ENGLISH IV HONORS - Patacsil - 2-3(A-B)

Contact information: rocky.patacsil@cravenk12.org

Email is the best means of contacting me. I am not available to take calls during the day, but can and will respond to email throughout the school day.

I welcome questions from both students and parents regarding assignments, grades, and attendance. Please email me and I will respond within 24 school hours. I may not be available on weekends; however, I will make the effort to respond if I receive the email. Feel free to reach out if you ever have a concern. School breaks may not receive a prompt response as I may not be checking email while traveling. I will respond at my earliest convenience; however, that may not be until school resumes.

English is, by nature, a function of communication. Writing is a priority in this class. Most of the assignments will be focused on building effective writing skills that will translate to more advanced English classes as well as college readiness.

Most assignments will be typed in Microsoft Word and uploaded as a file attachment. Very few assignments will be handwritten. Having said that, penmanship is important and there will be some assignments that focus on building legible writing.

Grade inquiries: All grade inquiries should be submitted in writing by email after consulting the detailed feedback left on Canvas. Include the pertinent feedback in your email. If there is a discrepancy between Canvas and PowerSchool, please identify what it is and verify the assignment was submitted correctly on Canvas. I will look into it and respond accordingly.

Please do not ask grade questions in class as I will not have the time to research the issue. My response is standard: read the feedback and submit your question in writing to give me sufficient information and time to research the answer.

Absences: In order for students to be successful in this course, they must be present to take advantage of the classroom instruction. If a student cannot avoid being absent, they are responsible for making up any work assigned during that class within 24 hours of returning to school. They are also responsible for the notes provided during their absence. If an assignment is due on a day a student is absent, the due date rolls 24 hours for any handwritten assignment due during class (i.e. must be submitted at the beginning of the next day’s class) and it remains firm for digital submissions. A digital submission does not get an absentee extension unless it was assigned during the class the student was absent and is due the next day. Almost all assignments are given with sufficient time for completion for extra credit; therefore, the due dates will remain firm despite absences.

Due dates are firm. Absolutely no late work will be accepted after the published due date. Once the assignment closes in Canvas, it will not be accepted for credit.

Turn-in time is set by Canvas's server, not your computer's clock. Do not wait until 11:50 pm to attempt to turn in an assignment as the server may already be closing it. 

Some assignments will be due on Fridays this class does not meet. That due date is firm despite not having class as it will be a digital submission. Monday, the submission will not be accepted. The assignment will close Friday at 11:59 pm. It will not be accepted for credit beyond that.

Revision: Corrections are only accepted if I have requested a revision. Please do not correct work after it is graded unless asked to do so, even if it was turned in early and the submission is still open.

Communication: All communication between students and their teachers should be treated as professional communication. Emails should have a subject that details the exact nature of the email such as the assignment title in question. Emails should also have a salutation, body paragraph, and an appropriate closing. Be mindful of tone, content, and intention behind the email. Emails without a subject will not be opened.

Emails should originate with you, the student, not your parent or guardian. While I am more than willing to work with parents especially with struggling students, it is your responsibility as the student to take control of your success and the accountability for it.

Extra Credit Policy: A 5% bonus with a maximum of 5 points can be earned for an early submission of any assignment except IXL.

Participation assignments are not eligible for extra credit. These are assignments that receive arbitrary grades simply upon turn-in and are not graded on content.

Early submission is one calendar day before the due date, not before class on the day it is due. This is determined by the date/time stamp on the submission in Canvas. 12:01 am the day the assignment is due qualifies as the due date, not an early submission.

Occasionally, extra credit assignments will be offered and will be counted as extra grades in the category they fall under. For example, extra credit papers will be counted as extra assignments in the writing category. All assignments will be graded accordingly. Simply doing the assignment does not equate to an extra 100. The score the assignment earns will be counted, even if it’s a poor one.

It is the teacher's prerogative to make extra credit assignments available and place restrictions on them as necessary.

Doing the extra credit assignments is the only means for extra credit available other than early submission. Please do not ask for more opportunities.

Students may not substitute extra credit assignments for required work. In short, a student may not opt out of writing an essay with the intention of making up that score with extra credit project assignments.

Canvas Policy:  All assignments will be turned in on Canvas according to the instructions posted unless otherwise directed on the assignment sheet. Submission instructions will be posted at the bottom of all assignment sheets. It is important that students follow those instructions up to and including minor details such as:

  • file format
  • file names
  • file uploads
  • textbox requirements.

The saying goes that the devil is in the details and points will be deducted for failure to pay attention to them. Links to outside sources such as Google Drive will receive a 0. Students are reminded that no late work will be accepted.

Never email an assignment unless specifically directed to do so. It will not be accepted for credit.

Redemption policy. Not every assignment or major project goes according to plan. In an effort to provide a means for students to overcome such situations, there is a redemption policy. An alternate assignment may be posted at my discretion to Canvas with a definitive due date that is designed to assess the same standards as the original assignment. Late/missing work is ineligible for the redemption policy.

Remind link: https://www.remind.com/join/msp1819ivf

Semester grade distribution:

  • Writing = 20%
  • Tests/Quizzes = 15%
  • Projects: 15%
  • Classwork = 20%
  • Homework = 10%
  • Test Prep = 10%
  • Class Participation = 10%

Course grade distribution:

  • Quarter 1 = 37.5%
  • Quarter 2 = 37.5%
  • NC Final Exam = 25%

Course Summary:

Date Details Due