Ms.

Rush High School for Public Service

English 9 600 Kingston Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11203
Kristen.Rush@hsps.us (718) 467-7400


Freshman English 2014-2015
Welcome to English 9 at HSPS! This year is all about growing your skills and
knowledge when it comes to writing, reading, listening, and speaking it is
a class that serves as a foundation to support your success throughout high
school and into college. It will be hard work, and it will also be fun.
Over the course of this year we will, together, become a community of
readers and writers.
In class, we will read a variety of novels, short stories, plays, poems,
and articles. You will also be responsible for reading at least two books
each marking period outside of the class.
For this class, you will use the writing process to produce many
different types of writing some to show mastery of ideas, some to
show mastery of skills, and some to explore creative possibilities. Just
as you write for different purposes, you will also be writing for
different audiences: for yourself, for your peers, for your teacher, for
the world. Each marking period you will have at least one formal
writing assignment and one flexible and less formal writing task to
develop and workshop in your writers group.
SUPPLIES
1. A binder with loose-leaf paper (at least two sections)
2. A pocket-folder
3. Pens (and pencils if you use them)
4. Highlighters in at least three different colors
5. A pack of post-it notes.
6. *** ___________________________________
GRADING POLICY
Each semester you will have:
- mastery work assignments (worth 40% of your grade)
- exams (worth 30% of your grade)
- Writing to Learn assignments which include in-class journaling, portfolio
writing, quizzes, and all homework assignments (30% of your grade)*
* Homework will be accepted for late credit up to one week after it is due,
and no later than the end of the marking period. Be responsible.
Mastery Work Assignments are
culminating projects that are
designed for you to fully show
your academic thinking and skills.
You will always receive your
mastery work assignment far in
advance, and our work will always
be building towards one of these
projects. You can always revise
Mastery Work!
Exams After every marking period
you will have a formal exam: 2
midterms and 1 final each
semester. I will always let you
know the format of the exam, as
well as what materials will be
covered on the exam.
Writing to Learn assignments are
low stakes, which means that
their purpose is to help you
develop your thoughts and
participate in the class. These
assignments include journal
prompts which are completed in-
class and are often used for
brainstorming or reflection,
portfolio writing developed in
your writers group, book reviews
based on the books you read
outside of class, homework
which is designed to prepare you
for the work in the classroom, and
quizzes which are simply checks
for understanding and help guide
our movement forward in the
class.
To build our community, it is
important to show RESPECT AT
ALL TIMES
- For each other
- For yourself
- For the learning
environment
- For your teachers