Syllabus For Pre-AP English 9 and Honors LA 8 Classes
"The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Powerschool On-line Grading Access:
Parents will be able to check grades 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Careful grading takes time and occurs outside of the school day during evenings and weekends. Essay assignments often take 30 min per paper to provide high quality assessment and written feedback from the instructor.
Therefore, for some assignments, parents can expect course grading to take up to three weeks. Know that I want to get assignments off my desk and back to your student just as badly as you want to know the score. Once all course essays are graded, essays are returned to all students on the same day.
Calculated course percentages and grades may seem low or high at the beginning of a quarter; grade averages in the early part of a term can fluctuate greatly when even a minor assignment is graded. As more assignments are added to the grade book, the calculated grades will normally be closer to the final quarter grade. Missing assignments, projects, essays, or test grades will significantly affect the quarter grade.
The number of assignments per quarter will vary due to the content area of the course.
If errors are suspected in any assignment scores, the student should talk to the instructor.
Mrs. Mygatt's 2011-2012 Class Schedule Info:
RM 1, HALL 1
1st Period (7:25-8:30): Pre AP English 9
2nd Period (8:35-9:30): Pre AP English 9
3rd Period (9:35-10:30): Prep Period
1st Lunch (10:35-11:00)
4th Period (11:00:-12:00): Pre AP English 9
5th Period (12:05-1:00): Hon LA 8
6th Period (1:05-2:05): Hon LA 8
Pre AP English 9:
The Pre-AP (the Preparatory class for Advanced Placement) English Literature and Composition course is about developing good habits of mind, such as listening with understanding; persisting; striving for accuracy, precision and clarity in verbal and written communication; using creativity, imagination and innovation to approach course work; questioning and problem solving; applying past knowledge to new situations; and thinking independently. This is accomplished through engaging students in the careful reading and critical analysis of literature. Through the close reading of selected texts, students deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure for their readers. As they read, students consider a work's structure, style and themes as well as such smaller-scale elements as the use of figurative language, imagery, diction and tone. The course includes intensive study of representative works with literary merit from various genres and periods from the sixteenth to the twenty-first century, and students will get to know a few works very well. In addition to considering a work's literary artistry, students reflect on the social and historical values that the work embodies. Careful attention to both textual detail and historical context provides a foundation for interpretation. Students will demonstrate what they've learned through numerous challenging writing assignments where they defend, refute or qualify arguments of theme and meaning through the synthesis of various readings we have studied.
Students in the Pre-AP English course are presumed to be high school or post high school readers when they walk through the classroom door. Therefore, they will be challenging themselves with Accelerated Reader (AR) books from the Pre-AP AR Book List as part of the Pre-AP course. The Pre-AP AR Book List can be found on the Helpful Links page of this web site. Students are required to earn 40 AR book points per quarter. This reading must be done independently with the majority of reading occurring outside of class time. Tests on the books that students choose will be conducted in class, and are computer-based multiple choice tests that take ten minutes or less to complete. Students will know their test score immediately. It is recommended that students develop the habit of reading 30-60 minutes a night, five to six nights a week, throughout the school year. A cumulative 80 AR points are due at the end of 1st and 2nd semester.
As an AP class at the high school is college level work, think of Pre-AP at as high school level work preparing students for AP courses. Students who read below grade level, who have low DRP scores, or who have not met standard on the MSP will struggle with the content and pace of this course. Pre-AP students are accountable for all deadlines, doing their own work, and doing preparation work ahead of time for class reading assignments including character roles in the play "Romeo and Juliet", Lit Circles, and Socratic Seminars. The student is also responsible for being willing to talk to me if he or she finds trouble understanding a particular concept, process, or assignment.
Pre AP Grade Weighting:
Assessments: Essays, exams, quizzes, and presentations 65%;
Daily Work: Essay outlines, drafts, in-class assignments, and homework 25%;
Independent Reading: Accelerated Reader tests 10%.
Honors LA 8:
This course is designed for students interested in pursuing an in-depth study within the 8th grade Language Arts curriculum. Although Honors LA 8 is not a pre-requisite for Pre-AP English, Honors LA 8 will help prepare students for the 9th grade Pre-AP English course. Students in Honors LA 8 need to be motivated, independent learners. Students who read below grade level, who have low DRP scores, or who have not met standard on the MSP will struggle with the content and pace of this course. This course requires rigorous thinking and writing skills at an analytic and evaluative level. In-depth writing and critical reading of literature and historic documents are of major emphasis.
In Honors LA 8, students will develop good habits of mind, such as listening with understanding; persisting; striving for accuracy, precision and clarity in verbal and written communication; using creativity, imagination and innovation to approach course work; questioning and problem solving; applying past knowledge to new situations; and thinking independently.
Students will be challenging themselves with Accelerated Reader (AR) books of a level 4 or higher as part of the Honors LA 8 course. Students are required to earn 35 AR book points per quarter. This reading must be done independently with the majority of reading occurring outside of class time. Tests on the books that students choose will be conducted in class, and are computer-based multiple choice tests that take ten minutes or less to complete. Students will know their test score immediately. It is recommended that students develop the habit of reading 30-60 minutes a night, five to six nights a week, throughout the school year. A cumulative 70 AR points are due at the end of 1st and 2nd semester.
Honors LA 8 students are accountable for all deadlines, doing their own work, and doing preparation work ahead of time for class reading assignments, Lit Circles, and Socratic Seminars. The student is also responsible for being willing to talk to me if he or she finds trouble understanding a particular concept, process, or assignment.
Honors LA 8 Grade Weighting:
Assessments: Essays, exams, quizzes, and presentations 65%;
Daily Work: Essay outlines, drafts, in-class assignments, and homework 25%;
Independent Reading: Accelerated Reader tests 10%.