2017-18 Course Syllabus & Class Requirements

CP English 11
Teacher Contact:
Ms. Sharp Mr. Warnock
Email: Email:
sarah.sharp@smusd.org stephen.warnock@smusd.org
Phone: Phone:
(760) 290-2200 ext. 3839 (760) 290-2200 ext.3829

Empowering personal growth and
honorable contributions of all Knights. Room: 306
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 3:30pm-4:30pm. Thursdays,
3:30pm-4:30pm, & by appointment.

Course Description
In order to attempt to completely understand our society--past and present--it is important to
empathize, or put ourselves in the place of the people during the time period at hand. In this class
students will examine and grapple with major themes and struggles throughout American History with
a primary focus on the twentieth century in order to come to a greater understanding of our individual
and collective identity. Students will examine both nonfiction and fiction texts written in America by
Americans examining the nations voice as it develops around major turning points in history.
Throughout the course students will determine what it means to be American, as well as evaluate the
process that Americans have taken to establish an identity over the years by examining: informational
materials, advertisements, prose both fiction and nonfiction, and poetry. Students will understand that
their rights, granted under the Constitution, are a precious inheritance that depends on an educated
citizenry for continued protection and preservation.

This course is centered on the Common Core State Standards. Students will engage in activities that
promote critical thinking and independent thought so that they develop 21st century learning skills.

Course Goals
The goal of this course is to encourage students to become skilled readers of nonfiction, prose, and
poetry from a variety of authors and time periods that represent the diverse makeup of American
identity, and to become skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes.
Upon completing this course, students should be able to:

Analyze and interpret texts of literary merit in order
to identify and explain the authors use of textual
details and the impact upon purpose
Demonstrate understanding and mastery of standard
written English, as well as stylistic maturity in their
own writing
Move effectively through the stages of the writing
process with careful attention to the methods of
drafting; revising based upon self, peer, and
instructor comments; editing; and review.
Engage in collaborative s ettings effectively
Refine citizenship skills in order to be a productive
contributor to the class culture
Increase critical thinking skills
Demonstrate creativity through a variety of
products beyond formulaic templates

School-wide Learning Objectives
Students of San Marcos High School are self-regulated learners that will graduate as empowered
individuals with 21st century skills and attitudes to positively contribute to their personal, local, and
global communities. In order to do this, throughout their time at SMHS, students will demonstrate
growth in their ability to:
think critically and creatively in learning and life
produce various forms of effective communication
productively interact within collaborative environments for learning and problem
solving

Grading Policy
Being a college prep course, your grade in Synergy will be composed of only your summative
assessments (much like a college course). While we reserve the right to assign homework, almost all of
your work will be done in class. Here are the graded assignments for the Fall Semester*:
Unit One Final Assessment (100pts) 100-90% = A
SMUSD ELA 11 Performance Task (100pts) 89-80% = B
20 Time (100pts): 79-70% = C
Annotated Bibliography (20pts) 69-60% = D
59-Below = F
Written Proposal (20pts)
Blog Posts (40pts) *Rounding is determined by your citizenship
Elevator Pitch (20pts) grade--See PRIDE rubric on Google Classroom*
Book Club (100pts):
4 Meetings (40pts)
Final Product (60pts)
*May be subject to change

Suggested Supplies:
It is strongly recommended that you bring the following to class every day:
Journal/Notebook this will be used at the beginning of every class.
This can be kept in the classroom.
Collections Consumable
Post-It/Sticky Notes
Ring binder with dividers
Independent Reading Book
Writing utensils, highlighter
Dry-erase marker/eraser
In the instance you forgot your pencil or your dog ate your sticky notes, we have limited supplies that
you are more than welcome to use, just ask! Again supplies are limited and they tend to walk out of the
class to be set free, so please try and remember to bring your own.

School Discipline Policy

At the first behavioral disruption we will give the student a verbal warning and contact the parent to
discuss the behavior. Subsequent behavioral disruptions will result in a referral to the Assistant
Principals Offices. The Assistant Principal will then meet with the student, may assign a consequence

and mail a copy of the referral to the parent. Continued disruptions may result in the students
withdrawal/fail from the class.

The majority of your assignments will be turned in online. Technology seems more
likely to malfunction when you wait until the last minute to turn in your assignment.
We recommend you use our class chromebooks during class to turn in your
assignments on time. See the Late Work section for further clarification.

