Welcome to UCAS and  to English 10th Honors 2022-2023 

Contact Information: email: lisa.harrison@ucas-edu.net  I check my email several times a day. If you have an emergency, contact the main office.

This is going to be an exciting year. We will be reading novels, short stories, essays, and poetry. We will also be working on becoming stronger writers. Reading and writing are both strengthened through practice.

10th Grade Essential Learning For English (link to English Language Arts Grade 9-10 standards)

Key Assignments:

• Reading. 
• Nonfiction articles (often from newspapers or news websites)
• Vocabulary--Greek and Latin Roots Level X
• Argumentative Writing
• Narrative Writing
• Informative/Explanatory Writing

Google Email and Canvas

• Each student has a school-issued Gmail account. 
• Assignments will either be done in person in class or on Canvas. 
• Most materials will be available in Canvas.

Classroom Rules

• Be respectful: Of yourself, the teacher, your classmates, the classroom.
• Honesty--cheating and plagiarism* will not be tolerated and will result in no credit on the assignment. If your student copies and pastes material from any source without proper citations, they will receive an automatic zero for that assignment. Believe me on this one! Even if they change a word or two or rearrange the words. The purpose of school is to learn and to grow. That means 10th grade work should look like 10th grade work, not like Wikipedia or an encyclopedia. Parents: Please do not do your student’s work for them...helping is ok, rewriting is not. Canvas has a plagiarism checker. I will use this on major writing assignments. 
• Use class time to learn. This is not the time to finish your calculus homework. 
• Be on time, in your seat and ready to begin when the bell rings.
• Come to class with at least two writing utensils (pens or pencils), highlighters, a reading book, and writing paper. Do not ask to leave class to get your materials. I personally prefer to write with a pencil, if that is your preference, go for it!
• Be an active learner. This means no sleeping, talking, or texting during class.
• Cell phones are not part of the classroom. Each student needs to park their phone in the phone garage as they come into the room. There is an honor system associated with this, but if students abuse their phones, administrators will be involved. 

Utah State Core Standards

UCAS follows the Utah State Core Standards which includes: Reading Literature, Reading Informational Text, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language. For more information go to UEN.org. Utah Core Standards.

Grading Scale:    A   94-100  A-   90-93

B+   87-89        B   84-86    B-   80-82

C+   77-79       C   74-76    C-   70-72

D+   67-69             D   64-66 D-   60-62        F  59-0

Redos: Students are expected to put forth their best effort in all of their work. Even though some schools have allowed students to rework English assignments, I do not allow for redos. This includes assignments, quizzes, writing, reading assignments, etc. I expect students to study before a quiz and proofread before submitting any assignments. Even if a student resubmits an assignment on Canvas, it will not be graded again. I appreciate it when students rework to improve their learning, but this will not change the grade. 

Late Work Policy: Each assignment has a due date and a due time. All late assignments will be penalized by 30%. Students have one full week to turn late work in for partial credit (up to 70% credit). After the week, assignments will not be accepted. After the week, assignments will not be accepted.

Extra Credit: None--not even the last week of the semester. 

Bathroom usage:  Students will not be excused for the bathroom unless it is an emergency. Please use the bathroom during the passing period. If it involves vomit, blood, or diarrhea, you will be excused. Otherwise, don’t ask. Your bladder can make it for 53 minutes. 

Supplies Needed:

• Writing utensils (pencil or pen). Make sure your student has an ample supply of pencils. If they are purchased at Back to School sales, they are very inexpensive. Students tend to run out of pencils and paper around Winter Break and it is their responsibility to have their own supplies. Please help them come to school prepared.
• Composition book (You can get these at Walmart for a reasonable price)
• Reading books--students should have a book with them at all times.

• Knowledge of your own Gmail address and the password that goes with the email (keep this private but be able to access your gmail account).

Email: I check my email lisa.harrison@ucas-edu.net several times each day. Feel free to contact me via email. If you have an immediate emergency, feel free to call the school and leave a message for me. I will return your call as soon as possible. 

Disabilities: Several federal laws are designed to protect your child's educational rights. If your child has a learning disability, he or she may qualify for additional protections or accommodations. Feel free to talk with an administrator or counselor for additional assistance.

Reading: In addition to in-class reading assignments, you will be responsible for reading a book that is at least 250 pages long outside of class each month.  Although reading newspapers, magazines, scriptures, and textbooks are important, the home reading requirement must be from a novel or appropriate work of literature at the student’s reading level. This assignment will be explained further in class.

My classroom has an amazing library. I have not read all of the books. There may be books that have content that you don't want to read. Never feel obligated to finish reading a book that makes you feel uncomfortable. 

*Plagiarism |ˈplājəˌrizəm| noun

The practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own (even big brother’s or Grandpa Fred’s). This will result in a zero for the assignment. Don’t do it, you are smarter than this! If you want to use a quote in your writing, make sure to cite the source and then explain the quote.