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Phillips English III Syllabus Page 1 IB English III 2012-2013 SYLLABUS Instructor: Ms. Jennifer Phillips E-Mail Address: [email protected] Conference Periods 1st and 4B Phone: 940-369-2181 Tutorials: M-Th 8:15-8:45 & Tu & Th 4:15-4

CLASS MATERIALS  three-ringed binder

 four dividers

 pens (black or dark blue ink) and pencils

 loose leaf, college-ruled paper

 assignment notebook/organizer

 a flash drive or pen drive

 4x6 lined index cards

 copies of the novels*

COURSE DESCRIPTION Welcome! IB English III (Language A1) is a college-level class with college-level requirements and rewards. This academically challenging course is part of the prestigious International Baccalaureate Diploma Program which will allow you the opportunity to earn an IB Diploma. As such, you are responsible for a series of oral and written assessments which culminate in the IB Exam in May. A number of colleges and universities accept the IB diploma for college credit, which could mean a significant savings for you in time and tuition costs. In this course, we study the artistic use of language of increasing complexity. We strive to become eloquent writers, multifaceted thinkers, and global citizens.

IB ENGLISH HL ASSESSMENTS In the first year of IB English students are required to read a certain number of literary works (to be explained in more detail later) and complete two of the five IB English HL assessments (the Individual Oral Presentation and the World Literature Assignment 1). Students’ combined score on these five assessments will be one of the determining factors in their qualification for the IB Diploma. Lessons are designed to prepare you for these assessments as well as the other four assessments to be completed in the senior year (Individual Oral Commentary, Exam Paper 1 and Exam Paper 2).

The Denton Independent School District does not discriminate on the basis of sex, handicap, race, color, and or national origins in its educational programs. Admission to career programs is based on age, grade, interest, aptitude and ability. Lack of English language skills will not be a barrier to admissions and participation in any educational programs. Phillips English III Syllabus Page 2 The IB English HL score is made up of the following assessments: Exam Paper 1 Commentary 20% Senior Year Exam Paper 2 Commentary 25% Senior Year World Literature Assignment 1 25% Junior Year Due mid-May (TBA) Individual Oral Commentary 15% Senior Year Individual Oral Presentation 15% Junior Year Due January 21-25th 2013

WORK LOAD The qualities you need to be successful in this class are organization, time management, and a desire to work hard. The amount of reading is prodigious, and much or your reading will be done outside of class. Familiarize yourself with the required reading list and make sure you purchase the books needed well in advance. I will give you the due dates for completion later. Expect to write at least one essay per major literary work (per poet, etc.). Much of the writing will be timed, and we will also be doing a great deal of research in order to prepare for the World Literature Assignment. Remember you are now in a college level class with college level expectations.

Format for Written Work: All major, planned writing assignments must be typed and double spaced in 12 point font (Times or Arial) with one inch margins all around. Use left, not full justification. See MLA handbook for more specifics. Timed writings and daily assignments must be handwritten in blue or black ink on the front side of the paper only. All assignments must have a heading on the top left hand corner with your full name, English III IB, Phillips, and the date written out.

*Before I will accept any major essay a sentence essay must be submitted and graded. The format for the sentence outline will be explained before the first essay is due.

LAPTOP COMPUTERS Please check the board each day to see if you will need to use your laptop. If not, please leave it in its bag.

CLASS ENVIRONMENT Please be respectful, be prepared, and be punctual. We will often work in groups, and I expect everyone to participate with pertinent remarks. We will adhere to all DHS and DISD directives. Consequences: warning, teacher detention, parent call, administrative referral.

