THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

Dr. Kathy Zanone, Chair (Advanced Placement and Honors English 4 World Literature, Honors English 3 British Literature, Yearbook)

Mrs. Janice Baker (English 4 World Literature, Honors English 2 American Literature)

Mrs. Heather Valdez (English 3 British Literature, ACT/SAT Test Prep)

Dr. Elizabeth McIngvale (Honors English 1 Freshman Introduction to Literature, English 2 and Honors English 2 American Literature)

Dr. Jennifer Lovelace (English 1 and Honors English 1 Freshman Introduction to Literature)

Mrs. Ann Neal (English Composition for seniors - elective)

Departmental Learning Tips:

-Complete all reading and writing assignments.

-Pay attention in class.

-Take careful notes in class and ask questions if you do not understand something.

-Communicate with the teacher about your work and come in for individual help.

-Use time management skills on all assignments

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St. Agnes Writing Expectations 0809.doc

DEPARTMENTAL POLICY ON LATE WORK:

Major papers are due on the original due date whether a student is present or not. If the student is absent on the due date, a parent, sibling, or friend may bring the paper in and deliver it to the teacher, or the student may email the paper to the teacher.  Technological problems are not an excuse for an undelivered email.  If a teacher does not receive the paper on the day it is due, the student must turn in the paper when she returns to school.  The paper will then be graded and the grade will be averaged with a zero for the final paper grade.

DEPARTMENTAL POLICY ON USE OF CLIFFS NOTES, SPARKNOTES, AND OTHER SUPPLEMENTAL RESOURCES:

Individual English teachers may stipulate rules about the use of these notes on their course policies and in class for each assigned text. These notes may NOT be used as a substitute for reading the assigned work. At the discretion of the teacher, students may be allowed to use these notes as additional reading to aid in the understanding of the assigned work. However, students must have the teacher’s permission before doing so and the use of these notes is not always allowed.

These notes are NOT to be used as a source for a research paper or research assignment of any kind. Students should keep in mind that such notes often contain inaccuracies and problematic interpretations; therefore, students should rely on the text itself, class notes, and teacher-approved resources to understand the assigned readings.

SUMMER READING 2009:

FOR ENGLISH 1 AND HONORS ENGLISH 1:

A Separate Peace (John Knowles)

Old School (Tobias Wolff)

Grammar Packet

FOR ENGLISH 2 AND HONORS ENGLISH 2:

Summer (Edith Wharton)

The Glass Menagerie (Tennessee Williams)

The Catcher in the Rye (Salinger)

FOR ENGLISH 3 and HONORS ENGLISH 3:

Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)

Rebecca (DuMaurier)

The Painted Veil (Maugham)

FOR ENGLISH 4:

Books for Summer Reading are The Awakening (Chopin), An Ideal Husband (Wilde), and The Bluest Eye (Morrison).

FOR HONORS ENGLISH 4 and AP LITERATURE:

Books for Summer Reading are The Awakening (Chopin), Mrs. Dalloway (Virginia Woolf), and The Bluest Eye (Morrison).

All students should finish their summer reading books before the first day of school, Wednesday, August 12, and they should bring books to class on that day.

Discussions and assignments involving the summer books will begin as soon as school starts, and the test on the summer books will occur by the end of August.

Following are some expectations for summer reading:

1. Read the entire work thoroughly and carefully.

2. As you read, pause to summarize for yourself what is happening. Use a journal or post-it notes to write summary notes so that you will be able to refer to the important parts of the text.

3. Underline/highlight/otherwise mark significant passages.

Note when characters are introduced and described, and when important plot events occur.

4. Review the passages you have marked during the week before class.

Before you come to class, be sure that you have a basic understanding of plot and the main characters.

5. The use of Spark Notes and other summary sources in place of the assigned reading is considered a violation of the St. Agnes the honor code. Additionally, keep in mind that your summer reading tests and assignments are designed to exceed the surface level of these summaries.

Understand that if you make notes and underline passages as you read, you will help yourself on the assignments when you return to school.

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT Make Up Policy:

Each department will share its specific make-up policies with the students at the beginning of each semester.  Communication between the student and teacher is essential, either in person, through e-mail, or through the teachers’ websites.

1.The responsibility for making up work missed rests solely with the student.  Short-term absences and/or missing class for any reason do not relieve the student of her responsibility for completed assignments and test preparation when she returns.  The student should check teacher websites for all details.  Upon the day of return, the student must see each teacher for work assigned when the student missed class.

2.When a student returns to class, she will be allowed one day to make up work per day of absence.  Assigned work not made up within the allotted specified time frame will result in a grade of zero.  A test, homework, quizzes, and papers not made up within this time frame will result in a grade of zero.

3.If a student does not show up at the time and place designated by the teacher, after she has agreed to do so, the student will receive a zero.

4.If a student cannot make up the work at the time and place designated by the teacher, she will be obligated to make up the work during the next scheduled Saturday School.

5.No make-ups will be done during class in the classroom or in the hallway.

6.Make-ups will be supervised by the teacher, a counselor, or by the Dean of the Upper School.

7.Make-ups for prolonged absences will be handled among the student, her teachers, and the counselor.

Summation:

•Short-term absence:Student is absent for one to three days.  Handbook rules outlined above apply.

•Prolonged absence:Student is absent for more than three days.  Student sees teacher upon return to work out a schedule for make-up work.

•All long term assignments are due on the day assigned regardless of absences preceding or the date due.

•A student who comes to class without assigned work and who has not been absent the previous day receives a zero for that assignment.

EXTRA CREDIT POLICY

The teachers at St. Agnes Academy have laid out an appropriate amount of work to illustrate the content of each course.  With this in mind, no teacher will create extra credit opportunities based on request.  However, this does not mean that the student wishing to go farther than the planned class content cannot seek satisfaction.  Such a student can inquire about any information regarding optional work through the SEEK Independent Study Program.  Many teachers add bonus questions to tests or quizzes.  When extra credit options exist, they are projects or participatory opportunities announced by the teacher either in the course description or on the teacher website.  It is never appropriate for a student having difficulty to ask a teacher “What can I do for extra credit?”  She should already be aware of such opportunities for that course.

HONOR CODE

The Department of English strictly adheres to the St Agnes Honor Code with particular attention to the issue of plagiarism*

In keeping with its philosophy and mission statement which demands absolute honesty to one’s self and to others, thereby creating an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect in all campus situations, Saint Agnes Academy has established an Honor System as a means of achieving this ideal. The success of the Honor System is directly proportionate to each person’s commitment to this ideal.

All students are expected to abide by their pledges to the system. Lying, cheating, stealing, plagiarism, and negligent behavior are all infractions of the Honor Code, and when reported to the Honor Council will be treated as serious offenses.  Students will be instructed about the Honor System at the beginning of each year.  Students will be expected to sign the Honor Pledge and the Dominican motto, Veritas, on all work submitted.

Consequences for Honor System violations may include one or more of the following:

a.A zero on the assignment

b.One or more days of Saturday School

c.Verbal and written notification to parents

d.Automatic placement on Disciplinary Review

e.Suspension or Expulsion

The Honor Pledge:  VERITAS  I pledge, on my honor, that I have neither given nor received information on this assignment. (Signature)

See The Saint Agnes Academy Honor Code Handbook for details.

*Plagiarism - using the words, ideas, artwork, or other intellectual property of another without crediting the original creator.

At Saint Agnes, plagiarism is considered to be lying, cheating, and stealing all at once.