English 10 Honors

Ms. Y. Mrquez

2015-2016
ymarquez@maldenps.org

Room: J 282

Welcome to a
new year!

Course Description
Prerequisite: 85 or better in English 9
and teacher recommendation
English 10 Honors continues the study
of literature, focusing on allegory,
symbolism, style, and pre-dominant
universal themes. The historical
context of novels is examined in works
such as A Tale of Two Cities, Night, and
The Catcher in the Rye. Grammar and
vocabulary study continue. In writing,
students sharpen their skills of
organization, precise expression, and
sentence structure. The expository and
persuasive essays are studied, with
both short and long papers assigned,
including research.

Supplies:

2+ three-ring binder with

appropriate sections:
(Classwork, Grammar, Vocab.,
Homework, IR DJ entries*)
Pen (blue/black ink)
Post-Its
Highlighters
Google Account (professional)

Texts: Catcher in the Rye by J.D.

Salinger; Night by Elie Weisel;
Antigone by Sophocles; A Tale of Two
Cities by Charles Dickens; A
Midsummer Nights Dream or Julius
Caesar by William Shakespeare; a
variety of poetry; at least 3 student
choice independent reading books

Class Wiki:
www.marquez10h.wikispaces.com

My Teaching Philosophy:
I believe that all students have the ability to learn if they are challenged and
provided with the right tools. My goal is to help students become active
participants in their own educationto help them question, make
connections, and analyze literature in a way that will make it meaningful for
them. Ultimately, my goal as a teacher is to help students recognize the
potential within themselves, and for my students to understand the
importance of working towards becoming an independent, self-directed,
motivated learner when it comes to both literature (reading and writing) and
life.

Major Rules for Success:

Be PREPARED to work hard.
Be PRESENT.
Be RESPONSIBLE.
Be RESPECTFUL of all people and class resources!

Tardies:
Prompt arrival and readiness are essential to success (lunch block returns are
included in this). Any lateness must be accompanied by a pass; if you do not have
a pass, you are to immediately leave your agenda book on my desk and be
prepared to make up any missed time with me after school. Additional
consequences for tardies will be followed as per school rules (see agenda).

Absences:
Whenever possible, let me know of an absence in advance. Also, try to get your
absences marked as excused with the office. You will know assignment due dates well
in advance, thus it is expected that you will return from your absence having
completed the missed homework. There may be exceptions to this rule given
extenuating circumstances. If you are to be absent for a school event (e.g.: field trip),
you are to turn in work BEFORE you leave. *It is your responsibility to find out what
you missed and make up the work!* Familiarize yourself with the Extra Handouts
basket for materials. Do not interrupt class time to determine make-up assignments.

English 10 Honors Syllabus

Y. Mrquez

Page 2
Participation: 15%
Participation in the class is vital and will be reflected in your
class grade. This includes positively contributing to the class
by way of discussion, writing, answering/asking questions,
showing of an effort, actively listening to others when
speaking, engaging with other students when appropriate,
and maintaining ones class notebook (clearly written notes,
handouts, etc). Notebook checks are random and only if
deemed necessary; therefore, maintain your notebook
adequately organized and complete.

Quizzes/ORs: 20%
Quizzes are varied in nature: reading quizzes (can be unannounced),
skills-based quizzes, open-response writing, student-run discussions,
etc.
Make-up Work (quizzes, tests): will only be granted if absence is
accompanied with an appropriate note. Teacher and student will
arrange a suitable make-up time w/in 2 days of returning; failure to do
so will result in a zero.

IR Journals: 10%
As students are required to complete a MINIMUM of three
independent reading books in the year, they will be asked to track their
reading with different assignments within their independent reading DJ
section of the binder. It is the students responsibility to keep track of
their reading and assignments, as the journal entries will be collected
the beginning of every long block (unless otherwise stated).
Note: All journal entries must follow the appropriate format
distributed/reviewed in class. Entries will be grades according to the
MHS English Department DJ 5 point rubric .

Always label the tops of your pages with your name, class,
and date. Copy each days Objectives, and be sure to
immediately begin and complete the Do Now. [Note: NO
other business is to be conducted during the Do Now portion
of class]

Homework: 15%
Students will be given homework agendas periodically
throughout the year, which will delineate each homework
assignment for the given time period. Homework is
assigned on a daily basis (with few exceptions) as a way to
assess the students ability as an independent learner,
particularly with applying the skills we would have reviewed
in class for both reading and writing. Thus, homework is not
graded on quantity, but on quality, requiring time and
thoughtful effort.

Late homework assignments will not be accepted

Label all assignments with the appropriate heading
(name, class, date) and HW#
+ = 100

= 85

- = 75

n/c = no credit/55*

Major Assessments: 40%

Students will be required to complete a minimum of two major assessments per quarter. These may include long compositions on a
variety of topics, projects associated with a particular work of literature being studied, or exams.

All formal assignments must be TYPED following MLA guidelines: double-spaced, Times New Roman, font 12, 1 margins.
All other hand-written work is to be neat, legible, and must include a heading (your name, date, class, assignment # and title).
Any work that is illegible will NOT be graded.
Longer assignments/special projects will be marked down an entire grade for each day it is late (2 day cut off)
*Cheating or Plagiarism results in an automatic zero!

Are there any extra credit assignments? Yes, I sporadically provide extra credit assignments to the class as a whole. They are

optional. However, I will not be granting individual extra credit assignments, so please do not ask.
What if I have to go to the restroom? You are allowed 2 OUTS per quarter with your agenda book (that means for water,

locker, or bathroom). Use them wisely. But since we have a rotating schedule, this has rarely proven to be an issue.
Are we allowed to eat in class? No. I dont want to start seeing additional small, dirty, 4-legged guests in my room.