DEADLINES/MAKE-UP WORK Make-Up Work: Plan ahead! Missing class means you WILL fall behind. If you know you’re going to be absent let me know in advance so you can know what you’re going to miss. This is a challenging class that moves at a swift pace: you will have homework daily, and if you’re absent you will fall behind. All handouts are in the grey make-up crate. Make-up work is to be completed and turned into the hanging files promptly according to student handbook guidelines of one day for each absence. Long-term projects/research papers should be turned in on the due date, even if a classmate of parent has to bring them to school for the ill student. Tests must be taken during tutorials. For school sponsored trips, work should be completed and tests taken before the scheduled absence. A test taken after the scheduled test date will nearly always be different from the original. Deadlines: No late work will be accepted. All work is due at the start of class. Typically your homework is something we will be working with during class, so if you haven’t done your assignment you will already be behind.

 Technical Problems: Do not expect a problem with a home computer, printer, or flash drive to excuse a late paper. Remember to save your documents to multiple locations.

 “Get Out of Jail Free Card”: You will be given one card per semester. This card will give you one extra day to complete an assignment. It cannot be used for the research paper, World Lit paper, or for your IOP. Use it wisely.

 There will be lots of papers circulating through this class. NEVER turn in work on my desk, in the middle of class, or when I am not in my class. For major papers you will be instructed to sign in your papers.

GRADING POLICY Active participation in class will help your grades both directly and indirectly. Evaluation of your progress will be through in-class and out-of-class writing assignments, annotations, content quizzes and tests on the reading assignments, and graded discussions over the works. Major tests and assignments count 75%, and daily assignments count 25% of your final grade.  SAT VOCABULARY: You will be issued a Vocabulary Power Plus for the SAT book. Please do not write in it. These assignments will help you prepare for the quizzes and tests that will comprise both major and daily grades. Be prepared to use each word in a meaningful sentence.

 GENRE MAPS: To help prepare for the IB exams your senior year, you will record information about the literary works we read in genre map form. Although the form may look familiar, this year the information will be very detailed in order to provide a thorough resource. A copy can be found on my website. These will typically be major grades.

 WARM-UPS: Often you will have a warm-up meant to improve your performance on college entrance exams and the IB assessments. You are required to complete the warm-up in your composition notebook. Warm-ups will help your daily grades.

 GRADING OF COMPOSITIONS: Compositions are assessed a letter grade based on content and style (which includes diction and mechanics.) A+ is a 98, A is a 95, A- is a 92, B+ is an 88, B is an 85, B- is an 82 and so on.

 TIMED WRITINGS: Timed writings are graded holistically according to a rubric and are assessed grades from 1 to 5.

REWRITES Students may rewrite major grade essays they wish to improve. The student must schedule an individual writing conference with me to discuss needed improvements before completing the rewrite. Rewrites must be turned in within one calendar week of receiving the graded paper back. The original graded paper must be stapled behind the rewrite, and the highest grade you can earn on a rewrite is a 90.

PLAGIARISM and CHEATING

The Denton Independent School District does not discriminate on the basis of sex, handicap, race, color, and or national origins in its educational programs. Admission to career programs is based on age, grade, interest, aptitude and ability. Lack of English language skills will not be a barrier to admissions and participation in any educational programs. Phillips English III Syllabus Page 4 You are required to read each assigned work carefully, thoughtfully, and entirely by the assigned due date. Plagiarism of any kind, whether from commercially prepared notes, the Internet, or another student’s paper falls under the heading of “cheating.” Cheating will result in a zero on the assignment and notification of parents. EVEN IF YOU CHANGE THE WORDING OF THE MATERIAL YOU OBTAIN, IT IS STILL PLAGIARISM UNLESS YOU DOCUMENT YOUR SOURCE AND PROVIDE A WORKS CITED.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Running in the Family by Michael Ondaatje (students must purchase their own copy of this book) Intensive study of Robert Frost and Adrienne Rich

* The works listed in semester 1 can be used for the IOP. Any of these can be used for a comparative presentation or as an individual presentation.

Semester 2

Agamemnon by Aeschylus Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen Blood Wedding by Federico Garcia Lorca Paradise of the Blind by Duong Thu Huong

* The works listed in semester 2 can be used for the World Literature essay we will write during the second semester.

