English 9 Syllabus

Mr. Howell’s English 9

Welcome to
The Greatest Class on the Planet

How can this be the greatest class on the planet? 

Will you face each day with the best attitude possible?  Will you come to class prepared?  Will you seek help when you need it?  Will you embark on a life-long journey dedicated to continuous improvement?

My goal is to get everyone to answer “yes” to that question every single day.

Grading:         Each assignment will have a point total assigned to it.  Your total points earned will be divided by the total points possible to create an average for the quarter.    Absent work may be made up within two weeks.  After two weeks, you get no credit.  Missed work may be turned in for partial credit.  Large assignments turned in late lose 10 points a class day late (green day to green day or white day to white day equals one day).  Homework is 5 points off per class day late.

Honors students will be graded to more stringent standards, and will interact with a greater number of texts, completing more assignments.  These assignments will involve research and readings in history and science.

Homework

You will have nightly homework assignments that take approximately 30 minutes per night. The assignments prepare you for the next day's activities, reinforce what we have been learning in class, continue work on a long-term project, or refresh skills learned in past school years.

Independent Reading occurs throughout the year when we are not reading novels.  You will choose your own books to read.  All students will be responsible for 50 pages of reading a week, and honors will have to complete 75.  We write about our readings 2-3 times a month, and give several presentations about our books.

Rules:             1.         Always do your best.

2.         Be nice to each other

3.         Listen carefully without talking while the teacher or a fellow student addresses the class

4.         Cell phones, if you ask politely, you may use for academic purposes, but you may not be used for texting.

RESPECT  is the most important concept to learn in this class.

Respect yourself: Give respect; Get respect.