English 5H Syllabus/ Fall

Grossmont Middle College

Office Hours: M-F 10:15-11:15 am, 1:15-2:00

 sthaller@guhsd.net

Welcome!

At the U.N. Youth Assembly, activist Malala Yousafzai said: “One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen, can change the world.” And while no one in this class is a child, her words remind us of the capacity for greatness and change that exists in every human being. Through education, the power of words, and the belief in our own power, we hold the keys to change the world for the better.

We use our voices as academic thinkers to inspire change, reveal and seek to conquer injustice, and bring innovation to light. This class is about finding and using our voices, understanding our identities in the larger social and historical contexts, and empowering ourselves as agents of change.

Your voice matters. You matter. You have so much to offer.

By the end of this class, the goal is that you will be prepared to face the future and any writing and research (or any) challenges you encounter with confidence and competence. Hopefully though, you will also come to appreciate the spirit and value of learning through inquiry rather than the simple transmission of knowledge.

Neil Gaiman once said, “The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.”

Communications Policy

Open communication is important to me. Please feel free to contact me with any concerns, questions, or helpful information—I’m here to help guide you through this year. The following information addresses class expectations, select school policies, and reading selections for the year.

I am available to meet daily during my office hours. Otherwise, email is the best way to communicate with me. During the week, I will get back to you within 24 hours. If you email after work hours on a Friday (3pm), I will get back to you first thing Monday morning. I want you to find work/life balance and I also seek to maintain my own.

Please note that most assignments will be turned in on Schoology.

~ Dr. Thaller

English 5/6H is an accelerated study of the California Common Core Standards for grades 11-12. Students read and analyze texts of increasing complexity across a variety of genres of literary and informational texts, and engage in a combination of short and sustained writing tasks across genres. Students will develop their mastery of rhetorical skills, hone their writing craft, and produce coursework that presents an understanding of the materials and related discussions. Students can expect rigorous assignments and an emphasis on mastery-level achievement.

This course meets the University of California “b” English requirement.

The fall semester will deal primarily with academic writing and argument. As such, most of the texts will be scholarly and all will be provided digitally on Schoology. You are more than welcome to print them out on your own.

As Grossmont Middle College students, this course is designed to fulfill the requirements of Grossmont College and Grossmont Union High School District. I intend to prepare you to thrive in college courses, while also being mindful that the shift from high school to college structure can be shocking for many students.  This course will be formatted and will function much like a college course.

What does this mean?!

As you are now in a middle college, you are expected to function and handle yourself very much like an adult student. As such, if you are struggling with work, need support in any way, miss assignments, it is up to YOU to reach out to your teacher and let us know what you need or what is going on. Learn the habit of taking accountability. Blaming the teacher is never productive. We are here to help.

In many college courses, late work is not accepted.

However, life happens. Stress happens. Mental health happens.  If you know you will miss a deadline, it is important that you prearrange an extension with me to receive full credit for your assignments or contact me as soon as possible.

In general, without an approved extension, you will have 72 hours (three days) after the deadline to submit work for credit. Each day after the deadline results in a 10% deduction.

If you do miss class, remember that it is your responsibility to get any assigned work to me, find out the assignments, etc. The best way to go about finding out what you missed is by contacting a peer. It is important that you do this before the start of the next class. Being absent is no excuse for coming unprepared when you return to class!

Technology glitches or lost emails do not constitute valid excuses for late work. 

Grading Breakdown and Scale

We will go over all assignments in-depth, with plenty of time for questions and clarification.

100-90%= A, 89-80%= B, 79-70%= C, 69-60%= D, 59% and below= F

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, our students will be able to do the following:

a. Identify, analyze, and evaluate rhetorical strategies in a variety of culturally relevant texts.

b. Construct persuasive arguments that include effective use of rhetorical strategies.

c. Contextualize, integrate, and synthesize diverse perspectives, using appropriate documentation.

Behavioral Expectations

• To be a successful student you need to be in class on time, prepared to learn, and be a cooperative class participant. In addition, the class utilizes group work that requires student cooperation.
• While Chromebooks will be used extensively in the course, while in class, no cell phones, or other electronics may be in use or out on the desk unless directed by the teacher during school hours. 
• Continued negative participation, including being off-task, defiant, or displaying a lack of cooperation, will not be tolerated.
• If you eat in the classroom, it is your responsibility to clean up after yourself. Also, try to avoid excessively pungent foods as we want to make sure the classroom is a welcoming space for everyone.
• Please be respectful. It’s really the very bare minimum. Listen when people are talking. Don’t talk over other people. Treat each other with basic decency.

Academic Honesty

• I take the misuse of academic materials very seriously and do not tolerate any form of academic dishonesty.
• A student using another's work or giving their work for any part of an assignment, with or without his/her permission, will be considered academically dishonest, lose credit, and be given a referral. This includes unauthorized collaboration and plagiarism. 
• Copying anything from online sources without citation information will be considered plagiarism and will not be tolerated. Students will receive a referral and loss of credit. 
• Any unauthorized (by the teacher) collaboration of any kind will result in a referral and loss of credit on that assignment. 
• Taking photos of your work (or another’s work) and sending it in any form is plagiarism and will result in a referral and loss of credit. 

AI and Plagiarism     

• Plagiarism includes using text written by a generation system as one’s own (e.g. entering a prompt into an AI tool and using the output anywhere in your paper)
• Doing academic work requires that the work you turn in is your own. A paper that is written by AI is not your work and is thus plagiarism
• It doesn’t matter which AI program/software you use. Using any of these to write your papers is considered a form of plagiarism. 

**It is important to note that tools that check your writing are okay to use. Examples can include the autocorrect feature in Google Docs. These tools, which scan pieces of writing for errors and/or make suggestions for edits, are very different from AI programs that write entire papers. The key difference is that it is your own original writing that is being scanned for possible mistakes versus AI that does all the writing for you.

***Keep in mind that professors/instructors do, in fact, have tools that enable them to check if papers have been written by AI. One example of this is GPTZero. As AI evolves, these anti-plagiarism tools are also being upgraded to ensure that plagiarism can be detected.

Academic Accommodations

Students who may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to notify the instructor and contact the Accessibility Resource Center (ARC) early in the semester so that reasonable accommodations may be implemented as soon as possible. More information can be found HERE.

Classroom Community

Inclusion  

This is an inclusive learning community, respecting those of differing backgrounds and beliefs. As a community, we aim to be respectful to all citizens in this class, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender expression or identity, physical or mental ability, language-levels, and sexual orientation. We are all here together and we all matter.

Pronouns

This course affirms people of all gender expressions and gender identities. If you identify with a different name than what is on the class roster, please let me know. Feel free to correct me on your gender pronoun. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Appreciating and Valuing Diversity: I strive to create a welcoming learning community for all.  I encourage multiple perspectives and the free exchange of unbiased and non-prejudicial ideas and experiences, which broaden our understanding of one another and the world around us. The expectation is that you will join us in this endeavor by contributing to an accessible, safe, and respectful classroom environment, free of discrimination and harassment.  If you are offended, hurt or made to feel unsafe by something that another student does or says, please let me know. In the same way, please let me know if you are offended, hurt, or made to feel unsafe by something I say or do. It is my intention to ensure this classroom is a safe place for all.

Violating standard rules of conduct, in any form, will not be tolerated.