Course Guidelines for English 11

Mr. Ted Conover!

Room 264!
Email: tconover@isd2711.org!
Phone: 229-3321 Ext. 264!

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Dear Student and Parents/Guardians, !
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Welcome to English 11. This course focuses on World and Contemporary Literature. Students !
will read a diverse list of texts from all corners of the globe to broaden their !
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understanding of human experience. The format of this class will begin chronologically, !
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building frameworks for reading, interpreting, and analyzing as we move forward into ! !
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more challenging texts. Texts include ancient stories and myths from Mesopotamian and !
Japanese traditions and historically based literature from Europe and the Middle East. !!
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Somewhere in between, well take a break from World Literature to complete our !
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Speaking and Listening Unit with the Serial Podcast, then move on to our Young Adult !!
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Contemporary Literature Unit with three novels by award winning author John Green. ! !
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Well end our year by creating and workshopping a resume and cover-letter students can !
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use to gain summer employment. Essay-writing, class discussion, and cross-curricular !
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connections to social studies and current events are large components of the course. ! !
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The main goals of the course are to improve the students abilities to think, listen, speak, !
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read, write well and do research. !

Parents, lets work together to ensure an exceptional learning experience for your student. You !!
can access your childs grades through Powerschool -- Checking these each week and !
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discussing them with your student will greatly benefit your students education. In !
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addition, I post weekly updates about curriculum and what well be reading via ! !
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Schoology. With Schoology and Powerschool, I try to make it as easy as possible for ! !
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parents to access what students are doing, and how they are doing, in class. However, if !
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you have any questions or need clarification on anything, please dont hesitate to email !
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or call me using my contact information above. !

Mr. Conovers Classroom Expectations for Students! !

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Any and all of Mesabi East Expectations listed in the Student Handbook apply in my classroom.
In addition, please review the following expectations:!

1. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, Hate Speech is defined as any is !
speech that offends, threatens, or insults groups, based on race, color, religion, ! !
national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or other traits. I have a zero tolerance !
policy for Hate Speech. Use it and you will meet with me to discuss your offense in
addition to serving two periods of detention. !
2. Come to class prepared -- with a charged iPad, notebook, pencil, and any !
supplemental materials needed for each unit.!!
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3. Respect yourself, your classmates, and your teacher by behaving appropriately in !
class.!
4. Respect your own learning process and others by taking yourself seriously. !
5. Cooperate with one another in order to fully benefit from the learning experiences in !
this course.!
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6. If absent, you will have two days for each day absent to complete missed work for full
credit. All assignments will be available on Schoology and/or iTunes U.!
7. Late work will be accepted up to five days after the due date, with an automatic ! !
deduction of 10% each day it is late. In addition, students may DROP one daily-work !
assignment of their choice each quarter, no questions asked. This does not include !
tests, projects, or essays. !

Consequences for Not Meeting Classroom Expectation!

1. Student is given a warning during class period regarding behavior. !
2. Detention will be assigned if behavior continues during that class period. !
3. Student will be sent from class if behavior still continues; 4 periods additional !
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detention are assigned.!
4. Additional suspension may be assigned by principal for multiple classroom removals. !
5. Student may be withdrawn from class to an alternate setting inside or outside of !
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school as determined by principal. !

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What students and parents can expect of me.!

1. Interesting, challenging and enlightening course work. !
2. Material that is relevant to your life now and your life in the future. !
3. Timely, constructive feedback on your work. !
4. Grades available to be viewed online or printed upon request on a regular basis. !
5. Time for extra help on assignments during Advisory or by appointment. !
6. A teacher who is genuinely concerned for each student and committed to providing an !
interesting, informative, fun, and memorable year. !

Grading !
I do not calculate grades by weighing them by category -- I simply use total points and apply
points as I see fit. !

However, the number of points and assignments fall along some basic percentages:!
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Daily-Work/Homework: 30%!
Quizzes/Tests: 30%!
Projects/Essays: 40%!

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Grading Scale: !
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100-90% = A !
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79-70% = C !
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89-80% = B !

69-60% = D!

59% and below = F!

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COURSE MATERIALS!
iPad -- charged and ready for every class! !
Notebook! !
A pencil/pen, paper, and folder or binder is required.!
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These course guidelines should be kept in a folder to be available for future reference later in
the year. A copy of the course syllabus can also be found on my website, which can be
accessed through the MEHS staff directory.!
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I look forward to working with you this semester. !

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Sincerely, !
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Mr. Conover! !
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Student signature _______________________________________________________ !

Parent/Guardian_________________________________________________________ !