WELCOME TO ENGLISH 1-2

English 1-2Welcome!

There is much to look forward to this school year! Not only will students learn from literature, each other, and society, but there will also be laughter, ample class discussions, new concepts, hands on experience with texts, and an established safe community.

Mrs. DunhamRoom A-14Office Phone: 327-5914cdunham@washoeschools.net

Year long Theme •We are going to spend the

first semester discovering who we are as an individual. You will be asked to think about “Who am I?” throughout the course of the school year. What do we know about ourselves and others according to characteristics, personalities, ethnicities and cultural backgrounds? What or who matters most to you? What will that change look like? Who will that change involve or not involve? Who or what is going to help you?

Class Description • This course is designed to

develop composition and reading skills. Students will be continuing their work in grammar, spelling, and vocabulary. Students will be reading plays, short stories, novels, and poems. Course requirements include frequent writing assignments, frequent homework; completion of assignments; reading of novels, plays, and short stories, in and out of class; and acceptable performance on spelling, vocabulary and grammar quizzes.

Office Hours •Office hours will be before and after school and during lunch time. If a student needs to make up an assignment or a test/quiz, they are to come in during office hours or by setting a date and time that works for both of us. If a student wishes to have a personal concern addressed: seek out the teacher before and after class, NEVER during.

Grading Plan • Students are responsible for their own grade and the work they do. All work will be completed individually, even if working in groups or pairs. If the student does not turn in the work at the time it is due, they will not receive credit. It is the student’s responsibility to check their grades on Infinite Campus. Questions or concerns about grades will need to be addressed before or after class, not during. No late work is accepted.

Item Weight Description

Homework/Class Work 20%Sometimes homework/class work will be written, sometimes it will involve studying for a test/quiz, and sometimes it will involve a reading assessment.

Reading Assessment 30% Assessments – formal and informal – will be given throughout the year to test your reading and comprehension skills.

Writing Assessment 30% Assessments – formal and informal – will be given throughout the year to test your writing skills. All formal writing assignments must be typed!

Speaking & Listening Assessment 10% Assessments – formal and informal – will be given throughout the year to

test your speaking and listening skills.

Semester Final Exam 10% This is a school-wide exam. All students are required to take the same semester final exam.

This is the grading scale that I adhere to:

Note: I do not round percentages up.

Item Weight

A 90 - 100%

B80 - 89.9%

C70 - 79.9%

D60 - 69.9%

F0 - 59.9%

Finals •According to WCSD, finals are to compromise 10%-25% of your grade. Notes are not allowed on finals. Final are comprehensive and are based on previous assignments, tests, and quizzes. All students are required to take finals and are not allowed to take them early.

Extra Credit •Extra credit is EXTREMELY rare in this class.•You are expected to do all of your work.•There may be times when an extra credit opportunity may present itself. If this is the case, I advise students take advantage of it.

Make-up Policy

• If you are absent, it is your responsibility to find out what was missed THE DAY YOU RETURN TO SCHOOL.• You will be allowed the same number of

school days you were absent plus one day to make up the missed work AND turn it in. After that time, work will not be accepted. If you are absent due to illness, please have a parent call and request work right away.• If you are going to be absent because of a

school function or a pre-arranged absence, you must see me BEFORE you are absent. Work will be due on the day that you return to school unless otherwise specified.• All tests and quizzes must be made up on the

day you return to school. If you are absent the day before a test or quiz but are present on test/quiz day, you will still be expected to take the test/quiz on the day it is scheduled.• There may be work done in class that cannot

be made up. Such work can include exit tickets, pop quizzes, videos or various other assignments.

Academic Dishonesty

•Academic dishonesty, in any form, WILL NOT be tolerated! I consider academic dishonesty to be, but not limited to:• Copying portions or all of another person’s

writings, class work/homework, tests, quizzes, etc.; supplying a student with answers and/or accepting answers from a student; Loaning your work to another person; Not making valid attempts to secure your work from others; Creating, using, or borrowing cheat devices or notes; Claiming someone else’s work as your own (includes research and internet material).

•If you are suspected of cheating, the following will apply to first-time offenders: A zero on the assignment Lowering the citizenship grade to an “F” A referral with disciplinary action

Passes• Sufficient time is allowed to pass from one class

to another.• I do understand that urgencies may arise, so you

are allowed FOUR passes each semester which may be used at your discretion.• You must have a pass in your possession in order

to use it.• Once your passes have been used, you will not be

allowed additional passes for the remainder of the semester.• After using a pass you will turn your pass in to

me.• Substitutes will not write passes for you and you

will not be allowed to use your passes with a Substitute.

9th GRADE ELA COMMON CORE CURRICULUM STANDARDS

RL.9.1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

RL.9.2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

RL.9.3. Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

RL.9.4. Determine the meanings of words and phrases, analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).

RL.9.5. Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots) and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

RL.9.6. Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.

RL.9.7. Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment.

