English 3 Honors: Class Standards 2009-2010

Course Description:

English 3 Honors centers around the essential question: what is the American character? We will explore answers to this question in various pieces of American literature, covering a wide range of authors and reflect the diversity and depth of our literature, values, and philosophy. My goals for students in English 3 Honors are several: to improve writing skills, especially in the areas of clarity, focus and voice; to improve critical thinking skills; to learn to support ideas; to build on the ideas of others; to gain confidence in literary insight; to learn to function in and benefit from groups.

Readings and Projects:

Our readings first semester will include Boyle’s The Tortilla Curtain, O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Bradbury’s Dandelion Wine, Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, 19^th Century short stories, poetry by Whitman and Dickinson, and the play The Night Thoreau Spent In Jail. Our readings second semester will include Morrison’s Beloved, Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Steinbeck’s Cannery Row, and at least one 20^th Century novel to be named (possibly – Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, or Kingston’s The Woman Warrior), 20^th Century short stories, modern poetry.

Students must attend class to succeed. For example, students will be given points for class participation: contributing to class discussions, giving group presentations, and working on group projects. Since activities in class are vital to learning, points earned for class participation cannot be substituted by work done outside of class.

Each student must bring a journal/notebook (of their choice) to class daily; the journal will serve as a learning tool, one that I hope students will continue in the future. Journal entries, used to practice writing, spark class discussion, and reflect on learning, will be completed in class.

In addition to the plethora of work inside class, students will have a significant amount of independent work. Over the course of the year, students will read 4 outside reading books. For each book, they will complete various activities. Students will write 12-16 major essays over the course of the year. In addition, at the end of each quarter, students will revise each essay in a portfolio.

Grading:

Students will receive points for everything that they do. Individual grades can be computed at any time by dividing individual students’ total points by the total possible points. I use a scale of 90-100% = A; 82-89% = B; 70-82% =C; 60-69% = D; 0-59% = F. A progress report will be sent home with the student is his/her grade falls below C level. A report card will be sent home with the student at the quarter and the semester.

Homework, Make-Up Work, and Late Work:

When the class is exploring a novel, students will be assigned a set number of pages to read at home. If the student is absent from class, he/she is expected to be current with the reading when he/she returns to class. Assigned reading schedules will be distributed to students when the class begins a novel. This policy allows the student to get the most out of the novels; if he or she is missing classroom discussion due to absences or missed reading, he or she tends to fall behind in the novel, or worse, abandons the novel.

For assignments other than reading assignments, the student or parent is responsible for obtaining homework assignments from the teacher when a student is unable to attend class. A list of daily assignments along with some of the instructions is posted daily at www.westhigh.com/users/evans. Make-up work is due the second day after returning to class unless the student has been out several days. Then the student is allowed one extra day per day absent. However, absence is not an excuse for not turning in papers when the due date has been announced in advance. Papers may be e-mailed to me at jevans@etusd.org on the due date and then a hard copy can be turned in when the student returns.

Late work will be accepted no later than one week after it is due, each day losing the points equivalent to one letter grade. However, I will give each student one free late pass a semester; the amount of extension time given to each student will be discussed on a case by case basis.

Citizenship:

Again, regular attendance is essential to succeeding in this class. Students are expected to participate in class discussions and to respect the opinions and possessions of their classmates at all times. As stated above, points will be earned for class participation! Tardies: Prompt attendance is essential. Students will be issued a warning on their 3^rd tardy, and will receive the appropriate consequences and a ‘U’ for subsequent tardies per the West High tardy policy. Students having 4 tardies can make up no more than one tardy by being on time for class for three consecutive weeks. Students desiring an ‘E’ in citizenship must provide group leadership and participate in class discussion.

Extra Help: If students need assistance with an assignment, I can be there to help. Students just need to set an appointment with me for after school or at lunch. I can be reached at 533-4299 x7841 or at jevans@etusd.org.

Wow!

Yes, this is a tough course with a large workload. However, the extent to which each student grows as a reader of literature and as a writer makes the journey worth it! I look forward to a fun and productive year!

Mr. Jim Evans

(Print just the portion below, get signatures, and return)

I have read the standards and expectations for English 3 Honors and accept the responsibility for meeting these expectations.

Student Name __________________________ Date___________

Student Signature_______________ Parent Signature____________