Course Description for Honors English I: Fall 2008, LRHS

Introduction

This course is designed to be an introduction to the study of literature and composition for high school.
The skills this course seeks to strengthen are in the areas of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and
viewing. Student competency in these areas will be measured with a combination of teacher-made
assessments, Blue Diamond formative assessments, and an end-of-course examination. Student
performance on the end-of-course examination will factor significantly into the final grade for this course.

Reading: Students will be exposed to a cultural and historical cross section of texts, including but not
limited to: short stories, novels, nonfiction essays, poetry, and drama. Through careful consideration of
these texts, students will learn to recognize, define, and apply specific elements of literature and literary
terms.

Writing: Students will be required to write in almost every class period and there will be numerous writing
assignments outside of class throughout the school year. Writing will be taught as a recursive process that
requires them to prewrite, write, revise, and edit while fulfilling the specific requirements of the writing
assignment. Editing errors will be addressed as they occur in the context of student writing.

Speaking: Students will be required to participate in numerous speaking activities before both large and
small audiences. To effectively complete these activities, students must present their ideas in an organized
fashion using clear, precise language.

Listening and Viewing: Students will be required to listen to and view media actively and critically.
Through these endeavors, they will strengthen their abilities to communicate interpersonally and edify their
reading, writing, and speaking skills.

Grading Scale EOC Exam

A 100-93 60% Essays & Tests 25% of Final Grade

B 92-85 20% Quizzes
C 84-77 20% Homework & Classwork
D 76-70
F 69-below

Description of Assignments

Tests: Tests will utilize any combination of the following: essay, short answer, multiple choice, and
identification. Hand-written responses must be double-spaced & completed in black ink on college ruled,
loose-leaf paper and/or on a provided GradeMaster multiple-choice answer sheet with a #2 pencil.

Test Essays: These responses should be well-conceived responses to the essay prompts. The
quality of student writing is always far more important than quantity. Consequently, students
should devote the vast majority of their effort to ideas, but do not allow grammar, punctuation, or
style to suffer tremendously. These essays could be in-class or out-of-class assignments.

Short Answer: These responses should be quite brief. More than two or three complete sentences
are probably too much. Be certain to explain thoroughly and concisely.

Multiple-Choice: This testing method needs little explanation. The End-of-Course or EOC Test is
a multiple-choice exam and it is important for students to receive plenty of practice with this kind
of question.

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 Identification: Students will be asked to identify any combination of the following: quotations
from a literary work, names of authors, and titles of literary works. In addition, students will
frequently be asked to explain the significance of a particular quotation to the central ideas in a
literary work.

Writing Assignments: Writing will be a part of almost every class. Students will be responsible for taking
accurate notes, completing every essay assignment, and keeping track of an organized writing
portfolio of their writing.

Essays: Essay responses are extremely important and should reflect a great deal of thought and
preparation. The objectives for these responses will often be very specific and a rubric will be
provided to aid students in the writing process. Content, organization, structure, style, and
mechanics will be graded closely on every essay. These responses should be typed unless
otherwise noted. Illegible handwriting will adversely affect my opinion of student essays.

Quizzes, Classwork, and Homework: Success in English I demands that students successfully complete
daily quizzes, participate in class when tasks are assigned, and always complete homework.
Inattention to these areas is often what makes the difference in success and failure in this class.

Quizzes: Students will complete both pop quizzes and announced quizzes. These assessments
will be brief and take many forms (i.e. - short essay, multiple choice, or short answer).

Classwork: Group work, projects, class participation, speaking, viewing, and listening
assignments will be the primary assignments that fall into this category. On group assignments
students will receive the grade that the group earns. Not all classwork will be collected or graded.

Homework: Homework assignments will be collected at the beginning of the class unless students
are instructed otherwise. Students who are tardy or absent must have appropriate documentation
justifying their absence to make-up these assignments. Not all homework will be collected or
graded.

