SYLMAR HIGH SCHOOLMath & Science Magnet

“A Community of Learners”English 9 - H Ms. Green The major purpose of this course is to provide a balanced language arts program that challenges students to read and evaluate informational texts, analyze literature in depth, increase their skills in grammar and rhetoric, complete increasingly-complex writing assignments, and deliver oral presentations. English 9AB meets the ninth-grade English requirements for graduation and fulfills University of CA/CSU Subject Area Requirements.

Studies show that the best way to improve both reading and writing skills is to practice reading on a daily basis. All 9th grade students will be participating in a reading program , which may include Accelerated Reader or other reading based programs this year. They will discover their current reading level, set reading goals, & read throughout the school year to increase their love of literature & to boost their literary skills. Let’s establish a daily reading habit!

9 th Grade English - Common Assessments These skills are critical to a student’s success in high school and beyond, and, as such, must be met with proficiency in order to pass 9th grade English. Students cannot pass with just CA tests. They must achieve a grade of C with class work and homework, as well as testing, to pass the course. Students with Ds or Fs will have to repeat the class.

Fall SemesterCommon

Assessments

Common Core State Standard

Minimum Criteria

CA1:Denotation & Connotation

Language 5bReading Lit.

Student correctly identifies denotative & connotative meanings in a text. Student can also determine the meaning of a word based on context.

CA2:Independent & Dependent Clauses, and Sentence Errors

Language 1a & bLanguage 2A

Accurately identifies independent & dependent clauses, & fixes sentence errors correctly (comma splices, run-ons, fragments).

Correctly identifies and uses punctuation (comma, semi-colon, and end punctuation).

Spring Semester Common

Common Core State Standard

Minimum Criteria

CA3:Sentence Types

Language 1, 1b

Correctly identifies and uses simple, complex, and compound sentences. On the Smarter Balanced writing rubric, students need to be able to vary their sentence types in essays.

Page 1 of 3 Sylmar High School (818) 833-3700

SYLMAR HIGH SCHOOLMath & Science Magnet

“A Community of Learners”English 9 - H Ms. Green Fall Semester

Common Assessments

Common Core State Standard

Minimum Criteria

CA4:Plot Diagram Reading 1-3

Student accurately completes a plot diagram for a given story including: title, author, exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, characters (protagonist/antagonist), narration, and conflict.

• This chart shows all of the units available to us in the SpringBoard program. We plan to cover: Unit 1, Unit 2, and Unit 5.

• We will include part of Unit 3. If time permits, Unit 4 may be included. Of note, poetry is not neglected as it is integrated into the other units.

• We hope you, our students and parents, are as excited about our CCSS aligned, pre-AP curriculum as we are!

TechnologyStudents will use several educational websites throughout the school year to enhance their education. These may include (but are not limited to): Sylmarhs.org, Schoology, SpringBoard Digital, Edmodo, No Red Ink, Paper Rater, NewsELA, Accelerated Reader, & Grammar Bytes! Your student will receive information on how to access each of these websites. If your student does not have Internet access at home, that’s no problem! S/he may work in our library before school, after school, and at lunch.

Homework will be posted weekly on sylmarhs.org

Students are encouraged to subscribe to their class period to have homework reminders emailed to them. Parents can always check to see if there is homework due for their students on sylmarhs.org under the “Students” drop down menu. Students and parents will be able to monitor student progress on Schoology.

Page 2 of 3 Sylmar High School (818) 833-3700

SYLMAR HIGH SCHOOLMath & Science Magnet

“A Community of Learners”English 9 - H Ms. Green

Assignments/Grading - Academic performance is based on: Passing the course by adequately completing class work, homework, exams, essays, projects, presentations,

and (CAs) common assessments.Passing all the “CA” tests. One cannot earn any grade beyond a “D” without passing all CAs.

Students who do not pass CA Tests will receive academic intervention and be required to retest.

Class participation in discussions, readings, and group work assignments, which requires the students’ regular attendance to class.

Grading ScaleA = 90% - 100%B = 80% - 89.9%C = 70% - 79.9%D = 60% - 69.9%F = 0% - 59.9%

Weighted Grade CategoriesClasswork = 40%Homework = 25%

Common Assessments = 20%Embedded Assessments = 15%

Extra Credit – no more than 5% overallHomework: Will be assigned when applicable and is an integral component to your child’s success. Typically, your child will be responsible for reading 50 pages of a novel per week, 10 pages a night, and complete a weekly reading log assignment based on their week’s reading. Students will be provided some texts for homework, such as when the whole class will read Night and Romeo & Juliet, but most homework reading is self-selected. Students will need to bring their own novels or check them out from school or the public library.

* Check our school website sylmarhs.org to see what homework has been assigned. Make-up Work Policy: Make-up work must be submitted no later than one week before the current 5, 10, 15, or 20 week grading period for it to be credited towards the current grade report. Homework is due the day students return from an absence. Other assignments, to count as on time, are permitted one day late per excused absence. Late work will have score reductions.

School Policies: All school policies regarding student attendance and behavior apply to this class. Students are expected to behave in a manner conducive to learning. Students are required to adhere to the school dress code. Students found cheating on tests or assignments will be subject to the school’s cheating policy. Students are expected to be in class daily and on time. Students are expected to bring necessary learning materials (notebooks, pens, paper, etc.) and any assigned textbooks to class each day.

Required textbooks: SpringBoard – 9th grade consumable textbook, Anthology: The Language of Literature Plays and Novels: Various - may include Night and Romeo and Juliet

Student Materials: Notebook with dividers specifically for English 9, loose leaf paper, composition book(s), pencils, pens, and novels brought to class on required reading days – recommended: USB flash drive.

How to help your child succeed: Help your child set a consistent block of time aside each day to work on homework and other class assignments. Provide a quiet study area in which your child can study uninterrupted. Encourage him or her to form study partners or study groups with other students in his or her classes. Should your child fall behind or not meet the standards, encourage your child to attend the after-school tutoring that is available. Please feel free to contact me via E-Mail or leave a message with the Magnet office should you have any questions or concerns about your child’s educational progress or learning needs. You will be able to contact me directly through Schoology. Thank you for partnering with us to achieve success in your child’s education.

Ms. Green School email address – lxg0617@lausd.net

Page 3 of 3 Sylmar High School (818) 833-3700

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