Hopewell High School

2014-2015 English II Course Syllabus

Danielle Matthews
E-mail:
daniellen.matthews@cms.k12.nc.us
Course: English II
Room #: 535
Tutoring Hours: Thursdays 2:30-3:15/By Appointment
Telephone: 980-343-5988
I.

Course Description:
In this course students will explore recurring themes of identity and culture and the
interaction of those forces in a global society throughout classical and modern
history. Students will apply the discussions of identity and culture both to their
personal experience and to their role as a member of a diverse and fluid economy,
establishing and understanding the connection between the individual and the
larger cultural context in which he/she operates. This will allow students to
evaluate and create arguments, which will demonstrate students ability to assert
and defend claims, show what they know about a subject, and convey what they
have experienced, imagined, thought, and felt. Students are expected to participate
in conversations pertaining to literature and non-fiction works to build on their own
ideas while listening to others point of view.

II.

Materials:
-Composition notebook
-Folder/Section of a binder for notes and handouts
-Loose leaf paper
-A set of makers or colored pencils
-Pens and pencils: The teacher will not supply them to students without
them
III.
Novels:
Night by Elie Wiesel (By March 1st)
Two Independent Novels of Choice (Will be obtained from
Hopewell Library)
A note about the class: Hopewell High School does not have the resources to
provide a novel to each student. Therefore, students are strongly encouraged to
provide their own copies of novels by utilizing the library, borrowing a copy from
friends or siblings, or purchasing their own copy. While a student is not required to
purchase the novels studied as part of this class, if a school-owned novel is
misplaced or lost by a student, he/she will be charged a flat $10 replacement fee.
Abebooks.com and Amazon.com are great resources to obtain both new and used
books.
IV.

Expectations:
I have only one rule for the various courses I teach: no one has the right to offend
the dignity of another. Throughout the year, this rule will be enforced and the following
expectations should
be followed with this rule in mind:
-Respect the environment, standards and expectations of the class
-Attend class with necessary materials
-Actively participate in class activities
-Work respectfully, cooperatively and productively
-Work independently to practice and improve skills
-Complete all homework assignments
-Complete all projects, papers, and tests

-Seek assistance when needed

A word about Spark Notes and other forms of plagiarism: Plagiarism, in any
form, will not be tolerated. If any part of a students work can be found in any other
printed form, whether it be published or on the internet, it will result in an automatic
zero on the assignment, loss of potential extra credit opportunities, and referral to an
administrator. Spark Notes is an excellent study and review tool. However, if you
choose to use it as a substitute for reading the actual text or if you attempt to use
those ideas as your own for any part of any major assignment, you will find that your
grade will reflect the lack of attention to detail and substance that only the novel can
provide.
V.
Absence Rule: A student missing 11 days or more in a class semester class for any
reason (excused
or unexcused) other than a principalapproved absence will receive a
grade of F for the course
based on CMS Regulation JHBBR. When a student is absent
from school, he/she should bring a note
from his/her parent, guardian, or health care
professional within forty-eight (48) hours to the
Attendance Office. The note should
include the students legal name, CMS student ID number, and the reason for the
absence, and the date(s) absent from school. The Attendance Office will determine
whether the absence can be excused per CMS board policy. Absences are excused
(with verification) for student illness, medical appointments, death in the immediate
family, court proceedings, or
quarantine. Absences may also be excused (at the
principals discretion) for an educational
opportunity, which must be submitted in
advance for approval on Form 5123.2 (available in the
Attendance Office). Students
returning to school without a note will be considered unexcused. All
other nonschool
initiated absences are unexcused (i.e. bad weather, missing the bus, car trouble,
going
to DMV, lack of heat, water, or electricity, shopping, babysitting, oversleeping, lack of
clothing,
etc.). All absences are coded as unexcused until a note as described above
has been received in the Attendance Office. It is not necessary for parents to call the
school if a student will be absent.
School Tardies: Students arriving after 7:15 will sign in at the main office. An
example of unexcused
tardy reasons but not limited to are: car trouble, illness,
oversleeping, missing the bus, alarm malfunction, traffic, weather, DMV, etc. Students
providing a note from the medical office
confirming an appointment or official
documentation confirming a court appearance will sign in through the office. With
documentation, these will not count as an unexcused tardy.
Class Tardies: Students who are late for class will receive a tardy pass from the
hallway sweeper on duty. Teachers will allow students in class with the pass or escorted
by a staff member and
record the tardy in PowerSchool. After the 2nd student tardy,
the parent or guardian will be contacted via phone and collaborate on an appropriate
consequence. If a student records a 3rd
tardy with the teacher within a 3 week
period, the teacher will submit a referral, and call parent.
VI.