Topics Relevant to Classroom Procedure

• Student Behavior: Inappropriate behavior and the consequences for those actions are outlined and
explained in the student handbook. Students should review and read the student handbook when
in doubt. If any student does not have a handbook, one will be provided for that student. Any
student may ask for assistance if a rule is unclear, but ignorance of the school rules and county
rules is not an excuse. Just as inappropriate behavior will receive a disciplinary consequence,
appropriate behavior will be rewarded in some fashion.

• Personal Communication Devices and Entertainment Devices: Personal communication devices

(cell phones for instance) and personal entertainment devices (Ipods, video games, etc.) are NOT
PERMITTED in class. If I see or hear the device, whether it is being used or it is off, I will
take it and the student’s parent or guardian will need to come and collect it from me or from the
front office on the following day.

• Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the theft, borrowing, or lifting of another person’s phrasing or another
person’s ideas without attributing those ideas or that phrasing to the author. Plagiarism will not be
tolerated and students who plagiarize forfeit the right to receive credit for their falsified writing.

• Extra Credit: I will not assign or accept extra credit work that would allow an individual to
accumulate additional credit beyond what the class was offered. However, small extra credit
assignments may be offered to the entire class at unspecified times throughout the year.

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 • Make-Up Work/Absences: It is the student’s responsibility to schedule time to make up missed
assignments, tests, group work, class notes, and quizzes for days that he or she has excused
absences. Extended absences and absences resulting from suspensions will be handled on a case-
by-case basis. Visit my website for the times I have available for make-up work.

However, in the event that students have prior knowledge of an assignment, and they generally
will, they must make up the activity on the first day back to school. If making up the missed
assignment on the day of the student’s return is problematic, he or she must communicate with me
regarding the nature of that conflict – NO EXCEPTIONS! When the need arises, I will be
available, by appointment only, at designated times before and after school.

• Late Work: Our English department policy stipulates that late work receive a deduction of ten
points per day beyond the due date.

• Email: The most efficient way to contact me is via email. I will make every effort to respond to
all questions within forty-eight hours.

Mr. Phillips may be contacted at: rphillips@wcpss.net or by phone at LRHS 919-870-4250

• Personal Homepage for Mr. Phillips: I have a variety of valuable resources on the Web. The
location of my homepage is http://whitmansbeard.googlepages.com/robphillips. I hope students
and parents will take the time to browse my page and drop me a note if they have questions.

Suggested materials to purchase for this course:

 Binder – 1”- 2” should be more than adequate

 Dividers with tabs – The student will need five dividers. We will complete an organizational
activity in class with these dividers.
 Notepaper – College-ruled is preferred
 #2 Pencils
Pens - Blue and/or Black
Highlighters – Any colors
 Note cards – 4” X 6” cards or larger
 Travel Pack of Facial Tissues – When students have colds, this helps to avoid class disruptions.

Conclusion

Please make sure that you read and fully understand this course description. You and your parent or
guardian must read and sign off on the last page of this document to indicate that you and your
parent/guardian understand, accept, and will abide by the policies outlined in this course description.

Keep this course description in the front of your English binder (when you get one) because we will refer to
it in the future. After you and your parent/guardian have completed and signed the fourth page, turn it in to
me.

I look forward to working with you this semester!

Robert J. Phillips, Jr.

Fall Semester, 2008-2009

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Verification Form

Student must complete:

In signing this form, I am indicating that I have read the introduction, the grading scale,
the description of assignments, the topics relevant to classroom procedure, and the
conclusion. In addition to reading the handout, I am fully aware of the expectations of
this course and will follow the rules outlined in this document.

Print your full name…

Student____________________________________________________________

Sign your name…

Student_______________________________________Date_________________

Student Email: ______________________________________________________

Parent/Guardian must complete:

In signing this form, I am indicating that I have read the introduction, the grading scale,
the description of assignments, the topics relevant to classroom procedure, and the
conclusion. In addition to reading the handout, I am fully aware of the expectations of
this course for the student under my supervision and will endeavor to help that student be
successful in English I.

Print your full name…

Parent/Guardian______________________________________________________

Sign your name…

Parent/Guardian_________________________________Date_________________

Home Phone: _______________________________________________________

Work Phone: _______________________________________________________

Cell Phone: ________________________________________________________

Parent/Guardian Email: ______________________________________________