Welcome to

William B. Travis Open House 2013-2014

On an Index Card

Please print Student’s NameYour namePreferred Contact InformationSomething you think I should

know about your child

Entry Bell 7:201st Period- AVID I 7:30- 8:202nd Period- AVID III 8:25- 9:153rd Period- AVID III 9:20- 10:104th Period- AVID I 10:15- 11:055th Period – English I Pre-AP 11:10- 12:106th Period – Common Planning 12:45- 1:357th Period – AVID Conference 1:40- 2:30

Tiffanie Thomas BiographyEnglish I Pre-AP TeacherEnglish Department HeadTravis AVID (TRAVID) Coordinator

Graduated:• High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) in Houston,

Texas • Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois

(Bachelor’s of Science degree in Communications with a concentration in English and African-American studies)

• University of St. Thomas (M.Ed. in Educational Leadership)

Six years at Lake Olympia Middle School (Speech and Theater)This will be my fifth year as a Travis Tiger!

Definition of APAP, or Advanced Placement, Courses are college-level courses that a student can take in high school. The courses are more rigorous than high school courses since they are, in fact, college courses and students can receive college credit for taking the courses, although not all colleges grant students college credit for the courses.

STAAREnglish IEnglish IIBiologyUS HistoryAlgebra I

• You will receive more information regarding STAAR throughout the year.

The College Board• http://www.collegeboard.org/• http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/

Controller.jpf• 11th Grade- English Language and Composition• 12th Grade- English Literature and Composition• Released AP Exams

Texas Education Agency• http://www.tea.state.tx.us/

Required MaterialsIt is the student’s responsibility to come to class

each day with the appropriate materials for class.•composition notebook (for warm-ups)•three-ring binder (1 to 2 inch) (4 tabs or dividers)•spiral notebook for Cornell Notes•blue or black pens •#2 pencil•highlighters•saving device for computer work (flash drive)•plenty of notebook paper (wide ruled if possible)

PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE!

Copy Paper, Kleenex

Course Content1st Nine WeeksShort StoriesLiterature Terminology and ApplicationVocabulary, including prefixes and suffixesNovel: RebeccaIntroduction to Writing GenresOpen-Ended Writing StrategiesText Structure

2nd Nine WeeksEpic: The OdysseyIntroduction to MythologyVocabularyLiterature TerminologyWriting Strategies/Literary AnalysisOpen-Ended Writing Strategies

3rd Nine WeeksIntroduction to PoetryIntroduction to Drama/Renaissance and William ShakespeareRomeo and Juliet Introduction to ResearchVocabularyOpen-Ended Writing Strategies, continuedExpository Writing

4th Nine WeeksThe Color of WaterVocabularyWriting Strategies/Literary AnalysisExpository Writing and Poetry Analysis

Late Work Policy

(applies to daily and major grades)

One Day late – minus 30 points

Two Days Late- minus 40 points

Three Days Late- minus 50 points

All work must be completed before the next progress report.

Tutorial Policy

If at any time you need help with an assignment or need to access a computer to complete an assignment, I encourage you to attend tutorials. Simply show up with your pass, sign in on the tutorial roster and begin work. Don’t forget to sign out before you leave. I offer tutorials on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons from 2:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. but I am also available on any other day when requested in advance. All tutorials are by appointment only. Make-up tests are given during tutorial times. If you attend tutorials YOU NEED A PASS.

Travis Honor CodeAll students are expected to follow the THS English Department Honor Code.

Cheating, copying, or plagiarizing will result in an automatic 0 per Travis High School policy.

According to dictionary.com, plagiarism is the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and/or thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work.

Literature Textbook and books to purchase

We strongly recommend that our students purchase their own copies of the books that we will be reading and analyzing. Annotation is invaluable for thorough analysis.Holt McDougal Literature Book- Class set/Online access The House of Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

Animal Farm by George OrwellAnthem by Ayn RandRomeo and Juliet by William ShakespeareThe Color of Water by James McBrideTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper LeeOne additional Shakespeare play to be assigned later

Web Page

• Consult my web page on the Travis High School web site for important information, due dates, assignments, and documents.

• www.fortbendisd.com/campuses/ths/courses.cfm

• Click on “English”• Click on “T. Thomas” by English I Pre AP• Click on “Resources

Contact InformationEmail:tiffanie.thomas@fortbendisd.comConference time:12:45 p.m. – 1:35 p.m.(281) 634-8098