Syllabi

Model Block Syllabus

2008-11-29T06:51:00.001-08:00

BLOCK SYLLABUS FIRST TERM

SESSION 2008-2009

Ten Periods Per Week

SUBJECT: ENGLISH CLASS: 6^TH

WORKING WEEKS: 14 T. PERIODS: 140

TEXTBOOK

S.No	Lesson	Periods
1	The Wonderful Lamp (Detailed Syllabus)	5
2	The Man Who Tried To Please Everybody	4
3	Asia: Some Facts	5
4	The Map	5
5	The Bet	5
6	The Shipwreck	5
7	Using A Telephone	4
8	William Tell And The Apple	5
9	Writing Letters	5
10	Good Manners	4
11	St. Francis Of Assisi	5
12	Lowood School	5
13	The Gift Of Language	5
14	Ghost For Sale	4
15	How To Make and Fly A Kite	5

GRAMMAR

S.No	Contents	Periods
1	Essays	6
2	Stories	5
3	Letters	2
4	Applications	2
5	Tenses	10
6	Parts of Speech	4
7	The Uses of Has, Have, Is, Are	3
8	Possessive Case	1
9	Punctuation Marks	2
10	Antonyms	1
11	Singulars and Plurals	2
12	Conjugation of Verbs	3

OTHER ACTIVITIES

S. No.	Contents	Periods
1	Revision	12
2	Bi-Monthly Tests	4
3	Class Tests	12

T. Periods: 71+41+28: 140

Detailed

2008-11-21T08:48:00.001-08:00

FAUJI FOUNDATION MODEL SCHOOL SWABI

DETAILED SYLLABUS

FIRST TERM

SESSION 2008-2009

(Ten periods per week)

SUBJECT: ENGLISH CLASS: VII

WORKING WEEKS : 14 T. PERIODS: 140

TEXTBOOK

S. No.	Lesson	Details	Periods
1	The Mouse-Deer and the Tiger	1.Introduction & Reading 2.Explanation of the text 3.MCQs 4.Words' Meanings 5.True and untrue 6.Filling in the blanks 7.The Use of a, an & *the*	4
2	The Tower	1.Introduction & Reading 2.Explanation of the text 3.Words' Meanings 4.Questions & Answers 5. Kinds of nouns and the use of apostrophe 6.The use of Up and *Down*	5
3	The Doone Valley	1. Introduction & Reading 2.Explanation of the text 3.Words' Meanings 4.True and Untrue 5.Fill in the blanks 5.Prepositions 6.The use of Do	5
4	Air and Wind	1.Introduction & Reading 2.Explanation of the text 3.Words' Meanings 4.True and Untrue 5.Questions and Answers 6.Subject and Verb 7.Adjectives and Adjective phrases 8.The use of Of and *Off*	4
5	The War	1.Introduction & Reading 2.Explanation of the text 3.Words' Meanings 4.Completing the sentences 5.MCQs 5. True & Untrue	5
6	The Golden Touch	1.Introduction & Reading 2.Explanation of the text 3.Words' Meanings 4. Questions and answers 5. Finding the opposites of the given words 6.The use of complement 7.The use of *Look*	5
7	Princess Aubergine	1.Introduction & Reading 2.Explanation of the text 3.Words' Meanings 4.Questions and answers 5. Questions, requests and commands 7.Question tags	5
8	A Narrow Escape	1.Introduction & Reading 2.Explanation of the text 3.Words' Meanings 4.Questions and answers 5.Opposite words 5.Adding one word & using: Yes, he is or No, he isn't Structure	5
9	Gliders	1.Introduction & Reading 2.Explanation of the text 3.Words' Meanings 4.True & Untrue 5.Completing with Present Continuous verbs & Writing numbers in words	5
10	Scrooge	1.Introduction & Reading 2.Explanation of the text 3.Words' Meanings 4.True & Untrue & The use of Wh-words 5.Using the correct form of verb in sentences	4
11	The Scholars and the Lion	1.Introduction & Reading 2.Explanation of the text 3.Words' Meanings & 4.MCQs 5.Writing the missing words 6.Questions and answers 7.The simple present tense	5
12	The Escape	1.Introduction & Reading 2.Explanation of the text 3.Words' Meanings 4.Questions & Answers 5.Using Adverbs of Past time & Multiple Choice questions	5
13	The Battle	1.Introduction & Reading 2.Explanation of the text 3.Words' Meanings 4. Completing the sentences 5. Using Future Indefinite Tense & "Going to"	5
14	Secrets	1.Introduction & Reading 2.Explanation of the text 3.Words' Meanings 4.Questions and answers 5.MCQs 6.The use of *Since* and *For*	5
15	Building a House	1.Introduction & Reading 2.Explanation of the text 3.Words' Meanings 4.Questions & Answers 5.True and Untrue 6.MCQs 7.The simple past tense	4

