PRE-ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENGLISH II
Mrs.
Perkins
Introduction
Advanced Placement is a
nation-wide program administered by the College Board. Consequently, all assignments and readings are
developed as based on training from the College Board. Teachers across the nation expect the same
level of ability and offer the same quality and expertise to all students. The Advanced Placement English program at
1) to sharpen an awareness of language,
2) to understand the writer’s craft,
3) to develop critical standards for the independent
appreciation of any literary work,
4) to increase sensitivity to literature as shared experience,
and
5) to develop personal voices in written expression.
AP
English is designed for students who are willing to devote the extra time and
energy necessary to complete a course more rigorous and demanding than other
high school English courses. We will be
reading and discussing the more mature forms of poetry, drama, short stories,
and novels. We will be covering a large
number of works at a fairly rapid pace while at the same time considering those
works in more depth than you may have done in the past. These factors obviously require a commitment
from all of us. We have a great deal of
work ahead, and you will learn to think and write with greater maturity than
the average person. In addition, you
will do more work than the average student. Remember, being prepared is more than
reading the assignment; think and come to class with questions and comments. Read actively!
Advanced
Placement English I, II, III, and IV are weighted honors courses. According to school guidelines, you must
maintain a minimum average of 80 in these classes in order to remain in the
program.
Papers
You
will have some kind of writing activity each week, whether it is an in-class
essay, an essay exam, journal entries, or a formal critical paper prepared
outside of class. During the second
semester of Pre-AP English II, one of these assignments will be a research
project. The research paper for AP
English IV will occur in the first semester.
All written work should abide by the following standard.
·
In-class papers
should be written in blue or black ink on one side of the paper.
· Do not
skip lines between paragraphs.
· Typed
papers should be double-spaced throughout the paper without extra lines between
paragraphs.
· Typed
papers should have one-inch margins and follow the format prescribed in the MLA
stylebook.
· Use #12
Times font when printing.
Tests and Quizzes
Exams
will cover discussion notes, study guides, and assigned readings. Reading quizzes will be very thorough, so you
need to study efficiently and completely (once again, closely) or you
will do poorly. The format of exams in
Pre-AP English II, which will vary from unit to unit, will typically be a
mixture of objective questions, short answer, and essay. In addition, unannounced quizzes will follow
reading assignments, so it is imperative that you read daily assignments. If you are absent, you will still be held
accountable for the reading assignments.
Homework and Extra Credit
Primarily,
homework amounts to reading, thinking, and writing. You will have a very specific reading
schedule, and I expect you to keep up and have assignments prepared on
time. You are responsible for your
learning in this course. Your choice to participate
is proof to me that you welcome that responsibility.
You
will be writing journal entries over a majority of the works covered this
year. Journals are for your benefit, to
help you read actively and become involved in the works, but also, I will
collect these journals and take a grade based on your responses.
I
do offer extra credit each six weeks. Do
not try to rely on the extra credit because it will not be enough to replace a
zero.
Late Work Policy
All
assignments must be handed in on time for full credit. If you hand in an assignment one class period
late, you will only be able to get half credit for it. After one class period, the grade will be
recorded as a zero. Research papers
and projects will not be accepted late. This
late work policy is strictly enforced for your benefit. If you have a family emergency, you will need
to see me and/or e-mail me to explain the situation or else I will be unaware
of these unusual circumstances.
Make-up Work Policy
Attendance
is extremely important. Hearing the
class discussion is vital if you want to do well on tests and essays. Getting someone’s notes is only second-hand
information. Keep up with assignments by
keeping your syllabus handy. If confused
about an assignment or the syllabus, see or e-mail me in time to keep up with
your work.
Most
of you are involved in activities that will take you away from the classroom at
various times throughout the year. Some
of you will miss school due to doctor’s appointments and parent request days. If you know in advance that you will be
absent, you must plan to hand in your work or take a scheduled test before
the absence. People who wait until
after the absence will start at half credit on reading quizzes. Being absent because of a school-related
activity requires, by LISD policy, that all work be done BEFORE the
absence.
In
the event that you are ill and miss school, you must make up your work or, with
multiple absences, make arrangements for completing your missed work upon
the day of your return to school. If
a test has been announced and you miss the day before, you will have to take
the test on time. If you are absent the
day of the test, you will make it up the day you return to school. If you are at school on the day of the test
but miss this period, you must take the test that day.
All
major papers, especially the research paper, are due on or before the date
assigned. If you are not at school on
the due date, make arrangements for the paper to be turned in sometime that day
or you will, once again, only be able to earn half-credit.
You
will be given a syllabus periodically for the purpose of planning. You are accountable for handing in the work
on the schedule.
These
policies are necessary in order to get graded papers back to each of you in a
timely manner.
Tardy Policy
Tardies
are extremely inconvenient and disruptive, so plan to be on time to each class
period. Tardiness will result in
punitive consequences, according to
Plagiarism and Cheating
Complete
honesty is required in all class work;
any failure to comply with the policy will result in a failing grade for the
assignment. Even students who work
together should hand in individual assignments.
Reading Cliff’s Notes (or any equivalent “study aid”) instead of
the novel is considered cheating.
Plagiarism is using information from a secondary source and failing to
give credit to the source; Cliff’s Notes is a secondary source. Furthermore, Cliff (like all “study
aids”) is written on a 6th grade level. You must read at a much higher level or your
reading grades will be poor. To learn to
read difficult texts, you must do so on your own or your skills will never improve. Consequently, you will learn nothing from my
class because you did not do the work yourself, but cheated, instead. If you need help, ask me.
Tutoring
Monday-Thursday-7:50
–
I can also meet by appointment at other
times.
Supplies
In
addition to the regular supplies listed on the class syllabus, you will be
expected to procure unmarked novels so that you can annotate important
passages. You will be given a list of
books and ideas of where to find them at the beginning of the year.
Please
come prepared!!! Check your syllabus
to know what book will be used in class for the day. It is very inconvenient to try to work in
class without proper materials, and you are required to bring the materials
necessary in order to participate in class.
I
will strive to make this class challenging, worthwhile, and enjoyable. To do so, a great deal of dedication will be
required from all of us. The following
suggestions are common sense hints for success to make your experience in AP
English one that will make you a better student both in high school and
college. The most important suggestion
that you should heed is that you must plan ahead. Practice good discipline habits in keeping up
with reading assignments. Maintain a
positive attitude. You need to listen
carefully; take good notes; hand in all assignments on time; prepare for tests
efficiently; complete all reading assignments; and be organized. Ultimately, responsibility is the key word to
success! I want you to be prepared,
competent, and confident to meet the demands of your high school and college
career.
Please
sign on the designated lines below showing that you have read the AP policy
statement and agree to the stated requirements.
If not returned to me by the end of the first six weeks, the student
will receive an “incomplete” grade until I have it on file.
Parent
or Guardian ____________________________
Student (print, please) __________________