Course Expectations                                                                               Nate Stearns

                                                                        2017-2018

English 11

nathan.stearns@shorelineschool.org

What is this class?: English 11 is a survey course of the literature, ideas, and thinkers which are important to The United States of America. We divide the class into 4 units: The American Dream, New Eyes: Perspectives, the Natural World, and Rebels and Iconoclasts. This class also fulfils the Speech requirement and includes 4 speeches throughout the year. More than that, we explore our identity as Americans, seeing where we’ve come from and imagining where we are going.

 

What’s the schedule? The year is broken up into 4 separate units.   We begin with an examination of The American Dream, where we explore how America has come to view itself as exceptional and full of opportunity.

 

Grading: What’s in a grade? When it gets right down to it, a grade is a numerical representation of both your effort and skills. They reflect my judgment of your achievement in my class. I break the grading down into categories, each representing an aspect of the class that I think is important.

 

• [70 percent] English Skills: (Papers, Tests, Projects, Sometimes quizzes) These grades should show your ability in English. Inevitably, there is stress involved here because your work will be measure against the work of your fellow students. Your ability to read well, write effectively, speak eloquently, and think critically are all being judged here. Of course, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, come see me during STAR for help.

 

• [30 percent]       Responsibility: (Homework, In-class activities) These grades typically are all or nothing. If the assignment was for you to write one page on your thoughts about the American Dream and you complete only one half, I will have to give you a 0. These grades are meant to show your effort and good will towards doing work that is required. Trying is everything here.

 

 

Plagiarism: In this cyborg age, it is increasingly easy to find other people to write for you and it is also increasingly difficult for teachers to assure that students complete their own work. Plagiarism is borrowing the words or ideas of other writers without giving credit. I like to believe in the inherent goodness of mankind (as well as student kind) but from time to time I will ask you to submit major writing assignments to turnitin.com in order to “trust but verify” as the government says. If in the unhappy event you are caught plagiarizing, you should know that for a first offense students receive a 0 on that particular assignment, and for a second offense automatically fail the class even if it’s a different class.

 

 

Other expectations:

 

Homework and tardy/absence Policy:

 

First off, I don’t take late homework unless the situation is particularly special (e.g. your family moved to Borneo yesterday and “forgot” to bring you along). For larger papers and projects, I subtract 10% off for every day you’re late. When you are absent—excused—it’s your responsibility to find out what the homework was (it’s on my website) and get it to me the next school day. If your absence is unexcused, you get an automatic 0 for the assignment. Students who are tardy more than 10 minutes are considered absent for that class period and if you are absent more than 9 times in a semester (for any reason) you may not receive credit for my class. I also reserve the right to decrease your grade by 10% for every day you are absent over 9 days.

 

Technology Expectations

 

Every student will be expected to have their iPads (charged) in class every class period. Also, you will be asked to maintain an academic blog where much of your in-class work will be entered as well as your longer assignments. During class, you’re expected to work only on class work; any time you spend on other sites—Angry Birds, Tower Madness, whathaveyou—I will confiscate your tablet for the duration of class. Also, if you’re unable to resist the siren song of the multitask, of checking your email while comparing prices on shoes at Nordstrom’s while laughing at LOLCATS pics, I might bust you back down to the Stone Age where you will relearn what life is like with only dead tree products and pencils. Similarly, I restrict all uses of cell phones and MP3 players to out of class time. Please keep these devices in your pockets or backpacks. If I see you using one in class, I will confiscate it and take it to the front office.

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Grade Percentages                                                 

A = 93-100%                                      A- = 90-92%

B+ = 87-89%                                      B = 83-86%                            B- = 80-82%

C+ = 77-79%                                      C = 73-76%                            C- = 70-72%

D = 60-69%                                        F = below 60%

 

Academic Honesty

Cheating and plagiarism are serious offenses.

• Plagiarism is “an act or instance of using or closely imitating the language and thoughts of another author without authorization and the representation of that author's work as one's own, as by not crediting the original author.”(“Plagiarism.” com. Dictionary.com, 2012. Web. 03 Sept. 2012.)
• Do not copy ideas or information from another source without citing it. This includes classmates’ work. We’ll be using the online plagiarism and portfolio program com to submit work.

• Failure to follow this classroom expectation will result in no credit for the work, family contact, and a note in your student record. An additional violation at any point while at Shorewood may result in losing credit for the class and a suspension. (See Policy #3302 in your student handbook.)

 

 

• You are in charge of your learning.
• I expect that you are a person of good faith; that you’re here to learn and explore.      
• When we talk with each other, we do so in an environment of trust and safety.       Disagreements amongst friends are necessary but I’m not OK with ridicule or harassment for any reason.
• If you disagree with me, tell me, but do so with courtesy and tact.
• Do your very best to be on time, tardiness affects your Class Participation grade.
• Check CANVAS, marvel at its beauty.
• I don’t take late homework at all; larger assignments may be late but will receive a 10% penalty for every day they're late.
• If you have family or other emergency, see me as soon as you can to negotiate.

 

 

Final Thoughts: In our increasingly globalized world, trying to figure out where you’re from, to whom you belong gets harder and harder. Am I more a citizen of the US than I am of the world? Which tribes claim your loyalty? The one thing I ask you is to be curious. Wonder why it is the way it is, the way it was. Be interested in the possibilities.