English 9

Horton High School

Mr. Scott Bennett

sbennett@ns.sympatico.ca OR rsbennett@horton.ednet.ns.ca

If you need to contact me, you should e-mail BOTH addresses, just to make sure.

The English 9 course is one recognised by the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Culture as a “Key-Stage” year for students. This year serves a transitional purpose – to solidify the skills and talents students have already acquired through their school years, and to further develop those skills, talents and habits to meet the expectations of High School English Language Arts programs. This course is designed to encourage development in the areas of reading and viewing, speaking and listening, and writing and representing.

1) Study in Literature – A variety of novels, short stories, essays, poetry and drama.

2) Media Study – We will take a look at what various groups choose to distribute and how information is presented. For example, we will look at how corporations and organisations represent themselves in the public eye, and whether or not they live up to their own hype.

3) Oral communication – More than just participating in class discussion, oral communication will include structured work such as public speaking, debate, dramatic representations and literature circles.

4) Vocabulary and use of Dictionary. Tests may or may not be given with advance warning. Words are usually relevant to work we have been doing, but the occasional term that comes up in conversations may also find its way on to the list. Pay attention in class

5) Writing. While oral communication is of paramount importance, it is also useful to put pen to paper in order to save your thoughts for future generations. We will be looking at a variety of writing styles, from the structure of the formal essay to more creative, expressive outlets.

6) Information Technologies. At a school such as Horton, there will be a strong emphasis on technology and technology-related information. This course intends to take advantage of these facilities. In addition to formal discussions on this topic, students will be expected to make use of their computer privileges for this course. This includes word processing, e-mail (I may send you various messages, and I expect you to read them promptly), and other information gathering and presenting devices (Power Point, web editing programs). Since this is a dynamic, newer media outlet, we will also concentrate on looking at the new materials available to us with a critical eye, in attempts to get the most out of these resources.

It is important to note that there is no guarantee we will manage to cover each and every topic listed. Some topics end rather abruptly, while others can gather momentum and demand further study. The schedule is tentative and may change at any time.

EVALUATION BREAKDOWN		FINAL GRADE
Writing journals	20 %	Mid-term mark	40%
Assignments & Projects	45%	End term mark	40%
Quizzes and Tests	20 %	Final Exam	20%
CLASS MARK	15%
(Includes attendance, preparation and participation in class)
TOTAL	100%		100%

NOTE – This is a tentative evaluation breakdown and may change depending on the materials covered.

Expectations

I expect you to pass assignments in on time. Late assignments lose 10% per school day, but still must be passed in. I do accept some excuses for passing things in late, but not many. Here is a short list of unacceptable excuses:

• Scheduling conflicts with athletic, music, or extra-curricular activities.
• Insufficient print credit.
• Hardware or software malfunctions at school.
• Hardware or software malfunctions at home. (this includes printer / ink issues)
• Dog ate work.
• Suspension of internet privileges.
• Suspension from school (in a situation where students were suspended on a due date, they will pass in the assignment the first day back from suspension OR get a friend to pass it in for them on the due date.).
• Materials left in locker during snow day, suspension, or other school closures.
• Alien abduction (unless irrefutable documentation accompanies request).
• Irresponsible actions of friends, editors, partners, etc.

Budget your time accordingly to ensure all expectations are met on time.

If there is a snow day, or you are absent for any reason on a due date, you will be expected to pass in your work The very next day, regardless of whether or not we have a class. I can usually be tracked down, and I put the onus on you to make sure your work gets to its destination.

If you are absent on the day of a test, be prepared to write it the next English class you attend. On the occasional situation when the test can't be written during the next class (i.e. vocabulary tests), it is the student's responsibility to reschedule the test. If I am the one forced to reschedule the test, there will be one date set aside. If you can not, or do not make it on that date, you will not be afforded another opportunity to write that test. If you know in advance that you will be absent, let me know.

Students are responsible for maintaining the integrity of their work. This means the person who lets his/her work get copied gets the same zero as the one who copied it! If you insist on working with a friend on a solo project, make sure the two of you don't pass in the same (or closely similar) work. You may cite similar sources, and may even use some of the same quotes to support your views, but you are all very unique people who interpret and express thoughts differently. This should be reflected in your work

I fully expect you to put forth your best effort for all the work you pass in. Failure to do so will be reflected in your marks.

*** If you have an issue that you feel needs specific attention or consideration, please let me know. In the past, students who have not brought things to my attention have suffered because of their silence. Those who have talked to me have said that I can be accommodating and helpful. At the end of the day, our goal is to not only be English students, but successful English students.

I look forward to having a great year with all of you!

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