English 10Honors _________-_________ Ms. Butterworth Welcome to English 10.

Im glad to have you here and excited to start our year together. This syllabus outlines what to expect in English this year. English 10 is a course that focuses on appreciation of world literature, incorporating themes such as overcoming obstacles, conflict with ones self and others, and good versus evil. As an honors class, we will move at an accelerated pace, with more emphasis placed on independent work. Please read the syllabus over yourself and share it with your parent(s) or guardians. Please sign (and have them sign as well) at the end to acknowledge your understanding of the information found here. Signed syllabus due: ___________________________________ (for 4 quiz passes) Summer reading quizzes: ____________________________ What are the classroom rules? 1. Be on time (in your desk when the bell rings, after which point the door is closed). 2. Be polite, honest, quiet (as appropriate), attentive, and respectful. 3. Be ready for class, with pen/pencil, book and notebook. 4. Please stay in your seat until I tell you it is okay to leave. What will we be reading?:

The Kite Runner Much Ado About Nothing Points of View (short stories)

Animal Farm Black Boy

independent reading

Strunk & White A Prayer for Owen Meany

*some books may contain mature themes and/or language What else will we be doing? *vocabulary (Level F)we do all vocabulary lessons (word definitions + exercises) in class; vocabulary lessons done outside of class are only accepted in the case of an absence. *writing (stories, essays, freewrites, etc.) *MCAS preparation What materials will you need for class? 1. A three ring binder OR a notebook and a folder (a binder is preferable)you need a way to organize and keep handouts (if you want to use the binder for more than one subject, the subjects need to be divided by dividers) *Please divide your binder or notebook into these four sections for my class: *notes (you will need paper) *MCAS (you will need paper) *vocabulary *handouts 2. The book we are reading (occasionally you will need your vocab. bookplease keep it in the pocket of your binder or notebook) 3. A pen or pencil (if you lose your pen or pencil, there are extras on the front bookcase; I appreciate it if you return them at the end of class) 4. Your planner/agenda book

What do I expect to see from you? *I expect that in my class you will be kind towards others, and maintain an open mind. I expect you to listen to and value others opinions, even if you dont agree with them. *I expect that you will turn your work in on time. I do not accept late work, except for work missed during an

excused absence. In the case of an excused absence, you will have one week to make up work, after which the
missing work becomes a zero. Check the make-up work log (by the door). It is up to you to schedule a time before or after school, or during Powerblock, to make up the work. *I expect you to come to class prepared with your notebook, your book, and a pen or pencil. You do lose class participation points for being unprepared for class. *I expect you to leave the classroom neat and clean. There is no eating in class, and only water is allowed. Gum must be disposed of in the trash can. Writing on the desks is not allowed and will result in a detention. To summarize, thank you for respecting: *the teacher & other adults in the classroom *other students *yourself *the classroom & materials What kind of homework should you expect? Most nights you will have a reading assignment, usually 20-25 pages. Oftentimes you will have an accompanying writing assignment. Approximately every three weeks, you will have a two-page freewrite due (more information provided on additional sheet). **Homework is to be done individually. *A weekly homework schedule will be posted on the following website: Msbuttersclass.weebly.com (this is a good place for parents to monitor students homework ass ignments) What can you do if you have a question or if youre absent? *If you need to find out about work you missed during an absence, please check the Make-up work log (you will find your name listed next to any assignments you need to make up here; you will also find any handouts you need). You have one week to make work up. *feel free to schedule an extra-help sessionbefore school (by appointment), after school (2-2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday), or during Powerblock (sign up on the Powerblock extra help sign-up sheet in my classroom) Powerblock help is held in ____________________ *You or your parents may email me at any time. (I dont usually check email at night.) My address is: sbutterworth@north-reading.k12.ma.us **Please note: long-term assignments (any essay, project, etc.) are still due on the due date, even if you are out sick, unless there are serious extenuating circumstances. Please email the assignment to me at the above address (copy and paste assignment into an email, rather than sending as an attachment).** What if you need help on an essay? I am happy to help with essays. The best thing for you to do is to bring me a draft and/or your notes. I will not help with an essay the day before it is due. I will only read a maximum of two drafts of an essay (so that

