English II Honors - Jackson - 4th

English II: World Literature (Honors) - Mr. Jackson          

(Because someday a three year old will ask you “why” and the best responses take half an hour.)

 

Mr. Jackson

Room 614

RussJackson@fcschools.net                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Office Hours

I am available in my room during all of first period. I am also available after school on Tuesdays and by appointment on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

 

Course Description

Students in English II read, discuss, and write about both classical and contemporary world literature (excluding European and American authors) through which students will identify cultural significance. They will examine pieces of world literature in a cultural context to appreciate the diversity and complexity of world issues and to connect global ideas to their own experiences. Students will continue to explore language for expressive, informational/explanatory, critical, argumentative and literary purposes, although emphasis will be placed on explanatory contexts. In addition to literature study, students will:

  • Examine non-literary texts related to cultural studies.
  • Research material to use primarily in clarifying their own explanatory responses to situations and literary-based issues.
  • Critically interpret and evaluate experiences, literature, language, and ideas.
  • Use standard grammatical conventions and select features of language appropriate to purpose, audience, and context of the work.

 

Academic Honesty (cheating and plagiarizing)

Plagiarism will be defined as turning in work that was done by another or incorrect documentation of others ideas and/or words. Cheating will be defined as using unauthorized aid to improve performance, such as getting answers from another person, using notes or books when not specifically allowed on tests, using cheat notes, using old tests from previous students, finding out test materials from students who have already taken the test, providing answers to another student, talking or signaling during the test, or any other obviously deceitful practice.

Consequences:

  1. Automatic zero on the work, with no right to a retest.
  2. Notification of parents, honor societies, and coaches (with possible removal from societies and loss of playtime from coaches, at their discretion).
  3. Documentation of the incident.

 

Requirements

The grading scale for this course will follow the FHS standard as listed in your Student Handbook. Your final grade in this class will be 40% Q3, 40% Q4, and 20% NCEoC Exam. This class will consist of three types of work:

     Tests and Projects: 40% (Unit Tests and Reading Tests)

     Quizzes: 30% (Class work, Warm Ups, incentives, Pop and Reading Quizzes, Articles, etc.)

     Writings: 30% (Friday Writings, research writings, Reading Journals)

 

All major projects will come with their own handout which will give detailed expectations.

 

The exam for this course is a state made EOC, so there are no exemptions.

 

Materials

Each student will be responsible for procuring and bringing to class each day:

1) A black, 1-inch, undecorated, 3-ring binder dedicated solely to the class.

2) An ample supply of college ruled loose leaf paper; paper torn from a composition notebook will not be accepted.

3) At least two black pens (no other color will be accepted on work).

 

Students will also be expected to bring to class each day any books signed out to the student, including both textbooks and novels.

 

Please note, no other materials will be allowed at the student’s desk. All bags, materials for other courses, and personal belongings should be left in the student’s locker.

 

Article Reviews

Each Monday, students will be responsible reading an article published during the previous week. This article may be taken from papers, magazines, or from the internet. It must meet the following requirements:

  • It must be from a credible source (this is particularly true of internet articles)
  • It must deal with newsworthy information that is not entertainment based (sports, celebrity gossip, and reviews of entertainment media are not acceptable). It may deal with local, national, or international issues or events.
  • It must have been published during the previous week.
  • It must have sufficient length to fulfil the requirements for the assignment. If you are not sure it meets this requirement, choose one which you are sure about.

 

At the beginning of class each Friday, students will be responsible for turning in a half page summary of their article with a half page review of its content. The summary must be headed with the author of the article, the title, the source of the article, the date of publication, and either what page numbers (if a print source) or the URL (if online) the article is from. The reaction might be an editorial on the content of the article, either in support or arguing against the article, an evaluation of the content of the article, or commentary on the issue it addresses.

 

Submissions

All work must be headed with the student’s complete last name and period. Work submitted without name, period, on inappropriate paper, or in anything other than black ink will either be returned, discarded, or deducted.

