English 10 Syllabus SY18-19

Ms. Helen Mason

Room: B124 Email: hmason@paradiseschools.org
Office Hours/Extra Help: Mondays and Thursdays (2:30-3:30) or by appointment

Course Description:
This year in English 10 we will cover a wide variety of reading materials, examining reading and writing styles of many
genres. Success and growth in reading and writing will lead to improvements in all classes. Students will read a
combination of short stories, poems, modern novels, literary classics and a mix of fiction and nonfiction. The course will
also teach essay writing and other forms of complex writing.

Course Objectives:
1. Write informative research essays that incorporate internal citations, direct quotes, utilize primary and
secondary sources, and include a works cited page.
2. Analyze and evaluate elements and themes of fiction and nonfiction literature.
3. Interpret and formulate judgments about a piece of literature and support those judgments with convincing,
textual evidence.
4. Effectively engage in group discussions.
5. Advance language and vocabulary skills critical to college and career readiness.

PHHS Grading Scale:

Semester grades will consist of an average of the cumulative points earned over two quarter. (For example, if a student
earns 750 points out of 1000 possible points in a quarter, he/she will receive a grade of 75% or a C.)

The grading scale is as follows:

• A: 90%-100%
• B: 80-89%
• C: 70%-79%
• F: <69% (No credit is earned for a semester grade of 69% or below.)

Student grades should not be a surprise as students get graded work back weekly. Additionally, students and parents
can check grades on PowerSchools.

Weighting of Assignments:
At Paradise Honors High School, assessments and assignments will be weighted as follows:

1. 15% Final Exam

2. 60% Assessments (tests, essays, projects, etc.)
3. 25% Class work/Homework/Participation (ticket out, in-class work, discussion, etc)

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Materials Required:
Students are expected to show up prepared and ready to learn every day of class. This includes bringing all materials!
Materials for class are as follows, but are not limited to (advanced notice will be given if additional supplies are needed):

• Highlighter
• Note/index cards
• Sticky notes
• Loose leaf paper for essays
• Pens or sharpened pencils with erasers
• Somewhere to store papers distributed in class (three-ringed binder with tab dividers or two-pocket folder)
• Spiral notebook for note taking
• Cell Phones, Laptops, and/or Tablets will occasionally be utilized during specific classroom activities. It is strongly
recommended that students take advantage of the school’s Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Policy.
• Texts: Students will engage in a variety of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, and classic literature over the
course of the year. Texts will be used as a survey of the various genres of literature. Anchor texts are the primary
reading for the quarter and will need to be purchased ahead of time for annotating purposes. Please obtain each
book by the first day of the quarter to which it is assigned. Used copies are welcome. Some may be found online.
The texts are as follows:
o (Quarter 1) In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
o (Quarter 2) The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
o (Quarter 3) The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley
o (Quarter 4) MacBeth by William Shakespeare
• A note about Our Reading Materials: Freshmen will be reading a variety of fiction and nonfiction, some of which
may contain topics and language of a sensitive nature, such as violence, death, racism, and sexism. We at
Paradise Honors High School do not endorse these ideas and concepts, and these instances are infrequent. All
texts are recommended by the Common Core State Standards Initiative for Grades 9-10 and/or the College
Board. Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Absences and Make-up or Late Work:

Late work will be accepted for excused absences. If a student is absent they will be given the number of days they were
absent to make up what they missed on the day(s) of their absence. Extensions will not be given for long term projects –
students will be required to stay current on all assignments they know about prior to their absence.

It is the students’ responsibility to find out what they missed and to see that it is turned in on time. It is suggested that
students see me either prior to the start of school or immediately after school ends the day they return to receive the
missing work. Asking during class is not the best way as we have a limited amount of time to work with the class and it
is difficult to catch one student up while the rest of the class waits.

Students with unexcused late work will be subject to the academic detention policy. Please refer to the late policy and
academic detention procedures in the student handbook. Being swept is not an absence! If you have been swept, the
assignment is still due at the end of the day.

Cheating and Plagiarism:

All graded work must be entirely the students’. Any attempt to pass off someone else’s ideas and/or words as your own
without proper citation is considered plagiarism. Offenders caught cheating on any test or quiz, or who plagiarize any
written assignment in whole or in part, will receive NO credit and face severe administrative consequences. Please refer
to the Academic Honesty section of the PHHS handbook for more details.

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Expected Behavior & Consequences:

Rules Consequences
• Be kind while being honest. • Verbal warning
• ready and be in your seat before class is to begin • Home contact made
• Be prepared and responsible – come to class with • After-school detention
a good attitude, supplies, and homework • Office referral
completed according to the directions
• Show respect – to yourself and to the classroom Note: The teacher reserves the right to move to more
• Use inside, working voices. severe consequences at any time, depending on the level
• Use your time wisely. of infraction
• Be on time – have materials

Please let me know if you have any questions about these policies and procedures. I look forward to having you in my
class.

Sincerely,
Ms. Helen Mason, M. Ed.

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ENGLISH 10 2018-2019 Course Syllabus Signature Page
By signing this page, I acknowledge that I have read, understand and will follow the policies and expectations of Ms.
Mason’s English 10 class. If you have any questions, insights, or concerns, please let Ms. Mason know.

Please read the syllabus, fill out the permission below, and return to Ms. Mason.

• My student ______________________________________ has permission to bring his/her digital device to

use in class. I understand my student will be held accountable to the Bring Your Own Device Policy.
• My student ______________________________________ does not have a digital device or does not have
my permission to use his/her device at school.
• I have read the syllabus for Ms. Mason’s English 10 course.

Student Name: ___________________________________________ Class Period: _______________________________

Parent Contact Number: _____________________________________ Is this your preferred contact method? Yes or No

Parent Email: ______________________________________________ Is this your preferred contact method? Yes or No

• Do you have any questions for me?