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Contact Information
Instructor: Ms. Lank
Classroom: W45
Email: vlank@dallasisd.org
Phone: (214) 860.3680 (This is the main office phone for the school. Please leave a message with
the person who answers; be sure to leave both your full name and callback number.)
Class Website: http://mslankreadingwriting.weebly.com
Welcome! I am excited to have you in my class, and I am very confident that we will have a
productive and meaningful semester. This syllabus provides an overview of this course and will
answer some of the questions you may have. Additionally, it communicates what the classroom
culture is, what you can expect, and what you need to do to be successful.
Course Description
Practical Writing is an intensive course structured to help you become college-ready writers. As
writing a complex and progressive progress, you can expect to be assigned a rigorous course
load which will help you to build the skills necessary to succeed in college-level courses and
beyond.
To become a better writer, you must practice both reading and writing often. No matter what
career path you choose, being a good writer will serve you well, allowing you to present others
with the best image of who you are.
After completing this course, you will be able to successfully use a variety of strategies
to generate ideas, create a first draft, revise ideas and organize and edit paragraphs and
sentences (composition);
Give peers constructive feedback on your writing (composition);
Evaluate arguments and use sources in your writing (rhetoric);
And discuss others viewpoints (in writing and orally) respectfully and accurately.
Required Materials
I expect you to come to class each period with the materials necessary to be successful. Please be
sure to pack the materials you need in a backpack and leave them there so you do not forget to
bring them to class. To be successful in the class, please bring with you to each class period:
A writing utensil
Two notebooks (one will be for journal entries, the other for notes)
Any class materials needed for the day (homework, readings, etc.)
A gluestick
If you cannot afford any of these materials, please see me as soon as possible so that we can
ensure you have the materials you need to be successful.
Readings will be provided in the class. The main textbook we will use in class is Readers
Journey; however, we will use a wealth of other sources as we progress through the semester.
Also, if you do not have a Smartphone, please let me know as soon as possible. We may do
activities that involve Smartphones, and I want to plan accordingly if students do not have
access to these devices.
Behavioral Expectations
In order to build a positive classroom culture that is conducive to learning, we must have a few
policies in place to avoid conflicts. Bear in mind that because you are students at an early college
high school, I have very high expectations of you, both academically and behaviorally. Thus, I
will generally manage the classroom as a college-level classroom is managed. For example, you
do not need a pass to go to the bathroom. That being said, I do expect everyone to behave as
college students would: do not go to the bathroom to use your cell phone or walk around the
school. I do expect you to be completely invested in your own success, and thus, if I judge that
any privileges are being abused, I will intervene.
Educational purposes does not include texting friends or using Facebook. If I judge that your
use of a cell phone or other technological device has become a distraction, we will meet to
discuss solutions. If the problem persists, I will contact your parents/guardians.
Please note that I comply with district policies regarding permissible Internet use. If you use
the Internet in a way that violates any of these policies, I will report the incident to the school.
Classroom Procedures:
Before entering the classroom, we will line up outside to take attendance and make sure
everyone is ready to go. When you enter the classroom, you will immediately get started on the
Do-Now warmup activity, which you find posted on the board. Once you have finished the DoNow, you will paste the Lesson Objectives (also on the board) in your notebook. Be sure to
submit to me any completed homework.
After the lesson of the day and any associated activities and prior to leaving class, each student
will complete a Demonstration of Learning, a short, independent activity which will help me
gauge whether the lesson was effective, and if not, what needs to be done.
Please do not leave until class has been dismissed. I will always do my best to end class on time
so that you can get to your next class. However, do not start packing up early and leaving until
I have dismissed class.
