LOVE WORLD LITERATURE

9th Grade - Handley High School - 2017/18

This syllabus is tentative; the teacher reserves the right to make changes necessary to improve student progress.

WELCOME TO ENGLISH 9
In this course students will practice reading comprehension through the study of world literature,
expand their lexicon with the use of poetry and informational text, improve their writing skills
through short answers, journal entries, and essay, strengthen their communication skills with
reviews and debates, and continue their master of the English language, as aligned with Common
Core standards.

Furthermore, students will be expected to demonstrate a level of maturity befitting their age,
engage in self-discipline, which will include organization and accountability, and actively take
advantage of their right to an education by participating during class, completing assignments as
assigned, and showing respect towards their classmates, the teacher, and themselves.

Like all things worthwhile in life, grades are not given, they are earned.

SYLLABUS OVERVIEW
English 9 complies with the required contents for the Alabama Course of Study and consists of
two 12-week courses covering literature, writing and language, research, and speech. Each
trimester will be broken into approximately eight units that will build off of and connect with one
another. Please note that some units may be subject to change due to class needs, scheduling
complications, or other unforeseen circumstances.

This syllabus includes more detailed descriptions for reading, writing, speech, and language
assignments students will complete in English 9, Mrs. Love's discipline policy, Handley High
School's requirements to pass this course, and other important classroom information.

WEBSITE
Most of the information found in this syllabus, as well as the syllabus itself, can be found at
http://mrslovelit.weebly.com/. This site also includes a breakdown of the separate units to be
covered, has homework calendars for 9A and 9B, other related and useful information and
resources, and Mrs. Love will upload important class material as the school year progresses.
Students should bookmark this website as it will be used often for assignments.
Parents/guardians are encouraged to use this online resource to find information about the
course, stay on top of homework and classwork assignments, and take advantage of the resource
pages.
 CLASSROOM OVERVIEW
Requirements:
1. Student must have no more than 4 unexcused absences from English 9 during the length of
the course in order to earn credit.
2. Student must pass with a minimum grade of 60.
3. Student must be responsible for make-up work for excused absences as designated by
handbook guidelines (i.e. excuses must be presented within 3 days and make-up work must be
completed within one week).
4. Student must bring supplies to class each day. Mrs.Love will not supply any.

Supplies:
1. Loose leaf lined paper 2. Blue or black pen
3. Pencil 4. Class Folder (Provided by Mrs. Love)

Class Expectations
By the time the tardy bell rings students should be...
1. Seated at their assigned desks
2. Working on the assigned bell ringer
3. Have any homework due set on the left hand side of their desk
As class proceeds students are expected to...
1. Have their material and supplies ready and available
2. Remain on task in order to complete their work on time
2. Raise their hand and wait for permission to speak
Before they may leave class students must...
1. Make sure the area around and beneath their desk is clean
2. Make note of their homework in a designated planner or folder
3. Complete and submit the assigned exit ticket
At all times students must...
1. See Mrs. Love when they need to make up work
2. See Mrs. Love if they need assistance
3. Behave in a responsible and respectful manner

Class Rules
1. Respect the Room
2. Respect the Material
3. Respect the Teacher
4. Respect Your Peers
5. Respect Yourself
Office Hours
If a student needs to see Mrs. Love about missing work, make-up work, grades, questions, or any
other personal matters, they may come to her room during the predetermined hours listed below:

Monday -Thursday
7:15am - 7:45am & 3:00pm - 3:30pm

These hours exist to avoid class time being interrupted. If these office hours do not work for a
guardian, a special appointment can be made. Students must meet during the predetermined
hours. Also, due to school events, meetings, or other unforeseen circumstance, Mrs. Love may
not be available during normal office hours on certain days. If this is the case, she will strive to
inform the students.

Contact
Mrs. Love can be reached at her school email or personal cell number, both listed below:

Cell (909) 919-7775

klove@roanokecityschools.org

Please note that Mrs. Love will not respond to emails, calls, or texts after five o'clock unless
they are urgent. Additionally, students are expected to write appropriate emails and text
messages when contacting Mrs. Love, meaning they must include a related subject line (if an
email), their message must following correct mechanics of English, and they must end with a
complimentary close. This is to help student practice professional correspondence.

Getting the Grade

Test Grade vs. Daily Grade
Grades entered into the grade book, and hold the weight of, two categories.
-Daily Grades: Most in-class and homework assignments will be daily grades are worth
30% of a student's overall grade.

