Monday, August 22, 2011

English 10 Parent Letter

Dear Parents and Guardians,

My name is Ms. C. Sanders and I welcome your child to my English 10 course with a promise of a productive year full of rigorous, preparatory, and interesting work. My particular style of teaching is based on four objectives: setting high expectations for every student, showing respect for all students and expecting respect in return, educating for success, and finally encouraging parental involvement. It is my belief that when parents and teachers work together, a student can flourish in the classroom and other activities.

There are certain expectations concerning given assignments and behavior. Students will have homework at my discretion. Homework is for reinforcement of a taught concept during class. Therefore, it will be given frequently, but not regularly.  These assignments should be completed and submitted. Students should read at home each night, checking out books upon your approval, from the media center or public library. This will aid in advancing their vocabulary and reading comprehension skills. Please take an active interest in your child’s work.

Parents/ Guardians please look at report cards and progress reports. Students will receive a bi-weekly progress report from me and I will gladly let you know your child’s progress or address any concerns I may have regarding their performance.

I have included our four class rules and will contact you if any of them are violated.

  1. Students should respect themselves and others. No profanity, name calling and belittling of any kind will not be tolerated.
  2. Students should not hold any side conversations or make noise when the teacher or others in the class are speaking. No cell phones will be permitted in class.
  3. Students should come to class with all necessary materials (assignments, books, pen, and/or pencil).
  4. Students should make sure they do their own work on tests and other individual assignments every day.

 If you child chooses to break a rule, the following steps will be taken:
1st Offense            Verbal Warning
2nd Offense           Minor Incident Report/ Call home
3rd Offense            Sent to administrator with a PS74 for further disciplinary action (after the third Minor Incident Report)

Misbehavior and disrespect will not be tolerated.

I will also recognize and make you aware of appropriate and exceptional behavior and work. By working together we can make this a fabulous year. Please feel free to contact me via e-mail at carmen.sanders@pgcps.org or by phone during school hours at (301)-449-4900 x367. Thank you in advance for all your help and support. 

Parents please e-mail me after you have read this letter andnd the English 10 Syllabus, so that I may add you to my English 10 Parents E-mail Listserv.

      Carmen Sanders                          109                                    August 22, 2011
            Teacher’s Signature                              Room Number                                              Date



English 10 Course Description


Friendly High School
English/Language Arts 10
Course Syllabus
Ms. C. Sanders, Teacher
Room 109

Statement of Purpose
The English/Language Arts program is committed to enabling all students to become lifelong readers, writers, listeners, and speakers.  All of these processes are recursive, which necessitates an understanding that growth and development are never-ending.  Systematic instruction that focuses on the development of attitudes, strategies, and processes empowers students to become active listeners, proficient speakers, and independent readers, writers, and thinkers.
The course objectives are aligned with Maryland’s State Curriculum for English and with the English Core Learning Goals as prepared by the Maryland State Department of Education (M.S. D.E.), which are as follows:
  • Goal 1: The student will demonstrate the ability to respond to a text by employing personal experiences and critical analysis.
  • Goal 2: The student will demonstrate the ability to compose in a variety of modes by developing content, employing specific forms and selecting language appropriate for a particular audience and purpose.
  • Goal 3: The student will demonstrate the ability to control language by applying the conventions of standard English in writing and speaking.
  • Goal 4: The student will demonstrate the ability to evaluate the content, organization and language use of texts.
Course Description
This course fulfills the English 10 requirement and is designed to facilitate learning outcomes appropriate to the instructional needs of students.  This course continues development of and improvement of students’ skills in reading, writing, and communication.  Students study various forms of literature, with emphasis on selected, literary classics.  Instruction and remediation are provided for students preparing for the High School Assessment.  Modified course content will be delivered in whole and small instructional groupings to diverse learners.

Required Materials
  1. 2 inch 3-ring binder
  2. 6 dividers
  3. 3-ring loose-leaf notebook paper
  4. 2 pens – blue or black
  5. 2 No. 2 pencils
  6. One highlighter
  7. One travel drive
  8. 2 packs of Post-it Notes
Required materials and issued textbook(s) must be brought to class daily.  On the inside cover of the book should be the student’s name, teacher’s name, issued school-year with teacher’s initials.  Report any lost book immediately.  You will be charged for any lost book as soon as a replacement book is issued.

Notebook Sections
  1. Notes
  2. Warm-ups
  3. Quick-Writes/ Journals
  4. Classwork
  5. Homework
  6. Assessments
Grading Factors

The goal of grading and reporting is to provide students with feedback that reflects their progress towards mastery of the indicators and objectives found in the Reading/Language Arts Curriculum Framework.

Classwork              This category might include all work begun and/or completed                                  25%
                                in class, class discussions, group activities, student journals,
                                warm-ups, and other assigned tasks.
Homework              This category might include all work completed outside of the                                   25%
                                class setting. Assignments might include readings and/or
                                accompanying tasks, written assignments, and practice
                                exercises; occasionally assignments that are not completed in class.
Assessments        This category might include tests, quizzes, and quarterly                                           50%
                                assessments. Some assessments will be in the selected
                                response format or include short answer responses and essays which evaluate
                                student performance in writing or presentation of ideas.

Student Attendance
  • Students must attend class daily and arrive on time.
  • According to P.G.C.P.S. Administrative Procedure 5113, Pupil Attendance and Absence, “5 days of unlawful absence per semester in a semester course, or 10 days of unlawful absence in a full-year course shall result in a no grade (N) for the course.”
  • When absent, a student has 2 days in which to bring in a note that excuses him/her for the absence.  After 2 days, the absence becomes UNEXCUSED.
  • For excused absences, the student is responsible for acquiring his or her make-up work.
  • According to P.G.C.P.S. Administrative Procedure 5121.2, Assessment and Grading for All Secondary Schools Programs, “students who are considered lawfully absent from school will have the opportunity to make-up missed work in a timely fashion (a maximum of three days for each day’s absence).”
  • Students who fail to complete work in a timely fashion will receive a “zero” (0) grade for those assignments.
  • Students are responsible for notifying teachers ahead of time if their absence will be due to a school sponsored activity.                               

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Welcome Back!

I wanted to take this opportunity to welcome you all back to school and to English 10 with me. This year promises to be enriching and exciting. So strap on your seatbelts, we are going to "take it to the moon!"

Ms. Sanders English 10 Syllabus/ Parent Letter

These two documents will be posted tomorrow! :-)