• Students are expected to attend every class having read assigned material or prepared assigned homework. Many students are involved in a variety of enrichment and special programs in addition to their academic classes. Your participation in these activities should not interfere with your commitment to and attendance in class. You are asked to carefully consider the impact of your absences from class and to refrain from scheduling appointments, club meetings, teacher conferences, and other activities during your designated class time.
  
  
• Students are expected to be in class on time, ready to work with the proper materials (book, pen, paper and completed assignments). You will not be excused to retrieve any forgotten items. Chronic late arrivals to class will naturally result in a lowered grade. Students who arrive late and miss a quiz will not be allowed to make it up. Unexcused absences will result in a zero for all work for that day, including quizzes and tests.
  
  
• All students are expected to participate in active discussion of literature by raising relevant, thoughtful questions and observations about literature and paying sustained, consistent attention to the comments of others. You are expected to offer questions, significant commentary, and/or corroborative evidence from text or other research materials to enhance class discussion. As Honors students, you are expected to take thorough notes on discussion and readings on a daily basis without being prompted to do so. Lack of preparation for active work, and/or a passive presence during class time are behaviors that are inconsistent with the high academic goals of this course. (top)

Materials

• Three-ring binder with dividers for notes, handouts, and journals. You may not use a spiral bound notebook: I do not accept work torn from a spiral notebook. Please see separate sheet for notebook guidelines.
• Post-it notes for to use for in-text notes during class discussions.
• Large pocket folder for writing portfolio.

Homework/Classwork

• You will be given a weekly assignment sheet. Assignments and due dates will also be posted online at smartscion.com . Please click on the homework link on your course’s home page. It is your responsibility to know what is due and when it is due so you will be prepared for class. Absence is not an acceptable reason for missing an assignment or being unprepared for class when you return.
  
  
• All essays and other assignments are due at the beginning of class on the date assigned. .   Late work will receive a 10-point per day grade reduction, and will not be accepted after 2 days, resulting in a zero for the assignment.  If a serious injury, illness, or other emergency seems likely to prevent you from meeting a deadline, make arrangements with me before the assignment is due. If no prior arrangement has been made, late penalties will ensue. Computer, printer, or email problems are not acceptable reasons for late work; be prepared to back up your work so it can be turned in on time
  
  
• If you miss class for any reason other than those outlined above, it is your responsibility to arrange to turn your work in on time. If you have missed a due date because of an unforeseen illness or emergency, you must provide me with documentation of your excused absence in order to receive an appropriate extension.
  
  
• There will be no make-ups given for unannounced quizzes; you will be excused if you have an excused absence.
  
  
• Make-ups for announced quizzes and tests must be arranged promptly upon your return to class after an excused absence, and must be completed in a timely manner. Be aware that make-up quizzes and tests will generally be prepared in a different format than the original quiz or test.
  
  
• Students are expected to know Canton High School’s policy on plagiarism.  It will be fully enforced in this class.

(top)

Grading

Major tests, essays and other writing assignments, and projects are counted as 60% of your quarter grade.
Homework assignments, journals, quizzes, short tests, and graded in-class assignments are counted as 30% of your quarter grade.
Class participation is counted as 10% of your quarter grade.

Extra Help/Communication

• I am available for extra help by appointment.
• Students and parents should feel free to email me with their questions at ckurt@cantonschools.org.