English 10 Course Syllabus 2015 2016

Ms. Pedretti, Room 613

Shawna.pedretti@leusd.k12.ca.us
951-253-7300 ext. 3613

email:
website: mspedretti.weebly.com

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Course Description: English 10 is a year-long course that has been designed in accordance with the California
Common Core Standards, and satisfies the A-G requirement for college. This course will prepare students for state and
national exams, including SAT. The content of English 10 places an emphasis on the students development of skills in
the areas of listening and speaking, reading, writing, and inquiry/research. These skills will be honed through the lens
of literature from around the world, spanning ancient worlds to today, and exploring the themes of tolerance, cultural
diversity, and ones ability to positively affect the world.
Required Textbook:
o McDougal Littell World Literature
Required Genres and Reading Selections: (selections to change at teachers discretion)
o Drama
o Dystopian Novels
Oedipus the King
Fahrenheit 451
The Merchant of Venice
Anthem
o Epic Poetry
o Memoir
Ancient Civilizations
Night
o Arthurian Legends
o Satire
o Allegorical Tales
A Modest Proposal
Dantes Inferno
o Other selections
Required Materials:
o 3-ring binder
o Black or dark blue ink pens, 2 red ink pens
o Highlighters three colors

Two Composition books (one per semester)

Attendance: Students will be held accountable to the attendance policies outlined in the LHS Student Handbook.
Grading Policy: Grades are weighted by category, which means certain assignments have more impact on the overall
grade. Only those assignments turned in on time are eligible for full credit. The grade book is divided into seven main
categories:
Writing Assignments 25%
Unit Portfolios 20%
Tests/Quizzes 20%
Grading Scale:
100% and above
95% - 99%
90% - 94%

=
=
=

A+
A
A-

Homework 15%
Classwork 10%
Book Projects 10%
78% - 79%
75% - 77%
70% - 74%

=
=
=

C+
C
C-

88% - 89%
85% - 87%
80% - 84%

=
=
=

B+
B
B-

68% - 69%
65% - 67%
60% - 64%
0% - 59%

=
=
=
=

D+
D
DF

Late Work: Late work will NOT be accepted. Late work is defined as any work that is NOT turned in on the due date.
I will not change this policy for any student, regardless of his/her circumstances. Due dates are announced well in
advance and students are given plenty of time to complete all assignments on time. Technical/Computer issues are
NEVER an appropriate excuse for a student not turning in his/her work. This policy does not pertain to absences,
please see MAKE-UP policy below for information on absences.
Make-up Work: It is the students responsibility to find out what work needs to be made up following an absence. The
time a student has to turn in make-up work is based on the following:
o If the work is assigned prior to the students absence, then the assignment(s) is due at the beginning of class on
the day the student returns to class. After this day, the work will be considered late and will not be accepted.
o For work that is assigned during a students absence, he/she the same amount of time as the rest of the class: if
the class had overnight homework then the absent student has one day. If the assignment is one the students
are given a week or more to complete, the student will NOT be given extra time to complete the work.
Plagiarism: Cheating is absolutely not tolerated in this class. The student will be strictly held accountable to the
Lakeside policy for academic dishonesty, which states the following:
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to:
1.

Plagiarism: intentionally or knowingly presenting words, ideas, or work of others as ones own work. This includes
copying information obtained online without crediting the source, using a work or portion of a work written or created by
another but not crediting the source, or paraphrasing anothers work without giving credit.
2. Cheating: includes unauthorized cheat sheets, copying from one another, looking at another students exam, opening
books when not authorized, obtaining advance copies of exams, or use of unauthorized electronic devices.
Academic Dishonesty Consequences:
1st Violation
Fail test or assignment (no credit issued for that test or assignment)
Parent contact by teacher
Possible referral to administration for further action, including suspension from school, possible removal from class,
Saturday School, etc.
2nd Violation
Referral to administration
Suspension from school; parent conference
Possible removal from class with a grade of Withdraw/Fail (WF)

Extra Credit: Extra credit assignments are periodically offered in this class and are intended to enrich the things that
are being studied. Extra credit will always tie into a unit/assignment that we are working on and will require hard
work from any student who chooses to do it. Extra credit should never be relied on to raise a students grade and will
never be assigned for that purpose.
Silent Sustained Reading (SSR.): Every Tuesday and Thursday the period will begin or end with SSR. Students
who do not bring reading material to class and thus have nothing to read during SSR will be assigned reading, and will
not earn full credit for SSR. SSR is a great opportunity for students to read the novel for their Independent Book
Project.