`GRAMMAR

S. No.	Contents	Details	Periods
1	Essays	1.Evning Walk 2.A Visit to a Hill Station 3.Internet 4.My Best Friend 5.Patriotism 6.The Life of a Farmer	6
2	Stories	1.The Dove And The Bee 2. The Foolish Stag 3. A Strange Hen 4. The Little Fish 5. The Fox And The Grapes	5
3	Letters	A letter to a friend for loan of a camera. A letter to a friend to visit with you and your family to Murree	2
4	Applications	1.Application for Sick Leave 2. Application for School Leaving Certificate	2
5	Active Voice and Passive Voice	All kinds of Present and Past Tenses Affirmatives, Negatives and Interrogatives	7
6	Parts of Speech	Definitions of: a. Conjunctions, b. Interjections, c. Prepositions	4
7	The use of Have, Has, Is, Are	Giving examples of singular and plural forms	3
8	Pairs of Words	At least 20 Pairs	1
9	Translation into Urdu	Different Paragraphs	2
10	Antonyms	At least 40 words	1
11	Singulars and Plurals	At least 40 words	1
12	*Junior English*	Suggested pages: 2, 6, 8, 12, 16, 25, 26, 33, 40, 41, 46, 51, 53, 57.	6

OTHER ACTIVITIES

S. No.	Contents	Periods
1	Revision	13
2	Bi-Monthly Tests	4
3	Class Tests	11

Prepared by

Muhammad Shaheen

2008-09-12T22:50:00.000-07:00

What is a syllabus?

A syllabus is an outline and summary of topics to be covered in a course. It is often either set out by an exam board, or prepared by the professor who teaches the course, and is usually given to each student during the first class session. A syllabus usually contains specific information about the course, such as information on how, where and when to contact the lecturer and teaching assistants; an outline of what will be covered in the course; a schedule of test dates and the due dates for assignments; the grading policy for the course; specific classroom rules; etc.Within many courses concluding in an exam, syllabi are used to ensure consistency between schools and that all teachers know what must be taught and what is not required. Exams can only test based on information included in the syllabus.The common plural form syllabi is sometimes considered a hypercorrection, as it is in all likelihood from a Greek root[1], and we do not know that syllabus is a second-declension Latin noun, simply because there are not enough classical uses of the term to definitively discern its declension. If, as the vast majority of Latin nouns ending in "-us", "syllabus" belongs to the second-declension, the plural would be syllabi; if fourth, the plural would again be syllabus. For this reason, syllabi, syllabus, and syllabuses are all commonly accepted. However, the word syllabus originally comes from a mis-transliteration by Cicero, who mis-copied the word σιττύβας (accusative plural of σιττύβα, meaning label or title page) as syllabos, making any Latin-ized plural form technically incorrect.The syllabus serves many purposes for the students and the teacher such as ensuring a fair and upfront understanding between the instructor and students such that there is minimal confusion on policies relating to the course, setting clear expectations of material to be learned, behavior in the classroom, and effort of student's behalf to be put into the course, providing a roadmap of course organization/direction relaying the instructor's teaching philosophy to the students, and providing a marketing angle of the course such that students may choose early in the course whether the subject material is attractive.Many items can be included in a syllabus to maximize course organization and student understanding of expected material such as grading policy, locations and times, other contact information for instructor and teaching assistant such as phone or email, materials required and/or recommended such as textbooks, assigned reading books, calculators (or other equipment), lab vouchers, etc, outside resources for subject material assistance (extra-curricular books, tutor locations, resource centers, etc), important dates in course such as exams and paper due-dates, tips for succeeding in mastering course content such as study habits and expected time allotment, suggested problems if applicable, necessary pre-requisites or co-requisites to current course, safety rules if appropriate, and objectives of the course.

