English 9

University City High School

Elizabeth Frohoff

efrohoff@sandi.net

https://efrohoff.wordpress.com/

(858) 457-3040 ext 115

Course Syllabus

This is an English class unlike any other that you’ve experienced. This course will challenge yourself as a reader and a writer and will help cultivate your critical thinking skills as you reflect on the material to grow as an individual. We’ll be exploring many things about our world and yourself this year. So, let the journey begin! We’re going to focus our reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills on three thematic units this year: Identity, Faces of Love, and False Narratives. Each one will contain selections of memoir, drama, short fiction, nonfiction, novels, news articles, speeches, poetry, films, and lots more. You’ll be making lots of choices about how to expand, explore, and assess your own learning, and you’ll have many opportunities to read and write creatively in every unit. Learning to use technology is also a crucial part of this course; you’ll be working with programs in Microsoft Office. We’ll also learn how to use the internet for effective research and how to cite your sources. I’m sure that many of you are already comfortable with your technological skills, so this class may be a place to show off what you already know. Addressing the COMMON CORE: Common Core is not scary. It has nothing to do with what literature is taught; it is about HOW it is taught.

1. Students are not lead through the materials as much as in years past. In other words, rather than "front loading" students with introductory material, they are often asked to have a "productive struggle" through "complex text." Although lectures are sometimes appropriate in a college-level class, students do a lot more discovery on their own with Common Core.

2. Because Common Core is about a lot of non-fiction material, teachers in all subject areas now use supplementary texts, sometimes called companion texts. In English courses, we do not drop the core literature; we add to it. So, for example, with fiction or drama units, non-fiction articles, documentaries, historical documents and even cartoons are integrated into the units using a variety of lessons, sometimes replacing lectures or other activities.

3. Part of the Common Core is learning HOW to struggle through complex texts, so students will be learning how to annotate texts and will be required to do so for credit.

4. Academic language is also important to Common Core, so teachers are using and developing academic language through both the texts chosen and discussions.

5. In order to prepare for the Smarter Balanced tests that all eleventh graders will take in the spring, students will take the Smarter Balanced practice tests online and the district-

made benchmarks that were designed to prepare students for the tests

Student Recommended Materials*

• 2 or 3 Subject Notebook (This serve as the student’s interactive notebook)

• Lined Paper

• Blue or Black pen

• Pencil

• Planner

Grading Policies

a. (Scholarship) Grade Scale

100-89.5% A

89.4-79.5% B

79.4-68.5% C

68.4-58.5% D

58.4% and below F

b. Citizenship grades will be based on attendance, participation, and classroom behavior.

Citizenship grades in each 6-week period will be averaged for the semester grade.

• To Receive an Excellent (E)

o Student is always on time and present in the class. Student consistently

receives high scores on participation *see attached rubric

o Student’s grade is above average and their work is always turned in on

time and is exemplary

o Student is always actively engaged, respectful and provides assistance

readily when needed by the teacher or classmates

o Student regularly goes above and beyond the class expectations and

requirements

• To Receive a Good (G)

o Student is always on time and has few excused absences.

o Student consistently receives high scores on participation *see attached

rubric

o Student’s grade is above average and their work is turned in on time

and is above average

o Student is actively engaged, respectful and provides assistance readily

when needed by the teacher or classmates

• To Receive a Satisfactory (S)

o Student is respectful and provides assistance at times.

o Class behavior does not disrupt or interfere with the activities or rights

of other students and staff

o Student receives average scores on participation

o Student work is usually on time and is complete

o Student is engaged, and respectful to the teacher or classmates

o Students’ grade is average

* Dear Student: The Constitution of the State of California requires that we provide a public education to you free of charge. Your right to a free education is for all school/educational activities, whether curricular or extracurricular, and whether you get a grade for the activity or class. Subject to certain exceptions, your right to a free public education means that we cannot require you or your family to purchase materials, supplies, equipment or uniforms for any school activity, nor can we require you or your family to pay security deposits for access, participation, materials, or equipment. You may be required to attend a fundraising event; however, if you are unable to raise funds for the event, you will not be prevented from participating in an educational activity. For more information visit www.sandi.net/staff/studentfees

• To Receive a Needs to Improve (N)

o Students’ behavior is often disruptive and interferes with the activities

of the class and the rights of other students and staff

o Student is tardy 3 or more times in a 6 week period

o Student is truant 1 time in a 6 week period

o Students’ work is poor and is often incomplete and late

o Students’ participation scores are regularly low

• To Receive an Unsatisfactory (U)

o Students’ behavior is often very disruptive and interferes with the

activities of the class and the rights of other students and staff

o Student is absent more than 10 times in a semester

o Student is tardy 4 or more times in a 6 week period

o Student is truant more than 1 time in a 6 week period

o Students’ work is poor and is often incomplete and late or not turned in

at all

o Students’ participation scores are regularly very low

c. Course Breakdown

The grade you earn in this class will be based on:

• Projects 30%

• Tests/Essays 25%

• In Class Activities 20%

• Notebook Checks 25%

d. Office Hours

I am available for tutoring any time by appointment. Students can make arrangements

with me before or after class. Additionally, I am available during lunch except Friday and

before school beginning at 7am or earlier with prior arrangement. After school tutoring is

available but must be scheduled in advance.