RL.9.9. Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work (e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare).

RL.9. By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 9-10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range

Reading Literature

9th GRADE ELA COMMON CORE CURRICULUM STANDARDS

RI.9.1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

RI.9.2. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

RI.9.3. Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.

RI.9.4. Determine the meanings of words and phrases with an emphasis on technical meanings and analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper).

RI.9.5. Analyze in detail how an author’s ideas or claims are developed and refined by particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of the text.

RI.9.6. Continue evaluating the development of the author’s viewpoint/perspective and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.

RI.9.7. Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person’s life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account.

RI.9.8. Continue to delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text and identify false statements and fallacious reasoning.

RI.9.9. Analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (e.g., Washington’s Farewell Address, The Gettysburg Address, Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms Speech, King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”), including how they address related themes and concepts.

RI.9. By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 9-10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Reading Informational Text

9th GRADE ELA COMMON CORE CURRICULUM STANDARDS

W.1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence:

• Introduce precise claim(s), distinguishing claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, within an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

• Develop claim(s) and counterclaims pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.

• Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major section of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.

• Maintain a formal style and objective tone and provide a conclusion that follows from and supports the argument presented.

W.2. Write informative/explanatory texts using a formal style, and objective tone, precise language, and domain-specific vocabulary. Develop the topic with sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations or other information and appropriate to audience and purpose. Examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic using transitions to create cohesion. Include formatting with headings, graphics and multi-media to aid comprehension.

W.3. Write narratives using a formal style and narrative techniques (e.g., multiple plot lines) that engage and orient the reader showing the relationships among experiences and events; provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated event.

W.4. Continue using the writing process with a more defined emphasis on the craft of writing.

W.5. Focus on how well purpose and audience have been addressed. W.6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update

individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.

W.7. Conduct research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate.

W.8. Synthesize multiple credible sources on the subject demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation; all research includes both multiple print and digital.

W.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational text to support analysis, reflection, and research applying grades 9th-10th reading standards as needed.

Writing

9th GRADE ELA COMMON CORE CURRICULUM STANDARDS

SL.9.1. Set rules and define individual roles to engage in a range of collaborative Discussions on grades 9th-10th topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. Draw on research evidence and pose questions that propel a thoughtful, well- reasoned exchange of ideas and relate the current discussion to broader themes/ideas while actively incorporating others into the discussion and making new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented.

SL.9.2. Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.

SL.9.3. Listen to and evaluate the logic of a speaker’s argument with attention to point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence.

SL.9.4. Continue to use public speaking techniques to present information, clearly, concisely, and logically and with organization, development, substance, and style that are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.

SL.9.5. Continue to make strategic use of multi-media components and visual displays in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

SL.9.6. Continue to use precise language by adapting speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

Comprehension and Collaboration Speaking and Listening

9th GRADE ELA COMMON CORE CURRICULUM STANDARDS

L.9.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage emphasizing parallel structure, and including specific types of phrases and clauses to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest to writing or presentations.

L.9.2. Include the use of a conjunctive adverb when combining two or more closely related independent clauses.

L.9.3. Demonstrate independence in writing by making effective choices for meaning and style and conforming to a style manual.

L.9.4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 9-10 reading and content choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

L.9.5. Demonstrate an understanding of figurative language and word relationships, and analyze nuances in word meanings with similar denotations and interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context.

L.9.6. Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level.

Language

Course SyllabusFall 2012/Spring 2013

This page needs to be signed, filled out, and turned in by FRIDAY.

Dear Students and Parents, Please indicate that you have read the information regarding the Course Content and Class Expectations and have reviewed the Texts for the course by signing your name below and returning this page to me by _________________________. Feel free to contact me at any time with questions or comments. I hope we can work together as a team to make this year a success. ____________________________________________________ Student Name (Print) _______________________________ ___________________________________ Parent Signature Student Signature Contact Information (Circle your preferred contact number.) Parent Name: Parent Name: Home Phone: Home Phone: Work Phone/Hours: Work Phone/Hours: Email: Email: Additional Questions and/or Comments:

Hug Hawks Bell Schedule

•1st: 7:45-8:35

•2nd: 8:39-9:29

•3rd: 9:33-10:23

•4th: 10:27-11:17

•Announcements: 11:17-11:23

•Lunch: 11:23-11:53

•5th: 11:57-12:47

•6th: 12:51-1:41 Start Night Hawks

•7th: 1:45-2:35

Straight 750 minutes per class/4 minutes passing

Hug Hawks Bell Schedule

•1: 7:45-8:29

•2nd: 8:33-9:17

•3rd: 9:21-10:05

•4th: 10:09-10:53

•Announcements: 10:53-10:56

•Lunch: 10:56-11:26

•5th: 11:30-12:14

•6th: 12:18-1:02

•7th: 1:06-1:50

Wednesday/Early Release:

44 minute classes/4 minute passing. End at 1:50