COLLEGE

PREPERATION
Teacher: Jordan Allen
Room Number: 142
(Every Friday period 7 will meet in room 204)
Phone Number: 720-423-6164
Email: jordan_allen@dpsk12.org
Tutoring Hours: After school every day except Thursday
Course Website: http://southallen.weebly.com
Course Overview: This is a writing course designed to develop and strengthen students writing skills.
We will practice writing in a variety of different genres throughout the school year. In order to become
successful writers in those genres, students will be also reading short texts. Many of the texts are nonfiction and deal with current issues from a variety of voices, told in a variety of mediums. All mentor texts
will help support students in their writing development.
Required Materials:

Spiral notebook
Folder (for handouts and texts)
Pen/pencil
Tablet and charger

Course Outline and Assessments:

Unit 1: Narrative Writing
Assessments: Digital Media Project
Personal Narrative
Unit 2: Informative writing
Assessments: Informative essay
Unit 3: Professional writing
Assessments: Cover letter and Resume
A letter of complaint
Unit 4: Argumentative writing
Assessments: Take a stand and propose a solution essay

**All essays will include a draft, final, and a re-write**

Why?
Nothing is ever perfect on the first draft. Writing is a process. In order to become better writers we
have to practice and revise. I like to think of classwork as practice, the draft as a scrimmage, the
final draft as regular season competition and the re-write as the championship.

Course goals:
Students will be able to:
Cite strong and thorough text evidence to support analyses of what texts say explicitly, as well as
inferences drawn from texts, including determining where texts leave matters uncertain.
Determine two or more text themes or central ideas and analyze their development during the course of
texts, including how they interact and build on one another to produce complex accounts; provide
objective text summaries.
Produce clear and coherent writing in which development, organization, and style are appropriate to tasks,
purposes, and audiences.
Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, teacherled) with diverse partners on grades 1112 topics, texts, and issues, building on others ideas and
expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
Determine or clarify meanings of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 11
12 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
Grading:
Your grade is determined by the following scores:
Process: (daily assignments, homework, practice work) 25%
Product: (assessments, major assignments or projects, and essays) 65%
Final Exam: 10%
Grading Scale
A: 90-100%

B: 80-89%

C: 70-79%

D: 60-69%

F: 0-59%

All students are able to succeed at a C or higher. If you are earning a grade below a C, you are expected to
attend tutoring to work on whatever is keeping you from success.
Late Work:
In order to be successful in College Prep, you need to complete work in a timely manner. Major projects
and writing assignments that are late will receive a 10% per day deduction, and I will not accept class
or homework assignments that are more than one week late. Please see me outside of class in order
to catch up on missed work.

Absence/Attendance Policy and Make-Up Work

Students are expected to maintain 95% attendance and are responsible for making up work they miss. If
you missed class because of an excused absence, field trip, or suspension, you are not excused from the
missed work. It is your responsibility to make up any missed assignments within five days of the
absence. I will not accept make-up work for an unexcused absence.

Behavior Expectations

Electronic devices are not allowed in the classroom. If I see a cell phone, I will take it and send it down to one
of the deans.

If you are not in your seat when the bell rings, you are tardy. It is disrespectful and disruptive to be late to class.
If you are frequently tardy, I will have a conference with you and contact your guardians. If you continue to be
tardy, I will contact the deans.

Feel free to eat in class, but please pick up after yourself and ensure that you dont disrupt class.

Use appropriate language. I do not tolerate the use of curse words in my classroom.

Please do not abuse passes. I realize that everyone needs to use the restroom occasionally; however, I will not
give you more than one pass a week. If you are caught in a destination that is not indicated on your pass, you
will lose your pass privileges.

Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated. Copying from a peer, text, or internet source is a serious
offense and will result in earning a zero on the assignment and recorded as cheating in the grade book.
Please see the student handbook for a detailed definition of plagiarism as well as a description of the
consequences.

My class is a Hate Free Zone: Bullying, discrimination, and disrespect will NOT be tolerated. This room
is a safe place for every race, religion, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation.

Final Thoughts: We have an opportunity to make this an incredible last year for you! My intention is be the best I
can be in order to help you succeed and be prepared once you leave South High School. I expect you to give me
your very best. Please advocate for your learning, my door will always be open to you for anything and everything
you need.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Please read over this syllabus with your parent/guardian. Fill out the portion at the bottom, and return it
to Ms. Allen on Friday, August 26.
Student Printed Name: ___________________________ Signature _______________________
Parent/Guardian Printed Name: ____________________ Signature _______________________
Parent/Guardian Phone Number:

Parent/Guardian Email (if available):

Primary language(s) spoken at home:

Preferred language of contact: