Cypress Lakes High School

English IV Academic
College Preparatory Syllabus
Cypress-Fairbanks I.S.D.

Teacher contact information

Alexa Cooper Tutoring Schedule:
Cypress Lakes High School Monday-Thursday 2:40-3:15
Room #: 2707 Extended afternoon hours and
E-mail: Alexa.Cooper@cfisd.net AM sessions by appointment.

Welcome to English IV Academic College Preparatory for the 2017-2018 school year.
Course overview
Course Description:
In this course, students will further develop key skills in the areas of critical reading, writing, and research. The foci
are to apply critical reading skills for organizing, analyzing, and retaining material and to develop written work
appropriate to the audience, purpose, situation, and length of the assignment. The course prepares students for
college-level reading and writing intensive courses. Successful completion of English IV ACA with a course average
of 75 or greater and completion of an in-class, timed, cumulative writing assessment (the Common Assessment)
qualifies a student to enroll in Freshman Composition (ENGL 1301) at Lone Star College CyFair* without taking the
TSI reading and writing assessment or a developmental reading or writing course. Students who qualify must enroll in
Freshman Composition at Lone Star - CyFair within two years of high school graduation.
*In order to take advantage of this agreement, students must enroll in courses at Lone Star College CyFair but can attend classes at any of the
Lone Star campuses.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to do the following in conjunction with the TEKS for English IV:
1. Locate explicit textual information, draw complex inferences, and analyze and evaluate the information within and across
multiple texts of varying lengths.
2. Comprehend and use vocabulary effectively in oral communication, reading, and writing.
3. Identify and analyze the audience, purpose, and message across a variety of texts.
4. Describe and apply insights gained from reading and writing a variety of texts.
5. Compose a variety of essays that demonstrate reading comprehension, clear focus, the logical development of ideas, and
the use of appropriate language that advances the authors purpose.
6. Determine and use effective approaches and rhetorical strategies for given reading and writing situations.
7. Generate ideas and gather information relevant to the topic and purpose, incorporating the ideas and words of other
writers in student writing using established strategies.
8. Evaluate relevance and quality of ideas and information in recognizing, formulating, and developing a claim.
9. Develop and use effective reading and revision strategies to strengthen the writers ability to compose college-level
writing assignments.
10. Recognize and apply the conventions of standard English in reading and writing.

Getting ready
Prerequisites: English I, English II, and English III or the equivalents
Supplies:
1. College-ruled paper
2. Binder or folder
3. Highlighter, pencils, pens (black or blue)
4. Flash Drive for essays and projects (optional)
Teacher guidelines and policies

Successful students come to class prepared and with a positive attitude. They are curious and respectful of fellow
students and teachers. They develop positive communication skills that allow them to earn respect when sharing ideas
and opinions. They accept challenging assignments as opportunities to learn and strengthen their academic skills.
Successful students build positive academic reputations which allow teachers and staff to support students academic
and post-secondary goals now and in the future.
With student success in mind, the following policies have been developed:

Attendance:
Being successful in class requires both physical and mental attendance, as well as preparedness and participation.
Make-up work: Upon return to school, a student has the same number of days to make up work as he/she was absent. All make-up
assignments, tests, quizzes, etc. should be discussed and arranged with the teacher.

Assignments and due dates:

Assignments are due at the beginning of class.
If you are unable to meet a deadline, please see your teacher as soon as possible to discuss the assignment and due
date.

Make-up exams/tests/major assignments:

CFISD Retest/Redo Guidelines
A student has one opportunity each grading period to retake a test for which he/she earned a failing grade (a grade below 70).
Teachers should allow students to redo at least one daily grade for which the student received a failing grade.
The highest grade a student can earn on the retest/redo is a 70.
A tutorial session may be required before a retest is allowed.

Electronic devices:
Unless otherwise instructed by the teacher, cell phones should be placed on silent and kept away in bags. Please wait
for instruction or ask for permission.

Expectations of student behavior and class interactions:

When you arrive to class, check the screen for the daily instructions.
Be prepared by coming to class everyday with the necessary materials to be productive.
Be respectful by honoring your fellow students, your classroom, your opportunity to learn, and me.
Attending class is more than a physical concept. Please make sure you are attending the class mentally which is easier to
achieve through active listening and participation.
Learning takes place from bell to bell. There is no lining up at the door.