Course Description

As the first step in the Prep Engish sequence, English 9 introduces students to various literary genres and reviews and builds English language skills (reading, writing, grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, spelling, and vocabulary development). Course ObjectivesThe NAD Curriculum Guide for Language Arts Grades 9-12 identifies five strands of study for the English curriculum: reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing. In reflection of these areas of study, the Prep English 9 curriculum provides students with opportunities to:Read selected literary texts for understanding and significance,Participate in the whole process of writing: generating ideas, organizing, drafting, revising, re-drafting, proofreading, and sharing the final draft,Write with increasing maturity and complexity--demonstrating a logical progression and coherence of ideas,Develop a personal writing style and voice, varying it according to the needs of the subject and audience,Incorporate appropriate grammar, spelling, usage, and punctuation in all public work,Listen thoughtfully to others,Present their own ideas verbally in a cogent and persuasive manner,Use/view multi-media resources and develop ability to make judgements about value, andBetter understand Christ and His redemptive power and grace as revealed in language and literature.TextsStudents should own, have access to, or rent from Prep these textbooks:Bible,Glencoe Literature: The Reader's Choice (English 9 anthology),Other individually bound works of literature as assigned,For home: A current (less than 10 years old), standard college-level dictionary such as The American Heritage Dictionary, Webster's New World Dictionary, or The Random House Dictionary.Additional MaterialsStudents should own or have access to these necessary course materials and resources:A 1" to 1-1/2 three-ring binder (preferably with a cover sleeve and page lifters).Set of 5-tab page dividers. Labels: 'Handouts', 'Journal', 'Notes', In-Progress', 'Returned'.Loose notebook paper for class assignments. Use college-ruled paper if your handwriting is small and neat. Use school-ruled paper if you need a little more space to communicate neatly. Paper ripped from spiral-bound notebooks is NOT acceptable for assignments, quizzes, and other class activities unless the edge has perforations that permit the NEAT removal of the little "taggy" pieces.Blue or black ink pens are the preferred writing implements. Pencils may be used for marking on rough drafts.RequirementsStudents will be required to do the following work:Write journal entries in which they respond to assigned journal prompts;Read assigned texts (announced in class and/or listed in the English Dept. website);Participate in class discussions;Complete assigned projects and essays;Do in-class exercises, quizzes, and other activities;Maintain regular, punctual attendance;Write semester examinations.Class assignments are listed in the English Dept. website. Ask!!!--if you're not sure how to access the English Dept. website. [http://www.pucprep.org/English/index.shtml]GradingCourse grades are maintained in RENweb where both students and parents/guardians can inspect them at any time during the quarter. The final grade is determined by the percentage earned of the total points possible.
A =93% -100% B- =80% -82.9% D+ =67% -69.9%A- =90% -92.9% C+ =77% -79.9% D =63% -68.9%B+ =87% -89.9% C =73% -76.9% D- =60% -62.9%B =83% -86.9% C- =70% -72.9% F =below 60%Elements of the course are weighted as follows:Tests, reading quizzes, other assessments = 50% of the final grade Spelling and vocab quizzes = 10% of the final grade Daily work, projects, writing, journals= 40% of the final grade Grade changes are made according to the policy in the PUC Prep Student Handbook.Class ParticipationEach student is expected to contribute positively to the learning environment of the English classroom.Students making a positive contribution:take responsibility for their own success in class,listen attentively, exhibit self-control,respect classmates and teacher,raise their hands when they have a question or want to make a comment,work independently (unless instructed otherwise),do their class work efficiently and carefully,behave safely in the classroom,walk into class quietly when they are late,bring their materials to class for each meeting,take care of bodily needs (drinks, potty, etc.) outside of regular class time so that they can devote the full time to class activities and not disturb others by walking out and back in, andseek to preserve a quiet environment so all class members can listen and concentrate.Students who choose these behaviors make English class better for themselves and others.Behaviors that disturb the learning environment include (but are not limited to):acting disrespectfully to classmates or the teacher,talking out of turn (without raising a hand to be acknowledged),blurting out irrelevant comments,making comments that are off-topic and demonstrate that a student is not paying attention,criticizing, laughing at, or putting