Syllabus
Listed on this page are some highlights from the English 2 College Prep syllabus. For a copy of the complete syllabus please download the PDF below.
weathersbee_english_2_cp_syllabus_2020-21.pdf |
COVID-19 ADDENDUMS:
-Your submitted digital work on the days when you are “virtual” will not only be a coursework grade for you, but will also suffice as your course attendance for that day. Thus, due dates are more important than ever this year to ensure you meet the seat time requirements as dictated by SC law.
-Students will need to keep their masks on at all times and maintain social distancing even when working in small groups. I’m sorry. I know this is uncomfortable and awkward for all of us, but it’s necessary to slow the spread of this virus. Please don’t make this an issue.
Course Description
This course meets the requirements for English 2. In this course students will read extensively to strengthen their skills and deepen their understanding of literary and informational texts. Emphasis will be placed on drawing evidence from literary and informational texts in order to support analysis, reflection, and research. Additionally, this course will focus on the acquisition and application of skills in writing, speaking and listening, word study, and language. Writing instruction will focus on teaching students to assert and defend claims in order to demonstrate what they know about a topic. Students will learn to consider task, purpose, and audience as well as how to combine information, structures, and formats deliberately to make their claim. Students will participate in research that requires them to gather information, evaluate sources, and cite material accurately. Students will become skilled in determining and clarifying the meanings of words and phrases in order to comprehend complex texts and build extensive vocabularies.
Course Objectives
The students will be able
Standards
Course Standards: https://ed.sc.gov/scde-grant-opportunities/documents/FinalVersion-EnglishLanguageArtsStandards.pdf
Texts
Beers, Kylene, Martha Hougen, Carol Jago, William L. McBride, Erik Palmer, and Lydia Stack. Collections: Grade 10. USA: Houghton Mifflen Harcourt, 2015. Print.
Supplemental readings TBA
Various novels
Visual literacy and film excerpts as determined by the demands of the curriculum
Additional Resources for Students
Books:
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2010. Print.
Websites:
· http://www.edmodo.com/ (This will serve as our online learning platform. Please visit the site for a tutorial. Students will interact with the teacher and each other and submit assignments online.)
· http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ (online writing lab at Purdue University)
· http://www.usd.edu/engl/resources_ac.html (links to online writing labs, Thesaurus, dictionaries, research tips, and timed writing tips)
· http://www.bartleby.com/141/ (Strunk and White’s Elements of Style)
· http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citation.htm (site for documentation guidelines, includes APA , MLA , and other citation styles; includes guidelines for incorporating documentation into an essay)
· http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/ (grammar review for specific areas of language usage; allows for individualized instruction on grammar usage)
· http://www.wordcounter.com/ (Students can type in a paper, and the software will analyze the paper for overused words.)
· http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/about.html (information for students and parents about AP courses and testing / college information)
· http://www.loc.gov/index.html (access to primary sources such as letters, documents, political cartoon, photographs, etc.)
· http://www.scdiscus.org/school.html (allows student to research a wide variety of topics including literary criticism, author biographies, and websites that have been deemed academically sound)
· http://scholar.google.com/ (allows students to perform academic research that is deemed sound)
Methods of Evaluation
Students will be expected to participate in large group discussions, Socratic seminars, small group work, independent research and study, and student presentations. Assignments include timed writing, papers written outside of class, speeches, seminars, class discussions, non-fiction and fiction reading assignments, projects, in-class student analysis and reflection, quote analysis various rhetorical modes of writing, studies of best practices for writing/language usage, and graphic organizers to aid in analysis. Specific activities within these broad categories will include, but are not limited to:
Grading
Student progress is determined through both formative and summative assessments. Although all assessments will be evaluated, not all formative assessments will figure into the student’s overall course grades. Graded assignments will fall into two categories, major assignments and minor assignments. A particular assignment’s category will be determined based on complexity, amount of time required, and overall relevance to the course standards. Formative assignments may include but are not limited to quizzes (vocabulary, reading, skill-based), informal writing assignments, general class work and homework. Summative assignments may include but are not limited to tests, formal writing, research-based products, and culminating products. While students will have fewer major assignments than minor assignments per grading period, the major assignments will comprise a greater percentage of the average. In this class, grades will be determined by a weighted system. Major assignments will be weighted 60% of a student’s average; minor assignments will be weighted 40% of a student’s average.
Technology Expectations
Please be certain to have your mobile device with you and charged for every class. All course information, including your gmail calendar with assignment due dates, will be housed on my website. You will need to reference this site frequently. The web address is www.dawnweathersbeeclass.weebly.com. All papers will be submitted via Turn It In. It is your responsibility to sign up for your class account. The web address is www.turnitin.com.
-Your submitted digital work on the days when you are “virtual” will not only be a coursework grade for you, but will also suffice as your course attendance for that day. Thus, due dates are more important than ever this year to ensure you meet the seat time requirements as dictated by SC law.
-Students will need to keep their masks on at all times and maintain social distancing even when working in small groups. I’m sorry. I know this is uncomfortable and awkward for all of us, but it’s necessary to slow the spread of this virus. Please don’t make this an issue.