All in-class work is due at the assigned times. Projects and other long-term assignments are due to me by the end of the school day (3pm). Email submissions must be included in the text of the email, not attachments, and a hard copy is still due to me the next school day. I do not accept late work. Major projects will have a one day grace period.

Projects and other assignments should be typed. Only class work and assignments due within 24 hours of assigning will be accepted handwritten. Students will only receive class time for typing, research, and project work during scheduled times. They will need to schedule such activities on their own time, as such activities, along with the Independent Readings, take the place of regular daily homework for this course.

 

Homework

Homework for this class will consist of three parts: readings, studying, and projects. There will be no regular daily assignments for homework. Readings will have due dates commensurate with the length of the work to be read. Studying before tests will not be assigned but is highly suggested. Projects will have assignment sheets with due dates, however, the pacing is usually up to the student (procrastinators, ye be warned!).

 

Novels

Students will be responsible for acquiring their own novels. Whenever possible, the students will be issued novels from the school’s or my personal collections. Other good places for finding texts are the school and public libraries (first come, first served), used book dealers (often around $2), or online (some works can be found free in their entirety online if the student has sufficient online access to read the work there).

 

The Classroom

The phone, thermostat, windows, blinds, boards, and my desk are off limits to all students at all times. Students will not be allowed to make outgoing phone calls and will only be allowed to go to the office to do so with a valid stated reason – no exceptions.

 

Please note, the classroom tends to be a bit cool, so remember to bring an extra layer if you chill easily. 

 

Attendance

Students need to be in class every day they are capable of physically being in class without harming themselves or endangering others. Most students are failing the class long before they reach the 10 day limit from missed class time. See the student handbook for the entire policy.

 

Other Rules

 

  • No food, drink, candy, or gum (plain bottled water in clear bottles only)
  • No electronics (including cell phones, calculators, ipods, and alarm watches)
  • No whining
  • No sleeping or putting your head down
  • No inappropriate use of communication (out of turn, vulgar, or volume)
  • Not having supplies (pen, paper, books, or notebook)

 

 

Honors

As an honors class, all students should expect advanced level work that will begin to prepare them for the AP exam, college level work, and leadership in their community. Students, therefore, must be productive, self-monitoring, and organized. Students are expected to take and review their own notes, participate fully in class activities, and behave.

 

 

 

Student Information Form

(Complete this form and return it)

 

Full Name (Called Name): _________________________________ (_________________)

DOB: ___/____/ ______

Address: ____________________________            Home Phone: (____) _____ - ________

                ____________________________            Cell Phone:    (____) _____ - ________

                ____________________________            Email: __________________________

 

Mother/Father/Guardian Information:

 

MFG Name (Relation): __________________________________ (__________________)

__Home Phone: (____) _____ - ________   Contact Information: ___________________

__Cell Phone:    (____) _____ - ________   ______________________________________

__Work Phone: (____) _____ - ________   ______________________________________

__Email: __________________________   ______________________________________

 

MFG Name (Relation): __________________________________ (__________________)

__Home Phone: (____) _____ - ________   Contact Information: ___________________

__Cell Phone:    (____) _____ - ________   ______________________________________

__Work Phone: (____) _____ - ________  ______________________________________

__Email: __________________________   ______________________________________

 

Your Schedule:

Homeroom Teacher: _________________________________________ Room: ________

1st Class: ___________________ Teacher: __________________________ Room: _____

2nd Class: ___________________ Teacher: __________________________ Room: _____

3rd Class: ___________________ Teacher: __________________________ Room: _____

4th Class: ___________________ Teacher: __________________________ Room: _____

 

Which Lunch do you attend?       (Circle one):    1            2          3          4          5

 

Do you work? If so, where, doing what, and how many hours a week? _______________

___________________________________________________________________________

 

Is there anything else I should know about you? __________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

I have read the syllabus for English II Honors and I am familiar with its contents.

 

Student Signature: _____________________________ Date: ________________

 

Parent Signature: ______________________________ Date: ________________

Course Summary:

Date Details Due