English 10 Syllabus

Instructor: Kellie Monibidor kmonibidor@d59.k12.id.us kmonibidor.weebly.com

Course Materials
Every student is expected to have a composition notebook, which you will use daily in and out of class.
These can be found at Wal-Mart for 88 cents. This notebook, which will hold the bulk of your work for this
class, will be due every two weeks.
Course Outcomesby the end of this course you will be able to
1. Write narratives with purpose and meaning
2. Write and appropriately structure argumentative essays
3. Write an analysis paper with proper citations
4. Give effective presentations
Course Overview
Welcome to your second semester of English 10! If we work hard during this semester, all of us can be
successful at writing powerfully, presenting effectively, and most importantly, thinking deeply. This course will
focus on world literature, so we will be studying perspectives from different cultures and backgrounds which
will likely be very different from our own. You might not agree with all of their view points, but considering
them will expand your understanding of others and will increase your ability to relate to others.
In this class, we will be considering and forming our own opinions so that we can better understand
ourselves. I hope you leave this classroom with a slightly better idea of who you are, and with more confidence
in yourself and where you are headed.
Grading and Recurring Assignments
Letter Grade

Percentage

93%-100%

A-

90%-92.9%

B+

87%-89.9%

83%-86.9%

B-

80%-82.9%

C+

77%-79.9%

73%-76.9%

C-

70%-72.9%

D+

67%-69.9%

63%-66.9%

D-

60%-62.9%

0%-59.9%

In-class assignments
You will be given several in-class assignments, but only 15 will be graded. All others will be counted
toward your participation points. I will try to only have 15 in-class assignments, however, new teaching ideas
come up mid-semester all the time . Therefore failure to complete in-class work could result in loss of
participation points.
In-class work will be graded using a check system
+ (A) will be given to assignments that are complete, well-thought out, and individualized (meaning
you made it your own)
(B-C) will be given to assignments that meet expectations
- (D-F) will be given to assignments that are incomplete or completed without any effort or thought on
your part
Essays
Essays will be graded using the common-core rubrics designed for narrative, persuasive, and
explanatory writing. Each of you will be provided with a copy of the rubric before writing the papers.
Class participation
You will be rewarded 50 points for class participation at the beginning of the semester. To keep all your
participation points you must follow classroom procedures, be respectful, participate in class discussions, and
complete in-class assignments. You will lose points if you fail to do these things.
DOL (Daily Oral Language, or grammar practice)
If you have correctly completed the DOL grammar assignment for each day, you will receive 4 points
for the week. This adds up to 68 points throughout the semester.
Journal Entries
Journal entries will not be graded the same as other writing assignments, as they are personal and
informal. In order to get full credit for your journal entries you must write 3 times per week. This is one time I
will give you some kind of length requirement, since I can't grade based on content. You need to have written at
least page per entry.
Weekly Writing
Each week you will write an informal essay. These are practice essays to hone your skills. You will be
provided with a prompt each time telling you my expectations. They will be graded using the same rubric as
your formal essays, but will be worth much less (10 points each). I want you to use these writing assignments to
practice new skills, or try out new ideas. Be brave and have fun with them.
Reader Response Activities
We will be reading 3 novels and a play as a class: Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury, A Midsummer
Nights Dream by William Shakespeare, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and Jonathan Livingston Seagull
by
After we have finished each novel, you will be given several options for a project/activity you wish to
complete about the novel. These projects will be highly creative and allow you to express yourself. Some of the
projects will be group projects, others individual. You are free to decide which projects you will complete
individually and which ones you will complete as a group, however, you are required to do at least one as a
group, and one individually.
Presentations
You will be giving two presentations in this class. One will be a slam poem that you write and perform
in front of the class, and the other will be a verbal analysis of one of the novels weve read.

