STEM HONORS ENGLISH 3 - Fall 2016

Email: shuem@davie.k12.nc.us Website: shuem.weebly.com

ASAP: Tuesday 7:45 am & Thursday 3:25 pm
Dear parents and students,
Welcome to (STEM) Honors English 3. We will study argument, improve writing skills, and analyze how
major events in American history influenced literary movements and current political and social realities
of today. We will also complete the Research Paper requirement this semester.
As an Honors student, you will study within the Common Core Curriculum of North Carolina at the
pace and rigor of an Honors course. The STEM curriculum is set apart by a particular focus on the
Design Process. In Honors English, we will think critically about human communication including
purposeful and skillful collaboration with your peers.
Importantly, leadership and college and career-readiness skills are a crucial focus for all Honors students
at Davie High. You will read and think critically about various genres of literature including non-fiction
(speeches, essays, reviews) and fiction (novels, poetry, drama, and short stories), and express your
analysis in written and verbal ways. Additionally, you will study the ways in which audience, purpose,
and context play a crucial role in the design process of communication. The study of vocabulary and
grammatical conventions are also an important part of English 3.
Class Procedures:
What you need everyday: INTERACTIVE NOTEBOOK - Each and every day in class, you will be
working in your Interactive Notebooks. The IN has a very specific format and must be kept in exactly
the same order and manner as my IN and the same as the rest of your classmates. The IN will be
collected at the end of every unit for a IN grade and for grades of other individual items contained
within. This means that you will get several minor grades at a time in PowerSchool and will go
several weeks at a time during the unit with only a few grades added. The grades reflect daily work
and effort and will not have a great impact on the total grade unless those grades reflect zero work or
little attempt at completion. INTERNET ACCESS - You will also need daily access to the internet and
Google Drive. All homework will be posted by 5pm, and you must check the website for homework
every night. All work will be submitted through Google Classroom.
Tardies: It is essential that you arrive on time to class. If your tardiness becomes a habitual problem,
you will be required to attend ASAP to make-up the time and work you are missing or earn the
failing grade for habitual tardies.
Absences: If you are absent when a major assignment is due, it is still your responsibility to turn it by
the due date and time. I do not accept late work except in extenuating circumstances; then, the
student must email/conference with me to explain to possibly be granted a late turn in option.

 Make-up work after an absence: Upon return from an absence, it is your sole responsibility to find out
what you missed. All handouts will be in the black file box on the board. You will need to get missed
notes from another student. If you are absent, you are responsible for making up, and filling in,
everything that you missed for your Interactive Notebook. Any missed work must be made up within
5 days of the absence per the DCS policy. Some work may require ASAP attendance.
Grading Policies: You will monitor your grade through PowerSchool. Please allow me adequate time
to grade and record assignments before asking about grades. Your grades are made up of total points
and graded using a 10 point scale, which means every single grade is important to the total
calculation. Major grades (papers, tests, projects, etc) make up 80% of the quarter grades, while minor
grades (quizzes, informal presentations, some homework activities, Interactive Journals, etc.) count
for 20% of the grade. At the end of this course, you will take a NC Final Exam, which will make up
25% of your total final grade. Each quarter makes up 37.5% of the total final grade. Please make
certain that you understand that each component of the semester is important, and you should not
make the mistake of failing to turn in even small assignments. NO EXTRA CREDIT is available to
students individually.
Potential Reading List: Many of our readings will come from the Holt Elements of Literature
textbook adopted by the county; however, we will also read various novels, news articles, and other
reading passages throughout the semester that support the NC Common Core Standards. During
your four years in high school, the teachers of Davie County High School English Department will
introduce you to many socially or historically important, thought-provoking, literary works.
Following is a list of the major pieces of literature that we may plan to explore this year. Sometimes,
selections do change. If I add anything, I will notify you in writing. If you have any objections to a
title, you will need to communicate those concerns to me in enough time prior to the start of the unit
in question so I can plan a suitable alternative. We will study the following works (or selections from
the following): The Crucible, The Scarlet Letter, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Great Gatsby, A
Raisin in the Sun, Into the Wild, Fahrenheit 451, Out of the Dust, Picking Cotton. We may also read
selections from: Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Grapes of Wrath by John
Steinbeck, and The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien. We will also watch selections of the Daniel
Day Lewis The Crucible movie and the Leonardo DiCaprio The Great Gatsby movie.
Contact: The best way to contact me is via email. Students may email me up until 10 pm with
homework/other questions, and I will respond ASAP. It is very important to me that you work hard
and succeed in this class, and I am happy to help you with any issues. In an effort to teach
responsibility and self-advocacy, I require that you, the student, address any concerns or questions
either through email or a face-to-face conversation before I will address the issue with your parent(s).
If you prefer that your parent accompany you to the initial face-to-face conversation, that is fine, but
you must take the lead in the first discussion. I am happy to address parent emails checking in on
student progress at any point, but please allow 48 hours for response.
Sincerely,
Michelle Shue, NBCT
Davie County High School, English
Please sign the back of the supply card as verification that you have read the welcome letter
and return the card to Ms. Shue. Keep this letter at home for your records.

