ATTITUDE IS A CHOICE! A GOOD ATTITUDE IS A GOOD CHOICE!

English 12 is a class designed to give you extensive practice in the language arts and to prepare you for higher education. Not only will you be required to do extensive reading and writing, but you will also be required to create and present projects using technology. You will also gain experience with independent reading, various reading strategies, and different learning techniques, which will prepare you for post-secondary education. However, the choice is yours! A good attitude in this class will guard against making excuses and putting off assignments until the last moment. Therefore, take responsibility for your actions and leave all negativism at the door.

AIM HIGH!
The greatest trouble with most of us is that our demands upon ourselves are so feeble. My expectations for each and every one of you are high. I expect each of you not only to achieve your goal but also to go beyond it. Your only limitations are the ones you set for yourself. Take risks. Effort will be rewarded in this classroom. Just see what you can accomplish. With a personal desire to succeed, the courage to take a chance, the willingness to work hard, and with the knowledge and skill you will acquire in this class, success is in your reach. Its your job to grab it.

NOTHING STOPS THE MAN WHO DESIRES TO ACHIEVE!

CLASS SYLLABUS
English 12/BCC Comp could be defined as a survey class of American literature, but other cultures will be explored. We will be reading the following novels: A Farewell to Arms Fahrenheit 451 The Grapes of Wrath One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest The Great Gatsby To Kill A Mockingbird

We read about one novel per week. Novels will be our main focus, but we will also be looking at short stories, poetry, and drama--if we have time. We will not only READ, READ, READ, but we will also WRITE, WRITE, WRITE. We will focus on academic writing, and you will also be asked to write papers of literary analysis, self-reflection, as well as other rhetorical papers. You will also write different types of paragraphs and several in-class timed writings to prepare you for college. You will also be completing an independent poetry project.

Grammar concepts will usually be taught in connection with our reading. Practice activities will focus on the six major areas of concern in writing: spelling, punctuation, especially comma use, subject/verb agreement, pronoun/antecedent agreement, run-on sentences, and fragments. We will also do some review activities with clauses and proofreading. This class will also emphasize the necessity of using active voice, action verbs, lively vocabulary, varied sentence structure, noun qualifiers, and parallel structure in your writing. I expect all of you to submit clean final copies. In other words, grammatical errors MUST be corrected before submitting your final copy. Your papers will be docked significantly if they contain run-ons, fragments, or unclear introductions or conclusions. On most of your writing assignments, you will be given the chance to revise your first copy in order to improve your paper, but this is your decision, and you will have only one week for this revision. If you choose not to revise your papers within that time period, the original grade will be recorded. ALL copies must be typed in Times New Roman or Courier New and with 12 pt. unless otherwise directed. ALL drafts must be doublespaced. Please realize that my purpose is to prepare you for post-secondary education, and I will be completely honest with your progress as a writer. If you want a sugar-coated evaluation, youre in the wrong class. EXTRA CREDIT: Im not an extra-credit type of teacher. I expect you to do ALL of the work that is assigned, so there is no extra credit in this college-bound English class.

CLASS REQUIREMENTS
1. Daily attendance is essential. 2. We have a lot to do in this class, so be on time and in your seat before the bell rings. (Just a little piece of advice: I DETEST tardies!) All tardies will be taken care of through the administration. Please see your handbook for more information on the tardy policy. 3. Have assignments prepared for class. I do not accept late work. Seriously, I really dont. Almost every writing assignment is worth 100 points, and if you dont hand me a final revision on the day that its due, you will receive a zero for that assignment. Do you KNOW how hard 100 points is to make up in this class? 4. Poetry assignments are worth fifty points. 5. Maintain a notebook as instructed. 6. Stay on task and use time wisely in improving language and writing skills. 7. Be attentive, courteous and cooperative, ACTIVELY participating in group activities, grand conversations, and TAKING NOTES. 8. Make a sincere effort to seriously improve your skills.

9. Class supplies: a three-ring notebook, dividers, pen, pencil, paper, a highlighter, and colored sticky notes. I also strongly suggest that you invest in a flash drive for your computer. 10. Writing workshops: I expect you to come prepared to work and to conference with other students about your writing, so always come with a rough draft. 11. I do NOT assess or evaluate incomplete work, including papers. 12. You will NOT be able to use an internet source for your papers of literary analysis from the world wide web, only magazine data bases. **You will not be allowed to work on any other class work in this class. If you are not disciplined enough to work on English ONLY, please leave the other books in your locker. If you choose to work on other class work in this class, you will be warned once. You will receive a thirty-minute detention with me after school on the day of the second offense.