everyone has a fair chance for help). **Essays must be visibly self-edited (in pen or pencil) before you bring them to me for help. How will I grade you? Grading is done on a points system: *tests=100 points or more *quizzes=ten points *homework=1 point, marked as a check (1 pt.), check plus (1.5 pts.), or check minus (.5 pts.) *class participation, preparation, and behavior [Class participation is a very important part of your grade. I encourage you to speak up in class discussions, even if you are shy. You receive a participation grade on a 2-point scale every day we have class. Grades are: 1=in class, but either is tardy, does not participate, participates very little, or is disruptive or destructive 2=in class, participates fully and politely Factors influencing your participation grade include attendance (unexcused tardies also negatively affect your grade), contributions to class discussions, attitude, motivation, preparation for class, and class behavior.] To get your overall grade at the end of the quarter, I simply add all your points (from tests, quizzes, homework, and participation) together and divide by the total number of points possible for the quarter. How can you avoid cheating? The NRHS student handbook states that academic honesty is expected of all students. Cheating in any form, including plagiarism, is a breach of this expectation. Plagiarism is defined as the taking and using of the thoughts, writings, inventions, etc., of another as ones own. Plagiarism includes copying someone elses work, writing, homework, or project, or copying someones quotations that come from an outside source, even a peer. This also applies to Internet use. Cutting and pasting information from any website and claiming it as ones own is a form of plagiarism as well. As the handbook also states, students who fail to adhere to the expectations of academic honesty, either through cheating or plagiarizing, are subject to receiving a lowered grade or a grade of zero on the assignment. Parents will be notified in cases of academic dishonesty. Additional consequences may be assigned depending upon the severity of the infraction. If in doubt about how to properly cite a source, ask me or check this helpful website: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_mla.html Cheating in my class will result in: 1. an automatic zero on the assignment (this applies for both the person who cheated and the person who furnished the assignment, when applicable) 2. immediate notification of your parents What about Sparknotes? *Do not bring Sparknotes or other printed-out resources to class; bringing them to class will result in a detention. Make sure you are doing your reading in the actual book so that you are well-prepared for class discussions and quizzes.

What is a quiz pass? A homework pass? *If you return your signed syllabus on time, you get 4 free quiz passes. They are good to skip one quiz each quarter of the year; they are great for nights with too much homework to, or when you just dont understand a reading and have a pop quiz on it! Each quiz pass can only be used in the quarter it is specified for. If you dont use your 1st quarter quiz pass 1st quarter, you cannot use it later in the year. A quiz pass is like cash: it only works if it is there. If you lose it, you cant use it. If you forget it at home, you cant use it. No exceptions. *A homework pass is my answer to the dog ate my homework. If you return the parent HW assignment, you get 4 free homework passes. Unlike quiz passes, they can be used at any time throughout the year. They allow you to do ONE of the following per homework pass: *turn in a major assignment you forgot at home one (1) day late (the next calendar day, for instance Tuesday instead of Monday, or Monday instead of Friday) *skip one homework assignment Be warnedthe homework passes, once used, mean that I dont accept any excuses at all about homework not being done or assignments not being passed in. They work just like quiz passesif you lose it or dont have it with you, you cant use it. **Receiving a detention (teacher or office) in my class will result in revoking of your quiz passes and homework passes.** What do I give for extra credit? *I give one extra credit opportunity per quarter. It is available to all students. Completed extra credit receives 1 point, which is added to your quarters grade. Extra credit assignments vary; some past ones have been entering an essay contest or a poetry contest. Some extra credit assignments may be related to Academic Decathlon. Some more hints: 1. Respect goes a long way. I give you my respect, and you give me yours. 2. Be prepared. Come to class with all your materials, every day. 3. Dont fall behind. Make up work in under a week; ask for extra help when needed. 4. Try to find the positive in every situation; even if English isnt your favorite subject, it can still be useful to you. Keep an open mind. 5. Feel comfortable enough to share your thoughts with the class. Best of luck in English 10. I look forward to working with you and getting to know you throughout the year. Ms. Butterworth -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Please sign this sheet to acknowledge that you have read the rules; then have a parent or guardian sign the sheet, and **keep this as the first sheet in your notebook.** Students signature: ___________________________________ Parents signature: ____________________________________