-Test Grades: Most projects, essay, and all quizzes and tests will be test grades and are
worth 70% of a student's overall grade.

It is important that students take care to keep both their test grades and their daily grades up, as
both categories can have a significant effect on their final grade in English 9. More so, student
must be vigilant in doing well on large test grades - such as their independent book report - as
they can make or break the final grade.
Classwork and Homework
Classwork and homework will almost always be daily grades and so will consist of 30% of a
students overall grade. It is important that students stay on task and turn in their work in a
timely manner in order to keep their grades high. In class, work will almost always including a
bell ringer and exit ticket. Failure to complete these minor assignments could damage a students
grade.

Grading Scale vs. Completion Grade

All submitted assignments and assessments will either be graded as a letter grade or as a
completion grade.

-Letter Grade: Student work will be graded with a percentage based on the quality of
their work. For larger assignments, rubrics will be provided to the students and posted
online

-Completion Grade: Student work will receive either a pass or a fail based off of the
completion of their work. Incomplete assignments will receive zero points even if
submitted. Students are highly encouraged not to take zeros on completion grades as they
will add up.

Weekly Notes
The ability to take notes in a quick and effective manner is an important skill for both academics
and the work force. Starting in English 9 and continuing on through the rest of their English
courses at Handley High School, students will be expected to take notes and use these notes to
review subject material for assignments, quizzes, tests, and finals.

If a student misses class they are expected to get the day's notes from a classmate if able or see
Mrs. Love during her office hours to review the lesson. Prefabricated notes will not be provided.

Mrs. Love will provide students will a folder to keep their notes (along with other class
documents and assignments) in. This folder will be submitted on Fridays (as the schedule allows)
for a quick notebook check which will be worth a completion grade of ten points.

Extra Credit
Under no circumstances, will extra credit be given on request. Students will, however, have the
opportunity to earn extra credit throughout the trimester. One of these opportunities is a trimester
project.
These projects will require a significant amount of work and so are not something students can
"just do overnight", but are worth a significant amount of potential points. All students are
encouraged to take advantage of one of these projects. Students can find project information for
both English 9A and English 9B on Mrs. Love's website.

Students are only allowed to submit one extra credit project per trimester. This does not include
extra credit that can be earned through daily assignments, homework, and assessments. The extra
credit projects will be graded on scale and not as a completions grade. This means that simply
turning in one of these extra credit projects does NOT guarantee a student all of the potential
points. If two or more students work on and submit a project together, the earned points will be
divided evenly among them.

Another opportunity for extra credit are vouchers the students will receive at the start of each
trimester. These vouchers will include bathroom passes, late work extensions, and others.
Unused vouchers will turn into extra credit at the end of a trimester. With these vouchers are two
more extra credit opportunities where students can earn points for exceptional behavior and/or
coming in for tutoring.

Fridays
Each Friday (or as the month allows) students will...
-Have a small quiz covering the material from that week
-Have their notes checked for a completion grade
-Write a journal entry in their provided journal in response to the provided prompt
-Can speak to Mrs. Love about grades and class work
-Can make-up applicable missing work

Free Friday
The Friday after a progress report (as the schedule allows) students with a class average of 75%
or above will have a "free" day. Students who did not maintain a C average will be given a
packet of all their missing work and use this day to, independently, complete these assignments.

All missing work must be submitted by the following Monday and will be graded with a 20%
penalty for failure to complete the work when assigned. If a student does not take advantage of
this opportunity to make up their work, the missing assignments will become permanent zeros in
the grade book. Exceptions and extensions will not be made.

Phone Policy
Students may use their cell phones in class for assignments, projects, and participation, so they
will be allowed to keep their phones during class. However, they are NOT allowed to use their
phones unless given permission by the teacher and are expected to use their phones for class
related reasons. If a student uses their phone when they should not or for something they should
not, the phone will be confiscated and turned into the office and picked up per Handley High
School policy as found in the Student Handbook.

After a student's phone has been taken up for the second time, they will earn a spot in Mrs.Love's
"Cell Jail". This will be a designated spot in the classroom, labeled with the student's name,
where offending phones are expected to be placed before the start of class and cannot be picked
up until given permission by the teacher at the end of class.

