Welcome to Frankish Anglo Saxon Level III

English III AP – Language & Composition Mrs. Amy Sefcik Room Conference: 4 th period

Note Card Please write your name (last name first), your parent’s name(s), phone numbers, and address on the note card. In the top right hand corner, write your birthday (mm/dd)!

Course Goals Read closely Question intensely Think critically Write appropriately

What to Expect A Very rigorous course designed to enhance your understanding of the elements of composition and style. Readings from various contemporary and classical works to analyze style and the formalities of good prose writing and insightful non-fiction writing. A college-level working vocabulary of terms related to writing and literary analysis, as well as an appreciation for those elements. By the end of this course, you will have the necessary tools to present yourself as a citizen orator.

Supplies Writing Utensil (pen/pencil) Highlighters Paper Post-it notes Memo book (small 3x4 spiral bound steno book) Pocket/brads folder or small binder (1/2 in.) Pack of 3x5 note cards (spiral bound is fine) Pad of Yellow paper (will be shared) Your Laptop Your Laptop

Books & Media Textbook: Riverside Reader  Support texts: Writing about Literature in the Media Age (WLMA); online texts Vocabulary: Rhetorical Terms and Literary Devices Novels: Novel Seminar: your choice from list; Outside Reading: choice from assigned lists; Idlewild by Nick Sagan Film: Documentary film unit, Presidential speeches, highlights from classical books translated into film.

Writing—Why is there so much of it?! Because you have the potential to earn college credit for this course, you are expected to write “at a college level.” In plain English, this means:  Various modes and styles  Varied structures and techniques  Few to no errors in grammar, punctuation, or spelling  We will train you to write this way, you don’t have to have these skills today!

Vocabulary Vocabulary can make a bad writer sound good, and a good writer sound like a poet. Mastery of college-level vocabulary is the key to being able to discuss your ideas, research, and opinions in a way that will instantly enhance your ethos. I will help you build your vocabulary via a daily “Word of the Day” and a “Living Word Wall”

Grading Daily assignments, projects, class participation, quizzes, tests, essays 80% Major (tests & projects), 20% Minor (participation, etc.)  In-class writings are generally major grades.  Peer-editing will count as a minor grade.  Vocabulary quizzes are combined to create a major grade. Expect homework.

Make-up Work When you are absent, the district policy states that you have one day plus the number of days you were absent to turn in any missed daily work. However, if you are absent on the day an assignment is due, it is due the day you return. For long-term, major projects, you receive a five-day window in which to turn in the project whether you are at school or not. *THIS APPLIES TO THE OUTSIDE READING PROJECT* If you are absent YOU are responsible for getting your make-up work from our online classroom. If you do not understand any part of the assignment, please ask me. If you are on campus the day an assignment is due, and are not sent home due to illness, the standard late work policy applies. Timed writings and Multiple/Choice Sample Section Tests must be made up during tutorials within one week of the absence.

Late Policy I do not accept late daily work for credit, no exceptions. I do not accept late work for full credit. Ever. Major grade assignments will be docked 10 points per day. Saturday and Sunday count as two days. The first deduction occurs after the end of your class period on the day the assignment is due.  If a five-day window has been given for a long-term, major assignment (ex. Outside Reading) it will not be accepted after the last day of the window.  What if… aliens abduct my sister, and I miss my aunt’s wedding trying to save her, getting to campus only five minutes ago and suddenly realizing I left my assignment sitting on the stove, so now it’s bound to be a pile of ashes, but I stayed up until four o’clock working on it! Consider a career in screenwriting. It’s still late.  What if… I need extra help with the assignment. Talk to me at least 24 hours in advance of the due time (i.e., the day before, during your class) and we’ll talk about an extension.

Transfer Students Wiki space is your best resource for keeping up with the class. Higher level of difficulty because of lack of time, but not impossible. Tutorials and extended day: use them! Schedule:  Tuesdays and Thursdays, other days by appointment only. Appointment means a REQUEST, at least 24 hours in advance. I teach night class at ITT, and am taking courses in a Master’s Program. I am Not physically available at certain times, but can always be reached via .

Discipline & Plagiarism The nature of the Carl Wunsche Sr. High School is professional. Students are expected to act professionally and appropriately in all classroom situations. Plagiarism will result in a loss of credit for the assignment and may result in a referral to the Assistant Principal’s office.

Questions?

Current Events Friday Every Friday you will be expected to turn in an article from the week’s news, which you have analyzed for rhetorical and grammatical devices. You will receive more information about this on Thursday. So… start looking at news sites, watching the news, etc. Most stories you see on the evening news are reproduced on the channel’s website. (ex. Cnn.com, khou.com)

Outside Reading: The Books You are expected to read one book every three weeks, and complete a book report for each book.  Each six weeks you will be given a themed list of nonfiction and fiction books to choose from. Nonfiction for 1 st 3 weeks, Fiction for 2 nd 3 weeks. Themes: 1. Pop Culture (NF: Biography; F: Pop Culture List) 2. Community 3. Ethics (NF only, Novel Seminar replaces 1 st 3-weeks OR) 4. Gender 5. Environment 6. Heroes

Outside Reading: The Book Report This is complicated if you don’t ‘get it’ before you try to do one, PLEASE PAY ATTENTION!! Your first book report will be a Poster on the Biography you read over the summer. After that: Each six weeks you will turn in two book reports.  A: one Major Works Data Sheet (MWDS);  B: one project from online list. You decide when you do each book report.  Ex: It’s the 2 nd six weeks, you read Civil Disobedience for your Nonfiction selection, and do a MWDS for your book report. You then choose A Clockwork Orange for your Fiction selection. Because you’ve already done the MWDS, you would choose one of the “Choice” book report projects.  Ex: The next six weeks, you decide to do a Book to Film project for A Hand to Guide Me, your Nonfiction selection. You would do a MWDS for your Fiction selection since you already completed a “Choice” project.

Confused? Just Ask!