English 9 Syllabus

 Ms. Jordan

Auburn Junior High School

Rm. 7103

Email address: sljordan@auburnschools.org

 Textbooks: Elements of Literature , 4th Course, Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2000. Elements of Writing, 3rd Course, Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1998.  Glencoe Language Arts Grammar and Language Workbook, Grade 9, Glencoe/McGraw-Hill.

 Supplies: three ring binder, a small composition style notebook, pens, color pencils, highlighter, small dictionary (optional)

 Classwork/Quiz grades will consist of vocabulary, literature questions, class participation, journal entries and grammar assignments.

 Test/Writing grades will consist of literature tests, vocabulary, projects, essays, oral presentations, and research paper. The research paper will count as two test grades.

 The final exam will be comprehensive and will count as two test grades.

 Homework will be assigned regularly, with emphasis on independent reading and writing. Students are also expected to spend time reviewing the material reviewed in class on nights when homework is not assigned.

 Makeup Work: Students are expected to makeup work for absences. It is the student’s responsibility to make contact with the teacher to initiate all makeup work. The contact should be made the first day the student returns to class. The student will be given five days to make up missed work. Students will be allowed the opportunity to do makeup work for excused absences only. Make-up work may not be the same assignment that was assigned to the class. It will be of a similar nature. Work missed due to an unexcused absence shall count as a zero. A convenient time will be arranged by the teacher for the student to make up their test. Students will not be allowed to make up a particular quiz; however, that grade will not count against the student.

 Late Work: Late work (major assignments ONLY/i.e. descriptive writing) will be accepted with the penalty of one grade drop for each day the assignment is late. Some work (low in value/i.e. 5pt. homework assignment) will not be accepted after the due date.

 Help Sessions: Students are encouraged to seek extra help as soon as it is needed. Extra help can be arranged before or after school on Wednesdays. If possible, please give me at least 24 hours notice if you wish to come in!

   

Other Course Details  

Major units and projects in this course will include:

Short Story Unit from Glencoe, Poetry Unit from Glencoe, Animal Farm, The Odyssey, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Night, various writing assignments (persuasive, expository, descriptive, and creative), and novel/literature projects.

 Plagiarism Policy:

Plagiarism is defined as copying a sentence verbatim from another published source (Internet, book, magazine, etc.) or as writing three or more sentences with few words changed from the original source, thereby resulting in inadequate paraphrasing. Out-of-class violations include, but are not limited to: plagiarism (copying another person’s writing or ideas and using them as one’s own), discussing tests with other students who have not yet taken the tests, or copying homework assignments or other graded experiences.

 Any student found guilty of academic dishonesty may receive a grade of zero on the assignment or test. The teacher will contact parents to inform them of the violation. Cheating violations will be cumulative for student’s time at AJHS.

 1st offense = zero on the assignment or test, student conference

2nd offense = zero on the assignment or test, parent conference

3rd offense = zero on the assignment or test, out of school suspension

Computer/Use of Internet

Students attending Auburn City Schools (hereinafter referred to as ACS) are encouraged to utilize the computing capability of ACS in pursuit of their educational objectives. ACS strives to keep up-to-date equipment, software and communication capabilities at all schools in the system.

Policies regarding proper and ethical use, network etiquette, and controversial material are specifically listed in the ACS Statement of Responsibilities and the laptop computer usage agreement and handbook and must be agreed to by students and their parents or guardians in return for the privilege of using the computing resources, software, and communication infrastructure of ACS. Students and their parents agree that violation of these policies could result in the suspension of their privilege of using the ACS computing resources but will not relieve or waive the responsibility of the students to complete any work assigned by the teacher.

 

Ms. Jordan’s Class Expectations and Procedures/Consequences

  1. -You are expected to come to class with a positive attitude regarding both your schoolwork and your classmates. Also, you are expected to be respectful of your surroundings.
  2. -You will be allowed three restroom/water/locker passes per nine week period. If you have some sort of medical documentation as to why this would be a problem, please see me and I will be happy to work with you. You are expected to make it to the restroom/ get water between classes. Before leaving the classroom, you must take the hall pass (Ms. Jordan/Room #7103). When you need to leave the room, please ask at an appropriate time (NOT while I am teaching).
  3. -Use a pen. The only time a pencil will be used is when you are taking a scantron exam or taking personal notes. Points will be deducted for pencil on most assignments. This sounds incredibly picky, but long essays written in pencil can be virtually impossible to read.
  4. -You are expected to be in the classroom at the ringing of the tardy bell. If not, you are considered tardy to class. Tardies to class are accumulated from each class and are counted on a per class basis. You may not miss time from a class without the obtaining permission from the teacher of that class. If you miss more than 30 minutes of class, you will be counted absent.
  5. -Take responsibility! You will do yourself a huge favor if you spend a small amount of time each night reviewing notes (taken in class). Make sure you understand the major concepts of what we are covering as we go. Ask for help if you need it!  Write down the major points that we discuss in class. If I pause to talk about it, a test question could come from this.

        --*Come to class prepared! You will have many quizzes over the course of the semester. The vast majority will be unannounced.

  1. *All rules in the Auburn Junior High School Handbook/Planner will be followed.