Syllabi

English I

Mr. Hench- [email protected]

Course Description

English I is a required course for graduation. The final exam grade for this class is a teacher-made test; it is allowed to be exempted. Exemptions are based on your grades and absences (See student handbook). The grading scale for each quarter is 60% major grades (tests and projects) and 40% minor grades (homework, quizzes, classwork, etc.). At the end of the semester, each quarter will be worth 40% of the final average, with the exam creating the final 20%. All students at Central Davidson also complete a research project each year in their respective English classes. English I is a survey course, which means no specific genre or geographic boundary is a primary focus. Instead, English I serves to build fundamental skills that will be used in subsequent English classes as well as in the work world.

Expectations and Policies

I expect every student in every class to uphold a general policy of respect. Lack of respect for your classmates, your teachers, your school, or yourself can result in penalties for individuals or the whole class. 

Part of respecting your teacher is being ready for class. Do not wait until the bell has rung to start getting ready; you should have a writing utensil and a few sheets of looseleaf notebook paper ready at the beginning of each class in addition to any books or worksheets you know you will need. If you know you do not have these things, do not wait until class has begun to ask a classmate. Also, I expect my students to be mindful of instructions; I should not have to make multiple requests for students to comply.

 

Part of respecting your classmates and yourself means not doing things that are distracting or harmful to anyone or anything in the room during class. Please only touch or move items that belong to you or are in use for a class or group activity. Please also keep in mind that drinks and snacks are allowed as long as we keep the classroom free of trash.

 

 

Makeup Work—Students have five days to complete minor grades missed due to absence. (The Advisory Period is a great opportunity for this!) Absent students should expect to meet due dates that were set before the missed days when they return. If a student is present the day a test or quiz is announced but absent the day of the assessment, the student will make it up the day of return. If a test or quiz is announced when a student is absent and set for the date of return, the five-day policy applies. It is the student’s responsibility to find out what work he or she missed while absent and arrange to make up that work. Students should check with me at least a day in advance before planning to stay after school. Test dates are posted as far in advance as possible on the board.

Late Work—Central Davidson’s Late Work Policy gives you one day to turn in an item late. Individual teachers are allowed to set the grades you receive for late work. In this class, anything turned in one day late will have a maximum grade of 80%. Teachers also can accept late work after the one-day period. I will accept work after the one-day period; however, the maximum grade on these will be set at 60%. The policies above are for both Minor and Major grades. 

 

When I give students a due date, I expect the work to be turned in to me on that day. I reserve the right to set a “final day” that major grades will be accepted. If you think you will be unable to finish an assignment on time, you must speak with me before the due date to receive an extension. 

 

Leaving the Classroom— The only acceptable reason for leaving the room is using the restroom. Due to the convenience of the Academy hallway, it is expected that students will only ask to leave if they truly can not wait until a class change and that students will return quickly. Abuse of this system, such as not returning to the classroom in a timely manner, can result in permanent termination of the ability to leave the room during class. 

Taking Notes—Everyone learns differently. Some students may be better served by writing everything down verbatim; others may not need to write down more than the minimum. There will be things I tell students to write down specifically, but I expect students to be able to recall details from our discussions and lessons. My general advice is to jot down any new content information we cover. Occasionally, if I want very specific notes taken, I may give a guided notes sheet; these should always be filled out completely.

Academic Integrity—Over the past 2 years, we have witnessed multiple episodes of cheating due to remote learning. As a reminder, all assignments are individual work unless students are directly instructed otherwise. I know that students occasionally have a minor question that a classmate can answer, but sharing answers is cheating. Talking, cell phone use, or any other communication during a test is also cheating. Looking up information online should be done with caution, with credit given to sources any time outside information is used. Instances involving cheating or plagiarism will result in an automatic punishment of three days of ASD and those involved will receive zeroes on the assignment in question.

Organization and Materials

I do not require any particular system for organization, but students should be able to keep track of papers, assignments, and returned work. If a student cannot produce their work when it is due, it is late. If there is a question about a grade (i.e. on a progress report) and the student would like the grade changed, the student must be able to produce the returned paper to show me that the grade is incorrect. Students should have a folder, binder, or section of a binder of some sort in which they keep things for this class. Each student will be required to keep up with vocabulary lists, the lit terms list, and various other handouts all semester; these things should be accessible every day. Students should bring in their Chromebooks and Chargers every day.

Final Notes—I have very high expectations of all my students. It is your responsibility to turn things in, take notes and participate in class. Apathy and lack of participation are unacceptable traits in my classroom. I will do whatever I can to help you succeed in this class, but you have to put forth your best effort. If you have an issue keeping you from doing your best, you need to speak with me before your average drops. We can work out a plan to keep you from falling behind, but you need to address the issue as early as possible. 

Parents/Guardians: It is very important that we work together to ensure your child’s academic success.  You may check your student’s academic progress through PowerSchool’s Parent Portal.  PowerSchool's Parent Portal is an online resource that gives parents access to their child's grades, attendance, grade history, attendance history, and teacher comments.   If you are not using Parent Portal, you may pick up your student’s account information in the office.  

IT’S A TEAM EFFORT!