down other students,making comments or acting in way that promotes ignorance or stupidity rather than intelligence and competence,poking, prodding, or otherwise disturbing another student,sleeping or otherwise indicating disengagement from classroom activities,walking around the room unnecessarily,leaving classroom without permission,behaving in an unsafe manner in the classroom,using electronic devices without teacher's permission,answering a cell phone or texting,failing to pay attention and follow directions, andeating and/or drinking during class time.A student who chooses to behave in a way that disturbs the positive learning environment in the classroom can expect a conversation with the teacher about how we can best meet individual needs and encourage personal responsibility for behavior. Persistant behavior disturbing the learning environment will result in an incident report--as described in the Discipline Policy section of the PUC Prep Student Handbook.Make wise choices, and contribute positively to the English class learning environment!Attendance and Course Policies Each student is responsible for all material and assignments presented in class and is expected to maintain regular attendance at all class sessions. Conscientious, thorough, responsible students make better grades than students who make choices that diminish these characteristics. To encourage students to make wise choices for success in English class, these are the policies that apply to PUC Prep English classes:Assignment deadlinesAssignments are due at the beginning of the class period of the due date, unless otherwise noted in the English Dept. website and/or announced by the teacher in class. Generally, late assignments are NOT accepted.Excused absencesWork missed because of an excused absence (usually confined only to absences resulting from illness, a medical/dental appointment, a death in the immediate family, or a school-sponsored trip) must be made up as promptly as is practical. Generally, you will be given twice as many days as you missed plus one day to make up the work. For example, if you were sick for two days, you'll be given five school days (2+2+1=5) to make the work up.YOU are to initiate necessary arrangements the first day you return to class. Better yet, contact me before or while you are absent (or check the website!) so that you can begin your make-up work before you return. Foreseeable excused absences (field trips for other classes, varsity games, music tours, Bible conferences, etc.) do not alter student responsibilities. Make arrangements before you go. Class work must be made up as arranged.It is to your advantage to have the assignment done for the first day of your return to school following any absence. Having your work ready allows you to fully participate in class activities and move on with new material. Go to the English Dept. website to find out what you have missed during an absence and do your homework before you return to class.Unexcused absencesDaily work, quizzes and tests missed because of unexcused absences or tardiness cannot be made up and will be assigned a score of zero. Absences that are NOT considered excused include--but are not limited to--missing class because you slept in, having computer/printer problems, forgetting which class you're supposed to be in at a particular time, running an errand for another teacher, etc.You must be in class for your work to be accepted. The teacher will NOT accept work turned in by another person for a student with an unexcused absence. If you know you are going to have an excused absence, turn your work in ahead of time or make other arrangements with the teacher PRIOR to your absence.If a large project/essay that is late because of an unexcused absence IS accepted (a circumstance SO rare and unusual that it is worked out on individual bases), the grade penalty will be 10%/day (not including weekends). Test schedulingStudents are expected to take all tests when they are scheduled--during the school year AND during exam weeks. If for any reason--other than an excused absence, a student cannot meet this expectation, s/he MUST make re-scheduling arrangements with the teacher PRIOR to the test time. Tests missed without prior arrangements being made receive a grade of zero except in the most unusual circumstances--if the teacher determines that an excusable situation prevented the student from contacting the teacher prior to the test time.Tests missed because of an excused absence (such as illness) are to be re-scheduled and made up as described above in "Excused Absences."Eating and drinking in classroomPUC Prep School provides a lunch period during which students may eat and drink. Please do NOT bring food or drinks (other than water) into the English classroom during class periods. Students who arrive in the classroom with open food and/or drink will be asked to take it back to their lockers or dispose of it in a trash can in the hall (NOT in the English classroom trash can). If this request makes a student late back into the classroom, an unexcused tardy will be