Course Syllabus
Mrs. McTiernan
English

Welcome!  I hope you all had a wonderful summer, and are ready for the fun year to come.  My promise to you is to teach you everything you need to build a foundation for a successful high school career. 

Course Outline: This year will consist of the following units

Regular 9:
Short Stories
Poetry
Research Process
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare, Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas, and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Independent Reading:  one per quarter
Vocabulary

Honors:
Poetry
Research Paper
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, Of Mice and Men and East of Eden by John Steinbeck, Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare, Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas, Inherit the Wind by Jerome Robbins and Robert E. Lee, and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Independent Reading:  varies per quarter
Friday Talks
Vocabulary
Writing Contest Submission

Contact Info:

Class Times: Homeroom, Per. 1, 3, 4, 8, and 9 all in room 13

I have a desk in the Faculty Room at West

During non-teaching periods I will be in the Faculty Room. Please let me know in advance if you plan to stay after school so that we can decide on an appropriate time and place to meet.

Web Page:  http://www.shenet.org/high/hsacaddept/english/kmctiernan/kmctiernan.htm

MOST HANDOUTS AND NOTES WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE WEB!  PLEASE CHECK HERE OFTEN!!!!!!!

E-mail:  MctiKath@shenet.org         

Phone Number:  881-0330 ext. 62629

Materials:  See suggested materials link.

Be prepared for:

Reading:  We will be reading a great deal this semester.  Some pieces you will love, and others you will only like, but all will be challenging and new.  On that note, be advised that reading will take place in different forms – as a homework assignment, me reading aloud, you reading silently, and you reading aloud.  Reading aloud will not always be on a volunteer basis - sometimes you will be asked to read. 

Tests and Quizzes:  These will always be announced, unless I suspect that the class is not keeping up with the work.

Writing:  Writing assignments will include a research paper (we will study process), essays, poetry, journal entries, etc.

Oral Presentations:  All students will have to speak in front of the class, sometimes with others, sometimes on their own.  Honors students will participate in Friday Talks, which is the research and presentation of a topic of their choice, complete with handout and preparation for taking questions.  Every student will complete a district required performance prompt that I will assign at the end of the year (once they are more comfortable with their classmates and have had a chance to practice the necessary skills).

Vocabulary:  For regular 9 students, approximately 15-20 new and/or difficult words will be chosen for each literary unit.  We will define them and work with them.  They will be on the unit test.  Honors students will learn 400 words this year.  They will receive twenty each Monday and be tested on Friday.  They will have  a unit test after each set of 100 words. 

Regents Practice Activities:  At the end of students' 11^th grade year of high school they will be taking the English Regents exam – this is mandated by the state.  We will work on various writing tasks that resemble what is on the Regents so that they are properly prepared.

Collaborative Work:  In other words, “group work.”  Sometimes students will choose their own groups, and other times the groups will be assigned.

Late Work Policy:

Students are old enough to be responsible for homework and be held accountable for what is not done. All assignments should be handed in on time, but only projects will be accepted late, not homework.

• 10% point penalty for every day a project is late.
• No materials will be accepted if class is missed due to cutting.
• Projects and essays (only projects and essays, not homework) handed in by the end of day or midnight will not be counted late (make sure you know my e-mail address).
• Work will not be counted late if a student is not in school, but will be expected immediately upon return unless other arrangements have been made.

Absences:

You must see me at the beginning of class if you will be leaving for lessons, freshman seminar, sports or to go to the nurse. Not doing this will result in your work being counted late, or possibly not being accepted at all.

If you are absent, you are responsible for making up all work. Please see me immediately (don’t wait until after the bell rings!!!)

Extra Credit Policy:

EC assignments will be offered to grade 9 students, at my discretion for the amount of points I feel it is worth.  These opportunities are for mistakes and booboos, not for laziness and lack of cooperation.

Pass Policy:

I will give passes for the library or computer lab prior to the class period a student would like to go. Students should not hunt me down for passes. Students will get passes as long as work is being handed in.

In Regards to School Rules: ALL school rules apply in this classroom.

This will be a great year – we are going to learn a lot in this class and have a lot of fun.  I know that you will all be successful in this class if you come prepared, participate, always put your full effort into your projects and maintain a respectful and open-minded attitude.  Lets get started!!