E 8 Main

E 8 - 12th Grade English

Course Objectives/Goals:

To gain and improve writing and reading skills for college studies
- To analyze texts critically
- To respond to writing prompts in a more spontaneous and imaginative ways
- To write literary essays with clear focus(i.e. effective thesis statement) and illustrative details
- To understand more effectively the internal structure of an essay
- To be more aware of one's voice an a writer
- To write reaction papers to articles, books and films
To be an independent and critical thinker
- To reflect more on the social, political and personal values of literary works and other texts
- To evaluate literary works in a historical context
- To understand characters and issues in literature from your own perspective culturally, religiously or regionally
To communicate more effectively
- To learn new vocabulary words daily
- To share in class journal and literary responses
- To discuss and elicit ideas from small group discussions
- To improve grammatical skills
To research and work collaboratively for a specific purpose

To generate a specific topic based on research
To develop a clear and strong thesis through research
To learn research techniques such as discerning the authenticity of the information, identifying primary and secondary sources
To learn various ways of citing information and sources
To write a well-supported and illustrated research paper

Course Requirements-

Respond to writing prompts daily
Apply new vocabulary words in writing
Participate in reading and discussing the text in class
Write reflectively ,crtically or creatively to the reading materials
Work in a small group setting collaboratively and efficiently
Attend classes regularly

Expected class decorum-

Respectful
Cordial
Cognizant
Thoughtful

Grading Policy-

Compositions(essays,journals), exams, projects 65%
Attendance 20%
Class participation 15%

Grading Policies for Written Work/Artwork

Originality in contents and forms
Accuracy of the understanding of texts
Quality of work
Punctuality of work completion and submission

Academic Dishonesty

Plagiarism attacks the freedom and integrity of thought. Especially in a class that will depend to some extent on online research, you must know what constitutes plagiarism and avoid it.
Students who plagiarize will receive 0 in the subject.
Full acknowledgement for all information obtained from sources outside the classroom must be clearly stated in all written work submitted.
All ideas, arguments, and direct phrasings taken from someone else's work must be identified and properly footnoted.
Quotations from other sources must be clearly marked as distinct from your own work.

Journal – Rubric

1=Weak 2=Somewhat Weak 3=Average 4= Strong 5=Very Strong

1. The topic of the journal entry meets the requirements of the assignment.

2. The journal entry covers various aspects of a person's life which shows the student's understanding of that person's way of life.

3. The entries provide very descriptive explanation of that person's surroundings.

4. The organization of the journal entries are clear and easy to follow.

5. The journal entry flows smoothly from one idea to another.

6. The spelling, grammar, and punctuation in the journal is accurate.

7. The journal entry is neatly typed or handwritten.

8. The journal entries are bound together neatly with a cover.

9. The journal offers various experiences and perspectives of that person's life.

10. The effort put forth has demonstrated the full potential of the student's capability.

Total Points: __________________

Literary Essay Rubric

	6	5	4	3	2	1
LEVEL OF COMPREHENSION& FOCUS	a sophisticated thesis reveals an in-depth analysis of the text	a sound thesis demonstrates a plausible interpretation of the text	a clear thesis demonstrates some interpretive comprehension of the text	a thesis demonstrates a basic understanding of the text	the thesis is so general/simple it does not need development ; an obvious fact	no evidence of a thesis OR the thesis does not demonstrate a reading of the text
ORGANIZATION	exhibits a sophisticated and coherent structure through skillful placement of ideas and effective transitioning	exhibits a coherent structure with logical placement of ideas and smooth transitions	exhibits a logical structure and has relatively smooth transitions	exhibits a rudimentary structure that has fairly smooth transitions combined with some choppy ones	much of the essay seems out of order, illogical and has very few transitions	essay has little to no sense of logical order
SUPPORT & FOCUS	ideas are original, clearly developed and supported with effective, relevant, and specific references in order to analyze the text	ideas are developed, making use of relevant and specific references in order to interpret the text	most ideas are developed, with interpretation of the text, making use of relevant and specific references from the text	ideas are briefly developed, using some relevant and specific references from the text combined with paraphrasing/summary	most ideas are undeveloped, repetitive, or supported only with summary of text	ideas are undeveloped, unsupported, or supported with irrelevant text or summary
LEAD/ INTRO.	innovative, original introduction that indicates writer’s grasp of topic, purpose and audience	pulls the reader into the piece, introduces the text and thesis	standard lead and introduction to thesis – (it works)	lead is attempted, introducing the text and thesis	lead is attempted, but does little to introduce essay	too short, non-existent, or unfitting for the essay
CONCLUSION	writer “comes to a conclusion”, leaving reader satisfied and thinking	writer “comes to a conclusion” about thesis/text, leaving reader satisfied	writer “comes to a conclusion”, ties essay together	restates thesis, may be superficial	short or superficial, just tacked on the end	non-existent or does not make a point
VOICE Diction Syntax Imagery Tone	utilizes terminology appropriate to genre, chooses distinct words, and varies sentence length and grammatical structure to create an original and confident voice both fitting to the purpose of the essay and intended audience	utilizes terminology appropriate to genre, makes conscious word choice, and varies some sentence length and grammatical structure to create a convincing voice	utilizes terminology appropriate to genre, and varies some sentence length and grammatical structure; voice is stronger in some parts of essay	attempts to utilize terminology appropriate to genre, experiments with varied sentence length and grammatical structure; a hint of voice is present in essay	writing shows little awareness of varying grammatical structures or word choice to fit purpose of essay; voice may only be present in lead and conclusion	no voice and no awareness of audience demonstrated ; sentences are awkward, rambling, fragmented and/or confusing
CONVENTIONS	mastery of conventions: no spelling, punctuation or format errors (including MLA format & citing text)	strong conventions: correct format; one or two reasonable errors in punctuation, verb tense, spelling, and/or MLA format	a few grade-appropriate errors in format, spelling, punctuation, verb tense, or MLA format	some grade-appropriate errors combined with careless errors in spelling, conventions, editing or MLA format	frequent spelling/editing typing and MLA format errors	Too many errors in spelling, conventions, or MLA format to be considered a final draft