recorded.Leaving classroomAs the teacher is legally responsible for all students during class, no student is to leave the English classroom without permission once class has started. Students who leave the room without permission once class has started will be marked absent.Students who must leave to retrieve items that should have been brought to class but were forgotten must ask for permission to leave and may be marked tardy upon their return to the classroom. Plan so that you do NOT have to leave class. Take care of water fountain and bathroom needs before or after class so as to avoid distracting other students by unnecessary comings and goings during class.Electronic devicesCell phones, iPods, laptop computers, calculators, game toys, and other electronic devices are to be turned off and out of sight during English class unless the teacher has given specific permission for their use. Items disturbing the learning environment of the English classroom will be confiscated by the teacher and returned at the teacher's discretion and convenience. A repeat offence may mean that the confiscated device will be turned in to the office for return to the student (or parent) at the principal's discretion and convenience. (See the Personal Technology section of the PUC Prep Student Handbook for the schoolwide policy.)Academic Integrity "Cheating is not tolerated at Prep. Students who choose to cheat may expect a variety of consequences, including but not limited to loss of grade, loss of class office or loss of ability to participate in extracurricular activities. Consequences will be at the discretion of the teacher involved, and will be discussed with the student and parent/s."Failing to properly give credit for words [music, graphics, or other creative material] written by someone else is plagiarism. Using documents or parts of documents [or other files, such as music or graphics] found on the Internet or elsewhere without giving credit is plagiarism. Consequences will apply as listed above" (PUC Prep Student Handbook).Any attempt to pass off another person's work as your own is dishonest. Examples of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to: copying from a neighbor during a test, using an electronic device to retrieve resources not permitted in a learning situation, copying homework done by a classmate, and collaborating on schoolwork and/or sharing or "checking" answers with a peer (unless given specific permission to do so). To be safe--on all English class work--assume that you are to work individually. Exceptions will be clearly stated in the classroom.What to Do If You Think the Teacher Has Made a Mistake Teachers are human; they make mistakes sometimes. If you think a teacher has made a mistake, you need to draw it to her attention. Most teachers try very hard to be scrupulously fair; if you have earned a point, teachers want you to have it. There are several very positive, constructive ways to draw your teacher's attention to a mistake. These all involve approaching the teacher kindly--just like you would like to be approached if someone were pointing out an error you made. "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger" (Proverbs 15:1). Approaching a teacher in an appropriate manner allows both teacher and student to have a positive experience. If a teacher really has made a mistake, by not attacking her personally you give her the opportunity to gracefully correct it without seeming to question her teaching qualifications and her right to coexist with you on this planet. If you've made a mistake in assuming the teacher made a mistake, approaching her politely means that you won't have to feel embarrassed if she tactfully explains your error, and you can gracefully learn more about the subject. Either way, both go away from the conversation with feelings intact and maybe even boosted. Most teachers are basically pretty reasonable, but they don't like feeling personally attacked. Behaviors that make a teacher feel attacked are the same kinds of behaviors that make you feel attacked. Stop and think: if someone approached you in the manner you are just about to use to approach your teacher, how would you respond? For example, grousing loudly to your neighbor about what an idiot you think the teacher is and then approaching her belligerently with "Why did you mark me off here?" sends an attacking message to her. This probably isn't the message you want to send your teacher's way when you're hoping she'll add a few points that may have been subtracted erroneously from your paper. A good way to start a conversation that allows both teacher and student to save face is, "Help me understand why I was marked off here." Another positive starter is, "I think you may have misunderstood me here. I would like to explain myself further." Another option is, "My reading of the text led me to respond in this way. Did I misinterpret it?" Also, it's helpful for both teachers and students to remember that a few moments' reflection before we open our mouths will usually soften our words and get us better responses

