English 9 (1997-98) -- "Who Am I?"

Instructor: J.Holt Littlefield phone: (h) 542-2061 (w) 543-4220
e-mail: hlittlefield@cyberportal.net

Extra help is available by appointment during:
-- Period 1 (in Cafe--Semester 1, in Rm. 114 -- Semester 2)
-- Period 3 in Room 114 (Semesters 1 & 2)
-- at 4A lunch, (Cafe or in Rm.114)
-- after school (Rm.114)

Course Description:

English 9 is an un-tracked, heterogenous, and sometimes multi-age grouped class. There are many other students in the room, so don't expect my one-on-one attention unless you can put forth the effort to meet me in a one-on-one situation.

Throughout the year students are encouraged to become critical thinkers and critical consumers of both the spoken word and the written word. Primary emphasis will be on reading whole books, writing whole papers, and speaking whole sentences. I believe that-- if you haven't read it, you don't know it. If you haven't spoken or written what you've read, you haven't articulated what you know. If you can't articulate what you know, then what use is it?

There are a minimum of eight major writing assignments which require active engagement in at least one of three modes:
inquiry, expression, or experience.

We will learn and use the Writing Process to identify, to expand upon, to clarify, to organize, and to express students' own ideas. Most paper topics are student-generated and unique. At all times students will be encouraged to reflect upon, to articulate, and to share their own real-life experiences as well as to speculate about the thoughts, feelings, and emotions of literary characters.

Specific written forms to be covered include: personal and business letters, dramatic monologue and dialogue, poetry, personal narrative, and the expository essay. Frequent "Reader's Response" and "Writer's Journals" will allow students to recognize and use textual, factual, and statistical research-- as well as the ideas of peers-- for supporting evidence.

We will also explore the differences between literal and figurative language (as well as the very personal nature of figurative expression) through poetry, song, supplemental video, and a variety of kinesthetic (active movement) activities.

Major Themes of Course:

Units follow a thematic arrangement centered on the universal question, "Who Am I?" The following themes and related essential questions are explored:

Origins & The Past: Where am I from?
Behavior & Accomplishments: What have I done?
Autonomy and Self-Control: Am I in control of my life?
Needs and Self-Esteem: How do I look and feel?
Heroes, Values & Role-Models: What do I value? Whom do I admire?
Family, Friends, and Fitting-In: Where do I belong?
Growth, Change & Self-Realization: Where am I going?

Core Readings (school-supplied) (approx.) replacement cost:

Bread Givers, Anzia Yezierska----$7.95

The Call Of The Wild, Jack London----$3.95

The Effect of Gamma Rays On Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds, Paul Zindel--$4.99

The Giver, Lois Lowry-----$4.99

The Odyssey, Homer (in UL anthology)

The Pearl, John Steinbeck-----$4.95

Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare (in UL anthology)

The Summer Of My German Soldier, Bette Greene---$4.50

Two Old Women, Velma Wallis----$10.00

Understanding Literature (anthology)----$45.00

Assorted poetry, myths, and essays

When The Legends Die, Hal Borland----$4.99

By the end of the year, successful students will have read at least SIX of the above core texts, as well as numerous other poems, short stories, and essays. In order to avoid duplication, the instructor may assign alternate readings by special arrangement if need arises.
** Please Note: Some course content may at times be highly charged and/or emotionally sensitive. For example, Night deals with the holocaust and genocide; Of Mice And Men deals with issues of misogyny, physical/mental/emotional handicaps, and euthanasia; Their Eyes (although written by an African-American female) contains allusions to rape and violence against women; Fahrenheit 451 directly addresses issues of government censorship. At one time or another in the history of public education, several of these books have been banned from classrooms and/or libraries.
In my class, primary supplemental video material is minimal (because we don't have a lot of time to watch TV!), but some enrichment options include movies which carry "R" ratings for language, violence, etc. Therefore, I am requiring that some films may be viewed by persons under 18 only with parental permission. Whenever I consider such a film for classroom enrichment, I will contact your parents and let them make an informed decision through a parental permission form. Alternative supplemental/enrichment material will be provided for any student who does not obtain parent permission or prefers to exempt him/herself from watching primary supplemental materials.

