fiction in relation to their historical and cultural contexts. Texts will be selected from among a diverse group of authors for what they reflect and reveal about the evolving American experience and character.
https://www.georgiastandards.org/Common-Core/Documents/9-10thELACCGPS.pdf
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
As delineated in the Georgia Standards of Excellence, students will develop their ability to:
- ●Write original argumentative, informational, expository, narrative, and persuasive essay
- ●Develop skills in using textual evidence to support claims to defend a stance on a topic
- ●Produce clear and concise writing that includes the conventions of standard English grammar and usage
- ●Analyze and create characters in narrative writing focusing on audience, purpose and tone
- ●Evaluate various aspects of rhetorical devices using appropriate supporting evidence
- ●Use creative and critical thinking skills to analyze given texts
TEXTS, READINGS, AND INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES
Required Text: Collections Textbook (please refer to page 5 for required readings for assigned weeks)
Supplemental Texts: supplemental texts will be assigned during the week of discussion. Please use the online classroom forum to stay updated.
Useful Websites:
The online version of the literacy textbook is provided in their students HMH acct.
ACTIVITIES AND ASSESSMENTS, EVALUATION PROCEDURES, AND GRADING
Activities and Assessments:
All major activities (projects, research papers, portfolios, etc.) are listed here and in the calendar at the end of this document.
- ●Standardized Test: EOC Exam
- ●Monthly Thought Questions: this is to help students enhance their writing skills. Students are responsible for completing all assignments associated with the assigned thought questions assigned.
- ●Achieve 3000 Articles: students are responsible for completing 2 articles per week, earning 75% or better on the first try.
- ●Constructed Responses: Students will employ their learnings in response to a given question related to an assigned text and topic.
- ●Essays: Students will engage in the writing process to complete a narrative essay, an argumentative essay, and a research paper by the end of the semester.
Student participation ensures understanding and mastery of the standard associated with the task. Students will be asked to participate verbally, written, and online using the Canvas course forum. All assignments should be submitted via Canvas unless otherwise agreed upon between the instructor and the student. Written communication is necessary for alternative submissions.
No late submissions are accepted unless you have an excused absence.
High School and High School Credit Bearing Courses Grade Weights
|
Courses with an End-of-Course (EOC) Exam
|
Courses without an End-of-Course (EOC) Exam
|
Classwork
Tests/Quizzes
Projects
Homework
End-of-Course Exam
|
25%
30%
10%
15%
20%
|
Classwork
Tests/Quizzes
Projects
Homework
Final Exam
|
25%
30%
10%
15%
20%
|
|
|
|
|
Grading Policy:
Students' grades will be updated every Friday unless otherwise stated. Students should look at their infinite campus profiles for updates to their grades on given assignments. Please keep in mind that Ms. Brasher does not award grades, the work and effort you submit is what is translated and entered into the gradebook. Please refer to the following table to gauge letter grading as it relates to percentages earned in the class.
Letter Grade
|
Performance Level
|
Description of Performance Level
|
A
|
90-100
|
Exceeding content expectations
|
B
|
80-89
|
Meeting content expectations
|
C
|
71-79
|
Working towards meeting content expectations
|
D
|
70
|
Inadequate progress towards meeting content expectations
|
F
|
69 and below
|
Did not meet content expectations
|
NC
|
No Credit
|
Enrolled 10 days or less
|
I
|
Incomplete
|
Course requirements not completed
|
CLASS POLICIES
It is the responsibility of the teachers and students alike to create a community where learning is encouraged and engaged in a safe manner. We encourage parents to help reinforce the ideals presented in the classroom by holding your students accountable to upholding the classroom guidelines. In order to create a safe learning environment, the following non-negotiables and consequences have been listed:
Non-Negotiables:
- Practice respect and cordiality; everyone who walks in the room should be given respect at the same level.
- Adhere to the rules and guidelines of Morrow High School as listed in the student handbook.
- Refrain from eating in the classroom - if you have to partake in a snack, please communicate with your teachers and ensure an agreement is met before engaging in eating in the classroom.
- Use electronic devices when directed by your teachers
- Be on time and present for lessons
- Communicate with teachers effectively and promptly when challenges arise
- Practice conflict management inside of the classroom
Consequences
Students who do not adhere to the etiquette guidelines will result in the following:
- Verbal prompt/redirection
- Check in with student
- Communication with parent/guardian
- Conference with parent/guardian and administrators
MAKE-UP WORK POLICY:
All students are provided an opportunity to make up missed or insufficient assignments. In the case of an absence, students are required to attend an office hour session (using the office hour link) in order to review missed material and be assigned a make-up task. It is the student’s responsibility to facilitate this process. Make up assignments will be given a due date at the end of the scheduled office hour appointment. Students must assume responsibility for obtaining the required information and making whatever arrangements are necessary with the teacher. Parents should assist their child with requests for make-up work and other missed assignments and tests.