*Please note, I am also the Yearbook Adviser and as such spend many lunches next

door in the Yearbook room, 233. If I am not in my room at lunch then students should

look for me next door in the Yearbook room.

e. Make-up work

Make-up work will only be accepted with an excused, verified absence. It is the

student’s responsibility to obtain any missed work upon returning to class and turn it

in promptly. Generally, the number of days in which the student is absent equals the

number of days they have to turn in any missed work. For example: 2 consecutive days

missed= 2 days to turn in missed assignments

f. Late Work

Students will have the opportunity to turn in late assignments for partial credit. Every

day late the assignment’s grade will be lowered by one grade, i.e. 1 day late the highest

grade a student could hope to receive is a B, 2 days late a C until the assignment

becomes half credit. Any and all late or missed assignments can be turned in anytime

during that unit of study, after the unit is complete, work will no longer be accepted for

that unit.

*Please note the STUDENT is responsible for getting the missing work in a timely

manner from the teacher after class, before school, lunch or after school. Students

who do not pick up missing work immediately following an absence will result in the

work being counted as late.

Attendance Policies

Attendance is crucial for student success. Multiple absences can have a serious affect on both

academic and citizenship grades. Students with 4 or more tardies on one class during a 6-week

grading period may earn a U as a citizenship grade. Student may make up tardies in school

detention. Students with 10 absences in one class during a semester may earn an F for their

academic grade, as attendance is crucial to academic success. The website will be updated

daily to reflect the daily journal, activities and assignments for the day.

Discipline Policies

a. Electronics

Per district policy (see below), using cell phones or any electronic device in class is

disruptive and not allowed on during classroom time. All students will relinquish their

cell phones upon entering class each day. Cell phones will be placed in a student’s

assigned pocket holder on the whiteboard and will be returned after class ends. Should

a student not possess a cell phone or have forgotten it that day he/she will need to have

their parent/guardian send an email or note stating that fact. Should a student be found

in possession of their cell phone, the phone will be confiscated and given to the front

office for their parent/guardian to pick up and their citizenship will suffer.

Cellular Phones and Other Electronic Signaling Devices:

Education Code section 48901.5 allows school boards to set policy on the use and

possession of cellular telephones and other electronic devices on school campuses. On

December 9, 2003, the Board of Education approved Policy H-6980 which allows

students possession and use of cell phones and other electronic signaling devices on

campus before school, during lunch, and after school. These devices must be kept out

of sight and turned off during classroom time. Unauthorized use of such devices

disrupts the instructional program and distracts from the learning environment.

Therefore, unauthorized use is grounds for confiscation of the device by school

officials, including classroom teachers. School personnel do not have resources to

investigate instances of lost or stolen property. Students and parents are notified of this

district policy each year through the Facts for Parents booklet that is available for

download on the district website: www.sandi.net.

b. School Policies

Students not adhering to all UCHS policies, including dress code will NOT be

allowed to turn in work nor participate in class activities if in violation of a school

policy

c. No Food (including gum) or Drink (bottled water acceptable) in the classroom.

Video Permission Slip

We will be watching a variety of films that highlights and enhances our discussion and lessons

throughout our units of study, including but not limited to Of Mice and Men (1992) rated PG-13,

Romeo and Juliet (1996) rated PG-13, The Simpsons, Season 13, Episode 14: Tales from the Public

Domain, Mean Girls (2004) rated PG-13, and The Breakfast Club (1985)* rated R-see note below.

* During our first unit on Identity students will be watching and then participating in a class

discussion on the identity issues related to societal expectations and the ability and importance

of being yourself in the film The Breakfast Club (1985). The film deals with themes around

high school teens dealing with stereotypes, peer and parental pressure, social alienation,

depression, materialism. There are some instances of strong language, including one instance

with the f-word. One scene shows the teens smoking pot together in the library. In another, a

teen is seen smoking and makes a few lewd gestures. A teen also discusses a memory of

emotional and physical abuse (a cigar burn on his arm) by the father. The film makes a point of

highlighting the identity struggles of teens going through high school and positively

encourages breakdowns of societal barriers as a means of identification and improved

communication as well as the difficulties of being stereotyped and likewise stereotyping other

individuals into pre-conceived categories such as, jock, nerd, princess, basket case and

criminal. After the film we will discuss the role of society, peer pressure, parental pressure in

determining identity, and stereotyping individuals as well as judging people based on their

appearance. (Common Sense Media).

Student Name _____________________________________________________________

School/Teacher ____________________________________________________________

I am the parent/legal guardian of the child named above

(Please check the appropriate blank below.)

I DO give permission for my child to view all curriculum and school appropriate

film/videos mentioned in this letter

I DO NOT give my child permission to view the following film(s):

______________________________________________________________________

I understand alternate learning experiences will be provided for my child while the

movie is being watched. Any films I have not listed above I give permission for my

child to participate in the curriculum.

________________________

Signature of Parent or Guardian Date

English 9

University City High School

Elizabeth Frohoff

efrohoff@sandi.net

https://efrohoff.wordpress.com/

(858) 457-3040 ext 115

*Please check out the website and sign up to follow the blog to keep up to date with the class

activities, projects, tests and homework

Student/Parent Contract

Print Student Name: ___________________________________ Period: __________

I have read and understand the class syllabus, the common core, its objectives, expectations,

requirements, and grading policies as well as the Electronics policy.

Student Signature: _______________________________ Date: _________________

I have read and understand the class syllabus for my student, its objectives, expectations,

requirements, and grading policies as well as the Electronics policy.

Parent/Guardian Signature: ______________________________ Date: _________________

Student email address: ____________________________________________________

Parent/Guardian email address (Print Clearly): ____________________________________________

Parent Home Phone Number: ______________________________________________

Parent Cell Phone Number: ________________________________________________

Additional Information: If there is anything you would like to share with me regarding best means of

contact, best time to be reached, etc.? Is there anything else I should know about your child?

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

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