Etymologically syllabus means a "label" or "table of contents." The American Heritage Dictionary defines syllabus as outline of a course of study. We agree that a syllabus should contain an outline, and a schedule of topics, and many more items of information. However, we suggest that the primary purpose of a syllabus is to communicate to one's students what the course is about, why the course is taught, where it is going, and what will be required of the students for them to complete the course with a passing grade. Most of this paper will list suggestions from the literature about what information might be included in your course syllabus. It is extremely unlikely that you will include every listed. We suggest two criteria in deciding what information to include. First, include all information that students need to have at the beginning of the course; second, include all information that students need to have in writing. We believe that any really important information about the course should be in writing. However, it may be better to introduce some information later in the term, e.g., the details of a required project. To attempt to include every single item of importance in your syllabus is to insure that the student will not read much of it. To the experienced teacher, probably few of the items listed in this paper are likely to come as a surprise. However, Lowther, Stark, and Martens (1989) found in their interviews with faculty and in their examinations of syllabi that "obvious" items were often omitted. At the very least we hope this paper will provide the reader with a useful organization of what is already known. In compiling the list of items of information that might be included in a syllabus, we started with the unpublished article by the first author -- an abbreviated version of which appeared in The Teaching Professor (Altman, 1989). We found additional items in other publications (Birdsall, 1989; Lowther, Stark, & Martens, 1989; Millis, no date; Wilkerson & McKnight, 1978). There was surprising agreement about the major areas of information to be included in a syllabus. Major Content Areas of a Syllabus Course Information. The first items of information in a syllabus should give course information: course title, course number, and credit hours. Also, are there any prerequisites? Is the permission of the instructor required? Include the location of classroom, and the days and hours class/lab/studio/etc. meets. Instructor Information. Second, the students need information about the instructor: full name, title; office location (and where to leave assignments), office phone number; office hours. Depending on the size of the class (and other factors), it may be desirable to include an emergency phone number; quite often this can be the number of the department office. Many instructors give the students their home telephone number. If you do, it is well to also list restrictions, e.g., "No calls between 10:30 pm and 8:30 am please." If you are helped by teaching assistants or other instructors, their names, locations, and phone numbers should also be listed. Text, Readings, Materials. College-level instruction -- at least in the United States -- is heavily dependent upon the use of print material, if not a required textbook, then a variety of readings. These are becoming increasingly costly. The syllabus should provide the students with detailed information about the following: Textbook(s) -- include the title, author, date (and edition), publisher, cost, where available, (often it is appropriate to indicate why the particular text was chosen and/or how extensively it will be used). Supplementary reading(s) - in addition to the detailed bibliographic information about the readings, the syllabus should indicate whether the readings are required or only recommended, and whether the readings are on reserve in the library or available for purchase in the bookstore. Sometimes instructors make their own books available to students. If this is the case for the given course, that information might be included in the syllabus along with whatever conditions apply to their use. Materials -- although many courses use only print material, there are a myriad of courses that require additional -- something expensive -- materials, e.g., lab or safety equipment, art supplies, special calculators or even computers, etc. Course Descriptions/Objectives. The treatment of this area -- variously called course description, content, goals, objectives -- differ more than any other in the publications we reviewed. The bare minimum would be to repeat the description in the college catalog -- assuming that it describes the course with some accuracy. Certainly a paragraph describing the general content of the course -- would not be excessive. Information about instructional methods, e.g., large lecture with small discussion sections, may also be included here. Some instructors, who have developed detailed instructional objectives, include them in their syllabi. Such inclusion may result in information of general course goals (e.g., the learning and application of the general principles of..., or the development of the skill..., or the development of a more positive attitude toward...) can help orient the student to the purpose of the course, the instructor's expectations, etc. Course Calendar/Schedule. Some instructors are concerned that, if they include a daily - or weekly - schedule of topics to be covered, they can be held legally liable if they depart from it. One remedy for