World Literature

Franklin County High School

Fall 2014

Dr. Mitzi Harmon Room 301
Web: http://www.DrHarmonELA@weebly.com Phone: 706-384-4525
Email: mharmon@franklin.k12.ga.us

Required Materials:
One 3-ring binder that is only for English class Dividers for binder
Loose-leaf Paper Black or blue ink pens
Composition Notebook (NOT a spiral) Highlighters
Small sticky notes

Suggested Materials: flash drive, colored pencils/markers

Teacher Wish List Items: hand sanitizer, kleenex, extra highlighters, expo pens, dry
erase board cleaner

Course Description:

World Literature will continue to build on the reading and language curriculum established
in Freshman Literature. Throughout this semester-long course, students will have
opportunities to develop and expand their knowledge of literature and language and
demonstrate their mastery level of new learning through performance tasks and
assessments. At the completion of this course, students will take a
comprehensive Final Exam during the regular exam schedule.

Plagiarism Statement:

Plagiarism is the use of anothers words or ideas and the presentation of them as though
they are entirely ones own. Acts of plagiarism might include, but are not limited to 1.) using
words or ideas from a published source without proper documentation; 2.) using the work
of another student (e.g. copying another students homework, composition, or project); 3.)
using excessive editing suggestions of another student, parent, or paid author. Plagiarism
on any project or paper will result in a zero for the assignment. Unless directly
stipulated by the teacher, collaboration on written work is not acceptable. Students who
willingly provide other students with access to their work are also guilty.

Lunch Lab:
Lunch Lab is a working lunch assigned to students needing to make up work. Students will
report to Lunch Lab until they have satisfied the requirements of the teacher who assigned
them to the Lab. Students will be assigned lunch lab for the following reasons:
Missing class due to absenteeism, whether excused or unexcused In this case,
Lunch lab is not a punishment, but it provides students with the opportunity they
need to catch up on the class instruction missed when they were absent.
Failing to complete assignments given as class work
Failing to turn in homework on the day it is due
Failing a test/quiz
Students assigned lunch lab will be given a card that will allow them to go to the front of the
lunch line to get their food before reporting to the Lunch Lab classroom (a schedule of
Lunch Lab classrooms is posted on the English Department bulletin board in the hallway).
Students must be seated in Lunch Lab within ten minutes of the beginning of their lunch
period. Failure to report to Lunch Lab on time will result in an office referral.

Class Attendance Policy:

Students are encouraged to be in class on time every day. Parents should make every effort
to schedule appointments outside of the school day. Students and parents should refer to
the Absentee policy found in the FCHS Student Handbook for a list of excused absences.

Students with Unexcused Absences will be assigned to Lunch Lab for 3 days, during which
time students will make up the entire lesson missed on the day of their unexcused absence.
Assignments due the day of an unexcused absence will automatically be deducted 10%.

Students with Excused Absences will be given one week to make up missing work, including
class readings and any other classwork done the day of their absence. Students may
voluntarily come to Lunch Lab or make arrangements to stay after school to do the make-up
work. The teacher reserves the right on a case-by-case basis to allow some students to make
up the missing work at home. Students must make arrangements for make up work on the
first day the student returns to class after having been out.

All major projects (Unit projects and writing assessments) are due
immediately upon the students return to class, regardless of whether or not
the absence was excused or unexcused.

Students who are tardy or who leave class early will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis in
a similar fashion.

Unexcused tardiness will result in the student signing the class discipline book in addition
to other possible consequences deemed necessary by the teacher based on the amount of
class-time missed due to tardiness.

Late Work:

All assignments should be turned in on time. No late assignments will be accepted after
major school holidays or progress reporting periods. Students must turn in all assignments
prior to field trips, etc. in order to receive full credit for the assignment. There will be no
late work accepted after the unit is complete. Major writing assignments and unit
projects will not be accepted past the due date.


Cell Phones/Personal Technology

All cell phones, tablets, ipods, and other personal technology devices need to be turned off
and stowed away out of sight (bookbags, purses) from bell to bell unless otherwise indicated
by the teacher. Failure to comply with these instructions will enact the consequences of the
school-wide cell phone policy.
Homework & Tests:

You will have homework every Monday and Wednesday.
You will have an assessment of some kind every Thursday.


Class Expectations:
Be responsible.
1. Be respectful.
2. Be reflective.
3. Follow all school rules.

I expect all students to be respectful. I respect all of my students, and I expect them to
adopt a respectful nature while in my classroom and during school. Being respectful
includes not sleeping in class, not talking while others are talking, and
speaking to the teacher and others in a courteous and polite manner.
This includes the use of racial, sexual, or other slurs that could be
considered offensive to any student.
I also expect all of my students to be responsible. Being successful in all areas of life
requires that one be responsible, as well as respectful. Therefore, I expect no less in
my classroom. Success in this course will be a direct result of the responsibility taken
by the student to study, complete assignments, and participate in class.
Students are also expected to be reflective of all of their classroom practice. Students who
stop to reflect upon their actions and learning will be successful both within and
without the classroom.
Students are expected to be in class on time, to bring materials needed for class, and to
show respect for themselves and others.
Food is no longer allowed in classrooms. Drinks will be allowed as long as they have a lid
on them and they do not interfere with learning. Students are expected to maintain a
clean and orderly learning space.
I expect students to turn in their assignments at the beginning of class in the designated
location.
Students should be working on warm-up activities when class begins (when the bell
rings). Students not working on the warm-up activities will be expected to sign the
Discipline Book for being off-task.
Any violation of class expectations and rules (including tardiness) will result in the
student making an entry in the Class Discipline Record. 1st & 2nd Offense:
Warning / 3rd Offense: Detention / 4th & 5th Offense: Warning / 6th
Offense: Parental Contact / 7th & 8th Offense: Warning /9th Offense:
Office Referral / Every 3 Offenses Afterwards Result in an Office Referral