Google Classroom: Turnitin.com:

Period 1: ogrgss Period 1: 15937138 Password: STARK
Period 2: dzf1jc Period 2: 15937161 Password: warsharp
Period 3: iiotfg5 Period 3: 15937168 Password: HP4eva

What is plagiarism?
Plagiarism: Taking credit for work/ideas that has not been completed by you. This includes copying
someones answers during a test/quiz if it is not a group assignment; failing to properly cite all
summaries/paraphrasing/quotations in writing (if the idea isnt yours it is plagiarism); as well as
turning in another persons work as if it were your own (student or other). It is also using your own
work from another course without permission from your current course. Each course expects original
work and thought. Time is devoted in class to cultivate these new thoughts. If you turn in an
assignment from another course, you havent spent the time creating new ideas.

It is okay to collaborate with peers and share ideas verbally when exploring all class activities,
but all content turned in must be your own.
Students who plagiarize will receive a zero on the assignment and a referral to
the assistant principals office.
2nd offense results in a drop/fail from the course and no future letter of
recommendation.

In-Class Behavior Policy

Keep it clean. With the exception of water, no food, drinks, and gum allowed in the classroom.
Please pick up after yourselves. Also, when we refer to keeping it clean, we also mean your
language. This is an academic setting and we are going to be respectful of that environment.
Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic.
Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it - Albus Dumbledore (RIP)
Be respectful to your peers. We will not tolerate any disrespectful behavior or any sort of
bullying towards anyone. Our classroom is a space where all ideas are welcomed, and students
will learn how to respectfully disagree.
Follow PRIDE and other school-wide expectations

Electronic Policy
No UNAUTHORIZED (that means ask us first!) cell phone/electronic use-- Cellphones will be
checked in at the beginning of class in the students designated, number pocket. Your pocket, and
chromebook number will match. If you chose to not place your cellphone in the charging station, and
you are using your phone without permission, your phone will be confiscated and follow the SMHS
consequences:

 Consequences: After the first offense, items will be retained in the AP Office for pickup at the
end of the students school day.
1st Offense Pick up at the end of class
2nd Offense Pick up after school
3rd Offense Parent pick up of device
4th Offense - Parent pick up and Saturday School discipline
Headphones are allowed during independent work time for music use only.

Attendance / Credit Policy

Students are expected to attend school daily, and be on time for class. If a student is absent from class
without a valid excuse or leaves class without our permission, he/she is considered truant. In
accordance with State Education Code requirements, a student must be in class a minimum of 60 hours
to receive five units of credit for that class. A student may receive a failing grade for unexcused
absences exceeding ten (10) days per semester (SMUSD Board Policy 5113).

Make-up Policy/Late Work

When you are absent, you will have an equal amount of time to turn in missing assignments. Example:
If you were gone for 2 days, you have 2 days to make up the work you missed. Major assessments
(essays, projects, etc.) will not be accepted late unless prearranged with teachers.

Films
On very rare occasions we may watch a film or an excerpt of a film rated PG, PG-13, or R during class
time that is directly tied to the lesson/unit. Films rated R will be censored to eliminate contents that
merit an R rating (for example, when we are reading The Great Gatsby we will be watching clips from
the 2013 version). By signing the signature page, you consent to allow your child to watch these
films/excerpts. If you would like your child sent to another class during an excerpt from a PG-13 or
from an R rated film, please indicate in the Special Needs/Concerns section of the signature page.

Need to Contact us?

If you have an emergency or crisis of any kind, please let us know as soon as possible. We are more than
willing to work with you, just communicate with us! Email is the easiest way to get a hold of us, and we
will get back to you as soon as we can so we can work together on achieving your success.
When emailing us, please include a subject indicating the nature of your email, and your
NAME and PERIOD in the message of the email. Since this class has two teachers, please
send your email to BOTH teachers so everyone is in the loop.

 Signature Page

Print Student Name:_____________________________

Student ID: ___________________________________
Period of Class:________________________________

Print Parent/Guardian Name: ______________________________________________________

Parent Signature:_________________________________________________________________
Home ___________________________Cell ___________________
E mail: _________________________________________________

Additional Contact Phone Numbers:

Parent/Guardian Name
Home ___________________________Cell ___________________
E mail: _________________________________________________

Student:

I have read and understand the requirements and policies of the San Marcos High School CP English 11
course and AGREE to these requirements and policies.

Student Name (printed):____________________________________ Period _________

Student Signature: ________________________________________________________

Primary Language Spoken at Home

English
Spanish
Other ____________

Access to computer or a device with typing capabilities

Yes
No
Sometimes

Access to the internet

Yes
No
Sometimes

Please list any Special Needs/Concerns your teachers should be aware of