English IV Academic
College Preparatory Syllabus
Cypress-Fairbanks I.S.D.
Welcome to English IV Academic College Preparatory for the 2017-2018 school year.
Course overview
Course Description:
In this course, students will further develop key skills in the areas of critical reading, writing, and research. The foci
are to apply critical reading skills for organizing, analyzing, and retaining material and to develop written work
appropriate to the audience, purpose, situation, and length of the assignment. The course prepares students for
college-level reading and writing intensive courses. Successful completion of English IV ACA with a course average
of 75 or greater and completion of an in-class, timed, cumulative writing assessment (the Common Assessment)
qualifies a student to enroll in Freshman Composition (ENGL 1301) at Lone Star College CyFair* without taking the
TSI reading and writing assessment or a developmental reading or writing course. Students who qualify must enroll in
Freshman Composition at Lone Star - CyFair within two years of high school graduation.
*In order to take advantage of this agreement, students must enroll in courses at Lone Star College CyFair but can attend classes at any of the
Lone Star campuses.
Getting ready
Prerequisites: English I, English II, and English III or the equivalents
Supplies:
1. College-ruled paper
2. Binder or folder
3. Highlighter, pencils, pens (black or blue)
4. Flash Drive for essays and projects (optional)
Teacher guidelines and policies
Successful students come to class prepared and with a positive attitude. They are curious and respectful of fellow
students and teachers. They develop positive communication skills that allow them to earn respect when sharing ideas
and opinions. They accept challenging assignments as opportunities to learn and strengthen their academic skills.
Successful students build positive academic reputations which allow teachers and staff to support students academic
and post-secondary goals now and in the future.
With student success in mind, the following policies have been developed:
Attendance:
Being successful in class requires both physical and mental attendance, as well as preparedness and participation.
Make-up work: Upon return to school, a student has the same number of days to make up work as he/she was absent. All make-up
assignments, tests, quizzes, etc. should be discussed and arranged with the teacher.
Electronic devices:
Unless otherwise instructed by the teacher, cell phones should be placed on silent and kept away in bags. Please wait
for instruction or ask for permission.
Department contact:
English IV Team Leader: Brittany Coborn brittany.coborn@cfisd.net
English Department Chair: Layla Montgomery Layla.montgomery@cfisd.net
Grade determination:
CFISD Grading Category Guidelines for English IV
Checking for Understanding: 30%
Relevant Applications: 35%
Summative Assessments: 35%
Letter grade assignments:
Letter Grade Final Average in Percent
(for each grading period and each semester)
A 90-100
B 80-89
C 75-79
C- 70-74
F Below 70
Course Requirements:
Major writing assignments should derive from class readings, discussion, and research assignments.
Emphasis on sentence types (simple, compound, complex, compound-complex) helps students learn how to logically
connect ideas as well as create grammatically-sound sentences.
Critical thinking is important to student success in all post-secondary environments. Consequently, there should be
emphasis on activities that promote this skill.
Expose students to a variety of texts not only for discussion but also for structural analysis and evaluation.
Implement active reading strategies (i.e., previewing, highlighting/annotating, reviewing, summarizing) and practice
organizing textual information (i.e., Cornell Note-Taking, mapping, outlining, etc.) throughout the course.
Written assignments include summaries of class readings, short response assignments, and full-process essays to ensure
students understand the texts and the readers relationship to those texts.
Instruct students in the proper use of MLA guidelines and documentation.
Include in-class, graded, multi-paragraph essays to prepare for the Common Final. In-class essays are handwritten,
connected to expository reading(s), address a cold prompt, and completed within a maximum of five 50-minute class
periods or the equivalent.
Enhance vocabulary acquisition through various enrichment activities.
Latitudes:
Although the core requirements/state skills which must be included in each unit, each individual campus is accorded
the right to the following:
Schedule sequencing of the materials within the unit.
Employ whatever methods are available and, in the campuss opinion, best facilitate learning for the students.
Supplement, not supplant, these requirements. The campus should take care not to endanger course consistency through
excessive supplementation.
Honor Code and Academic Integrity:
All students are expected to adhere to the highest standards of personal honesty in their academic work. All work presented for
credit must be original. Please use the following guidelines as a guide.
PLAGIARISM is defined as stealing and presenting the words of another as ones own, using a created production without
crediting the source.
CHEATING is defined as using dishonest methods to gain or give an advantage. This includes utilizing any kind of secretive
means of gaining or giving information for use on quizzes, tests, papers or homework.
CONSEQUENCES for students caught cheating or copying will be severe, resulting in a failing grade and a discipline referral.
Cheating or plagiarism will impact exemptions and membership in National Honor Society.
WHEN IN DOUBT, check with your teacher or with a good college web site such as http://owl.english.purdue.edu (Go to their
plagiarism link.)
Note: The content of this syllabus is subject to change in accordance with the needs of the class and/or
instructor.