If you or your parents have ANY concerns, at ANY time about course content, readings, supplemental materials, etc. PLEASE FEEL FREE to contact me to discuss them. I'm pretty flexible and will be able to accommodate your individual needs, but only if you tell me about them! It's quite possible that any messages left in my "voice mail" box at school will never be answered because I don't plan to check it much more often than once per week (maybe month?). The quickest, most convenient way for you to contact me is to call me at home (542-2061). ALWAYS leave a message if nobody answers because I DO check that machine as soon as I walk in the door! I'm usually home from school around 5:15 and manage to stay awake until around 10:00 P.M., but please call before 9:00 P.M. unless it's an emergency.

Grading:
There are only THREE kinds of grades you will earn in this class!
Your Quarterly Average will be calculated according to this formula:

Test Grades: Average X 1 =(25%)

Tests are offered once on the test date; there are no make-ups without written teacher permission.

Major Papers: Average X 1 = (25%)

May be revised once (within the quarter they are assigned) for a higher averaged grade.

Class Participation: Average X 2 = (50%)

Participation includes attendance, readiness to learn, class work, homework, quizzes, and discipline.

Mid-term & Final Exams are cumulative. Each will account for 10-20% of the student's respective semester grade (see Student Handbook).
The number grade you have earned in this class will be posted periodically (by Student ID #, NOT by name!) on the bulletin board in Room 114. You can also keep track of your own grades easily by keeping a record in your SHS Agenda. I have spent 5 years refining this grading system to give you every fair opportunity to succeed; however, you should be aware that -- even though your numeric grade is a VERY comprehensive and objective reflection of your total effort, performance, and ability-- it is still only an AVERAGE grade. In most cases, this objective assessment of your performance is more than fair; however, as a professional, I have the responsibility to recognize that no objective system is perfect. Therefore, I reserve the right to assign a subjective letter grade which is higher than the objective numeric average earned if I am convinced that the usual grading procedure has resulted in your being represented unfairly. Don't count on it, but know that it could happen. Likewise, you should count on my promise that I will NEVER take away from your objective, earned, numeric average-- even if I don't think that you deserved it!

My Philosophy:

All students can learn.
All students can make choices, can achieve, can grow.
All students can contribute in meaningful ways.
All students can succeed and be recognized.

My Methods:
My teaching style reflects the belief that learning is a spiral process, not a linear accumulation. Students learn new material best when they can attach it to a framework of old knowledge; therefore instructional time is an active combination of discovery-learning, Socratic-seminar, and peer-mentoring. While students often learn cooperatively, they're almost always assessed and graded individually.

Students are arranged in "base groups." Each base group is an interdependent academic support team. Students are expected to help each other succeed by making sure that all are prepared and ready to learn, by helping the group stay on-task, by keeping absentees up to speed. This means that absentees are responsible for calling a team member to get homework assignments, to get class notes, or to borrow the books that got left at school in the locker.
Students should be prepared to take academic risks, and to fall down at times. Ample opportunity is given for extra help, extra revisions, and extra credit; therefore, anybody who extends a consistent, serious effort should have no difficulty passing this course. While "last-minute," super-human efforts will be recognized, they will not substitute for mastery. I expect students to achieve a thorough mastery of both content and skills.

Wherever possible, students are allowed to make choices regarding readings, writing assignments, and alternative assessments. Vocabulary is taught within the context of unit themes and through students' own writing when individual needs arise.
Graded activities aim at reaching a variety of learning styles. Some tasks reveal student strengths while others reveal weaknesses; therefore, daily grades may fluctuate. The need to revise a paper or re-take a quiz should never be viewed as a failure. The process of mastering a difficult task is often more important than the product.