English 10 Assignment Categories

The work in English 10 falls into one of the following categories and each is explained in depth below. Should you
have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Unit Portfolios 20% of overall grade
For each unit we study in class, students will submit all activities and assignments in a final unit portfolio.
Units typically cover periods of 3 6 weeks.
o Portfolio Unit Sheets will be distributed to each student at the start of each unit. Unit sheets will:
Outline all assignments to be included for scoring
List assignment point values
o Portfolios require
Students to save and organize their work
Students to independently manage their time to complete work by the due date
Writing Assignments 25% of overall grade
Written assignments come in two forms: 1. Informal writing and 2. Formal writing.
o Informal writing includes journals, quick writes, reflections, and discussion summaries.
o Formal writing includes process papers, which require students to write multiple drafts, engage in peer
editing, and minimize spelling and grammar errors.
Tests/Quizzes 20% of overall grade
Tests and quizzes will be administered throughout the year to assess student progress.
Homework 15% of overall grade
Homework will be assigned weekly. Regular weekly homework assignments will include annotation and
analysis, vocabulary, and reading.
Additional homework will be assigned as necessary.
Class work 10% of overall grade
Class work includes
o Any work completed during class time that is not part of a larger assignment/project (unit portfolios,
writing assignments).
o Warm-up assignments
o Participation
Independent Book Projects 10% of overall grade
Students will be required to read two novels per semester outside of class.
Students will complete an assignment for their chosen novels (assignment sheet to follow).
Students will be assessed the day the project is due this counts as a test grade.
Independent Book Projects require that students
o Choose novels that they would prefer to read.
o Read independently and manage the time they have to complete the project.
o Analyze the novel and participate in informed discussions.

Parent/Student Signature Page

Please initial next to each important class policy and provide contact information at the bottom of the page. If you have
any questions about any policy, please contact me via email or send a note with your student.
.
Late Work: Late work will NOT be accepted. Late work is defined as any work that is NOT
turned in on the due date. I will not change this policy for any student, regardless of his/her circumstances. Due dates
are announced well in advance and students are given plenty of time to complete all assignments on time.
Technical/Computer issues are NEVER an appropriate excuse for a student not turning in his/her work. This policy
does not pertain to absences, please see MAKE-UP policy below for information on absences.
.
Make-up Work: It is the students responsibility to find out what work needs to be made up
following an absence. The time a student has to turn in make-up work is based on the following:
o If the work is assigned prior to the students absence, then the assignment(s) is due at the beginning of class on
the day the student returns to class. After this day, the work will be considered late and will not be accepted.
o For work that is assigned during a students absence, s/he has the same amount of time as the rest of the class:
if the class had overnight homework then the absent student has one day. If the assignment is one the students
are given a week or more to complete, the student will NOT be given extra time to complete the work.
.
Plagiarism: Cheating is absolutely not tolerated in this class. The student will be strictly held
accountable to the Lakeside policy for academic dishonesty, which states the following:
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to:
3.

Plagiarism: intentionally or knowingly presenting words, ideas, or work of others as ones own work. This includes
copying information obtained online without crediting the source, using a work or portion of a work written or created by
another but not crediting the source, or paraphrasing anothers work without giving credit.
4. Cheating: includes unauthorized cheat sheets, copying from one another, looking at another students exam, opening
books when not authorized, obtaining advance copies of exams, or use of unauthorized electronic devices.
Academic Dishonesty Consequences:
1st Violation
Fail test or assignment (no credit issued for that test or assignment)
Parent contact by teacher
Possible referral to administration for further action, including suspension from school, possible removal from class,
Saturday School, etc.
2nd Violation
Referral to administration
Suspension from school; parent conference
Possible removal from class with a grade of Withdraw/Fail (WF)

.
Extra Credit: Extra credit assignments are periodically offered in this class and are intended
to enrich the things that are being studied. Extra credit will always tie into a unit/assignment that we are working on
and will require hard work from any student who chooses to do it. Extra credit should never be relied on to raise a
students grade and will never be assigned for that purpose.
.
Silent Sustained Reading (SSR.): Every Tuesday and Thursday the period will begin or end
with SSR. Students who do not bring reading material to class and thus have nothing to read during SSR will be
assigned reading, and will not earn full credit for SSR. SSR is a great opportunity for students to read the novel for
their Independent Book Project.
.
English 10 Assignment Categories: I understand the assignment categories as outlined on the
previous page. Assignments that are not submitted on time will earn a score of zero and will have a negative impact on
my/my students overall grade.

Parent/Guardian Name

Student Name

Parent/Guardian Email

Parent/Guardian Phone Number