Hutchinson Central Technical High School
Course Syllabus
Course Name: English IV
Instructor: Ms. Robson Contact Time: 8:57-9:38 Phone Ext: 1441
Grading Policy
Quarterly grades will be based on homework, class work, quizzes, tests, compositions, projects, and participation in class discussions. Tests, compositions and projects will be weighted heaviest. Any work that is copied/downloaded/plagiarized will receive a zero. Work that does not conform to the guidelines or that is more than three class days late will not be graded.
Homework Policy
Homework is due the next day. Homework missed due to legal absence may be made up upon return to class. Homework information is fair game for quizzes. A reading assignment is homework.
Test Policy
Tests occur at the ends of units. They are always posted in advance. They may be in short answer form, essay form, or a combination. They reflect the amount of information and depth of understanding you are expected to have attained while studying the unit. Occasionally, a test may be given on a take-home basis to allow for more time/computer processing. This is not an invitation to work collaboratively. If your paper is the same as some one else's, both papers will receive zeroes.
Quiz Policy
Quizzes may be announced in advance or may happen without warning. They will be short and will ask for information covered within the most recent lessons. Quizzes should be used as a reality check: difficulty means you are not getting the material. Ask for help and/or increase your efforts. Since quiz questions may reappear on larger tests, wise students keep their corrected quiz papers. If you are legally absent on the day of a quiz, you may arrange to make it up.
Projects
Projects require independent work and extend the knowledge gained through class. They require much time and effort, and are graded accordingly. To neglect a project is much costlier than to forget a homework assignment. Project guidelines and schedules will be handed out for every project assignment and you are expected to follow them. There will be at least one project in each quarter. Research skills and library access will be necessary. A useable library card is priceless.
Course Outline
Students in English IV will read and analyze literature from different periods, authors, and forms. They will become familiar with plays, poetry, short and long fiction, and non-fiction. They will identify the elements and techniques, demonstrating the knowledgeable use of correct literary terms, and will discuss authors' styles. Students will practice varied forms of composition, with emphasis on mastery of conventions and fluency, as well as logical organization and coherence of thought. Students will be expected to acquire vocabulary from grade-level lists as well as from the literature.