Some "Tips for Success" in this course:

Come to class ON-TIME and PREPARED!
You get class participation points for being "ready to learn" as well as for learning!

USE your Stevens High School "Agenda" (that red plan book you got on your first day!).
You are required to have it with you in class every day. Sometimes students absolutely must use a different assignment book (for example, large print, or "the one that dear old Uncle Emery me"). If this is the case, then do this: tear off the cover of your SHS Agenda and tape it securely onto the assignment book you will be using. The SHS Agenda cover must be visible in order to get points for class preparation.

Write it down and SAVE IT!
A three-ring binder is required for daily class notes. Notebook checks (approximately one per quarter) are worth one TEST GRADE! (Some items may appear on the notebook checklist for several quarters in a row-- so DON'T throw stuff away!)

The phone is your friend.
Call me AFTER you have called everyone else in your base group. If you are absent for any reason, you can still come in prepared for the next class if you take advantage of the "base group" support network. Small daily homework assignments are best gotten from a team member. If you've tried all your team members and you STILL have a question, then CALL ME AT HOME! I love hearing from students as long as it's BEFORE 10:00 P.M.

Don't expect full credit for late work!
There are only TWO ways you will ever get full credit for work that is handed in after the due date:

You have a copy of a note from your parent/guardian which has been signed by Miss Rosinski indicating that the absence was excused.
OR....
You have my initials on that day's class participation log indicating that I was aware of a school-sanctioned absence prior to the due date.

Smart students make up missed work
even if it's too late to get class participation credit for it because they know they will see it again at a later date. Homework is an important part of the learning process. I don't assign much written homework, but --when I do-- it counts. It is due on the due date because it will help you get something out of that day's class. If you are absent on the due date or if you just choose not to do it, you will earn a zero for that task. If you make up a quiz or homework grade within 24 hours of the due date, I will give you no more than HALF credit. If you blow it off for more than 24 hours, the zero stands. However, since I DO teach in a "spiral," it's likely that you will need to USE that homework as the basis for another assignment or quiz later. Written homework and reading outside of class should take no more than 1/2 hr per evening on the average.

Class participation is VERY IMPORTANT!
Usually-- for most people-- the class participation average is a pretty accurate indicator of what your approximate grade point average will be at the end of the quarter. Now, an entire WEEK's worth of daily class participation grades represents only about 5% of your whole quarter's grade point average, so one zero will not kill your entire grade, but it will bring it down. As a matter of fact, the difference between a 50% or an 80% on one homework assignment will barely show up on your final average--Remember, it's OK to fail every once in a while!-- but a consistent string of missed homework or failed quizzes will gradually take its toll on your overall numeric grade point average. DON'T try to get away with the "minimum" or you're likely to be disappointed!

Those who hesitate are lost!
Don't wait too long and get buried. Ask questions in class and seek extra help IMMEDIATELY if you feel the least bit unsure of yourself.
You can even come in just to socialize if you're not sure whether you really need help or not. Fifteen minutes after school is a lot easier than 15 hours of cramming or 15 boxes of Kleenex at the end of the term when you can't play on a sports team!

The whole thing is rigged!
Give me your 100% effort for at least 50% of the time, and I can guarantee you WON'T fail!

The Last Word...
(regarding Rules, Classroom Procedures, Discipline, etc) ...
The school has more than enough rules for you to keep in mind, so I want my classroom to be as simple an experience as possible for you.
There are only TWO RULES in my classroom that are absolutely non-negotiable and that I will punish you for breaking:
Rule #1 -- Keep one ear out for the teacher!

That means that you should become tuned to the sound of my voice. I give lots of verbal instruction, cues, and helpful hints. I want you to hear them. Please ask to be re-seated if you cannot hear me.

Rule #2 -- Be responsible for your choices!

You must ALWAYS hand in SOMETHING when I am collecting assignments, even if it is only a blank paper with your name, period, date, and the name of the assignment on it.