Final
The final will test how well you grasped the concepts learned in this class. You will prove your
understanding through a well-written essay in which you successfully apply what youve learned. If you work
hard throughout the semester, you will easily be prepared.
Total Semester Points
DOL68 points (4 points per week)
Essays50 points (25 points per essay)
Journal Entries102 points (6 points per week)
Weekly Writing170 points (10 points per week)
Participation50 points (Freely given at beginning of semester)
Reader Responses75 points (25 points per response)
In-class Work75 points (5 points per assignment)
Presentations50 points (25 points per presentation)
Final45 points
TOTAL: 685 points available
Policies and Procedures
Respect, Professionalism, and Effort: There are three attitudes that I expect everybody to adopt while
in my classroom: respect, professionalism, and effort. You need to have respect for yourself, your classmates,
the teacher, and the classroom. I expect professionalismmeaning I expect you to be on time to class, turn in
your work on time, and to refrain from complaining. If you have a problem, please come talk to me about it
personally, or email me about it. Lastly, I expect you to put in your best effort to class discussions, group work,
and personal assignments. Your classmates deserve your best effort, and you deserve theirs!!
Cell Phone Policy: Our classroom is a cell-phone free zone. If you are caught using your cell phone it
will be taken from you and given to the office. You can pick it up there at the end of the day.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is when you claim or imply that somebody else's words or ideas are your own.
Plagiarism is not tolerated in our classroom. It is a form of cheating and is also illegal! First offense of
plagiarism will result in failure of the assignment. Second offense will result in failure from the class. If you
ever have any doubt about whether you should cite a source or not, stay on the safe side and cite it!
Late work: Late work will be docked 10% each day that it is late. Any assignments turned in 5 or more
days late can get no higher than a 50%. (Which is still better than a zero!). Work that is late because of absences
do not apply to this rule. Each day you are absent equals two free days to make up any work that was missed.
Re-do's: In my classroom there is an open re-submission policy! This means you can redo an
assignment as many times as you want until it is the grade you want. (hooray!) You can resubmit work up until
two weeks before finals week.
I have read and agree to the above material:
Parent Signature_______________________________

Date_________________________

Student Signature______________________________
Course Calendar

Date_________________________

Unit/Date
UNIT 1

Topic and Goals

What makes a character believable?

Important due dates

With your notebook:

Jan 22Feb 5

Reading: Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

Outcome: Write a narrative

UNIT 2
Feb 9Feb 26

How do I view myself?

Reading: Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
Outcome: Write a powerful narrative

UNIT 3
March 2March 19

How do I change based on my audience?

Reading: A Midsummer Nights Dream by
William Shakespeare
Outcome: Write a well-constructed argument
paper

UNIT 4
March 23April 9

How do my words affect others?

Reading: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Outcome: Write a well-constructed argument
paper

UNIT 5
April 13April 30

What can I learn from others perspectives?

Reading: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Outcome: Write an analysis paper

UNIT 6
May 4May 21

What am I capable of?

Am I living up to my full potential?
Reading: Jonathan Livingston Seagull by
Outcome: Perform a slam poem in front of the
class.
Ace the final!

Weekly Writings
DOLs
Journal Entries
In-class assignments
FEB 5: Rough draft narrative due
With your notebook:
Weekly Writings
DOLs
Journal Entries
In-class assignments
FEB 18-19: 1st Reader Response due (DW)
FEB 25: Final draft narrative due
FEB 26: Narrative readings and Q&A
With your notebook:
Weekly Writings
DOLs
Journal Entries
In-class assignments
MAR 19: Rough draft argument paper due
With your notebook:
Weekly Writings
DOLs
Journal Entries
In-class assignments
APR 1-2: 2nd Reader Response due
(Midsummer Nights Dream)
APR 9: Final draft argument paper due
With your notebook:
Weekly Writings
DOLs
Journal Entries
In-class assignments
APR 21-22: Analysis Presentation due
APR 30: 3rd Reader Response due (To Kill
A Mockingbird)
With your notebook:
Weekly Writings
DOLs
Journal Entries
In-class assignments
MAY 18-19: Slam Poem presentations
MAR 21: Final

(For another copy of this syllabus or other course documents, please visit kmonibidor.weebly.com)