Imagine Prep at

Surprise
Ms. Holcomb, 20152016
Email: Alixandria.holcomb@sp.imagineprep.com
Fridays 8-8:45am (Or by appointment)

Office Hours: Tuesdays and

Website: msholcombsenglishclass.weebly.com
Course Description:
Literacy and Writing is a course designed to help build and develop skills for analyzing and
interpreting literature. This course helps build foundations that will be necessary for IGCSE
Literature in Sophomore year. We will be analyzing and interpreting theme, setting,
characterization, character motivation, authors use of language, and much more. While this
class is heavily centered on reading, the majority of that reading will be done in class where we
can discuss as we dissect. However, should any reading be assigned outside of class, the student
will be held responsible via reading checks.
Unit Overviews:
The year has been divided into thematic units. This means that each unit has readings all
pertaining to a central theme. The readings and order of the units are subject to change.
Quarter 1
Quarter 2
Theme: Identity
Theme: Prejudice and Tolerance
Short Stories:
Short Stories:
- Brownies, by ZZ Packer
- The Red Dress, Alice Munro
Novel:
- Araby, James Joyce
- Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi
- Identity, Julio Noboa Polance
- Fishcheeks, Amy Tan
- Everyday Use, Alice Walker
- Prologue of the Invisible Man, Ralph
Ellison
- The Green Jacket, ?
Poetry:
- The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock -T.
S. Eliot
- The Heroes You Had as a Girl

Imagine Prep at
Surprise
Ms. Holcomb, 20152016
-Bronwen Wallace Focus on imagery and
the senses
Quarter 3
Theme: Choice and Consequences
Short
-

Stories:
Selections from And Justice for All
Johannes Junius letter to his daughter
Filthy with Things by TC Boyle

Quarter 4
Theme: The Price of Passion
Short Stories:
- Lamb to the Slaughter, Roald Dahl
- The Chaser, John Collier

Poetry:
- The Path less Traveled, Robert Frost

Poetry:
- The Passionate Shepherd to His Love
and Response

Novel:
- Swallowing Stones,

Drama:
- Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare

Non-Fiction:
This Aint Kiddy Court by Judge Judy

Classroom Rules:
Respect yourself, the teacher, the classroom, and other students.
Food, gum, and drinks are prohibited in the classroom, with the exception of water if it is in
a clear bottle. Food, gum, and drinks merit an automatic detention.
Be responsible to yourself and others.
Be on-time, on-task, and prepared to learn.
Keep all personal electronics put away. Cellphones are against school policy in the
classroom and will be taken for the day.

Procedures:

Imagine Prep at
Surprise
Ms. Holcomb, 20152016

When the bell rings, students must be in their desks to be considered on time.
Upon entering class, drop backpacks off in an orderly fashion in the designated area. Only
supplies for class should be taken to your desk.
After setting backpacks down, students should collect their folder and composition books
from the designated bin on the shelf by the door. This folder and a writing utensil are the
only things that will be allowed at your desk.
Throughout the duration of class, professionalism will be expected of every student. This
includes self- monitoring time on task, making progress on class work, personal conduct,
and dress code.
At the completion of each task, make sure that all supplies are put away, the floor is clean
of trash, all desks are back to their original positions.
Desks and work areas should look better when you leave than when you arrived.
Teachers dismiss the class, NOT the bell. We do have a procedure to collect backpacks and
put away composition folders. This is in place so that students do not all rush into the
backpack area at once.

Policies:
Formatting Work:
Work must be completed in the format requested by the teacher. For example,
discussion posts MUST be posted, requests to complete by hand must be followed,
and papers must be printed if requested by the teacher. The only exception to this
policy is late or absent work.
All work is expected to be in complete sentences, with appropriate capitalization
and punctuation.
Ms. Holcomb will instruct you on how to setup your composition book each day.
All papers turned in should have the following heading in the upper RIGHT hand
corner:
Name
Class Period
Due Date
Assignment Title

Imagine Prep at
Surprise
Ms. Holcomb, 20152016

Organization:
Students will need the following supplies to work successfully in the classroom this year:

A section of binder that has been tabbed off for handouts, paper, and homework.

A pen or pencil to use daily in class.

At least three different colored highlighters.

Absent and Late Work:

If a student misses a class due to a school related absence, the assignment will still
be due on the original due date.
All absent work MUST be turned in with a COMPLETED blue slip stapled to the front.
Absent work must be turned in to Ms. Holcomb upon entering the classroom.
Absent work will be graded for full points; students will have the same
number of days to complete the assignment as they missed. After that, the
assignment is considered late.
All late work MUST be turned in with a COMPLETED pink late slip stapled to the
front. Late work must be turned in to Ms. Holcomb during office hours only. The
school-wide policy for late work states that a student will only have two
weeks to turn in the assignment; after that, the assignment remains a
zero.
Late work will be graded after all current assignments have been
graded.

Plagiarism:
According to the Arizona State Universitys academic integrity policy, plagiarism is defined as
follows:
`Plagiarism means using another's words, ideas, materials or work without properly
acknowledging and documenting the source. Students are responsible for knowing the rules

Imagine Prep at
Surprise
Ms. Holcomb, 20152016
governing the use of another's work or materials and for acknowledging and documenting the
source appropriately (http://www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/studentlife/srr/academic_integrity.htm).
Any student who compromises the academic integrity policy will automatically receive a zero,
and parents and administration will be notified immediately. For any further questions on
academic integrity, please reference the Imagine Preparatory at Surprise student handbook.
Ethical Use of Classroom Tools:
Students will be using computers, texts, and other resources during the course of the year. They
are expected to use any and all materials for their intended purpose. If students fail to use the
materials appropriately, they will lose the privilege of having access to them at school.
Classroom Library Use:
All students are free to use the classroom library or to check-out books to take home and read.
Reading is not just required, it is encouraged! Nothing makes a better writer than an avid reader!
Each book on the shelf has been read by Ms. Holcomb and placed there because of the value and
merit of the contents. I believe that every book on my shelf has a great lesson, use of language,
or theme and can be considered appropriate for readers at the high school level. However, my
definition of appropriate and your parents definition of appropriate may not be the same. Please
have them approve the book you wish to read or have them acknowledge their approval for you
to read any book on the parent contact form below. Also, once you have taken a book, you are
responsible for any damage that may occur to that book. Treat them carefully!!

Imagine Prep at
Surprise
Ms. Holcomb, 20152016
For any other questions, please refer to the student handbook. This syllabus is
subject to change.
Please sign the areas below, and return to Ms. Holcomb no later than Friday, August
14th.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Parent/Guardian Contact and Volunteer Information:
a. Phone: ________________________________________
b. Email: _________________________________________
c. I would like to be notified of opportunities to volunteer on campus:
NO

YES

d. I give my child permission to check-out books from Ms. Holcombs library

YES
NO
Student Signature: ________________________________________

Date: ______________

Parent/Guardian Signature: _________________________________

Date: ______________