Course Syllabus

CLASS:                  ENGLISH COMPOSITION 
INSTRUCTOR:     Mr. Bachand
SCHOOL:             Franklinton High School – Room 617
EMAIL:                seanbachand@fcschools.net
PHONE:               919 – 494 – 2332 ext. 283

“It is one thing to say that
something should be done, but quite a different matter to do it.”                                            - Aesop

Congratulations, you are in the class that will strengthen, develop, and utilize a plethora of skills in order to achieve your own effective style of writing. This is perhaps the most important class you will ever take. It is rigorous and demanding, but I am here to guide you. I EXPECT you to work on your ARTISTIC CRAFT daily, follow all steps of the writing process, DO YOUR OWN WORK, and meet deadlines.

This COMPOSITION CLASS is designed to develop your writing while strengthening the basics of language mechanics, reading, presentation, and study skills. This will be done through both COLLABORATIVE group work/discussions/presentations and INDIVIDUAL reading, projects, and weekly assessments. 

This course will focus on (4) four major goals:

A) Analyze Explore and develop your Personal Writing Style in all aspects of writing
    (Narrative, Descriptive, Expository, and Persuasive)

B) Prepare for and Obliterate the 10th Grade English II EOC (SPRING Semester)

C) Prepare for the 10th grade PreACT and the 11th Grade ACT / SAT College Entrance Exams

D) Develop Skills that you will use in academia and in life.

In order to reach these goals we will need to master the art of critical thinking, reading, language, and discussion skills as mandated North Carolina State Standards. Successful completion of the English II / Composition will also lead you to become prepared for future English coursework.

Thank you for being here and contributing with others to develop OUR abilities.

30% HOMEWORK / PARTICIPATION GRADES  –     

This category will include homework and participation assignments. These grades will be announced in advance, some of them may include a culmination of parts that need to be combined for a single grade. You can typically expect 1-3 grades in this category per week. 

30% QUIZ / PROCESS (FORMATIVE GRADES)

This category will include regularly scheduled quizzes based on material and concepts developed over a week or two-week period of time. This category will also include proof of work completed for each of the writing projects (brainstorm, outline, research notes, rough drafts, and peer editing forms)

You can typically expect 1 grade in this category every week. 

40%  PROJECT / TEST (SUMMATIVE GRADES)

This category will include both final drafts of writing projects as well as tests based on material assigned for the class. This will also include the end-of-quarter concept tests.

This semester the majority of your grade will be developed around writing projects. Specific details will be released as the semester unfolds, the order of some of the units may shift due to resource availability:
     

Unit 1 The Writing Process / Reflective Writing

Unit 2 Narrative Writing / Storytelling

Unit 3 Informational / Explanatory / Journalistic Writing

Unit 4 Research Project

Unit 5 Persuasive Writing

Unit 6 Public Speaking and Debate

Unit 7 Infographics

HONOR Students will also independently (outside of class) work on the Summer Reading Project.

ALL ASSIGNMENTS / PROJECTS / PAPERS will be organized and communicated in advance, with each element having a specific  DEADLINE / due date. 

Late submissions are subject to penalties after a ONE-DAY GRACE PERIOD. Assignments will always be graded for maximum score, but a 10% deduction will be assessed for each day late after the grace period has ended.

Powerschool will be updated daily. If an assignment has not been graded yet, it will be blank. If I graded it, but you haven’t turned it in, it will be marked with a 0 and a missing tag. If you turn it in after the due date, graded work will have the appropriate points deducted and it will be marked with a LATE TAG, this will indicate that you did turn it in and it was delinquent - therefore points were deducted.

Final Drafts of the Unit Project will be submitted electronically through Google Classroom and will have a 11:59 pm deadline. Unless otherwise noted/

Each student’s attendance and participation are an essential part of the course. I feel very strongly about building a community of committed, engaged learners.  I expect you to join me for each session, being alert and constructively contributing during each class period. Those in attendance and participating will be counted as present on that day. 

I will be available for help on Mondays and Thursdays from 3:00 pm-4:00 pm

1.  R E S P E C T  (The Teacher / Each Other / The Materials / Your School / and yourself)                   

A. Wear masks at all times

B. NO PROFANITY, GESTURES, OR INAPPROPRIATE LANGUAGE.

C. Maintain social distance  

D. No food during sessions (water is okay)

E. Avoid getting up and moving during sessions.

2.  B E      P R E P A R E D (Everyday / Every Class) 

I expect you to be an active participant in every class and the only way to accomplish this is by being ready,

being on time and leading the way.

A. Be on time

B. Know that I will call upon you for each class at some point. Your attendance will be based upon your response, but this will not be a grade, Note there are other options for earning attendance for the day.

C. Communicate Needs, Questions, and EMERGENCIES.

3. F O L L O W     D I R E C T I O N S

ALL FRANKLINTON HIGH SCHOOL AND FRANKLIN COUNTY SCHOOLS EXPECTATIONS WILL BE ENFORCED.        

Franklinton High School is an institution built on trust and integrity. PLAGIARISM will not be tolerated.

Some people describe plagiarism simply through the words “copying” or “borrowing” of someone’s words or ideas, but it is more and with the advent of AI it becomes even more vague.  If you turn in someone else’s work and say it is yours that is plagiarism. If you don’t use proper quotations or citations, that is plagiarism. If you change words, but keep someone else’s sentence structure, that is plagiarism. The best way to avoid plagiarism is to fully integrate the writing process and start on paper in your own words - developing brainstorms, outlines, rough drafts, and notes, then finally write your “Final Draft” on the computer. Use your OWN ideas, written in your OWN words.

Those caught plagiarizing will incur consequences.

First offense = 0% and a call home. 

Second offense = 0% and an administrative write up.

DO YOUR OWN WORK
You are in a composition class, and you need to develop your own style
while complying with the formulaic rigors of writing. 

The best way to avoid plagiarism is to follow the following writing steps required on all projects. You will be expected to show all steps and have them signed off before heading to the next step. Note you will KEEP all work (steps 1-9) til the end of the semester for each project

1. BRAINSTORM on paper
2. RESEARCH on paper
3. TAKE NOTES on notecards (CITE SOURCES)
4. OUTLINE on paper
5. ROUGH DRAFT on paper
6. GRAMMARLY / SPELL CHECK
7. PEER EDIT - Have someone else read for mechanics
8. PEER EDIT AGAIN - Have someone else read out loud for content
9. PUBLISH (Turn in all steps - before the deadline)

Blue or Black Pens for writing
Highlighters                        
(2) Spiral Notebook (Journal Work / Notes)

(1) Pack of 100 INDEX CARDS

(2) packs of Loose Leaf Paper                     

(1) 1-inch three-ring binder

(1) 5-subject tab dividers
Agenda Book / Daily Planner

Beyond grammar, writing, and speaking, we will be developing our reading skills this semester. We will
7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens - Covey                                        

Assorted Poems / Short Stories -

The Boy In the Striped Pajamas - John Boyne                                                

Frederick Douglas Narrative

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Texts