I have read and understand the expectations for

Ms. Shues STEM Honors English 3. I also
understand that my concerns will be best
addressed by conferencing with Ms. Shue
directly to find a solution as soon as the issue
arises. I will also take advantage of ASAP hours
in order to make up missing work or tardiness.

I have read and understand the expectations for

Ms. Shues STEM Honors English 3. I also
understand that my concerns will be best
addressed by conferencing with Ms. Shue
directly to find a solution as soon as the issue
arises I will also take advantage of ASAP hours
in order to make up missing work or tardiness.

Students Name_____________________________
Students Signature__________________________

Students Name_____________________________
Students Signature__________________________

Parents Name______________________________
Parents Signature___________________________

Parents Name______________________________
Parents Signature___________________________

I have read and understand the expectations for

Ms. Shues STEM Honors English 3. I also
understand that my concerns will be best
addressed by conferencing with Ms. Shue
directly to find a solution as soon as the issue
arises I will also take advantage of ASAP hours
in order to make up missing work or tardiness.

Students Name_____________________________
Students Signature__________________________

Parents Name______________________________
Parents Signature___________________________

I have read and understand the expectations for

Ms. Shues STEM Honors English 3. I also
understand that my concerns will be best
addressed by conferencing with Ms. Shue
directly to find a solution as soon as the issue
arises I will also take advantage of ASAP hours
in order to make up missing work or tardiness.

Students Name_____________________________
Students Signature__________________________

Parents Name______________________________
Parents Signature___________________________

STEM HONORS ENGLISH 3

STEM HONORS ENGLISH 3

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

100 sheets (200 pages) College Ruled

Composition Notebook

100 sheets (200 pages) College Ruled

Composition Notebook

LOTS of small post-it notes

LOTS of small post-it notes

3 pack glue sticks (classroom supply)

3 pack glue sticks (classroom supply)

1 roll of tape (classroom supply)

1 roll of tape (classroom supply)

daily access to the internet, class website

and Google Drive

daily access to the internet, class website

and Google Drive

STUDENT INFO:
Please scan the QR code
& fill out the student info.
form online.

STUDENT INFO:
Please scan the QR code
& fill out the student info.
form online.

STEM HONORS ENGLISH 3

STEM HONORS ENGLISH 3

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

100 sheets (200 pages) College Ruled

Composition Notebook

100 sheets (200 pages) College Ruled

Composition Notebook

LOTS of small post-it notes

LOTS of small post-it notes

3 pack glue sticks (classroom supply)

3 pack glue sticks (classroom supply)

1 roll of tape (classroom supply)

1 roll of tape (classroom supply)

daily access to the internet, class website

and Google Drive

daily access to the internet, class website

and Google Drive

STUDENT INFO:
Please scan the QR code
& fill out the student info.
form online.

STUDENT INFO:
Please scan the QR code
& fill out the student info.
form online.