Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Room: 202
Mskatedawson@weebly.com
kdawson@fairfieldschools.org
Description:
English11isdesignedforstudentswhoarereflectivereaders,writers,andthinkers.Thecourseemphasizes
developingindividualinterpretationsofsophisticatedliterarytextsinincreasinglyautonomousways,
analyzingboththeideasinliterature,andthecraftofcreatingliterature.Communicationandcollaboration
areintegralcomponentsofthecourse.
Furthermore,studentswillparticipateinadevelopmentalsequenceofwritingassignmentsinorderto
interprettextsandtheirownexperiences.Focuswillbegiventodevelopingastrongpersonalwritingvoice
inexpositorywriting.
Expectations:
Studentswillbecomeincreasinglyresponsiblefortheirownlearningastheygeneratequestionsabouttexts,
collaborateinordertoextend,challenge,andbroadentheirthinking,andbecomeactivereadersbymaking
connections,makinginferences,notingconfusions,andrevisinginitialideasaboutatext.
Studentswillbeexpectedtoexaminefigurativelanguage,metaphoricalthinking,andphilosophicalmeaning
intexts.Independentandabstractthinking,atanacceleratedpace,isessential.
Studentswillalsoexpand
theirexperiencewiththesisbasedwritingbydemonstratinginductive,deductive,andnarrativethinkingin
theirexpositorywriting.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Connectliteraturetooneanotherandlargersocialandphilosophicalquestions/concerns
Developandbroadenthemodesofwriting
Recognizeandappreciatethewritingprocess
Challengeperceptionsandunderstandingsthroughreading,writing,discussingandcollaboratingwithpeers
Takeacriticalstancewhilereadingtexts
Developpersonalvoiceandstyleinwriting
Readawidevarietyofliterarytextstoexplorevariousoverarchingandstudentgeneratedquestions
Incorporateappropriategrammar,spelling,usage,andpunctuation
Continuetodevelopinferencebasedandcriticalthinkingskills
UNITS OF STUDY
Some of the titles we may read this year include: (either as a whole class novel or in readers
workshop)
Selected poetry and Short Stories
man
Aprimarypurposeofourunitsistoinstillinstudentsaloveofreading.ManyofmycolleaguesandIhavefound,sadly,that
atthispointintheirlearningcareersstudentshavelosttheirpassion(assumingtheyoncehadit)forreading.Researchpoints
heavilytothefactthatstudentchoice,wherestudentsareabletoselecttheirowntext,canbeapartofsolvingthisproblem.
Thus,inattempttoinspire,onceagain(orperhapsforthefirsttime),studentsloveofreading,wearealigningouryearwith
suchresearch.WewilldoacombinationofwholeclasstextsandReadersWorkshopchoicetexts.
Summative Assessments:
90%
Papers, tests, projects, writing assignments, quizzes
Formative Assessments:
10%
Journals, reader response, annotations, graphic organizers,
notes, some quizzes
Behavioral Characteristics:
0%
Overall daily on-task behavior, on-time submissions of work,
ability to raise the level of class discussion, overall
contributions to our classroom community.
Summative Assessment is assessment of learning and provides information to make judgments about student
achievement at the end of a period of instruction and for determining an achievement grade. Summative
assessment addresses the question, Have the students achieved the intended outcomes? These assessments
measure learning at the end of a period of instruction after students have had a chance to practice learning.
Formative Assessment is a process used by teachers and students during instruction that provides feedback to
adjust ongoing teaching and learning to improve students achievement of intended instructional outcomes. This
assessment for learning provides information about student progress and direction for improvement and / or
adjustment to a program for individual students or whole class. Formative assessment addresses the question,
Are the students learning the intended outcomes?
Behavioral characteristics include things like homework completion, participation, attitude, completeness of
notebooks, preparedness for class and the like. * From the district document on grading guidelines.
MATERIALS
EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENTS
1) Handinallworkontime!Late&missingassignmentswillseverelyimpactyourgrade.