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Grading Policy
Classwork/Homework: 40% grade weight (homework not to account for more than half
of this percentage)
Tests/Quizzes: 25% grade weight
Projects: 20% grade weight (projects include composition papers, research papers,
presentations, and reports)
Six-Weeks Test Grade: 15% grade weight
Numerical grades will be issued in all courses in all Dallas ISD secondary schools. Grade ranges
are as follows:
70 to 100 = Passing
Below 70 = Failing
I = Incomplete (assignment must be made up within 10 school days or I becomes 50%.
See below sub-section for details.)
Attendance Policy
Regular attendance is essential for your success in this class. If you are absent five percent of the
time a class is offered in a semester, I will send a warning letter to the assistant principal, who
will send the letter to your parent/guardian. Here is the five-percent formula determining how
many classes must be missed to warrant a warning letter:
If you miss nine percent of the classes offered in a semester (five days for A-Days and three
absences for B-Days), I will complete a violation letter, which the assistant principal will send to
your parent/guardian.
If you have extenuating circumstances which prevent you from attending school for a length
period of time, the Attendance Review Committee will meet with you and your parent/guardian
to assess the situation.
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You are also expected to be to class on time and ready to learn each period. If you are more than
15 minutes late, you will be marked absent (same goes for leaving 15 minutes early). For ADays, three tardies equal one absence; for B-Days, two tardies equal one absence.
Projects/Rubrics
For the fall semester, you will choose two essays to write, using two of the prompts below. Your
essay should be two to three pages. Use a readable typeface with 11-point font size and 1.5spaced lines.
Expository Writing:
o Think of an invention that has been especially helpfulor harmfulto people.
Write an essay explain why and how the invention has been helpful or harmful.
o Many students have personal goals, such as making the honor roll, playing a
musical instrument, or being the top scorer on a sports team. To be successful
in reaching goals, having certain qualities can be helpful. Some of these might
include self-discipline, determination, or a positive attitude. Think about a goal
you have. In a well-developed composition, state your goal. Describe at least
two qualities you will need to reach your goal, and explain why each quality is
important for you to have in order to reach your goal.
Compare/Contrast Essay: Write an essay that compares and contrasts one of the
following:
o Your relationship with two different friends
o Two of your relatives
o Your feelings and what you actually do
o A place as it is now and as it was years ago (this could be a place as a large as a
country or a place as small as your house)
o Two U.S. presidents from different time periods (at least twenty years between
their terms)
Persuasive:
o Do parents have different hopes and standards for their sons than for their
daughters? Explain your answer, providing examples to prove your point. You
can use your own parents as an example.
o Should juvenile offenders receive life sentences? Why or why not? If you
answer sometimes, in what cases should juvenile offenders receive such
sentences?
o Do bystanders have a responsibility to intervene when there is trouble? Why or
why not?
o Is your generation more or less self-centered than earlier generations? Why or
why not?
o Does buying and accumulating more stuff make us happier?
o If you had unlimited resources, what scientific or medical problem would you
investigate? Why would you investigate it? What is its importance?
Note: Rubrics will be handed out to you when the project is assigned.
Assessments
October 2, 2015: Six-weeks exam
November 2, 2015: Essay 1 due
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Disabilities
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 guarantees that students with disabilities may
receive accommodations and services to ensure that their individual educational needs are met
as adequately as those of non-disabled students. If you have a documented disability that might
affect you in the classroom, please meet with me as soon as possible so that any arrangements
you need to be successful in the classroom can be made. Additionally, if you have not already
done so, please contact the districts Section 504 and Dyslexia Services.
Classroom Website
I have created a website for our class, where you will find the tentative class schedule and any
necessary documents and information you need. For example, if you miss a class, you can easily
find what you missed on the website and print out any necessary documents. If you prefer to
submit the work electronically in the case of an absence, you can send the assignment to my
email. I will respond to let you know that I received it.
Class website URL: http://mslankreadingwriting.weebly.com
NO CHEATING!
NO COPYING!
NO STEALING!
NO PLAGIARISM!
NO REPRESENTING SOMEONE ELSES WORK AS YOUR OWN!