ELEVENTH GRADE CONTEMPORARY COMPOSITION SYLLABUS
January, 2015
Welcome to eleventh grade Contemporary Composition. This semester we will be reading, analyzing, discussing and writing essays on the following novels, THE GREAT GATSBY and THE BLUEST EYE. Daily exercises which strengthen reading comprehension, writing skills, and critical thinking will be assigned, collected, graded and returned to you which you will keep in a notebook, which will be checked periodically throughout the semester. You will receive a grade on this notebook so it is imperative that you keep all your work and handouts.
The class will also focus on strengthening and enlarging skills in vocabulary and grammar; the approach to vocabulary and grammar will involve exercises and tests, but will be expanded to include games, improvisations and creative group work.
The books we will use are:
Literature: An Integrated Study
Vocabulary Workshop: Level F
Writer’s Choice (for grammar)
THE GREAT GATSBY
THE BLUEST EYE
Starting in March, we will begin work on the junior version of the senior project. The objective of the junior project is to prepare you for your senior project in Expository Composition. This course is designed to rigorously advance your analytical, writing and speaking skills to a level appropriate for a “real world” setting. All students will need to address issues concerning laziness and/or shyness during this class. Plagiarism is regarded as a serious offense and will result in a failing grade.
The Senior Project acts as a bridge between high school and college and/or a career. By the end of the semester, students will have written a seven page research paper, with a bibliography, and will present the class a power point based on her/his research on the chosen topic.
You are expected to keep a notebook for my class. A separate three ring binder would be nice - one that you can put papers into (which I will thoughtfully hole-punch for you so that you can put them into your binder). EVERYTHING I GIVE YOU SHOULD BE PUT INTO YOUR NOTEBOOK! That means handouts, your homework, your class work, your tests, your essays - in short, everything you will do or have done in my class should go into your notebook. This acts as protection for both you and me. Sometimes teachers make mistakes (Yes, that does happen. Even with me.) If I forget to record a grade (and that does happen sometimes) then you have proof that you did the work. If you have thrown it away then........there goes your grade. So keep ALL your work in your notebook. At the end of the semester I will check your notebook for organization and completeness. This is a major grade. (And keep it small and lightweight! Those backpacks get heavy!)
Now for the good news: I don’t give homework over the weekend. Now for the bad: I do give homework - lots of homework! But I do give you plenty of time to do it. If you are absent, then you are allowed to turn in the work the next day after your return. So if you are absent on Monday, you return on Tuesday, then you will turn in the work on Wednesday. The week’s work as well as the due dates will be written on the blog. The handouts will be in the baskets on the long table by the door.
The week’s agenda will be posted on the web log at hollywoodhighschool.net. It is up to you to check the web log on the school’s web site, and the baskets for any work you may have missed during your absence. Saying that you didn’t know about the work is not a valid excuse - it will be posted on the web site, and the hand outs will be on the table.
If you have internet access then you should log onto hollywoodhighschool.net, go to the teacher’s web log and click on my name (Bridges - in case you’ve forgotten) and there you will be able to see an updated agenda for your class. Print out the agenda and - that’s right - put it in your notebook!
Class participation is a must. The class is only going to be as good as we all make it. If you help make the class fun and interesting, yet you have a borderline grade, then that extra class participation grade may make the difference between a lower and a higher grade. So if the only sound we hear from you all semester is light snoring from the back, or your “private” conversation with your neighbor, then you probably will not get a good grade. So don’t fall asleep! Pinch yourself! Engage us - not your text buddy or a neighbor - with an interesting “on-topic” comment or question and your grade just might go up.
Finally, let’s make this a safe environment where everyone feels secure and valued. Let’s respect our differences and realize those are the differences that make the world fascinating and brilliant.
The grading schedule is as follows:
90 - 100 = A
80 - 89 = B
70 - 79 = C
60 - 69 = D
59 - 0 = F
Essays are worth 30%
Classwork is worth 30%
Homework is worth 20%
The notebook is worth 10%
Class participation is worth 10%
Finally, if you are not happy with a grade you have received on an essay, then you may rewrite the essay, incorporating my corrections into your rewritten essay and turn it in for a higher grade of one letter; for example, if you made a “B over C” on an essay, then you may rewrite the essay incorporating my corrections into your writing, and then turn in the essay for an “A over B”. You must turn in your original essay with the corrected essay to get credit.
If you are not happy with a grade you received on a vocabulary test, then you may rewrite the word, write the definition of the word, write the word in a grammatically correct sentence, and your vocabulary test grade will be raised one letter grade. You may raise your grade on any test by writing the question and then writing out the correct answer. You must turn in your original test with the corrected test to get credit.
I am here to help you expand your intellectual horizons, to think critically, to become more aware of the world around you, to grow in appreciation of literature - and to pass with a good grade. I am here to help you. You can make this happen by working with me, and being respectful to everyone in the class, including yourself.
To make this an enjoyable year for all, I ask that you refrain from using your cell phone in class, to listen when others speak, and to always behave in a manner that shows respect for oneself, and the thoughts and humanity of others.
I have read this and understand the requirements of the class.
Student:___________________________________________________
Parents:____________________________________________________
