English Syllabus Ms. Bomphray 2014-2015 (wishful thinking!

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Welcome!
I am so excited to get to know all of you this year! I guarantee you will leave this classroom a
better reader, writer, and thinker, but more importantly, you will leave as part of an
amazing classroom community that we will develop together.

Course Philosophy
Community
I am your teacher, but that doesnt mean that I am the only one with the answers. This year,
you will learn how to use each other as resources and how to find reliable information out in
the world. Classroom discussion will be a powerful tool that will help us understand texts
and generate ideas together. We will explore big questions about who we are and how we
live. This class will touch upon the personal and the philosophical, as well as the academic.
Your stories matter in this room even more than the stories we read. Prepare to share them!

Reading and Writing
We will use a Reading Apprenticeship model in the classroom so that in addition to reading
texts on your own, we will read them as a class and help each other make sense of them. If
youre not a reader or if you used to be, but have long stopped reading books for pleasure, I
intend for this year to change that. You will all have the opportunity to find books that speak
to your personal interests and we will help each other make meaning out of texts that might
otherwise seem boring or difficult to understand.

We will practice the craft of writing this year through a variety of different genres. You will
have the opportunity to try out various forms of writing for example, persuasive essays,
reviews, vignettes/short stories, memories, and reflections. You will share these pieces with
your peers and we will get to know each other by way of each others opinions and stories.
The work we do on your writing will prepare you for future courses and even the ACT, but
the real goal will be for you to reach new heights of clarity and creativity in your writing.

Class Agreements
Rather than list my classroom rules that students may not understand or pay attention to,
together we will develop a set of agreements that we come to by discussion and consensus.
Once our class has determined these agreements, everyone will sign them, I will send a copy
home, and we will post them on the classroom wall. I will expect everyone to abide by our
community agreements for the entirety of the school year unless our class decides that a
change needs to be made.



Class Texts
This semester we will cover selections from the following list. These readings are of course
subject to change and as I mentioned above, students will also be selecting their own books
to read.

Novels The Moon is Down, The Things They Carried, Alice in Wonderland,
Oedipus Rex, 1984, A Canticle for Liebowitz, The Handmaids Tale,
Persepolis

Drama Twelve Angry Men, Hamlet

Short Stories That Evening Sun, Hills Like White Elephants, Drown, 10 Little Indians,
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been, Harrison Bergeron

Grading
I use a weighted point system, as follows:

30% Writing Assignments. This includes all of the writing we do throughout the
year, even process writing (rought drafts, theses, etc) and writing leading up to the
final product.

20% Personal Reading (SSR) and Log. This includes reading and engaging with
books of your choice, as well as responding to the books in your reading log.

30% Class Participation and Engagement. This includes satisfactory completion
of any homework activities; sincere and thoughtful collaboration with peers; full
participation in class activities; and putting real effort into making meaning of texts
and writing your own.

20% Formal Assessments. This includes tests or quizzes on vocabulary, reading,
terms, etc.

Handing In Assignments
Be sure to hand your assignments into my homework bin by the door of the classroom. Do
not leave them on my desk or put it in my mailbox it will get lost! If you give it to a friend
to hand to me, make it a friend you trust. You are still responsible if your friend lost it, forgot
to turn it in, turned it into the wrong teacher, turned it in as their own work, etc.

Contacting Me
I am here to help you all succeed this year. Please come see me if you are having any
problems with your work, my interactions with you, or other matters that I might be able to
support you with. I am usually available after school in my room. You may also email me
at____________________. I usually respond within 24 hours. If your matter is urgent, you may
call me at home: (248) 854-1523. I would prefer you call before 9 PM. Leave a message if I
dont answer and I will return your call as soon as I can.


I am looking forward to getting to know all of you in the coming months and growing our
class community together!