Compass Honors High School - English 9th Grade

Course Requirements:

Requirement: % of final grade
Writing Assignments (essays, short stories, research 40% papers, poems, etc.)
4 Oral presentations (5% each) 20%
Daily work, in-class writing assignments, quizzes, and journal 15%
Final exam 15%
Semester exam 10%
Minimum 2 scheduled conferences with me, one per semester

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

Late Work:
Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due date for full credit. Late work will be accepted the next day for a maximum of a 60%; after that a zero will be given. It is up to YOU to schedule a time to make up your late speech, as there won’t be time during class. For each legitimate absence, one equivalent day will be given for make-up work.

The primary purpose of this course is to improve your literacy skills. We will study a variety of literary material and you will be asked to write in a variety of forms in response to that material. It is my objective that by the end of this class, you will read consciously, write concisely, speak articulately, and think critically. The class has been organized to complement Global Perspectives. Therefore, we will be reading and writing about these four regions in the world: Mexico, England, the Middle East, and North America.

Hello students and parents. My name is Erin Gatfield and I am eager to begin my first year at Compass Honors High School as the English and Speech teacher.  My background includes five years of teaching experience at Melba High School where I taught English courses, as well as advised the National Honor Society and the Mustang Readers Club.  I received my BA in English in 2002 and my master’s degree in teaching in 2003 from the College of Idaho.

            While teaching is my primary passion, I also love to travel, and have taken student groups on two international trips: one to England, France, and Spain in 2005, and another group to Italy and Greece in 2008.  In my spare time, you will find me enjoying the outdoors with my husband and our boisterous golden retriever, Kaia, backpacking or camping in Idaho’s mountains.

            I look forward to getting to know all of you, and building that rapport that is an essential part of successful education!

Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is the use of someone else’s words, ideas, or theories as your own without giving the author/artist/creator proper credit. Always cite quotations or paraphrased material. I (and Compass Honors High School) take plagiarism very seriously; if you plagiarize a speech from a book, the internet, a friend, or any other source, you have unfortunately chosen to receive a zero on the assignment.