College Composition Syllabus
Dear Parents:
Below
a reader will find a course description and objectives, supplies, grading
policy, assessment, classroom expectations, and communication with the teacher. All materials are available at my main page. Few handouts will be given.
Course Description and Objectives:
Each
student can attain success during this semester long College Composition class which will study note taking, researching,
and composition. When the semester is
over, he or she will be able to effectively write a paper with little to no
difficulty. The Madeline
Hunter Process Model of Teaching is used daily. We also work in Gardner’s Theory of Multiple
Intelligences and Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Supplies:
Students will need the following: pens, pencils,
paper, highlighters, and a folder that will serve as a writing portfolio and
contain all writings.
Grading Policy:
Grades are calculated on the board approved grading
scale.
93-100 = A; 90-92 = A-; 87-89 = B+; 83-86 = B;
80-82 = B-; 77-79 = C+; 73-76 = C; 70-72 = C-; 67-69 = D+; 63-66 = D; 60 – 62 =
D-; 59 – Below = F.
College Composition Semester Breakdown - All lesson plans for each week are posted on my web
site. Note: if students need more time
on a subject, we may adjust this calendar.
I. First nine weeks
A. Grammar
review
B. Childhood
Experience Narrative Paper
C. College
Entrance Essay project
D. Scholarship
project
E. Persuasive/Argument
No. 1
F. Persuasive/Argument
No. 2
G. Persuasive/Argument
No. 3
H. We will
start the research paper
II. Second nine weeks
A. Research paper
B. Literature review – Start
with children’s books
C. Literature review – Work
with longer books
D. Resume – If time
III. Final = Argument Paper
Late Work:
Make up work follows the school policy in the
student/parent handbook. A child must
show his or her admit slip upon returning.
Once back, the student has the same number of days missed to make up
assignments. Please turn these assignments
into the teacher.
Late work receives a one-letter grade deduction per
day late. All students are encouraged
to keep a weekly planner with all assignments written in it.
Writings/Assessment:
Tests are meant to be an accurate reflection of the
curriculum objectives. The students will
show what they have learned through quizzes/tests and writings. With papers, the students will be given the
following material: a rubric, a due date, and a location on the web site to use
as a reference. I will check their paper
against the rubric, so students can earn a better grade by knowing
expectations. In between the date the
material was given and the due date, students may submit papers and have them
evaluated without a penalty. Once the
paper is graded, if students are not happy with a grade, they may make
corrections, and earn half of the lost points back. Essentially, students choose their own
grade.
Why Do We Do This? Since writing is a process, a key point in
writing is revision. Even great writers
like Harper Lee rewrite hundreds of times. By doing this, students are forced to revise,
rewrite, and follow the process.
Papers and Plagiarism: Material may not be copied at all. If the material is not your work, it must be
attributed to its creator.
Key items to remember about
plagiarism – You CANNOT
use a writer’s exact words without using quotation marks and the page number
where the quote can be found in the text and a complete citation in the
reference pages.
You CANNOT
simply rephrase another’s words and present the revised version as your own.
You CANNOT
present another’s ideas, no matter how differently it is phrased, as your own.
Hall passes are available from me. A pass will be given to a student two times
(unless there are extenuating circumstances) a semester. They will receive a slip from me at the
beginning of the semester that must be signed with each use. If a pass is lost, the student may still use
the pass, but he or she must serve a detention.
Classroom Expectations and Guidelines:
Upon
entering the room each student is to get into his/her assigned seat, so I may
take attendance. If a student is not in
his or her seat when the bell rings, he or she is late. We will have assigned seats during the first
quarter. During the second or fourth
quarters, students may select seats. The
teacher reserves the right to change seats if necessary. When turning in an assignment, all paper work
will be passed to the side. Once in the
room, all people in the room are expected to work together to ensure a safe
environment. If a student has a
question, please raise a hand; also, if we are working in groups or if another
student is presenting a project, a student is expected to stay on the
educational objective. My classroom guideline
is as follows: A student must work to reach the educational objective for each day.
In order to guarantee that
your child and all students in my classroom can reach each day’s educational
objective in the excellent learning climate they deserve, I am utilizing the
following assertive discipline plan starting
today. If a student chooses to break the
above guideline, the consequences are as follows:
First consequence: Verbal
warning.
Second consequence: A
talk with the teacher and a detention.
Third consequence: A call
home and two detentions.
Fourth consequence:
Parent/teacher conference.
Fifth consequence: An office
referral.
The tardy policy follows
the parent/student handbook.
Computer Lab Procedure:
A
student may sit where he or she likes, but I reserve the right to change
seats. Also, a student may listen to
music while typing provided it does not distract from finishing an assignment;
also, he or she must have headphones. A
student may not listen to music without headphones.
Parent/Teacher Communication:
By working together, your
child will have a better chance at success.
Midterm and quarter notices will be sent and state a child’s
progress. Also, his or her grade can be
checked 24 hours a day, seven days a week through grade book wizard. If you have questions, please feel free to
contact me through grade book wizard or at Vincent.Marsala@avonlakecityschools.org, or at (440) 933-6290. All communication will receive a response
within 24 hours unless there are extenuating circumstances. The phone number and email address shown are
for educational use only by parents/adults.
Student phone calls and/or emails will not receive a response at any
time.
Disclaimer:
This is not meant to be
all encompassing. As the year
progresses, there may be a need for additional assignments or modifications to
expectations.
Sincerely yours,
Vincent Marsala
Teacher