Instructor: Whytnee Shattuck

Email: WShattuck@nederlandisd.org

Phone: 409-727-2741

Office Hours: 1st period (8:15-9:54 AM) & 8th period (1:55-3:30 PM)

Additional Contact Information:

This course offers hands-on, in-depth practice with the full writing process — from generating ideas and conducting research to drafting, revising, and editing, both on your own and alongside classmates. Emphasis falls on making strong rhetorical choices: understanding your audience, clarifying your purpose, and organizing and styling your writing effectively. Throughout the semester, the academic essay serves as our primary tool for learning new material, communicating ideas clearly, and thinking critically about the world around us.

No textbook required; however, students MUST have access to the internet outside of class in order to read assignments.

Textbook Purchasing Statement: A student attending Lamar State College Port Arthur is not under any obligation to purchase a textbook from the college-affiliated bookstore. The same textbook may also be available from an independent retailer, including an online retailer.

• Folder or Binder
• Composition Notebook
• Loose Leaf Paper
• Pen/Pencil/Highlighter

TSIA2 complete in English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR)

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

1. Apply the writing process — demonstrating the ability to plan, draft, revise, and edit both independently and in collaboration with peers.
2. Develop and support ideas effectively — using appropriate evidence and attribution, and practicing the ethical use of outside sources.
3. Write with rhetorical awareness — adapting style, tone, and structure to fit a specific audience and purpose.
4. Read and respond critically — engaging thoughtfully with a range of texts and articulating clear, well-reasoned interpretations.
5. Write in clear, grammatically sound English — producing polished academic prose free of significant errors in grammar, mechanics, and sentence construction.

• Communication skills: Students will demonstrate effective written, oral and/or visual communication.
• Critical Thinking Skills: Students will engage in creative and/or innovative thinking, and/or inquiry, analysis, evaluation, synthesis of information, organizing concepts and constructing solutions.
• Teamwork: Students will demonstrate the ability to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal and consider different points of view.
• Personal Responsibility: Students will demonstrate the ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making. 

• MLA Format/ 5- Paragraph Method
• Narrative Essay
• Compare/Contrast Essay
• Argumentation/Research Essay
• Reflection Essay

• Narrative Essay
• Descriptive Essay
• Division/Classification Essay
• Definition Essay
• Argument Essay

Lamar State College Port Arthur Final Exam Date: December 10th

(Note: This date reflects LSCPA's official semester exam schedule. Due to a scheduling conflict with the district academic calendar, this class's actual exam date may differ. The confirmed exam date for this course will be announced separately and takes precedence over the date listed here.)

 90 - 100=A 80 - 89=B 70 - 79=C 60 - 69=D Below 59 = F

Essays: Test grade (60%)

Discussion/Assignments: Daily grade (40%)

Academic Integrity

All writing submitted in this class must be the original work of the student enrolled in the course, completed without unauthorized outside help. This includes adherence to Nederland ISD's AI policy, available on the district website, which governs the appropriate use of artificial intelligence tools in coursework.

Please review the LSCPA Student Handbook's section on plagiarism and collusion (p. 30): Student Handbook PDF

• Plagiarism means taking a work or idea from another person and incorporating it into your own work, submitted for credit, without acknowledgment.
• Collusion means unauthorized collaboration with another person while preparing work for credit.

Submission: Essays will be submitted [insert your actual method]. Final grades will be linked to Blackboard at the end of the semester for LSCPA accreditation purposes.

Consequences: A first offense of plagiarism or collusion will result in a zero on the assignment. A second offense will result in failure of the course.

Personal Communication Devices

In accordance with Texas House Bill 1481, personal communication devices — including cell phones, smartwatches, and similar devices — are prohibited during the school day. Students should store devices as directed by Nederland ISD policy. Exceptions apply only where required by a student's IEP, 504 plan, or documented medical need.

Be sure to check your campus email and Course Homepage using MyLSCPA campus web portal. You can also access your grades, transcripts, academic advisors, degree progress, and other services through MyLSCPA.

Academic honesty is expected from all students, and dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. Please consult the LSCPA policies (Academic Dishonesty section in the Student Handbook) for consequences of academic dishonesty.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Accessibility Services Coordinator, Room 119, in the Ruby Fuller Building. The phone number is (409) 984-6241.

No food or tobacco products are allowed in the classroom. Only students enrolled in the course are allowed in the classroom, except by special instructor permission. Use of electronic devices is prohibited.

This syllabus is part of LSCPA's efforts to comply with Texas House Bill 2504.

As per Texas law and LSCPA policy, all LSCPA employees, including faculty, are required to report allegations or disclosures of child abuse or neglect to the designated authorities, which may include a local or state law enforcement agency or the Texas Department of Family Protective Services. For more information about mandatory reporting requirements, see LSCPA's Policy and Procedure Manual.

LSCPA is committed to establishing and maintaining an environment that is free from all forms of sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, sexual violence, and other forms of sexual misconduct. All LSCPA employees, including faculty, have the responsibility to report disclosures of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment, sexual assault (including rape and acquaintance rape), domestic violence, dating violence, relationship violence, or stalking, to LSCPA's Title IX Coordinator, whose role is to coordinate the college's response to sexual misconduct. For more information about Title IX protections, faculty reporting responsibilities, options for confidential reporting, and the resources available for support visit LSCPA's Title IX website.

For more information about the Clery Act and crime reporting, see the Annual Security & Fire Safety Report and the Campus Security website.

If you have a grievance, complaint, or concern about this course that has not been resolved through discussion with the Instructor, please consult the Department Chair.