Course Syllabus

English 9 ACP: Syllabus

Crouse⬩ Wellesley High School ⬩ 9th grade ⬩ 2026-2027

 

Contact Information:  Email: crousec@wellesleyps.org Office Hours: Wednesday before school (7:00-7:30) in room 215; A period in English Resource Center (rm. 237) Day 2/Day 4

 

Course Description: English 9ACP is an advanced college preparatory program designed for students with above average achievement and interest in reading and composition. The course emphasizes building a strong foundation as a reader, writer, speaker, listener, and thinker.  Students are expected to actively participate in activities, discussions, and assignments during class. Students are also expected to complete reading and writing assignments outside of class. 

 

Course Content

Essential Skills & Topics

Reading

• Students will be able to compare and contrast multiple texts.
• Students will be able to close reading of an author’s language and devices used in a text. 
• Students will be able to use active reading strategies.

Writing

• Students will be able to understand sentence structure and purpose.
• Students will be able to write the parts of the analytical paragraph. 
• Students will be able to understand and properly use grammar concepts- (Comma splice, run-on (fused sentence), fragment, comma rules, subjects /verbs, clauses, phrases, conjunctions, independent /dependent markers).
• Students will be able to incorporate evidence. 

Speaking/Listening

• Students will be able to demonstrate beginning public Speaking and Presentation skills:
• Students will be able to begin using volume, tone, and pace.
• Students will be able to begin using body language and eye contact.
• Students will be able to begin using inflection, intonation, enunciation.

 

Potential Texts: 9th grade at WHS covers a wide variety of texts and text types. While these are texts I expect for us to read this year, all things are subject to change based on student needs/interests and/or availability of texts.

• Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo (summer reading requirement)

• Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

• House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

• The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

• Various short stories/poems/essays 

 

Class Policies & Expectations

Grading Policy: Grades will be calculated based on both formative and summative work completed by students. Formative work includes classwork and homework. Summative work includes larger end-of-unit assessments, including (but not limited to) essays, presentations, projects, and other significant writing assignments. Assignment grades will be available to students via Canvas and/or PowerSchool. Grades will be entered using a “total points” system. Across various assignments, you will be graded on your reading, writing, speaking/listening skills. The grading breakdown for the year is as follows:

• Q1 - Q4 are each worth 22% of the Y1 grade 
• E1 is worth 12% of the Y1 grade 
• “E” refers to our final essay/exam. For our class, the final will be an in-class essay. Your exam grade will combine your annotations/notes AND your writing.

 

Absentee Policy: Being at school is important for our development as readers and writers. It’s important to note that when you miss class, you are still responsible for the work that happened during class. 

• If a student is absent from our class, any work from that class period will be expected to be made up outside of class. Many of our assignments can be found on Canvas, but on-paper assignments will also be available in the “Absent” folder in our classroom. If you are not sure what assignments you missed/need to make up, come to me AFTER you have checked Canvas/the “Absent” folder. 
• If you are going to be absent for an extended period of time and/or feel overwhelmed with work on returning to school, please come see me! We can make a plan together to get you caught up. 
• If Ms. Crouse is absent on a day that our class meets, instructions/assignments for the class period will be communicated through Canvas. 

 

District Accommodations: District accommodations (DCAP) are available to all students, and in the 26-27 school year, WHS is committed to moving this forward with fidelity.  While some accommodations can be offered at the moment, others require advanced notice. 

• For example: Extended time on an in-class assessment is a collaborative decision made by the teacher, student, and family to meet individual student needs.  The WHS guideline is up to 25% extra time.  This accommodation relies on proactive student communication prior to the date of the assessment.  The student and teacher must establish how the accommodation will be provided. 

 

Classroom Expectations: Our classroom thrives when we can all work together to create a productive learning environment. In order to accomplish this, my expectations for classroom conduct are as follows:

• No phones will be used during the class period. You are expected to put your phone in the docking station when you enter the classroom. 
• Participation in classroom activities and discussions is an important part of your learning. You should be prepared to contribute in class during independent, partner, small-group, and whole-class activities/assignments. 
• You will be expected to talk to all members of our classroom in a respectful way. Disagreement is an important part of discussion, but disagreement means criticizing/commenting on an idea, not criticizing/commenting on a classmate. 
• All work submitted for our class will be your original work. Any sources/resources you use should be clearly cited.

I am so excited to be your teacher! I hope you’re ready for an excellent year!