Curriculum Overview

Curriculum Overview

English I

E-mail Address: treva.hereford@mnps.org

Course Description: The eleventh-grade language arts course is mainly a review and reinforcement of skills but does include the introduction of some new ones. The course is based on the mandated Reading and Writing Standards of the Metropolitan Public Schools curriculum which emphasizes literature, writing, grammar, and vocabulary study. The approach to learning will be sequential with instruction, practice, review, and assessment on a regular basis.

Course Goals: The objectives for this class are that students master the fundamental academic skills as well as develop an appreciation for the spoken and written English language. Also, on a daily basis students will be expected to practice the “three R’s” of respect, responsibility, and resourcefulness.

Grading Policy, Homework, and Make-up Work: Grades for this course will be based on quality of written assignments, quizzes, presentations, and end-of-unit tests. Daily objectives and assignments should be recorded in a planner, and students are required to keep a “tally sheet” of all grades, including homework credit. Quizzes count once and tests count two or three times (as indicated on the tally sheet). Homework, which usually counts as one-third of the six weeks’ grade, is considered essential for practice and reinforcement of skills and readiness for test taking. Students are expected to follow directions and complete the assignment with neatness for full credit; full (a “check”), half (a circled “H”), or no credit (“H”) will thus be awarded out of 100 points. If, for example, there are twenty written assignments in the grading period, each “check” is worth five points, a circled “H” is worth 2 ˝ points, and an “H” worth zero points. If the student completes all 20 assignments, receives a “check” on all 19 homework assignments, but then receives a “circled H” on 1 assignment then their homework grade average will be a 97.5 rounded to a 98. I will take a homework average, quiz average, and then test average; the three averages will then be divided by three to produce the student’s final grade. Work is not accepted late (unless there is an excused absence) because we review the answers together in class the day the assignment is due. Homework is generally assigned four or five days a week; it is sometimes started in class but is to be independently completed before school the next day and placed in the homework section of the English III notebook.  At the end of every six weeks students will have a notebook check that will count as a test grade. According to the East Literature Magnet policy, copying homework from another student or giving or receiving help on quizzes, tests, or exams is cheating and results in no credit for either student as well as parental notification. Also in the event of an excused absence, it is the student’s responsibility to make-up work in a timely manner. As a general rule make-up assignments will be accepted up to three days after the due date (for excused absences only). Late assignments other than homework may be accepted up to three days after the due date (students will lose 10% of their grade each day). Please note that ALL ELECTRONICS must be turned off and remain in the backpack.

Materials: daily planner, #2 pencils, red, blue, and black ink pens, yellow highlighter, planners, a notebook labeled English I with dividers labeled Bell work, Class notes, Vocabulary, Writing, Homework, Quizzes, and Tests.

Essential Literature: Books will be provided by the school.

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