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Overview

English II is a sophomore English course focused on developing core skills in the language arts. While the workload is not as demanding as it would be in a Pre-AP course, students will leave this course with the skills needed to succeed in Advanced Placement English courses in the junior and senior years. In accordance with the English Language Arts TEKS, this course will focus on:

  • reading, comprehension, literacy, and vocabulary skills
  • the writing process and several modes of writing
  • oral and written conventions, grammar, and style
  • speaking and listening, with emphasis on working in groups
  • the research process

Materials

You will need the following materials every day in class:

  • pens and pencils
  • a highlighter
  • writer's notebook (standard-sized composition book)
  • a binder, a section in a binder, or a folder for handouts
  • homework planner (I don't care how you keep track of your homework, but I will insist that you have some system.)

Additionally, please make sure you bring the texts we are studying. While you are certainly welcome to purchase your own copies of these books, the school will provide copies of all required texts. Along with many shorter texts, we will read:

  • The Odyssey
  • Call of the Wild
  • Henry IV, Part I
  • The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger

Attendance

Regular daily attendance is expected. When you must miss class, please contact me ahead of time. Previously assigned work is due the day of your return. For work assigned during your absence, you will have one day for each day you were out. Work missed during unexcused absences cannot be made up. When you are out, refer to the class web page to see what you missed. I will observe Westlake's attendance policies. Please be in your seat by the time the bell rings. Tardy students should sign in on the clipboard by the door.

Grading

Your six-week grades will be composed of:

  • 60% Mastery Assessments
    These assessments, such as tests, quizzes, papers, and projects, measure your mastery of the course's skills and knowledge. Papers and projects will be graded according to a rubric, so you will know what is expected. Late work is penalized 10% per day. You are responsible for technological problems, so do not wait until the last minute to print your paper. Extensions may be granted if requested in advance.
    • Revision
      Mastery assessments are meant to be a measure of what you can do. If you don't do as well on a test, quiz, paper, or project as you knew you could, you may revise your work and resubmit it. To revise a paper, you must submit a paper copy of the new draft on top of a paper copy of all previous drafts. You must include a cover letter explaining how you have improved your work. To revise a vocabulary quiz, you may retake the quiz, though the second time there will be more items on the quiz. It may be impossible to accommodate revision on projects such as presentations or performances. The deadline for revision is one week before the end of each six weeks.
  • 40% Daily Work
    These assignments, such as warm-ups, homework, and reading responses, are the work you do to develop skills and knowledge. Most daily work is preparation for class, and its value is substantially lost when it is not done on time. For this reason, late daily work will earn half credit the day after it is due, and will not be accepted thereafter.
  • Your semester grade will be composed of your three six-week grades and your exam grade, all equally weighted.

Integrity

I expect my students to act with honesty and integrity. Please make sure you are familiar with the honor code in the student handbook. Cell phones are not allowed in class. Violations of academic integrity include, but are not limited to:

  • copying work from others or allowing others to copy your work
  • asking about or telling others the content of a quiz or test
  • using the words, ideas, or outlines of others without attribution

Contact

Let's be in touch early and often. I welcome feedback from parents and students, and will make an effort to collect it on a regular basis. When an issue comes up, or if you have any question about the class, please send me an email or give me a call. I will do my very best to get back to you within one school day. Parents and teachers are partners in education, and I value open and trusting relationships highly. If you would like to meet in person, please let me know and we will schedule a conference.

Revised August 2010