SANTA MONICA HIGH SCHOOL 9th College Prep English Course Syllabus 2012-2013

Teacher: Ms. Justine Sorensen Room T219 Phone # (310) 395-3204 ext. 71219 Email: jsorensen@smmusd.org Course website: http://twitter.com/sorensenclasses Office hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays during lunch; afterschool by appointment

Course Overview: In this course, students will read, discuss, analyze, and write responses to significant works of literature and nonfiction texts. The course will focus on helping all students become effective writers, critical thinkers, attentive readers, and engaging presenters. We will study and master the skills necessary for students to succeed on the California Standards Tests (CSTs), college preparation exams, like the PSAT and SAT, and the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). All year, we will make progress toward mastering the California English/Language Arts Standards for ninth grade. During the first semester, we will focus on persuasive writing and response to literature with an emphasis on characterization and theme. Throughout the year we will read poems, short stories, full-length plays and novels to explore various themes and develop critical thinking, reading and writing skills. Texts can be obtained from the schools textbook room and some of the texts will photocopied and distributed to the class or made available to print online. Required Materials: Single subject notebook OR composition book Single folder/ OR three-ring binder with English section (for various handouts) blue or black pens; highlighters are recommended 3x5 cards for vocabulary practice all assigned readings and handouts in the current unit of study Student Evaluation / Grading Scale: Throughout the course, students will be assessed in a variety of ways: short, informal assignments, class presentations, in-class writing assignments, tests, and longer process writing pieces. Evaluation will be cumulative over the semester. Semester grades for the course will be computed in weighted categories, to reflect the importance and emphasis of varying assignments and assessments. Categories and their weights are as follows: 20% 25% 30% 15% 10% Tests and Quizzes (including reading and vocabulary quizzes) Homework and Classwork Writing Assignments (including in-class essays and process pieces) Participation and Work Habits Final Exam

Students should contact Ms. Sorensen immediately in the event of an illness or unforeseeable emergency to obtain makeup assignments, and to receive an extension if needed. No penalty will be assessed if students ask for extensions 48 or more hours before the assignment is due. Since homework and process assignments (i.e., rough drafts) pertain to the lesson of the day, students earn no credit if they do not submit those assignments on the due date. Assignments of 20+ points will receive a 10% point deduction for each day late. All late work is due at the beginning of the period. If a student repeatedly abuses the late work or extension privilege, both the students parents and his/her advisor will be notified so that we can help the student to manage his/her time more effectively. Students who are absent should check the course website to obtain the homework assignment and handouts, OR they can check the class notebook and folder for the agenda and handouts distributed while they were absent. Students should also contact their peers to stay up to date with assignments and classwork. If a student attempts to complete an assignment, but receives a failing grade, a minimum F will be earned (50%), to help reward effort and ongoing improvement, so that a few poor assignments will not overly affect a students grade. The grading scale for all assignments is as follows:
A+ 101% or greater A 93-100% A- 90-92% B+ 88-89% B 83-87% B- 80-82% C+ 78-79% C 73-77% C- 70-72% D 60-69% F 50-59% Z 0% (not submitted)

Typical Assignments Independent Reading: Throughout the year, students will read two books per semester on their own in addition to the texts we study as a group. Each semester students will read 2 books of their choosing and complete a short assignment after completing each book. I will provide guidelines, assignment sheets and models in class for these assignments. Formal Papers and Projects: To demonstrate students understanding of unit objectives and content, students will create projects and/or formal papers. As the requirements, format, and scoring guides for these papers and projects will vary, students will receive the guidelines and scoring for each paper/project well in advance of the due date. Formal papers must be typed and submitted to Turnitin.com. A password and user ID will be given in class. Students may use computers in the library or computer lab, or may set up an appointment with me to use my classroom computer. On-Demand Essays: Writing essays on demand is a skill that needs to be practiced, practiced, and then practiced again. These essays will be graded according to a rubric which you will receive prior to the day the in-class essays are given.

Daily Assignments and Portfolio: Students will be required to record all journal entries or warmups in a single-subject or composition notebook. Throughout the year, I will collect and grade these notebooks. Additionally students should keep all work for the semester in a three-ring binder or a single folder explicitly for their English class. Students will need to keep all drafts, final products, notes, handouts, tests/quizzes, timed writes, reading responses, etc.

Behavior Expectations: Students are to be prepared to learn and to display courtesy at all times. A description of class rules and consequences will be given in class. Plagiarism/Cheating Policy: Academic integrity is essential to this course and to future success in college and the workplace. If students are caught cheating or are suspected of plagiarism, they will be asked to redo the assignment. Repeated infractions will be handled according to Samohis Academic Honesty Policy. Our English department has contracted with an online service, Turnitin.com, used by many college campuses. Before assignments are scored, students must submit their out-of-class writing to Turnitin.com. This site checks the students work and determines that it is free of plagiarism. Students will receive the Course ID# and Password as well as directions on how to join Turnitin.com in class. Computer Issues: Computer trouble is NOT a valid excuse for late work. In addition to the computers at the school and public libraries, I have a computer students may use outside of class time should they need to complete or print assignments. Please print all assignments before class; students may not use class time to print an assignment. Additional Help: Course updates, announcements, homework, and handouts may be reviewed and downloaded from our course website, http://twitter.com/sorensenclasses. My office hours are on Tuesdays and Thursdays during lunch and afterschool by appointment only. I can be reached by email anytime at jsorensen@smmusd.org for questions and additional help. I make my best effort to respond to emails sent by 9 pm. I will do all that I can to help each student succeed in this course. E-mail Etiquette: Students are encouraged to email often for clarification or guidance on assignments this is a valuable way for me to address individual questions that come up after the days lessons. Questions sent to me via email should follow appropriate email/correspondence etiquette, otherwise I will not respond. Please include a salutation (Dear Ms. Sorensen), a detailed explanation of your question or request that is phrased in grammatically correct, academic English, and an appropriate closing that includes your first and last name. Also, kindly acknowledge that you did receive my response with a thank you. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please complete, detach, and return this page of the syllabus to Ms. Sorensen by Friday, 08/31/12
Ms. Sorensen - Santa Monica High School - 9th College Prep English

We, the undersigned student and parent/guardian, have read and fully understand the expectations and requirements of this course. Further, we pledge to work closely with Ms. Sorensen and the Samohi community in the hopes of mastering the expectations of this course.

Student Name (PRINT): __________________________________________ Period: ________ Parent/Guardian Name (PRINT): __________________________________________________

Parent/Guardian Signature: ________________________________________ Date: __________ Phone Number: ___________________________________ Best time to be reached:__________ Parent E-mail Address:___________________________________________________________ Back to School Night is Tuesday, September 11th 2012 at 7 pm. I hope to see you there, and I look forward to meeting you!