Leaving Class:

Class time is valuable, and any interruptions reduce what we are able to accomplish in class.
Do not ask to leave class unless there is an emergency. Students may not use the
restroom during the first five minutes or the last five minutes of class. Providing
a bathroom break will not interfere with direct instruction, students may use the passes in
class to use the restroom as necessary. Students must also sign in and out on the Bathroom
Sign-Out sheet posted at the front of the room. I reserve the right to revoke bathroom
privileges to any student who is taking advantage of them. If you have business to take care
of in the office or with another teacher, do that between classes, before or after school, or
during your lunch break.

Extra Help:

Extra help is available to students. If a student has an average below an 80, he or she is
strongly encouraged to stay for help after school. Students can sign the teachers calendar
to schedule an after school appointment. I will not be responsible for being present if a
student does not sign the calendar. Further, circumstances arise that may cause the teacher
to have to go to the office or into the main building. If a student comes and cannot find me,
he/she should report to the office and have me paged. Wait in the office until I come. Also,
students can check the board for notes that I may have left for them.


Units of Study

Ongoing Throughout the Semester: Vocabulary & Grammar Studies, Journal
Writing, Note-taking, Speaking and Listening Skills

1. Academic and Literacy Skills
Emphasis: skills evaluation, personal goal setting, active reading skills, note-taking,
digital media/technology, MLA format, Academic Vocabulary, Discussion
foundations
Time Allotted: 1 week

2. Culture and Literature
Reading emphasis: Selected Short Stories, Myths, Fables, Legends, and Folk Tales
from world literature
Writing emphasis: Cultural Analysis
Time Allotted: 3 weeks

3. Argument
Emphasis: Rhetorical Strategies, Advertising, Propaganda, Speeches, Essays
Writing emphasis: Research, Speech presentation
Time Allotted: 4 weeks

4. Poetry & Dramatic Literature
Reading emphasis: Selected Poetry from the 10th Grade Text & Other Resources,
Antigone
Writing emphasis: Literary Analysis
Time Allotted: 3 weeks

5. Holocaust
Reading emphasis: Night, Maus I, essays, articles, film analysis
Writing emphasis: Narrative writing, argument writing
Time Allotted: 5 week


Assignment Descriptions Percent of Final Grade
Classwork/Homework/Notebooks 40%
Major Assessments 35%
Language 25 %
Grading Policy
90-100 A
80-89 B
70-79 C
69 & below F


The Course Grade is averaged together with the student's EOC/Final Exam grade to
determine his/her final semester average. When these grades are weighed together, the
course grade = 80% of the final semester average and the EOC/Final Exam grade = 20% of
the final semester average.

It is possible for the student to have a passing grade in the class and receive a failing grade
on the EOC/Final Exam, resulting in a failing semester grade for the class. Likewise, it is
possible for a strong performance on the EOC/Final Exam to pull a failing Course grade up
to a passing final grade for the semester. It is important that students put forth their best
effort throughout the semester on all assignments.

FINAL EXAM POLICY: All students will take an EOC, an SLO or a Comprehensive Final
Exam for each class. The final for this class will a comprehensive final exam given during
regularly scheduled final exam days.















Dear Parent/Guardian,

I wanted to take this opportunity to contact each of you personally as we begin the new
semester. Your student was given a packet in class today that includes a description of the
course, expectations, class procedures and other vital information for the course. Please
look over all the information included in the packet. The class reviewed all the material
today. The purpose of the expectations, requirements, etc., is to allow our class to run as
smoothly as possible so that the students are able to derive the maximum benefit from the
class time.

Please understand that your child will need your help and support this semester as we
embark on this journey together. Your child will be involved in a rigorous yet rewarding
study of composition, grammar, vocabulary, and literature. Please remind and encourage
your child to complete homework assignments and study the material discussed in class.
Also, it is imperative that your child attends school each day. Extremely important material
is discussed each day in class. Please encourage your child to take responsibility for
attendance.

I encourage you to stay in contact with me about your childs grades. Please feel free to
email me at any time. In order to provide me with accurate information to use in contacting
you, please complete Parent Contact Information form and have your child return it by the
end of the week. Also, I would encourage you to sign up for Infinite Campus. This allows
you to check your childs grades daily. For more information or to sign up, contact the
office.

I would like to invite you to visit my class website: http://DrHarmonELA@weebly.com. It
has information about upcoming assignments, important dates, links to assignments, etc. I
also encourage you to sign up for text or email alerts through my Remind101 service. This
free and valuable service will allow you and your student to receive text reminders from me
throughout the semester. Directions for signing up are attached to this letter.

After you have read the packet, please sign below saying that you are aware of and
understand the following:
I understand the importance of my childs attendance in this class.
I understand the class expectations, consequences and rewards.
I understand the grading procedures of this course.
I am aware of the materials that my child needs for this course.
I agree that I have read and discussed this packet with my child.


_______________________________________________________________
Student Signature Parent Signature