Course Syllabus

a-g English 11

Section 1010 & 1010.2 & 1011 & 1011.2

Location: Online

Please review the CWCS Master Class Syllabus that will be used in the Parent/Student Orientation course. 

Instructor: Debbie Nishihama

Email: dnishihama@cwcharter.org

Office Hours: Mondays, 1 pm - 2 pm or Tuesdays, 9 am - 10 am

Class Time:

  • Semester 1 - First Class Meeting: August 15, 2022

Last Day to Add or Drop is 9/2/22 (Students will be charged the full price of the course if dropping the class after this deadline.)

  • Semester 2 - First Class Meeting: January 9, 2023       

Last Day to Add or Drop is 1/20/23 (Students will be charged the full price of the course if dropping the class after this deadline.)

CWCS’s a-g English 11 online course offers students the opportunity to study at home while employing technology as a learning tool, meeting with other students in a virtual classroom, and receiving live instruction from a teacher.

Course Overview:  This course focuses on reading and understanding common core/state standards found in complex American literature. Students will learn to think, analyze, and write thoughtful essays about literary and informational texts. They are expected to complete assigned readings, essays, or other writing projects. For this reason, it is important that they attend class regularly, arrive at class on time, and come to class prepared to participate in meaningful discussions about literary and informational material.

The state standards require students to read stories and literature, as well as more complex texts that provide facts and background knowledge in areas such as science and social studies. Students will be challenged and asked questions that push them to refer back to what they’ve read. This stresses critical-thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills that are required for success in college, career, and life.

The state standards establish guidelines for English Language Arts (ELA) as well as for literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. Because students must learn to read, write, speak, listen, and use language effectively in a variety of content areas, the standards promote the literacy skills and concepts required for college and career readiness in multiple disciplines.

Curriculum:  Required curriculum may be available at the Learning Center on a first come basis.  If needed, ESs can order curriculum using the OPS catalog which will have the most up-to-date pricing. Students will need: 

Textbooks: Students will be using the online version of Collections; the publisher is Houghton Mifflin. The traditional text and the online version come as a package that includes the student edition (hard copy), a Close Reader and a Performance Assessment booklet. When students check-out the package, they will receive a username & password for the digital component. The digital version and the texts will be available for check- out from the learning center on a first-come, first-served basis. 

 The Integrated Online Student Edition has all the features of the print edition plus Digital Collections which provide comprehensive standards instruction in writing, speaking, and listening. Close Read Screencasts provide an audio and visual model of an analytical conversation about the text. In addition, the media resources such as History®, Lifetime, A&E, and Bio are seamlessly integrated into the digital offering. The digital tool also includes the FYI site, which provides curated, contemporary informational text for additional reading and instruction. Digital tools within the eBook enable students to annotate the texts they are reading, save their notes and annotations and then use those notes in the development of compositions or Performance Tasks. The web-enabled HTML5 digital format allows for device-agnostic access to all materials (works on all devices).

Students enrolled in a Canvas English course will be instructed on how to use the digital components of their online textbook.

Novels:  

1st Semester

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthhorne

ISBN-13:  97814354171602

Publisher:  Barnes & Noble

Price:  $7.95

2nd Semester

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (PDF Provided)

Fahrenheit 451: A Novel by Ray Bradbury (PDF Provided)

Materials: 

  • Working external headset with mic (computer speakers do not work successfully with the Canvas setup). Plug-in headsets (rather than Bluetooth) work best with Jigsaw. After the third week of class and no headset, students may begin to lose participation points for the class. Class is much more engaging if all students can talk in class using their mic. 
  • Binder Paper
  • 1" Binder
  • Pencils & Erasers
  • Composition Notebook

Requirements: 

  • Class textbook/workbook
  • Gmail Account and ability to open/create word documents and pdfs (Adobe Acrobat Reader). 
  • Microsoft Word, PDF, or Google Docs are the only acceptable writing programs.   
  • Reliable Internet access
  • Canvas Login link: https://cwcs.instructure.com/login/canvas 

CWCS English Department Homepage

Grading:  Students will be graded on the following criteria

20% Attendance/Participation

25% Quizzes & Collection Tests

40% Writing & Projects

15% Final

Important ~ If an assignment is not submitted by the due date, students will automatically receive a zero for that assignment.  This procedure is in place to ensure that each student's grade reflects accurately throughout the semester.

Grading Scale:  

Attendance: Attendance is required.  The Truancy Policy applies to Canvas courses. An unexcused absence may be counted as a truancy.

  • Excused Absence is defined as:
    The parent shall notify the teacher by phone of the absence at least 24 hours* prior to the time the class meets.
  • Unexcused Absence is defined as:
    An absence that does not accompany a parent phone call to the instructor at least 24 hours* prior to the time the class meets.

*If there are extenuating circumstances that do not allow for at least 24 hours, then the teacher must still be notified prior to the start of class; allowances may be made depending on the circumstances. Examples of extenuating circumstances: car accidents, sudden illness, etc. Students should arrange a "backup plan" in case of unexpected computer problems the day of the class (i.e. make pre-arrangements to go to a neighbor, friend, relative, library, etc.)  


When students are absent, they must contact the instructor via email or contact another classmate to obtain the homework assignment.

Absent/Late Work: Please email the instructor through Canvas if you will be absent. Students who turn in assignments late will not receive a grade higher than 75%.

Daily Homework:  All of the work for this course is assigned and graded by the instructor.  All assignments will be submitted through Canvas. You can submit a Word document, PDF, or Google Doc (download as a PDF and upload to Canvas).  Emailed assignments will not be accepted.  All communication will be made through Canvas’ messaging feature.

*Please Note: Assignments are subject to change. Students enrolled in Canvas classes should log into the course regularly for up-to-date and detailed assignments. Students who are not enrolled in Canvas classes and who are using the course syllabi can follow the pacing guides’ weekly assignments.

Additional Resources: 

TurnItIn  

Turnitin is the most effective online technology used to manage the submission, tracking, and evaluation of student papers online. Turnitin provides originality checking, interactive grading, and peer review, and allows instructors to deliver rich, personalized feedback in less time, encouraging notably higher levels of student engagement.

Important Dates 2022-2023: 

Aug. 10: First day of school for fall semester (Wed.)

Sept. 5: NO CLASS: Labor Day (Mon.)

Nov. 11: NO CLASS: Veteran’s Day (Fri.)

Nov. 18 - 25: NO CLASS: Thanksgiving Break 

Dec.  5 - 9: a-g Finals

Nov 28 - Dec 2: Last Class session this week (a-g)

Dec. 5 - Dec 9: Last Class session this week (all other classes)

Jan. 3: First day of school for spring semester (Tues.) 

Jan. 16: NO CLASS: MLK Holiday

Feb. 17 - 20: NO CLASS: President’s Day Observance

March 17 - 24: NO CLASSES THIS WEEK: SPRING BREAK

May 1 - 5: Last class session this week (a-g)

May 8 - 12:   Last Class session this week (all other classes)

May 8 - 12: a-g Finals

May 19: Last day of school

Check Canvas each week for Weekly Assignments including:

  • Weekly Reading Comprehension Questions
  • Collection Tests
  • Performance Task Writing
  • Novel Assignments