Department contact:
English IV Team Leader: Brittany Coborn brittany.coborn@cfisd.net
English Department Chair: Layla Montgomery Layla.montgomery@cfisd.net

Grade determination:
CFISD Grading Category Guidelines for English IV
Checking for Understanding: 30%
Relevant Applications: 35%
Summative Assessments: 35%
Letter grade assignments:
Letter Grade Final Average in Percent
(for each grading period and each semester)
A 90-100
B 80-89
C 75-79
C- 70-74
F Below 70

Tentative instructional outline

Units of Study and Required Assessments:
Unit I - Establish the Classroom Community 2 weeks
Perspectives, daily writing tasks
Unit II Shades of Truth: Unity and Focus 6 weeks
Literary Analysis Writing
Unit III Unearthing Truth: Evidence and Support 8 weeks
Analytical writing assessment
Research component
Fall Semester Exam (format and content to be determined by the campus)
Unit IV Manipulating the Truth: Organization and Structure 9 weeks
Midterm Common Assessment TBA
Satirical writing
Unit V Navigating Perspectives: Analysis of Literary Elements 5 weeks
Literary analysis writing assessment
Unit VI Establishing my Truth: Making Connections 5 weeks
Reflective writing assessment
Spring Common Assessment TBA
Spring Semester Exam (format and content to be determined by the campus)

Course Requirements:
Major writing assignments should derive from class readings, discussion, and research assignments.
Emphasis on sentence types (simple, compound, complex, compound-complex) helps students learn how to logically
connect ideas as well as create grammatically-sound sentences.
Critical thinking is important to student success in all post-secondary environments. Consequently, there should be
emphasis on activities that promote this skill.
Expose students to a variety of texts not only for discussion but also for structural analysis and evaluation.
Implement active reading strategies (i.e., previewing, highlighting/annotating, reviewing, summarizing) and practice
organizing textual information (i.e., Cornell Note-Taking, mapping, outlining, etc.) throughout the course.
Written assignments include summaries of class readings, short response assignments, and full-process essays to ensure
students understand the texts and the readers relationship to those texts.
Instruct students in the proper use of MLA guidelines and documentation.
Include in-class, graded, multi-paragraph essays to prepare for the Common Final. In-class essays are handwritten,
connected to expository reading(s), address a cold prompt, and completed within a maximum of five 50-minute class
periods or the equivalent.
Enhance vocabulary acquisition through various enrichment activities.

Latitudes:
Although the core requirements/state skills which must be included in each unit, each individual campus is accorded
the right to the following:
Schedule sequencing of the materials within the unit.
Employ whatever methods are available and, in the campuss opinion, best facilitate learning for the students.
Supplement, not supplant, these requirements. The campus should take care not to endanger course consistency through
excessive supplementation.
Honor Code and Academic Integrity:
All students are expected to adhere to the highest standards of personal honesty in their academic work. All work presented for
credit must be original. Please use the following guidelines as a guide.

PLAGIARISM is defined as stealing and presenting the words of another as ones own, using a created production without
crediting the source.

Turning in a paper retrieved from an Internet source

Including information that is word for word from a source without citation
Copying and pasting from another source and changing a few words
Citing information from another source without proper attribution

CHEATING is defined as using dishonest methods to gain or give an advantage. This includes utilizing any kind of secretive
means of gaining or giving information for use on quizzes, tests, papers or homework.

Copying responses to homework, papers, worksheets, reading guides, etc.

Looking on another students test or quiz
Letting another student look on your test or quiz or copy your work
Using other secretive methods of giving answers on a test or quiz
Taking information from another source without giving credit to the original writer
Working with others on an assignment that was meant to be done individually
Letting another student access your paper to generate his or her paper
Taking papers from the Internet, other publications, or other students
Taking any part of a test to use or to give to others

CONSEQUENCES for students caught cheating or copying will be severe, resulting in a failing grade and a discipline referral.
Cheating or plagiarism will impact exemptions and membership in National Honor Society.

WHEN IN DOUBT, check with your teacher or with a good college web site such as http://owl.english.purdue.edu (Go to their
plagiarism link.)

Note: The content of this syllabus is subject to change in accordance with the needs of the class and/or
instructor.

Key Points from the Syllabus:

1. Tutoring is available please use it!
2. Grading policies have changed familiarize yourself with it and ask questions if you do not understand
anything.
3. Our agreement with Lone Star College is for your benefit. We will discuss this agreement all year long.
4. I am here to support you and help you in any way that I can. Feel free to talk to me if you are struggling
with anything meeting deadlines, understanding a new or old concept, college or career questions, etc.