• Orange High School, English Syllabus

    Instructor Information

    Instructor: Mr. Kevin Quinn

    Office Telephone: (973)-677-4050

    E-mail: quinnkev@orange.k12.nj.us 

    Course Description

    This course introduces students to the concept of close reading and college level writing for college and career readiness. To do well in English, students must do three things. First, you must THINK. You must question, analyze, and think critically. This may seem unnecessary to put as the first thing. However, high-level reading and writing can only come from deep, purposeful THINKING. Second, you must read. We will be doing lots of reading. I cannot overstate the impact that regular reading, whether it is for long or short periods of time, can have on your success as a student and person. Third, you must write. Formal, serious writing (for benchmarks and performance tasks) means that you will write, rewrite, and edit...many times. Informal, more relaxed writing does not require the same rigor, but it is equally as important.

    All of the work we do in English will strengthen your ability to read, write in, speak, and actively listen to English at an academic level. 


    Student Learning Outcomes 

    • Students will be able to write papers using MLA format. 
    • Students will read and analyze challenging college level texts.
    • Students will come to class prepared to discuss assigned texts. 
    • Students will participate in class discussions and thoughtfully contribute and collaborate.

    Assignment Grading Weight

    Assignment

    Percentage of Grade

    Description

    Authentic Assessments

    25%

    Portfolios, performance assessments, benchmarks, research, projects, essays, book reports, speeches, 21st Century real world experiences…

    Tests

    25%

    May include end of chapter/text assessments, unit, content District assessments

    Quizzes

    20%

    Short assessments of targeted learning objectives. May be announced or unannounced

    Classwork

    20%

    Do Nows, Exit Tickets, Pack Pack responses, Reading Plus activities, reading logs, assignments, demonstrations, skill application...

    Homework

    10%

    Reading responses, worksheets/handouts, signed forms, vocabulary tasks, other...

    Extra Credit

    tbd

    Participating in class (sharing Do Now responses, participating in discussion). Responding to optional Extension Questions on assignments. Other opportunities created by the teacher. 

    Cell Phone Policy 

    As students enter the class, they will drop their cell phones into their assigned, numbered pocket. The phones will stay there for the entirety of the period. When students exit the class, they will retrieve their cell phones. The majority of the work we do that involves technology can be done on the laptop. There MAY be times when we use cell phones for a class activity, but these will be rare. Failure to comply with this policy will result in disciplinary action. 

     

    Classroom Expectations:

    • RESPECT (each other, yourself, and the classroom). If we do this, everything else falls into place.
    • Raise your hand to participate
    • Do not talk while someone else is speaking
    • Be on time and be present
    • NO headphones unless they are being used for a class activity. The teacher will make clear when this is the case.

     

    Academic Dishonesty

    Plagiarism will not be accepted. Plagiarism is any form of the following:

    • copying another student’s work
    • copying and pasting text from the internet
    • not giving credit to proper sources

    Cheating will result in a 0.