Other novels, poems and short stories will be used to supplement the course of study.

Note to parents: I send out a three-week progress report on the Wednesday and Thursday of the 4th week of each six weeks for students who are earning 75 and below. These progress reports include every assignment and the scores on each assignment, as well as an average to date. My Gradespeed account is updated regularly as I strive to enter my grades within a week of collecting them so that you may monitor your child’s progress weekly.

Sign-Up for E-Alerts & Parent Connection (Gradespeed) Being signed up for e-alerts will allow you to get an email every time I updated my web page for school wires. On my page, there will be a quick link to email me, a tutorial schedule, major assignments, and an electronic copy of my syllabus. Depending on the unit, notes, extra credit, and minor assignments will also be posted.

In order to sign up for e-alerts, go to the Denton High School home page: http://www.dentonisd.org/dentonhs/site/default.asp. Under the Parent tab to the top, there is a drop down selection: E-Alerts. Follow the instructions to sign up for the e-alerts. You can sign up for every class your child is in. Having access to Parent Connection and Gradespeed will allow you to not only monitor your child’s grades, but his/her attendance.

In order to sign up for Gradespeed, go to the Denton High School home page: http://www.dentonisd.org/dentonhs/site/default.asp. Under the Parent tab at the top, there is a link: Parent Connection. Follow the instructions to sign up for Gradespeed. All of your child’s classes should be available for you to view.

Note To Parents & Guardians: We are looking forward to a great year in English. Everything we do in here is designed to equip your child for what lies ahead of him or her: THE REAL WORLD. The world of bosses, bills, professors, credit, relationships, and everything adult is made so much easier with a mastery of language and a true sense of responsibility. The lessons and policies in this class are designed to foster these qualities. Although this will be a challenging year, this will be an exceptional experience for your student.

Portions of this syllabus were borrowed and/or purloined from the genius mind of Mrs. Seeley.

Directions: Please tear off this sheet, fill it out, and return it to the teacher on the second day of class.

Student’s Name (Please Print):

Parent or Guardian’s Name (Please Print):

If you agree to receive emails from me regarding your child’s progress in my class, please provide your email address. Also feel free to email me at [email protected] or call 940-369-2181.

Parent or Guardian’s Email address:

Phone numbers (day and evening / cell)

Teacher Oath: I, Ms. Jennifer Phillips, promise to challenge your child while making every effort to help him or her to be successful in English IV IB. I will share with your child my knowledge, experience, passion, and dedication. I will contact you if I have any concerns about your child’s progress and/or attendance. If you call or email me, I promise to respond promptly (by the next business day).

Signed______Jennifer Phillips

Please read and check or initial that you have read each item: Student Parent/Guardian

______I will regularly check my child’s grades on Parent Connection online so that I may help my child to be successful. (See DHS home page for information on how to access Parent Connection. )

Copying words or ideas from any source without complete and accurate documentation is plagiarism and will result in a zero on the work and parent notification. Even if you put the information in your own words, it is still plagiarism (and cheating) unless you document and cite your source.

Knowing that good attendance is important to success in class, I / we will try to avoid scheduling outside appointments during IB English III when possible.

Cell phones are to be turned off and put away during class. There is a $15 fee to get a phone back if it is taken up and turned in to the office.

Late work is not accepted. One late work pass is provided each semester.

Work that was assigned well in advance of an absence should be sent via a sibling, classmate, or parent, or via email. Tests given during the absence should be made up the day the student returns. Class work missed due to legitimate absence is due the class day after the return from absence.

Students are expected to complete both the IB English assessments as outlined on Page 1 of this syllabus. This includes presenting the IOP and turning in the World Literature paper during the second semester. .

I have read the syllabus for IB English III course and am aware of the policies, procedures, and content for the class.

______Student’s Signature Parent or Guardian’s Signature