This is an 11th grade HONORS English class in which we study British Lit
Disclosure Document
English 11 Honors
Mrs. Jaynes—Room 214
jjaynes@alpinedistrict.org
jaynesenglish.blogspot.com
Course Description
English 11 Honors is an AP track course, which uses British Literature as a medium to discuss and use reading writing, listening, speaking, viewing, presenting, critical analysis, and primary source exploration skills. Vocabulary and language construction skills such as grammar usage and mechanics will have emphasis in the classroom as well. Students will work to refine and advance their critical thinking and writing skills in preparation for one or both of the AP English courses during their senior year. In order to achieve these goals, high standards in behavior and academic assignments are expected.
Reading Assignments
This course uses a primary textbook anthology entitled, The Language of Literature; British Literature. It is a compilation of writings from British authors such as Chaucer, Shakespeare, Tennyson, Austen, Churchill and many, many more. Students are expected to check out a copy of the textbook and bring it to class each day for daily study. Other texts and supplementary readings will be used on occasion throughout the year. This year we will read and analyze the following:
· Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
· Beowulf
· Paradise Lost
· Canterbury Tales
· MacBeth
· Cry, The Beloved Country
· Heart of Darkness
· Animal Farm
· Pride and Prejudice
· Lord of the Flies
· Wuthering Heights
· Poetery from various British Authors
Materials Needed for My Class:
· Writing utensils—pen or pencil
· 1 inch 3-ring binder with lined paper—no spiral bound notebooks
· 5 tab divider pages
· Post-Its (the medium size ones, not the tiny ones)
· Text in use at the time
It is your responsibility to come prepared to class each day. You will receive points each day for being prepared.
Attendance/Participation
I adhere to the Lone Peak attendance policy and will enforce it in my class. Attending class, on time, every day is essential to student success. When I say “on time,” I mean students are in their seats when the bell rings, not running through the door. Students should come to class prepared and ready to participate with a positive attitude.
Make-Up Policy:
A. There is no such thing as “late work.” Because each assignment builds upon the previous one, they must be turned in when they are due. There will be no late work unless arrangements are made ahead of time. Students will be given two “late passes/slacker passes” each term for those unexpected glitches in life. These passes can be used on daily assignments and homework. The pass must be stapled to the front of the completed assignment and handed directly to me to be stamped. These passes are only good if they are stamped within one calendar week of the due date.
B. Slacker Passes can also be used to re-do an assignment if you want to earn a better grade.
C. An absence is not as excuse on projects or papers. Assignments that are due must be turned in at the beginning of class. There are multiple ways to ensure your assignment is turned in on time e.g., email the assignment to me, ask a friend to hand deliver it, or have a parent drop it off. If there is an emergency, I must receive a phone call explaining why your assignment will be late. If a student is absent the day of a test or qui, the absence must be excused in order to retake it. Arrangements must be made as soon as possible to make it up either before or after school, and must be done within three days of the student’s return to school.
D. Students are responsible for missed material. I have a blog! In other words, each day, I post what we did in class, allowing every student to be accountable for his or her missed work. The blog will indicate what handouts, assignments, and worksheets we did in class. Upon their return, students must go to the folder, which will contain handouts or assignments that were given as homework. Students will then have until the next time we meet to finish that assignment. Again, students are responsible to use this system to retrieve information or assignments missed. Please be aware that the teacher cannon recreate the classroom experience for the student who misses; therefore, it is critical for students to attend regularly. If you miss two days or more please contact me by phone or email.
E. Students earn five points a day for coming to class. If students are late, they automatically lose two of those points. These points can never be made up. Your late pass can cover up to ten points of these participation points if you so choose.
Enrichment Points:
Any student with no absences the entire term will receive a one percent grade increase. Any student who doesn’t use their “late pass/slacker pass” can turn those in for extra points at the end of each term.
Electronic Devices:
I adhere to Lone Peak’s cell phone policy. Do not get them out in class because if I see any phones, I will take them to the administrator. I know how much students love their phones; I would hope you would recognize the benefits of using them at the appropriate time and not risk the temporary loss of your cell phone.
To the Students:
We are going to have a fun and stimulating year! I teach because I want you to appreciate art in all of its forms. You are a generation of cell phones and Ipods, which are essentially just newer and faster forms of communication and convenient access to music, all of which can tie back to the usage of English. My hope as your teacher is to show you how English can be used to help you express yourselves and open your eyes to the world around you. I want to teach you how to write, read, and think. I want you to write because words give you power; I want you to read because literature gives you experience; I want you to think because thoughts give you action. All I ask is that you come to my class with an open mind, knowing that I genuinely want you to succeed in life, whatever your future occupation may be. I will treat you with respect as you adhere to classroom policies and procedures. Respecting your classmates is an absolute expectation in my classroom. Making fun or mocking others in my class will simply not be tolerated. I took forward to an enjoyable year as we learn more about ourselves, and others in the context of English!
To the Parents:
I am excited to work with your students. After all, that is why I picked the career of teaching; teaching is working with students and caring about their futures. However, there is a key component to my methods, and that is you. With your support from home and my support in the classroom, your students can excel in my class, enabling them to be better members of society. Our mission at LPHS is as follows: COMMITTING MINDS TO INQUIRY, HEARTS TO COMPASSION, AND LIVES TO THE SERVICE OF MANKIND. My objective this year is to ensure that your students leave my class with active minds, a better understanding of the world around the, and the desire to act on that understanding. I can’t tell you how excited I am to be a part of such an amazing school filled with such wonderful students (I did graduate from LPHS over ten years ago so I may or may not be biased). I truly care about each student. Their progress is of utmost importance to me. If you are concerned about your student’s academic standing, please call me or contact me through email. If your student needs extra assistance with homework assignments or concepts, please let me know so that as a team, we can assist them.
The world is full of gray areas and rarely does life fit into perfect little boxes; the lines are blurred in many instances. Because life is not always black and white, we will discuss topics, ideas, and different “walks of life.” We will deal with some sensitive material that needs to be recognized as such by your students and understood with mature behavior. My class will be a safe place for students to contend with the complexity of the world that, at one point, will confront our students. We must work together as students, parents, and teachers to ensure that everyone is comfortable with the material studied in class. If you have concerns with the attached material, please contact me so that we can come to an agreement, on a solution that is best for your student.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Jaynes
