Course Syllabus for English 10

Teacher Information:

Heather Eld A210 heathereld@bhmschools.org 763-682-8002

Course understandings:

What should a student know or be able to do at the end of this course?

In English 10, students will continue developing skills in reading, writing, thinking, and speaking which reflect rigor
appropriate for high school.

Students will read to: identify key ideas, recognize craft and structure, find integration of knowledge and ideas, acquire
vocabulary, and develop a range of genres and levels of text complexity

Students will write to: explore text types and purposes, practice production, edit for distribution readiness, apply
research, present knowledge, practice conventions of Standard English, use vocabulary, and
. produce a range of writing

Students will think to: apply language knowledge in different contexts, make effective choices, develop style, expand
. comprehension

Students will speak/present to: improve comprehension, practice collaboration, practice vocabulary, and present
. knowledge and ideas

Areas of Focused Study: (the bolded terms are what will be the areas of focus; the blue text may vary among teachers,
especially regarding the specific titles of literature being used)

symbolism: this will be a consistent theme and area of inquiry and development across the entire semester course

vocabulary: this area of study crosses the entire term and is comprised of weekly practice work and Friday quizzes

journaling: students will write several times a week to develop critical thinking, reflection, and stronger writing skills

novel: Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, is an EPIC, symbolic novel about ideas critical to understanding our humanity

dramatic literature: Julius Caesar is a play to challenge students ideas of power, leadership, persuasion, and rhetoric

biography: interviewing skills and narrative writing are practiced and polished to create a work beyond the 5-P essay

critical review: analytical and critical skills are practiced and honed across a film study and an independent novel reading

poetry: s tudents will learn much about poetry: terms, poets, forms, examples, figurative language, etc. Students will
. also craft a significant number of poems and collect them in a volume as a published final work

Student expectations:

Expectations for student behavior and attitudes in English 10 reflect the larger BHS expectations: students should work
hard; be willing to try; prepare, practice, and participate; be respectful and tolerant; apply creativity; be collaborative;
remain open to multiple perspectives; reflect on ideas and experiences; and make connections to all their other learning.

Late work:

Work turned in late for BHS excused reasons is accepted according to BHS policies. Work turned in late for reasons
outside of BHS policies will result in a grade reduction for said work at the discretion of the teacher.
Grading scale:

Formative Assessments- also called assignments, daily work, practice, homework, or quizzes- are weighted at 40%.

Summative Assessments- also called quizzes, unit tests, finals, presentations, projects, or portfolios- are weighted at 60%.

English 10 classes use the BHS grading scale:

98% A+
93% A
90% A-
88% B+
83% B
80% B-
78% C+
73% C
70% C-
68% D+
63% D
60% D-

Homework:

Students should understand the philosophy that homework is the vital and necessary practice needed to become more
familiar with new ideas and material. In fact, it would be a lot more accurate to just call it practice. No one argues
that it takes practice to become more skillful in athletics, music, the arts, etc. I cant expect to play tennis successfully if I
rarely or never try. I wont play the piano well unless I put in the time it takes to develop some basic skills. Homework is
the daily and weekly practice of the fundamental skills necessary to perform tasks vital to understanding a courses
content. In ideal circumstances, we have weeded out the old mythical busy-work and are truly focused on creative
and rigorous practice to aid each student in moving essential information from short-term memory to long-term
memory through exposure, use, and practice- toward the goal of retention! If students don't- or wont- practice, it is
certain they wont keep the information provided. The old saying goes: I can teach it to them, but I cant learn it for
them. It is my job to facilitate in every way the opportunity and access students have to the information and skills in my
class. It is the students job to try, work, struggle, sweat, ask, interact, wrestle, participate, reach, strive, even fail and
begin again!

Assessment Procedures:

Students will quiz and test their knowledge in a variety of ways throughout this course (see above for the definitions
of formative and summative assessment). It is a goal of English 10 to provide rubrics as often as possible this year for
the larger, more subjective, summative assessments of the course. If a rubric is not provided, a thorough set of
directions and/or expectations will be provided for the assessment which are creativity-based, interpretive, dependent
on group work, or otherwise vary from an objective, multiple-choice, true-false, fill-in-the-blank style exam.

*Points Recovery / Grade Therapy / Grade Improvement:

Students in English 10 classes may elect to improve their scores on attempted work through opportunities provided
during AAA. This repair work done by students is structured (created/accommodated/crafted) on a case-by-case basis.
It is designed to meet specific needs of the student based on deficits in a given piece of work. This is not merely a
retake opportunity; new work and new understanding must be evident to merit new points. It is the responsibility of
the students to seek out this resource. Grade improvement earned via this opportunity will not surpass/exceed an A-.
This is NOT a measure to address or replace work that was never attempted, was not turned in, or is otherwise missing.