Course Syllabus
IUHS Cooperative English Sample Syllabus
This course is designed to help you develop your writing, critical thinking and reading skills. All assignments and assessments are aligned to the English 9, 10, or 11 Indiana Language Arts Standards, and each lesson will tell you which standard/s we are tackling. Assignments include reading, writing, and speaking; independent and collaborative work; and low-stakes and high-stakes writing assignments.
Grading
Grade Scale
97-100 A+
96-93 A
92-90 A-
89-87 B+
86-83 B
82-80 B-
79-77 C+
76-73 C
72-70 C-
69-67 D+
66-63 D
62-60 D-
59-0 F
Grading breakdown
45% Weekly Assignments (including, especially, reflective comments)
45% Formal assessments (tests and quizzes)
10% Capstone project
Reflection Questions
In every lesson, you will complete several activities. Then you will use the "margin commenting" capabilities of Google Docs to demonstrate self-assessment and honest reflection on your learning. Reflection questions are graded all-or-nothing. If you do not complete them thoughtfully, I will award you a zero and tell you to try again. You will find the course much more fulfilling and instructive--as well as far less frustrating!--if you make a genuine effort with the reflection questions the first time through.
Formal assessments
At the end of each module, you will complete a formal assessment, a test, to evaluate your learning. Tests will be graded in traditional ways, evaluating your answers for correctness. Tests cannot be revised and resubmitted, so be sure you are prepared for them before you take them.
Capstone assignment
Your capstone assignment will be the final product of this course. You will work on creating it over the next four months’ time. You will choose your focus during the first module, and you will maintain that focus through the entire course. Choose well, and follow your heart.
Pacing
This course is designed to be completed in a standard semester (about 15 weeks). You may not complete it in fewer than 6 weeks. You may not extend your time in the course for longer than 6 months. Please aim to make steady progress: You will learn more and have more fun that way.
Collaboration
An important part of our learning in this course comes from sharing our weekly work. Your work will be visible to other members of our course. However, no grades or private information will be shared during this process. If you prefer, you may identify yourself by first name only in class materials that are visible to your peers. Please be sure that you do not include private information (such as social security numbers or physical addresses) in your weekly assignments.
Submitting assignments
In order to have your work graded, you must submit a shareable link to your assignment. The first lesson will teach you how to do this. Just remember that, although you may have shared your work with your peers, I will not grade it until it has been submitted to me.