STUDENT BEHAVIOR RESPONSIBILITIES

If a students behavior causes problems that interfere with learning in the classroom, the following policy will be followed. First occurrence: I will meet with you to discuss the problem. Second occurrence: I will phone your parents to discuss the situation. Third occurrence: I will refer you to Mr. Morrow. There may be occasion when you will find yourself at step three without experiencing steps one and two. All expectations are designed to make this classroom a positive and productive learning environment, and I expect ALL students to adhere to them. Gum and certain kinds of candy are allowed in my classroom, but if it becomes a problem, that privilege will be revoked. You are seniors, and I feel that you should be responsible enough to police yourselves. Please DO NOT bring pop or other foodstuffs to the classroom. DRESS CODE: You all know what the dress code says. If you dont, you should. Girls: If you wear a shirt that shows your stomach or too much cleavage or any other violation of the dress code, shorts or skirts too short, you may choose something to wear from my dress-up box or visit with Mr. Harrell. Guys: If you choose to wear inappropriate shirt or pants, the same choices are yours. We have too much to do in this classroom to be distracted by inappropriate clothing. Lets all

be adults, and just do what is right! I guarantee that I will not participate in any type of power struggle concerning this matter.

ABSENTEEISM
1. District policies will be followed for making up work. 2. Make-up assignments will NOT be given during class time. All make-up work must be picked up during seminar or before or after school. 3. If you know you are going to be gone or if you will be absent because of a school activity, you must get your work before you leave, and some assignments will be expected to be submitted before you leave. 4. REMEMBER: I DO NOT ACCEPT LATE WORK! 5. It is ESSENTIAL for you to be in class in order to be successful. If you choose not to be in class on a regular basis, your work WILL suffer.

EVALUATION PROCESS (Are you an ant or a sluggard?)

In this class you compete against yourself in an attempt to improve YOUR skills in reading, writing, thinking, and goal-setting. EFFORT IS REWARDED! I am available for consultation; ask for assistance and advice. Be encouraged. EVERY student will find many opportunities for choosing assignments from a variety of options; thus, every student may be encouraged and feel rewarded by his or her progress. I cannot and will not do your work for you, but I can guide you. Bringing a positive attitude into the classroom will enable you to be a positive contributor to yourself and to your peers. Therefore, leave your negative comments and your whining at the door.

GRADING SCALE
95-100 = A 90-94 = A87-89 = B+ 84-86 = B 80-83 = B77-79 = C+ 74-76 = C 70-73 = C67-69 = D+ 64-66 = D 60-63 = D59-Below = F

Your assignments are weighted: Tests, and quizzes are worth 40 percent of your grade. Writing assignments are worth 40 percent of your grade. Daily work is worth 20 percent of your grade. Your final grade will be a cumulative grade.

***Students who fail major tests may have the opportunity to re-take that test over the assessed objectives. The second test will cover the same objectives, but it will not be the same test. Also, the student may improve his or her score, but the best score that he or she can receive is a 59.4 percent.

PLAGIARISM
Lets face it. The internet has made it ridiculously easy for you to copy someone elses ideas and works and hand them in as your own. Please, I repeat, please do not attempt this venue, because it is just as easy to check to see if your work has been plagiarized. IF you ignore this warning, and I find that you have chosen to steal someone elses work, that particular assignment will receive a zero, and you will not have the opportunity to redo the assignment. **This class will definitely challenge you, and that is my goal. I hope that when you step out of my class and into a college setting that you will have the tools and the confidence that will enable you not only to succeed there but also to excel.

As your teacher, I can guarantee that:

--You will not fail if you seriously study and complete the work. -- You will increase your skills in reading, writing, and thinking. --You will develop independent reading and learning skills. --You will be exposed to and learn a plethora of information. --You will grow in confidence and responsibility.

DONT BE AFRAID TO FAIL! TAKE A RISK!

TRY NEW THINGS!

AIM HIGH!

STEP OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE You cant grow if you dont---AND---Lets have a great term!

Essay Requirements (BCC Students: You may see the complete syllabus on their website, but the syllabus I hand you will list the requirements for this concurrent class.) In addition to the above syllabus for English 12, those of you who are taking this class for college credit will be required to concentrate on formal essay writing. Most of these essays will be in response to the literature that you will be reading for English 12. You will be writing six essays of at least four pages in length. 1 Creative Nonfiction Essay (personal narrative) 1 Argumentative Formal Essay (literary analysis) 1 Formal Research Paper 3 Modal Formal Essays (definition, cause/effect, comparison/ contrast) 1 Independent Poetry Project These essays will be written in third person only, except for the personal narrative, in active voice, and with a formal structural organization. The essays will also contain action verbs instead of be verbs and vocabulary, which represents writing at the college level. Your research paper will follow MLA guidelines, and you will be expected to use citations correctly. No internet sources, except magazine data bases, will be accepted for your literary analysis. Writing Activities: You will also be required to write several in-class essays, as well as other written responses to the various literary pieces you will be reading. This literature may be in the form of novels, short stories, or other essays. You will also be required to use new vocabulary in original paragraphs that relate to the novels from which the words come. All essays/papers will be worth 100 points. Most of the responsive writing, vocabulary paragraphs, poetry, and in-class writings will be worth 50 points.