Mrs. Love will provided a charging station for students to plug in their phones if requested.
This station will be placed behind her desk and can not be accessed until the end of class. This
means if a student wishes to charge their phone in class they must plug it in during the bell ringer
and can not go back until Mrs. Love says at the end of class.
______________________________________________________________________________

MATERIAL OVERVIEW

In English 9 students will be expected to practice the skill of composition through several forms,
including but not limited to essays, poetry, short answers, journals, and technical texts. These
assignments will serve as a foundation preparing students for more difficult and demanding
coursework in later grades as well as work place demands after they graduate. Students will be
expected to write in a manner which deliberately expands their vocabulary and demonstrates
mastery of basic English grammar and mechanics.

Described below are the three major assignments students will assigned over the next school
year. Note that these assignments can have a significant impact on a student's final grade in both
English 9A and English 9B, as the cover the standards of reading, writing, speaking and
listening, and language.

Failure to complete and/or put the appropriate effort may cause a student to fail the course. It is
recommended that students keep themselves organized and on schedule when completing these
assignments as they are all graded on the final product as well as the work building up to that
final product. Procrastination will harm final grades.
Essays
In English 9 students will be expected to write a total of two five-six paragraph essays using the
writing process: a creative nonfiction essay in 9A and research paper in 9B. Students will be
expected to write their research paper using the appropriate MLA format, including in-text
citations and a bibliography, which will be covered in classed and used during the rest of their
time at Handley High School.

(Note that the paragraphs in these essays will be larger than those written in the 8th grade. The
Handley High School English Department aims to create strong and confident writers prepared
for the demands of both college and a multitude of careers. This means both essay and paragraph
lengths will increase as students move up the grades. The ability to express oneself clearly and
articulately through written word will be important for future success.)

Both of the essays assigned will be graded in two parts. The first part will be a daily grade worth
50 points and will include all of the work leading up to the final submitted draft (brainstorming,
drafts, peer review, ect.). These 50 points will be made up of completion grades, meaning failure
to do the work and do the work on time will result in point deduction.

The second part will be a test grade worth 50 points and will include the final submitted draft and
bibliography (when appropriate). These 50 points will be graded on a rubric. This means students
will be graded on content, mechanics, and effort. These final drafts will not be accepted late
unless the student present proof of an unavoidable incident. If a student know they will not be
present on a due date, it is their responsibility to make arrangements to turn it in later or turn it in
beforehand.

Presentations
In English 9 students will be expected to write, refined, present, and evaluate speech and short
verbal reports covering various topics including but not limited to poetry, informative lectures,
their creative nonfiction essay, and a class debate. All of these types of oral reports will be
reviewed and discussed in class before students are required to present.

Presentations will be assigned and will be graded in two parts similar to that of the essay and
book report. The first part will be a daily grade worth varying values based on the complexity of
the assignment and will include all of the work leading up to the final submitted draft (brain
storming, drafts, peer review, ect.). These points will be made up of completion grades, meaning
failure to do the work and do the work on time will result in point deduction.

The second part will be a test grade worth varying values based on the complexity of the
assignment and will include the final submitted draft and the student's presentation. These points
will be graded on a rubric. This means students will be graded on content, clarity, confidence,
and effort.
______________________________________________________________________________

ATHLETICS & OTHER EXTRA CURRICULARS

Studies show that students who are involved in programs outside of the classroom are more
likely to succeed in school, so students at Handley High School are greatly encouraged to engage
in athletics and other extra curricular organization.

However, involved students are still required to stay on top of their academic work and meet
required expectations. Mrs. Love will offer these students reasonable extensions and extra
assistance when appropriate, but if all students will still be held accountable for their own work
quality and effort.

Involved students are required, as their fellow classmates are as well, to do the following:
-Notify Mrs. Love when they will be missing class for athletic or extracurricular reasons,
-Ask for and make up missing work in a timely manner
-Get missing notes from a classmate or see Mrs. Love for a review of the lesson
-Attend detentions if assigned during the hours pre-allocated by Mrs. Love
-Seek extra tutoring if needed
-Make up any missed tests with-in one week of the original test day
-Turn in large projects specified as having a hard due date on time

If a student involved in athletics and/or other extra curriculars fails to adhere to the expectations
above and/or earns below a 70% class average at any point during the trimester, a parent
conference will be held and the appropriate coach or sponsor will be notified accordingly. If the
students academic success and responsibilities continue to decline, further action will be taken,
including but not limited to another conference including school administration, temporary
suspension from the students activity, disciplinary measures by the students coach/sponsor, the
students complete removal from their activity.
______________________________________________________________________________

DISCIPLINE POLICY

Plagiarism and Cheating

To prevent students from failing to take full advantage of the educational opportunity presented
to them here at Handley High School, all forms of plagiarism and cheating will be penalized with
an automatic zero on the assignment - including test grades - and a detention.
Furthermore, suspicion of cheating and/or plagiarism will, by default, be penalized until
evidence proving the case otherwise is presented. During English 9A&B, students will review
what is considered plagiarism and cheating.