CMS & State of NC Grading Scale:

93-100% = A
85-92% = B
77-84% = C
70-76% = D

70% and below = F

Informal Assessments: These will account for 30% of the students quarter grade.
Informal
assessments must be linked to specific objectives and include a variety of
assignments such as
warm-ups, notebook checks, quizzes, group work, in-class tasks, class participation,
etc.
Formal Assessments: These will account for 70% of the students quarter grade.
Formal
assessments are linked to specific objectives and include tests, projects, and major
papers. Please see remediation/reassessment section for additional information.
Final Grades
37.5%
Quarter 1
Exam Semester Total=100%

37.5% Quarter 2

25% Final

Mastery Grading Statement: Every student at Hopewell High School will be

given an opportunity to master course objectives through a variety of strategies
provided during class and outside of class. Students formal grades will be broken
down by specific objective. After each formal assessment, every student will be
given the opportunity to improve their mastery of specific concepts and then
demonstrate this improvement to improve their grade."
Concerted Effort: Student work will reflect thoughtful effort towards ALL items on
class work,
homework, and/or assessments.
Remediation/Reassessment: Students who score an 84% or below can retest after
completing the
remediation. Students will receive the higher of the two grades for a maximum of
84%. It is the students responsibility to initiate and complete the remediation and
the retest process within two weeks of the original test date or make other
arrangements, which are agreed to by the teacher. The 2nd test may be in a different
format, but should maintain the rigor of the initial test. Students who scored above
an 85% may also retest for the higher of the two grades after completing
remediation.
Late Work: Students will receive a maximum 75% grade for working showing a
concerted effort, if turned in by the beginning of the next class meeting. After this,
late work showing a concerted effort will receive a 50% grade if turned in prior to the
first day of the published exam schedule for each quarter.
VII.

EOC: Please note, students with take the End of Curriculum English II exam as their
final. Students MUST pass this exam to pass the course. This exam is made up of
predominantly reading comprehension exercises: 60 multiple choice and 4 short
response questions. We will utilize the website www.readtheory.com throughout the
year as an excellent source of practice. Once students are provided a username and
password, encourage them to use this as a resource as frequently as possible. They
will use this for class work grades and as a source of remediation.

VIII.

Miscellaneous
I am incredibly excited to be your childs English teacher this year. This is my first
year at
Hopewell High School, as I just moved to Charlotte from Syracuse, New York. I
completed my
undergraduate work at SUNY Oneonta and my graduate program at
SUNY Oswego. Ive been working
with high school English students of various levels
for the past few years and I bring with me the
same high expectations I had at my
previous school where I was consistently impressed by the
ability of my students to
both meet and exceed such expectations; I am confident that the same will hold true for
this new group.
My goal for the school year in our English classroom is to create a learning
environment where
all students feel safe, respected, and valued. In addition to the
academic content, there will also be an
emphasis on learning the skills of time
management, note taking, organization, teamwork, writing,
test taking, and critical
thinking. Through the development of these skills, each student will be able to improve
his or her academic performance in all subject areas.
PLEASE encourage your child to study or read each night. Parents and guardians,
feel free to send in a note if there was a problem with an assignment. Please sign
the attached sheet to confirm youve read these guidelines and have your child
return this form to me; this will count as his/her first homework grade. Thank you
very much for your support. Please feel free to contact me if you have any
questions at all. The best way to reach me is by email:
daniellen.matthews@cms.k12.nc.us
For assignments, upcoming events, etc., please visit my website:
http://daniellenmatthews.weebly.com/
English II Syllabus Sign-Off
Miss Matthews
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(Please return this form by Monday, January 26th)