English 9 Syllabus

World History II And English 9 Combined PBL

2020-2021 School Year

Mr. Brady Taylor And Ms. Allie Stoudnour

[email protected]

[email protected]

(434)-525-2674

Welcome to WHII/ENGL 9!

 

Materials

*Students must have access to their OWN materials. Due to COVID-19 there will be NO borrowed or shared supplies.*

  1. A Full Personal Water Bottle (There Will Be No Shared Water Fountains)
  2. A Charged Chromebook and Chromebook Charger
  3. Earphones (Standard 3/8 Inch iPhone Jack)
  4. Cell Phone Charging Cable (See Below)
  5. Journal (Style Of Your Choosing)

 

(In Response To The COVID-19 Regulations On Community Supplies) 

Personal Supply Box/Bag (Like You Used In Elementary School) Containing:

 

  1. Post-It Notes
  2. Highlighters
  3. Pens/Pencils
  4. Scissors
  5. Expo Markers
  6. Markers
  7. Colored Pencils

 

Course Description

This course is a humanities style course in which History and English content will be delivered simultaneously.  Students will be exploring aspects of World History from 1500 to the present while reading English literature and engaging in English skills development. 

Additionally, this is a “PBL” course. PBL stands for Project-Based Learning. Within PBL courses, students learn course content through personal inquiry and exploration as they collaboratively work to create an authentic final product. As learners within a PBL course, students will be heavily focusing on developing the 21st-century skills necessary for success in the modern workforce. Starting with the class of 2023, the Virginia Department of Education is requiring students to demonstrate mastery of the “5 C’s” prior to graduation. These “5 C’s” include Creativity, Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Communication, and Citizenship. The PBL course model facilitates the learning of all five essential skills. 

 

Classroom Expectations

In addition to all Bedford County and Jefferson Forest Expectations, here is what we expect from each of you this year. 

Cell Phones: We will be following the JFCS cell phone policy. Cell phones may be used as optional educational tools at teacher discretion and direction. 

Be Productive:  Please, complete all assignments in a timely manner. If you do not understand an assignment, lesson, or activity ask questions! 

Be Polite: Treat one another with respect and kindness. During class discussions, opinions should be shared openly without fear of disparagement or embarrassment. Additionally, please respect one another’s intellectual property (course work) as well as physical property (all personal items). Please, discard trash and recyclables appropriately.

Be Positive: As an individual, you have control over your actions as well as your reactions (attitude). Be mindful of how you are interacting with those around you and commit to contributing to this class in a positive manner. Our behavioral expectations for every student include active listening, purposeful engagement, and willing participation.

Be Prompt: Punctuality means you arrive at (or log onto) your scheduled session and are appropriately dressed and seated before that session begins. Being punctual also includes making sure that your work is completed or prepared for collection or discussion prior to your session time (this includes digital sessions). For further information regarding the BCPS attendance and tardy policies, please see the student handbook. 

 

2020-2021 Adjusted Attendance Expectations: 

In alignment with Bedford County policy, students are expected to engage with their course work and instructors Monday through Friday.

 

In-School Days:

During their assigned session time, students must be available to physically or virtually attend their scheduled class. If a student group coordinates a group work session and a student does not attend, that lack of attendance will be counted as an absence and a referral for skipping will be issued. If the instructor schedules in-class activities or face to face office hours, and a student, (if present in the building) does not attend, a referral for skipping will be issued.

 

Out of School Days:

On days that students are attending from home (including Wednesdays), it is expected that students engage with their course work and instructors. (If a student does not have internet access at home, please notify one or both instructors immediately). Virtual sessions will be provided at multiple times so as to provide students with increased flexibility. However, if the student is unable to attend any of the provided sessions, the student must notify an instructor and an absence will be recorded. All virtual sessions will be recorded and made available to students throughout the course. 

 

Be Prepared: Please, bring your charged Chromebook, Chromebook charger, and earphones to EVERY class. This is a critical requirement. A lack of preparation disrupts your learning experience as well as the learning experience of each of your peers. 

Academic Integrity: Strive to do your best. Any student found cheating at any time will not receive full credit for the assignment in question. Any student that allows another student to copy his/her work for non-collaborative tasks will receive the same consequence. 

Grading

Like a traditional class, students will still have formative assessments (assessments showing student mastery of a topic). However, in this course, the final PBL project grades will replace traditional tests or summative tasks. All PBL projects will follow the following grading scale:

 

Agency - 10% 

Collaboration  - 10% 

Written Communication - 15%  

Oral Communication - 15%

Knowledge And Thinking - 50%

 

Grades for formative assessments and PBL projects will be updated within PowerSchool.

 

Communication

Both instructors will be available for communication with parents and students during planning periods, before and after school, and by appointment. Please, feel free to contact either instructor by phone or email at any time. Additionally, both instructors will willingly schedule face to face meetings throughout the school year, as requested. All course modules, assignments, agendas, course work, and filmed digital sessions will be available at all times on the instructors’ Canvas site. Grades will be updated weekly in PowerSchool.

 

Tentative Semester Timeline

First Quarter:

  • Remote Learning: Best Practices 
  • PBL 1: Critics To Advocates
  • PBL 2: Discovery And Expansion

Second Quarter:

  • PBL 3: Power, Authority, And Conflicts
  • PBL 4: Economic Transformations

 

Ongoing:

 

  • Journaling/Blogging
  • Vocabulary Acquisition
  • Remote Book Clubs

 

All members of the Cavalier family – students, parents, faculty, and staff – are responsible for fostering a climate of honesty, trust, fairness, respect, pride, and responsibility in all areas of our personal and academic lives.

 

The Cavalier Code

 

“Cavaliers lead lives of integrity. We value personal responsibility in everything we do. We believe in being honest in our actions and words. Our actions and words show that we respect ourselves as well as others, even when others are different from ourselves. We support and protect one another. We strive to do the right thing simply because it is the right thing to do. We give our best effort in all endeavors we undertake. We graciously celebrate our successes and learn from disappointments. We expect and even demand that Cavaliers lead lives of integrity.”

 

The Cavalier Pledge

 

“With honor and integrity as a Cavalier, I pledge that I have neither given nor received any unauthorized assistance from any source.”