Detentions
If a student fails to follow any Handley High School rules, as outlined in the Student Handbook,
acts disrespectful in some manner, engage in cheating and/or plagiarism, or otherwise creates a
disruption of the learning environment, they will receive a detention to be served before or after
school in Mrs. Love's room during her office hours with-in the dates allotted.

All detention assignments will be followed with a call home. Failure to attend these detentions
will result in a write up referral to the office. Continued disruption will result in further action.

Parent Conferences
If a students continually engages in disruptive and/or disrespectful, is caught cheating or
plagiarizing, and/or is earning a low grade in class, parents/guardians will be contacted via a
letter home as well as a phone call and a conference will be held on campus at the earliest
convenience to discuss the matter. If a parent/guardian can not be reached by the teacher, Mrs.
Love will request that the office contact them and Mr. Foster or Mr. Cole will be asked to sit in
on the conference.
 SYLLABUS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I, ______________________________________, acknowledge that I have read the syllabus

provided to me by Mrs. Love for English 9A & 9B. I understand what is expected of me as a 9th
grade student of Handley High School and what is required of me to pass and excel in this class,
as is outlined and explained in the syllabus.

Additionally, I understand that I have been provided with an online resource that includes this
syllabus, additional information about English 9, class work, home work calendars, and
resources made readily available to help me succeed.

Lastly, I understand that my grade, and by proxy, my success is my responsibly. Failure to pay
attention, study when needed, completing my work, and acting up can harm my grade and may
cause me to fail the class. I know that I am a responsible young adult who can take charge of my
future and put forth by best effort by avoiding these issues.

_________________________________ _________________________________
Student Name Printed Student Signature

__________________
Date

I, the guardian of the student named above, am aware of Mrs. Love's expectations, requirements,
and discipline policy as outlined in this syllabus. I am also aware of her online classroom which I
can access to see what my student is currently working on, follow their homework assignments,
and access provided resources. Lastly, I understand that Mrs. Love is available to speak about
any school related matters via email, over the phone, or in person.

_________________________________ _________________________________
Guardian Name Printed Guardian Signature

__________________
Date

Parents, please fill out as much of the following as you are able:
Best phone number to call: __________________________ Can Mrs. Love text you? Y / N
When is the best time to call? _____________________________________________________
Email you can be reached by: _____________________________________________________
 DO NOT WRITE ON THIS SHEET OF PAPER

SYLLABUS SCAVENGER HUNT

Using the syllabi provided to you by Mrs. Love, work as a group to answer the following
questions on a separate sheet of paper. First group to complete all of the questions correctly wins
a prize. All groups must finish as this will be graded. No, you do not have to write in complete
sentences, but your answers must be clear and legible to count.

1. Can this syllabus change as the year goes? If so, why?

2. Using context clues, what is a lexicon?
3. You, as a student are expected to show respect towards... (5 things)
4. What is the URL for Mrs. Love's website?
5. What are three thing you can find on Mrs. Love's website?
6. How many unexcused absences can you have?
7. What is the minimum grade you need to pass? Give the percentage.
8. If you miss class, will Mrs. Love hunt you down to give you your missing work?
9. What are the four supplies you should have in class each day?
10. Name one thing you must do by the tardy bell.
11. Name one thing you must do in class.
12. Name one thing you must do before you leave class.
13. Name one thing you must do at all times.
14. What are Mrs. Love's office hours?
15. When will Mrs. Love not respond to a text, call, or email?
16. Explain the difference between a test grade and a daily grade.
17. Explain the difference between a letter grade and a completion grade.
18. Are you expected to take notes in this class?
19. Briefly explain how a student can earn extra credit in English 9. Include all elements.
20. What will the class do on (most) Fridays? Include all elements.
21. What happens on the Friday after a progress report?
22. What happens if you do not turn in make-up work the first Monday of the new month?
23. Briefly describe the phone policy.
24. What types of essays will you be writing in English 9. Include all of them.
25. Will you have to speak in front of the class in English 9?
26. What is expected of students involved in athletics and/or other extra curriculars?
27. What will happen if an involved student starts to fall behind?
28. What happens if you get caught cheating or plagiarizing?
29. How will detentions be served? Be specific.
30. When will Mrs. Love make a call home to your guardian?