this is to state that the schedule is tentative and subject to change depending upon the progress of the class. In many cases the instructor has only limited flexibility about scheduling anyway, e.g., in a multi-section course where departmental exams are administered on specific dates, or in a course which is a prerequisite for another course (the material has to be -- should be -- covered by the end of the course). If we expect students to meet our deadlines, to plan their work, we must give them the information needed for such planning. The calendar or schedule should also include the dates for exams, quizzes, or other means of assessment. (We are not implying that all evaluation of students must be in groups and at the same time. A course in college teaching might require that the students be videotaped while teaching a class, so the syllabus could say "to be scheduled individually.") The calendar should also include due dates for major assignments. For example, when is a paper due; if the topic has to be approved, when; if an outline or draft is an interim step, when it is due. Finally, any required special events need to be included in the calendar, e.g., a lecture by a visiting speaker, a dramatic or musical performance, a field trip. Course Policies. Every discussion of syllabi we read included something about course policies, although what specifically was included varied. We suggest the following topics: Attendance, lateness -- at least for freshman and sophomore classes, and perhaps for all undergraduate classes, the syllabus should include some statement about attendance (is it required, will students who attend regularly be given a break if the grade is borderline?) and about lateness, at least if it is penalized. (Students who arrive late disturb the class, but on some campuses it is not possible for a student to get from one part of the campus to another within the allotted time; sometimes our colleagues do not let students leave promptly.) Class participation -- in the medieval lecture hall, class participation was not an issue, but if students are to learn to apply, analyze, synthesize, etc, they need to be active. Such approaches are contrary to the experiences -- and preferences -- of many students. If active participation is expected, the syllabus needs to say so. It also needs to to explain if/how participation will be graded. Missed exams or assignments -- since these affect grades, they are of interest to students. Syllabi should inform the students whether exams and assignments can be made up; statements regarding earning extra credit should also be included if that is an option. Lab safety/health -- in some courses these issues can literally be a matter of life or death. Even is detailed materials are handed out early in the course, the syllabus should include a short statement about the importance of these issues and indicate that more detailed information will follow. Academic dishonesty -- in some syllabi this is treated as a separate area. The syllabus should address questions related to cheating and plagiarism. On campuses where these topics are treated in detail in a student handbook, it is sufficient for the syllabus to simply refer the students to that handbook. In the absence of such a resource, details in the syllabus are necessary. Many students actually do not know what constitutes plagiarism. We owe it to the students to explain what is considered to be plagiarism or cheating. Grading -- this topic, even more that academic dishonesty, is often treated as a separate area. Given the students' interest in graded, such treatment is certainly defensible. Each syllabus should include details about how the students will be evaluated -- what factors will be included, how they will be weighted, and how they will be translated into grades. Information about the appeals procedures, often included in a student handbook, is also appropriate at least for freshman and sophomore classes. Available Support Services. Most college courses have available to the students a considerable variety of instructional support services. We often bemoan the fact that the students do not avail themselves of these services. Perhaps this is because we do not draw their attention to the possibilities. The library is probably the oldest resource, and perhaps still the richest. Include a brief statement in the syllabus identifying collections, journals, abstracts, audio or video tapes, etc. which the library has which are relevant to the course would be appropriate. If the institution has a learning center, making the students aware of its services can be of real benefit to students. In today's world computers are becoming almost a necessity. Most campuses have some terminals, if not personal computers, available for student use. Many courses have other support services unique to them. Briefly describe what is available in the syllabus, or tell the students where they can get detailed information. Beyond the Syllabus While reading this paper it has undoubtedly occurred to many of you that our suggestions often are based on certain assumptions about what is appropriate for a course of what constitutes effective teaching. You are, of course, correct. "Before the Syllabus" would really be a better title for this section. If one of the main purposes of a syllabus is to communicate to the students what the course is about, it presumes that we have some idea about what we think the course should accomplish. It requires that we have planned the course. ought to go.