Welcome to PAH 10th Grade Honors English

Course Syllabus

Instructor: Mr. Rodriguez 

Office Phone: (303) 982-0724

Email: amrodrig@jeffco.k12.co.us

Website: www.amdriguez.pbworks.com

Course Description 

Welcome to PAH Honors English 10. It is with great enthusiasm to begin our journey in this advanced course which is designed to help you improve your academic writing and analytical skills. It is a highly demanding course in which sophisticated writing and reading techniques are taught and practiced to help you produce a number of essays in which you utilize language for a variety of purposes. Perhaps the most exciting aspect is that we tap into our collective, deep well of creativity. You can expect to be able to demonstrate what you are learning in this class through your artistic area of interest, but also challenged to explore what you are learning through other artistic and academic areas. Regardless of the activity, it is my job to help you perform at the highest standard.

Semester Topic and Theme: Identity 

Material Requirements

Organizational folder

Journal

Spiral notebook—college rule

Course Policies

Work Ethic and Responsibility (10%)

This course follows a model of teaching and learning in which the student is responsible, at many times, to construct the learning and meaning of certain material. The course is organized in such a way that group work and active participation of each member is imperative on a daily basis. Students not completing reading assignments and homework impede the learning of their group. This will not be tolerated. 100% active engagement is required to be successful in this class. Further, the secret to success is being here. The expectation is for you to be on time, engaged, and open to learning all the time. Most importantly, have a strong work ethic. Know that you are a valued member of the community. Your voice and opinion are important.

Reading (45%)

We will be reading the novel, To Kill a Mocking Bird, which is the story of a injustice and racial inequality. If you are interested in annotating the book with ink, pencil or highlighter, please purchase one at your local bookstore. Otherwise, I will provide the book for you to borrow. Finally, my aim for this course is for you to value the importance of reading. If you gain nothing else from this course, gain an appreciation for reading.

Writing Assignments (45%)

In addition to improving your reading skills, this course will also advance your skills in your rhetorical effectiveness on both a conceptual and mechanical level. You will work on drafting, editing and revising skills, along with issues of language mechanics. To master these techniques, you will learn the importance of context and purpose analysis for every piece of writing that you generate or read, and you will pay special attention to skills in audience awareness. In other words, this course will place high emphasis on the process of writing.

Grading Criteria: Based on the advance placement grading scale, essays will be assessed on a modified scale of 6-9. Anything less than a 6 will require revision until you earn a 6 or above on drafts that are resubmitted. You are encouraged to continue to submit drafts until you earn the grade you are striving for.

• Formal essays/timed writings will be worth 100 points
• Informal responses will be worth 50 points
• Scored discussions will be worth 25 points

Essay Format

Use MLA style. Essays must include the following: name, date, name of assignment, typed, double spaced, 12 point font, title, and stapled in upper left hand corner.

Grading Policies

An A grade in an Honors class indicates advanced scores in writing and student demonstrates higher thinking levels based on Bloom’s Taxonomy and student ability to turn work in ON TIME. The work ethic and responsibility section of the grade book reflects the student accountability portion of this course. Failure to complete assignments on time, or a student’s lack of work ethic, will have a negative consequence for their overall grade. A BLANK score in the grade book indicates an assignment has been recorded in the grade book, but was not turned in by the student. An IP indicates that a written assignment has yet to meet proficiency and a score is in progress. Assignments that are IP, and are not revised, are awarded half the points in the assignments section, and zero points in work ethic and responsibility.

Tips for Success

Be proactive instead of reactive

Positive attitude and a strong will to learn

Creativity and flexibility

Be brilliant

There are no shortcuts

If we work with purpose, in a collaborative, safe, and comforting environment, your success in this course is assured. It will take effort and discipline, but students will be prepared for their next phase of learning once they have completed this course.