English 9

West Allis Central High School,

West Allis, WI

 

·         Instructor: Mr. Glen Dawursk, Jr.  MAed, BSED

 

·         Teacher Availability: Mr. Dawursk is available in his classroom Wednesday through Friday from 7:05 AM until 3:30 PM, Mondays 7:05 AM until 3:05 PM, Tuesdays from 7:35 AM until 3:30 PM.  Note: Mr. Dawursk also mentors language arts students Mondays from 3:05 to 3:40 PM in room 119.

 

·         Course Website:  www.mrdclassroom.com

 

·         Teacher E-mail: dawursk @yuthguy.com

 

Course Overview

A major emphasis in English 9 is to provide oral communication experiences in the form of critical listening, speech organization and speech presentation. A second point of emphasis is to provide writing experiences in expository, narrative, descriptive and persuasive forms. The third point of emphasis in English 9 is to provide literary experiences through the reading and analysis of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama.

Content

Semester 1

 

Study Skills (1-2 Weeks)

1. Learning Modality

2. Study Environment

3. Note Taking

4. Skimming

5. Reading Strategies

 

Vocabulary (Ongoing)

1. Context Clues (Minute Mystery)

2. Word Parts – Roots and Affixes

3. Idioms and Slang

4. ACT Test Words

 

Short Story (6-7 Weeks)                                

1. Story elements                                                           

 

2. Literary terms                                                             

 

3. Plot diagram                                                                

 

4. Vocabulary                                                                 

 

5. Theme                                                                         

 

6. Tone and Mood

 

 

Speeches (Ongoing)

1. Demonstrations (Process Description)                      

 

2. Informative

3.

Expository (Talk-to-Me sessions)

4. English Project Presentation                                       

 

5. Other Oral Language - reading aloud, discussion, etc

 

Non-fiction (3-4 Weeks)

1. Personal narrative                                                      

 

2. Memoir                                                                        

 

3. Internet article

 

Writing (Ongoing)

1. Punctuation                                                                 

 

2. Grammar                                                                     

 

3. 5 paragraph essay

4. Daily Journal

                                                                                       

 

Punctuation; Sentence Structure  (Ongoing)

1. Sentence combining                                                   

 

2. Commas                                                                      

 

3. Periods                                                                       

 

4. Dashes                                                                       

 

5. Semi-colons                                                

 

6. Colons                                                                        

 

7. Citations, etc

 

 

Essays (Ongoing)

1. Personal Narrative

2. Opinion Statement

3. Reflective

4. Comparison Contrast

5. Autobiography

 

 

Grammar (Ongoing)

1. Parts of speech                                                          

 

2. Parts of a sentence                                                    

 

3. Punctuation                                                                 

 

4. Verbs and Verbals

 

 

Major Project (Second Quarter)

1. English Contract Project

 

 

 

Semester 2

Novels (5-6 Weeks)                                             

1. Concept of a novel vs. a short story                         

 

2. Literary analysis of a novel                                        

 

3. Literary devices

 

Vocabulary (Ongoing)

1. Analogies

2. Denotation and Connotation

3. Figurative Language

4. Synonyms, Antonyms and Homonyms

5. Word Origins

6. ACT Test Words

 

 

Poetry (3-4 Weeks)

1. Poetic terms                                                                

 

2. Poetry analysis                                                           

 

3. Analysis                                                                     

 

4. Form

 

 

Speeches (Ongoing)

1. Persuasive

2. Expository (Talk-to-Me sessions)

 

3. Other Oral Language - reading aloud, discussion, etc                                                                      

 

 

Epic Poem / Mythology -- The Odyssey (4-5 Weeks)

1. Make up of an epic poem                                           

 

2. Definition of your hero                                                

 

3. Other mythology that relates to modern day

 

 

Writing (Ongoing)

1. Punctuation                                                                 

 

2. Grammar                                                                     

 

3. Daily Journal                                                               

 

 

Drama - Romeo and Juliet (4-5 Week)         

1. Dramatic terms                                                           

 

2. Elizabethan Times & Shakespeare                             

 

3. Analysis

 

 

Essays (Ongoing)

1. Literature Review / Critique / Reaction

2. Cause and Effect

3. Research Report

 

 

Grammar (Ongoing)

1. Active vs. Passive Voice                                           

 

2. Misplaced modifiers                                                    

 

3. Phrases                                                                      

 

4. Clauses

5. Special Sentence Structures

 

Major Project (Fourth Quarter)

1. Inter-Departmental Research Paper

 

 

  • Our text Book is: The Language of Literature produced by McDougal Littell, Inc., 2000.

 

  • Grading:

 

Overall Grading:

Quarter One – 40%

Quarter Two – 40%

Final Exam – 20%

 

Quarter Grading:

      Daily Assignments – 30 %

      Mini-projects – 10%

      Unit Tests – 20%

      Vocabulary / Reading Quizzes – 20%

      Writing Journal – 10%

      Participation / Attitude / Attendance – 10%

 

Final Exam:

      Final Project / Paper– 50%

      All-inclusive Semester Exam – 50%

Homework Procedures

 

Assignments:

 

·         As a responsible high school student, there is no excuse for late assignments other than a family funeral or similar family circumstance.  Therefore, assignments are due the day they are assigned.  No exceptions.

 

·         All written assignments are to be completed no later than the beginning of the class period the first day it is due.  On occasion and only with prior teacher permission, some daily assignments may be turned in at the end of the school day no later than 3:00 PM (This does not happen very often).

 

·         ALL oral presentation assignments are due at the beginning of the class period the first day they are due.  Due to the nature of an oral presentation, all late oral presentations may be presented only if time permits and only during scheduled in-class presentation times.

 

·         Incomplete assignments are listed as a “0” in the grade book.  Remember that it takes two 100% A+ assignments to raise an incomplete 0% to a passing grade. The lowest percentage possible for any on-time completed assignment which demonstrates reasonable student effort is 50%.

 

·         All late assignments are marked 10% off per day late.  For example: after three days late, the highest grade possible for the late assignment would be a 60% D.  The regular grading process will then deduct from this starting percentage.

 

·         Written incomplete assignments may be turned-in for partial credit until one week prior to the end of the quarter.  No incomplete assignments will be accepted after that date for any reason. The highest grade possible for assignments over one week late is a 60% D.  The lowest percentage possible for any late assignment which demonstrates reasonable student effort is 40%.

 

·         Students may re-take all quizzes and exams repeatedly up to one week prior to the end of the quarter for a maximum grade of a 60% D. 

 

·         Hand written notes may be used for all quizzes and exams except ones which test for vocabulary (specific word definitions) or spelling.

 

·         Assignments are not accepted via e-mail without PRIOR approval. You are responsible to print them out and bring them to class.  The teacher will not print your assignments for you.

 

 

Assignment Format:

 

·         All written assignments are to be done in blue or black ONLY.  No other color will be accepted.  All formal essays and reports are to be typed.  Daily assignments should be written neatly on clean 8-1/2 by 11 inch white paper.  Half sheets and papers with frayed edges will not be accepted.  All assignments are subject to proper spelling, grammar and mechanics.  Only the daily writing journal may be exempt from these rules.  All assignments must be labeled properly in the upper right hand corner with First and Last Name, Class Title, Period Number, Assignment Information and Date turned-in.  One grade is deducted from assignments not using proper format (labels, pen color, edges, etc).