Conventions must earn at least a “4” in order for the overall essay to earn anything higher than a “4”.
All prewriting, notes, peer responses, and drafts/with obvious revision must be included or no credit for Essay.

Reading/Thinking Journal Rubric

Outstanding!! (Advanced)	Wow! (Proficient)	So-So (Basic)	Oops (Below Basic)
Quality Ø Entries show evidence of reflection about what you’re reading and about “real things” not summaries, chapters, or “stories.” Ø You always attempt deeper thinking in your writing Ø There is evidence of applying what you learn in minilessons.	Quality Ø Entries include some reflection about what you’re reading and about “real things” but also lots of summaries, chapters, or “stories.” Ø You usually attempt deeper thinking in your writing Ø There is often evidence of applying what you learn in minilessons.	Quality Ø Entries do not show reflection about what you’re reading and about “real things. “ Ø Sometimes you attempt deeper thinking in your writing Ø There is some evidence of applying what you learn in minilessons.	Quality Ø Your journal has more summaries, drawings, or blank pages than reflective writing. Ø Entries are confused. They do not make sense to the reader. Ø There is no evidence of applying what you learn in minilessons
Quantity Ø You always write in your journal every day at school. Ø You always write in your journal at home when assigned.	Quantity Ø You usually write in your journal every day at school. Ø You usually write in your journal at home when assigned.	Quantity Ø You often write in your journal every day at school. Ø Sometimes you write in your journal at home when assigned.	Quantity Ø You seldom write in your journal every day at school. Ø You hardly ever write in your journal at home when assigned.
Neatness Ø Entries are double-spaced Ø Your journal looks like you truly treasure reading, thinking, and writing.	Neatness Ø Entries are usually double-spaced Ø Your entries are usually neat, clean, and well-cared for.	Neatness Ø Some of the entries are doublespaced Ø Some of the entries in your notebook are clean and well-cared for.	Neatness Ø Your journal is not neat, clean, and well-cared for. Ø Your journal looks as though you do not treasure writing.
Spelling, Punctuation, and Word Choice Ø You reread your journal with an editor’s eye—paying attention to mugshot errors, marking revisions when necessary. Ø Someone else can read your entries easily.	Spelling, Punctuation, and Word Choice Ø You usually reread your journal with an editor’s eye—paying attention to mugshot errors, marking revisions when necessary. Ø Someone else can usually read your entries easily.	Spelling, Punctuation, and Word Choice Ø Sometimes you reread your journal with an editor’s eye. Ø It’s often difficult for someone else to read your entries.	Spelling, Punctuation, and Word Choice Ø You do not reread your journal with an editor’s eye. Ø It’s very difficult for someone else to read your entries.

Vocabulary Rubric

Category

Fully Meeting Expectations

Meeting Expectations

Not Meeting
Expectations

Vocabulary Usage
Quantity

All words are used correctly in the assignment.
Complete the assignment on a daily basis

Most words are used correctly in the assignment
Complete the assignment sometimes

Many words are incorrectly used in the assignment.
Complete the assignment rarely

Presentation

The assignment is completed according to directions and is neatly presented.

The assignment is almost completed according to directions and is somewhat neatly presented.

The assignment is attempted but not completed correctly and/ or is difficult to read.

Note: A mark of 2 or 4 may be given and will be shown with a circle on the line.

LEVEL OF COMPREHENSION& FOCUS

ORGANIZATION

SUPPORT & FOCUS

LEAD/

CONCLUSION

VOICE

CONVENTIONS