Syllabus – Periods B, C, E, H

Syllabus – English 9
St. Mary High School
2009-2010

Mrs. Bernadette Mavrikos • Room 303

bmavrikos@stmaryhs.org • mavrikos.wordpress.com
www.stmaryhs.org • (201) 933-5220

Course Description and Objectives

In this introductory course, students begin a four-year study of literature, writing, vocabulary and grammar. The literature focuses on genre (fiction, poetry, and drama), with emphasis on select novels and poetry.  The writing program includes the writing process of research, pre-writing, and drafting, revising and editing.  Students gain proficiency in the short essay and its method of development, and write regularly in a journal.  Weekly lessons in vocabulary and grammar are integrated into the curriculum.

Text and Materials

Textbook: Elements of Literature (Holt, Rinehart, and Winston).  This textbook must be covered and must remain covered until the end of the school year. 

Required materials:

-One-inch binder containing white college-ruled paper

-Folder
-Pens with black or blue ink
-Highlighters
-All of the following novels:

The Catcher in the Rye J.D. Salinger
Animal Farm George Orwell
The Hound of Baskervilles Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Lovely Bones Alice Sebold
Twelfth Night (No Fear Shakespeare) William Shakespeare
Lord of the Flies William Golding
The House on Mango Street Sandra Cisneros

Preparation

All students are expected to arrive prepared for class.  Visiting the computer lab to obtain required printed assignments is a disruption of classes and will not be permitted at any time.  Being prepared for class consists of bringing all required materials (including textbook and/or current literature being studied), unless otherwise specified by the teacher.

Class Policies

Attendance: Each student is expected to be responsible for his or her own work.  If a student is absent, he/she is expected to obtain any missing assignments and/or quizzes from the teacher immediately following his/her return to school.  The teacher will not come to you! Students then have 2 days to make up this work.  Failure to do so will result in a 0 for the missed assignment/quiz.

Late assignments: All work handed in after its due date will result in a deduction of 10 points for each day is submitted late.

Teacher’s Blog
Students are expected to check the daily updates of the teacher’s blog.  The blog contains all the useful information that the students will need – homework assignments, project requirements, midterm  reviews, etc.  Parents are encouraged to check the blog as well to stay informed of what is to be expected of students in class.

Extra Credit
Each student may complete one extra credit assignment per quarter.  Extra credit may be awarded in one of two ways:

1) For an additional 10 points on student’s lowest quiz grade:

-Read an article from a local newspaper and define at least 5 words that you are not familiar with.  Then, write a short paper explaining the article and what the author was trying to convey to the public.  Your paper should be at least one page, typed, in addition to the typed definitions.  The article must be attached to the paper.

2) For an additional 5 points on student’s lowest quiz grade:

-Bring in a “classroom supply package” consisting of all of the following: one full-sized box of tissues, one pack of pens with blue or black ink, and one full-sized hand sanitizer.

Academic Honesty

Cheating is not tolerated.  Any student caught cheating on a test, quiz, or assignment will immediately receive a grade of zero and the parents/guardians will be notified.  Plagiarism is a form of cheating and will be held to the same standards.

Turn It In (turnitin.com):  St. Mary High School has the privilege of using this web-based software that detects plagiarism.  Therefore, all formal papers must be submitted electronically.  Students who do not have access to a computer may arrange a time with the teacher to use the classroom computer.  Computers are also available for student use in the library and computer lab.  This simple program is taught to students in the beginning of the year.  Any formal paper not submitted through turnitin.com will receive a grade of 0.

Grading

Policies are subject to change at any time.  Students will be informed of changes in advance.

All Four Quarters

Tests – 30%        Quizzes – 20%      Classwork – 10%            Homework – 10%         Class Participation – 10%

Remaining 20 Percent

First Quarter
Summer Reading Character Analysis

Second Quarter
Group Project

Third Quarter
Independent Reading Project

Fourth Quarter
Research Paper

Contacting the Teacher

If, at any time, a student wishes to speak with me to discuss his/her grade or progress in class, please feel free to come to me before or after school.  The best way for parents/guardians to contact me is via email.  I will be more than happy to conference with parents at a mutually convenient time.