2) Studentsareexpectedtodotheirownworkandthinking.Plagiarismwillbeaddressed
accordingtoschoolpolicy.
3) Workmissedduetoabsencemustbemadeupinatimelymanner.Itisthestudents
responsibilitytogathermissedassignmentsandclasswork/notes.SeeEdlineoremailyour
teacher.
4) Beontime:alllateentrieswillberecordedastardy.
5) Studentsmustattendwritingconferencesthroughouttheyear.Thesescheduledconferences
aregradedforattendanceandpreparedness.
6) AllFairfieldLudloweHighSchoolruleswillbeenforcedinthisclass.Respectisnumberone!
7) Readingquizzeswillbegivensporadicallythroughouttheyearnotallquizzesareannounced.
8) Bringyournotebook,book,pen/pencil,andhomeworktoclassdailyyouwillnotgetcreditfor
workthatyouleftinyourlockerwhenclassbegins,youmustbeprepared!
EXTRA HELP
Extra help is always available. Students should take the initiative to schedule conferences before,
during, and after school. If you need academic accommodations, preferential seating, or having
difficulty with any aspect of the learning environment, please make an appointment to discuss the
best learning environment for your needs.
Additional Course Information
StandardsBasedGrading:
Allwritingassignmentsinthisclasswillbegradedusingastandardsrubric.Thestandardsarethe10areasof
expositorywritingonwhichallgrade10studentswillfocusonthisyearinEnglishwriting(seeattached).
Thereare4achievementareasontherubric:
(4)ExceedsGoal(3)MeetsGoal(2)ApproachingGoal(1)SignificantlyBelowGoal
WhyStandardsBasedGrading?
1. Providesstudentswithclearexpectationsastowhattheyneedtoknow(contentbased).
2. Allowsstudentstoevaluatetheirownlearning.
3. Allowsforinstructiontochangetomeettheneedsofeachstudent.
4. Differentiation:
Allowsforstudentstoshowmasteryofaskillbeforemovingontothenexttopic.
Studentswhoprovesuccessinmeetingagoalcanbeenrichedandchallengedfurther
5. Onlyacademicachievementshouldbeusedtoevaluategoalachievement(behavior,tardiness,HW
completion,cheatingetc,areseparateentities.nonacademicresponseneeded)
6. Standardsbasedsystemsallowsstudentstomoveaheadintheirlearning,basedonindividualneedrather
thancontinuingtobetaughtwhattheyalreadyknow.Standardsbasedsystemsrequirethatlearningstarts
wherethestudentisratherthanwhereheorsheshouldbe,basedonanageorgradelevel.(TakenfromStandard
BasedGradingWhatsinitforStudents(internetarticlebyTimFox)
PaperFormatting:AllformalpaperswillbewritteninMLAformat,12pointTimesNewRomanfont,double
spaced,leftjustified,1margins(unlessotherwisedirected).Feelfreetocheckout:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/printable/557/forfurtherassistance. Forheadings,seetheexamplebelow.
Header:FirstInitialLastNamePage#
FirstandLastName
Dawson
ENG11/Period
Date
OriginalTitlefortheAssignment:SubtitletoSpecifyAssignment
Note:Allotherpagesoftheassignment/papershouldbenumberedwiththestudentsFirstInitialandLast
Nameandpagenumbersshouldalsobeincludedintheheaderaswellasi.e.K.Dawson2.
I look forward to an exciting year full of growth and new learning with each
and every one of you! I promise to keep pushing you and challenging you
(even when you think you cant possible stretch yourself any further) and I
promise you will become a stronger reader, writer, and thinker than you are
right now. In return, I ask that you come to class each day with an open mind
and with an eagerness to learn and grow.
Please sign below, along with a parent, indicating that you have read and are clear on all the
course and student expectations.
Studentsprintedname______________________________________________________
Studentssignature
X_____________________________________________________
Parentsprintedname________________________________________________________
Parentssignature
X_____________________________________________________