Schedule for First Semester 2022-2023
English II
Course Syllabus for English II
English II, Mr. Kevin J. Stafford
School Phone: 921-1000,
School email: [email protected]
Welcome to English class. I am looking forward to the new semester at Cheraw High. With the help and cooperation of my students and their parents, I am certain we will make this a successful school year. English II will develop literature, writing, vocabulary, grammar, speaking and listening skills for each student. Intensive study will be devoted to the writing process and literary analysis. This course will require several written essays/research papers as well as extensive reading outside of the classroom.
I may adjust expectations, curriculum, and assignments, as needed, in order to make adjustments due to quarantines or similar circumstances. I will adapt and remain fluid in my approach in order to provide a quality education for my students.
Required texts will include:
Pearson Literature, Grade 10
Several novels for outside reading to be determined
Hamlet, by William Shakespeare (provided in class)
Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens (provided in class)
Those in English II Honors are expected to have read the summer reading selection, Lord of the Flies, prior to the beginning of class. This book will be tested during the second week of class.
Required materials include:
One three ring binder for paper, notes, returned work, classwork and homework. This binder may be shared with another class if convenient to do so.
Two composition books with a stitched binding (usually black and white) not a spiral or wire bound notebook. These must be college ruled for Honors level classes. One will be used for daily journal and reader response entries. One will be used for vocabulary work and the maintenance of a vocabulary journal.
Each student must have a sharpened pencil or a pen (black or blue ink) and paper every day. I will not provide writing materials. Highlighters may also be required from time to time. Those students who come to class unprepared will be graded accordingly. Students will be responsible for bringing the correct books to class each day. Students coming to class without their textbook or their Chromebook may receive a zero for that day’s assignments. Additional occurrences will result in after school detention.
Attendance in class is mandatory
A student cannot be expected to succeed if he or she is not present during lectures or class discussion. Any absence will hurt student performance. All missed work must be made up in a reasonable amount of time, usually five days, or a zero will be given unless other arrangements have been made. It is the student’s responsibility to ask about missed work. I suggest that each student get the phone number of a friend in class and get their assignments from that friend in the event of an absence. A simple text will make it possible to turn in missed work on time. Not all assignments will be posted on Google Classroom.
I will deduct ten points from the grade of any assignment for each day that it is late. I will not accept any work that is more than two weeks late.
If a student cuts class, he or she will not be allowed to make up missed work or missed tests. If a student is more than fifteen minutes late for class it will be considered cutting.
Not having time to study will not be an acceptable excuse for missing a test or delaying the taking of a test. Retaking of tests will not be an option unless there are extenuating circumstances.
Homework
All homework questions must be answered thoroughly and in complete sentences. Answer every part of the question and provide support for your answers from the text. If it is an opinion question, provide your rationale. Do not submit brief answers which do not provide the "why" and "how" of your answer. If you turn in homework which does not meet these requirements, you may receive an incomplete or lose half credit for each question not thoroughly answered.
Grading Policy
Each student’s grade will be comprised of homework, class work, literature tests, essays, and any major research projects that may be assigned. I use a weighted grade scale meaning 50% of the student’s grade will come from tests and projects while the rest will be comprised of quiz and daily/classwork grades. This also means that each and every assignment is important and can effect the student’s grade.
The state mandated grade scale will be used for this course as indicated below:
A= 100-90
B= 89-80
C= 79-70
D= 69-60
F= Below 60
Interim reports may be issued if grades are unsatisfactory or have dropped noticeably at any time. Interim reports must be signed by a parent and returned the following day or phone contact will be made with the parent.
Brief review of class rules and expectations:
Classroom rules will be followed at all times. All rules described in the “Student Discipline Handbook” given to each student at the beginning of the year will apply. Make certain that you are familiar with the “Student Discipline Handbook” as this year we will be enforcing the rules more strictly than you may be accustomed to. Absolutely no gum or candy will be allowed in my classroom. There will be no use of cell phones, ear buds, etc. Any items not allowed by school rules will be confiscated. If I ask for a student’s cellphone due to a rules violation and the student refuses to hand it over, that student can expect a write up and suspension. There will be no wearing of hats or hoods in the classroom. The dress code will be enforced. Personal grooming is not permitted in class.
I realize that some other teachers do not enforce the rules. This fact has no bearing on what happens in my classroom. Students will be expected to follow the rules and behave themselves in an acceptable manner.
Students are not allowed to get up and run out when the bell rings. I will dismiss class when all students are seated quietly, have cleaned up around their desks, and any homework has been assigned.
Students are required to go to the restroom between classes. You will, once again, have five minutes between classes. Those of you in first block have plenty of time to go between classes, as do those of you coming to me after lunch. The constant disruptions caused by restroom breaks during class make learning impossible and will not be permitted without a medical excuse.
Any disruption of the learning environment may result in disciplinary action.
Consequences of misbehavior can include a reprimand, student teacher conference, after school detention, or parent contact and conference. An office referral for in school suspension, or out of school suspension, will be issued if necessary.
Any student caught cheating will receive a zero and a write up as this is considered a category two offense. The person you cheated from, i.e. the person whose homework you copied, will also receive a zero and a write up. This includes turning in plagiarized essays which you did not write yourself.
I have had many students recently turn in work which was blatantly copied from the internet. You cannot simply change a few words, or even a few sentences, and turn in someone else’s work as your own. If you copy something from the internet it is plagiarism, even if you make a few changes here and there. You must submit your own original work. Google Classroom has a built in plagiarism checker and there are many such tools at my disposal. I can easily tell, from syntax and diction, if a student is turning in something original. I will check, and I will give zeros to any student who attempts to do this. Please be aware of this policy. Plagiarism has become a big problem and will not be tolerated.
Any extra credit opportunities will be given to the entire class. It is the teacher’s responsibility to treat all students fairly and I will strive to do so. Please contact me any time you feel that you have not been treated fairly in my class so that I may explain why certain actions were taken or make necessary changes in order correct the issue.
Brief Summary of course schedule: (This information is subject to change due to current circumstances. In an ideal world we would be able to cover all of this material, but public health issues and student achievement levels may limit what we can accomplish in our given time. We may not be able to cover everything included here.)
First Semester:
Week One:
Weeks Two through Five:
Weeks Six through Nine:
Second Semester:
Week Ten through Eleven:
Week Twelve through Fourteen:
Week Fifteen:
Week Sixteen through Seventeen:
Week Eighteen:
LONG RANGE LEARNING AND DEVELPMENTAL GOALS
By the end of this course, my students will develop an appreciation for various genres of literature including fiction, non-fiction, informational texts, poetry, drama, and the novel. In the process, they will develop an understanding and working knowledge of the various literary elements inherent in each of these types of literature. Critical and personal writing ability will be developed in depth with an emphasis placed on character analysis in literature and organizational skills. Speaking and listening skills will also be advanced. This will be accomplished through the pursuit of the following goals: