Syllabus for English 4
Ms. Kingsbury
Overbrook High School
School Year 2007-2008

Introduction
Welcome to your final year of English class at Overbrook High School! This year should prove to be your most challenging one, yet it will be rewarding, productive, and, hopefully, tons of fun. My goal as your English teacher is to make sure you successfully complete English 4 this year in order to meet the requirements for graduation in June. This document will outline my expectations for your behavior and performance, the literature we will read, and the projects we will complete.

My Expectations for Your Behavior and Performance

1. You will come to class prepared every day with a notebook and pen/pencil.
2. You will always be on your best behavior.
3. You will show respect to your teacher and classmates.
4. You will see me before or after school only to discuss make-up work and personal issues.
5. You will always produce your own, best work, with serious penalty for cheating or plagiarism.

The Senior Project
The culminating activity of your high school experience will be the Senior Project (SP). The SP requires you to write a formal research paper and make a PowerPoint presentation. The SP portfolio will be due on or around January 25, 2008. This date is far off in the future, but we will begin working on it by mid-September. Each senior in the state of Pennsylvania must complete an SP, and this work is taken very seriously and counts heavily in your grade for English this year.

Required Reading
English 4 has a core curriculum which we are required to complete. This year, students should expect to read the following literature; this list is not exhaustive and is subject to change:

• Selections from Elements of Literature (primary textbook)
• 1984 by George Orwell
• Hamlet by William Shakespeare
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

English 4 is a writing-intensive class, and so the reading required will be less than previous years. Students should expect to be tested on any reading done in and outside of class.

Notebooks
You will be required to maintain a notebook during this year. If you think you might lose your notebook, you may request to have it stored in our classroom for your daily use. Your notebook will be your life-line; most quizzes and tests will allow you to use your notebook as an answer resource. I will perform periodic notebook checks which will count towards your grade as well. It will be clear when you will need to take notes and do classwork in your notebook. Either a spiral-bound notebook or three-ring binder will be sufficient.

Our Class Website
In order to facilitate the development of students’ technology skills, I have set up a website for each academy. On the site, you will find information and assignments which you will be asked to read and complete. My goal this year is to limit the amount of paper I collect from you. Therefore, most of your classwork and homework assignments will be completed on-line. If you do not have a computer at home, there are many computers throughout the high school which you may use. On a first-come-first-served basis, you may use my laptop as well during your lunch period and/or before school.

The addresses for the class websites are:

Health Academy
http://english4healthacademy.blogspot.com
Finance Academy
http://english4financeacademy.blogspot.com
Urban Ed Academy
http://english4urbaneducationacademy.blogspot.com

It is highly recommended you visit our class website once a day for information and assignments.

Grading
I calculate grades on a point system. The more points you earn for successfully completing your work, the higher your grade. Daily classwork is worth approximately 10-20 points; quizzes are worth 30-40 points; tests are worth 100 - 200 points; and larger projects are worth 200+ points. Cumulative grades are calculated on a weekly basis, and you will always have access to your grade in this class; please ask to see it anytime. I use the following formula to determine your grade:

Total Points Earned by Student / Total Possible Points x 100% = Student’s % Grade

Example: John earns 800 points/ X 100% = 80% (B)
John could have earned 1000 possible points


Contact Information
I encourage you and your parents to speak with me at any time throughout the year about your performance and behavior, as well as ask questions about our reading and projects. I am available every day before school at 7:30 a.m., after school until 3:15 p.m., by phone at (215) 581-5507, and by email at ms.kingsbury@verizon.net.