Make-up of tests/quizzes should be done before or after school except otherwise arranged by the teacher. Teachers may assign different work or a different test than that which was originally assigned to other students. Long-term assignments with preset dates are due on the assigned dates, regardless of a student’s previous absence. Communication is always welcome and highly encouraged in a timely fashion.
Parent-Teacher Conferences:
Morrow High School encourages parental involvement, if for any reason you should need to schedule a Parent-Teacher conference, please do so by contacting the student’s appropriate counselor to set this up. Ms. Brasher is always available via email and will respond to your email within 24 hours of receipt.
Infinite Campus Access:
Parents can access their student’s grades and attendance online via Infinite Campus Parent Portal. Please communicate with your student’s counselor to obtain their username and password for the infinite campus website.
Grade Reporting:
Progress reports are issued every four and one-half weeks within each nine week grading period. Report cards are issued every eighteen weeks at the high school level. Report card grades will include both letter and numeric grades for all students.
CLASS OUTLINE/CALENDAR
(Due dates and assignments are subject to change with appropriate notice to students and parents.)
Week #
|
Readings for Class
|
Assignments Due
|
Due Date
|
Week 1
|
Syllabus
Reading Review
|
|
|
Week 2
|
excerpt from “Of Plymouth Plantation”
Historical Account
by William Bradford
“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”
Sermon
by Jonathan Edwards
|
Pre-Unit Assessment
|
|
Week 3
|
Testing Strategies
Reading Review
|
2 Achieve Articles
|
August 13
|
Week 4
|
“To the Right Honourable William Earl of Dartmouth”
Poem
by Phillis Wheatley
“On Being Brought from Africa to America”
Poem
by Phillis Wheatley
“On the Emigration to America and Peopling the Western Country”
Poem
by Phillip Freneau
|
2 Achieve Articles
|
|
Week 5
|
“To the Right Honourable William Earl of Dartmouth”
Poem
by Phillis Wheatley
“On Being Brought from Africa to America”
Poem
by Phillis Wheatley
“On the Emigration to America and Peopling the Western Country”
Poem
by Phillip Freneau
|
2 Achieve Articles
|
|
Week 6
|
Writing Workshop
|
2 Achieve Articles
|
|
Week 7
|
Reading Workshop
|
2 Achieve Articles
|
|
Week 8
|
“I Hear America Singing”
Poem
by Walt Whitman
an excerpt from “Nature”
&
an excerpt from “Self-Reliance”
Essays
by Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The Minister’s Black Veil”
Short story
by Nathaniel Hawthorn
Student Selected Texts from Research
|
2 Achieve Articles
|
|
Week 9
|
“I Hear America Singing”
Poem
by Walt Whitman
an excerpt from “Nature”
&
an excerpt from “Self-Reliance”
Essays
by Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The Minister’s Black Veil”
Short story
by Nathaniel Hawthorn
Student Selected Texts from Research
|
2 Achieve Articles
|
|
Week 10
|
Writing Workshop
|
2 Achieve Articles
|
|
Week 11
|
Reading Workshop
|
2 Achieve Articles
|
|
Week 12
|
Writing Workshop
|
2 Achieve Articles
|
|
Week 13
|
Reading Workshop
|
2 Achieve Articles
|
|
Week 14
|
Preparation for the EOC
|
2 Achieve Articles
|
|
Week 15
|
Preparation for the EOC Exam
|
Check In Journal
|
Nov. 19
|
Week 16
|
Preparation for the EOC Exam
|
Check In Journal
|
Dec. 3
|
Week 17
|
EOC Exam
|
|
|
Week 18
|
EOC Exam
|
|
|
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Students are expected to submit work for evaluation that has been completed solely by that student, unless group assignments have been so designated. Academic integrity is expected at all times and plagiarism will not be tolerated. If a student is found cheating on a graded assignment, the student will not receive credit for that assignment and will face possible disciplinary action. Cheating and plagiarism are considered very serious academic offenses. Any student who plagiarizes or cheats on an assignment and/or test should be referred to the administrator and will receive a 0 for the assignment in the gradebook.
.
*Any changes to this document must have approval from an Administrator.