Course Description
This course meets the requirements for English 2. In this course students will read extensively to strengthen their skills and deepen their understanding of literary and informational texts. Emphasis will be placed on drawing evidence from literary and informational texts in order to support analysis, reflection, and research. Additionally, this course will focus on the acquisition and application of skills in writing, speaking and listening, word study, and language. Writing instruction will focus on teaching students to assert and defend claims in order to demonstrate what they know about a topic. Students will learn to consider task, purpose, and audience as well as how to combine information, structures, and formats deliberately to make their claim. Students will participate in research that requires them to gather information, evaluate sources, and cite material accurately. Students will become skilled in determining and clarifying the meanings of words and phrases in order to comprehend complex texts and build extensive vocabularies.
Course Objectives
The students will be able
- To see history and literature as a way of understanding themselves and the world around us.
- To see world literature as a reflection of world history as well as an artistic medium capable of shaping world history and the human experience.
- To gain an appreciation of the art, music and architecture of particular periods in history and to see these as a reflection of the historical period being studied.
- To improve oral and written communication skills through studying vocabulary, grammar, literary techniques, and research options.
Standards
Course Standards: https://ed.sc.gov/scde-grant-opportunities/documents/FinalVersion-EnglishLanguageArtsStandards.pdf
Texts
Beers, Kylene, Martha Hougen, Carol Jago, William L. McBride, Erik Palmer, and Lydia Stack. Collections: Grade 10. USA: Houghton Mifflen Harcourt, 2015. Print.
Supplemental readings TBA
Various novels
Visual literacy and film excerpts as determined by the demands of the curriculum
Additional Resources for Students
Books:
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2010. Print.
Websites:
· http://www.edmodo.com/ (This will serve as our online learning platform. Please visit the site for a tutorial. Students will interact with the teacher and each other and submit assignments online.)
· http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ (online writing lab at Purdue University)
· http://www.usd.edu/engl/resources_ac.html (links to online writing labs, Thesaurus, dictionaries, research tips, and timed writing tips)
· http://www.bartleby.com/141/ (Strunk and White’s Elements of Style)
· http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citation.htm (site for documentation guidelines, includes APA , MLA , and other citation styles; includes guidelines for incorporating documentation into an essay)
· http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/ (grammar review for specific areas of language usage; allows for individualized instruction on grammar usage)
· http://www.wordcounter.com/ (Students can type in a paper, and the software will analyze the paper for overused words.)
· http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/about.html (information for students and parents about AP courses and testing / college information)
· http://www.loc.gov/index.html (access to primary sources such as letters, documents, political cartoon, photographs, etc.)
· http://www.scdiscus.org/school.html (allows student to research a wide variety of topics including literary criticism, author biographies, and websites that have been deemed academically sound)
· http://scholar.google.com/ (allows students to perform academic research that is deemed sound)
Methods of Evaluation
Students will be expected to participate in large group discussions, Socratic seminars, small group work, independent research and study, and student presentations. Assignments include timed writing, papers written outside of class, speeches, seminars, class discussions, non-fiction and fiction reading assignments, projects, in-class student analysis and reflection, quote analysis various rhetorical modes of writing, studies of best practices for writing/language usage, and graphic organizers to aid in analysis. Specific activities within these broad categories will include, but are not limited to:
- Timed Writings and grading calibration: the students will be expected to become proficient in analyzing and addressing a variety of prompts within a specified time limit. They will also be expected to analyze their writing as well as the writing of their classmates in a holistic manner based on the AP rubric.
- Objective tests and quizzes will be given periodically throughout the year to assess the students’ knowledge of the literature and how to apply rhetorical analysis strategies we have discussed over the course of the year.
- Formal essays will require students to synthesize and evaluate literature.
- Group and individual presentations assess not only their knowledge of their subject, but also students’ presentation and collaborative skills. They will be required throughout the year.
- Major Works Data Sheets, required on each novel and play, provide valuable review materials for the open-question on the AP exam. They encourage close reading of a text and will serve as the basis of class discussion.
- Grammar and vocabulary lessons: The purpose of studying language is to incorporate appropriate devices successfully into our own writing, therefore, we will be focusing on diction (the vocabulary element), organization (repetition, transitions, quote tags, etc.), details (proof from research and self assertions), voice, and syntax. These items, along with an obvious need to write for a specific audience, will be addressed by reading a variety of texts and through careful composition and editing.
- Socratic Seminars will be conducted on a variety of texts. Students should always read expecting to participate in a formal discussion of their observations of the text.
- Prose and poetry responses are informal essays counted as class participation and graded on a pass/fail basis. These responses direct class discussion and encourage continuous practice with close reading.
- Projects: A sample of a class project involves qualifying tone words on a “tonal” scale. The students are given a list of common tone words that they have to define, group, place on a hierarchy, and present to the class in a creative fashion.
- Reading assignments: The students are expected to read novels, short stories, poems, and plays as they are assigned. We may also read some short nonfiction pieces in order to understand the history and culture that accompanies a piece of fiction.
- Independent reading: Since the class is limited in terms of actual classroom time, students are expected to read independently outside of class and complete any assignment that assesses their understanding of the standards that relate to that outside reading.
- Student-teacher conferences: Occasionally time is scheduled for one-on-one conferences with the students in order to discuss any concerns the teacher may have or the student may have with his/her performance. Conferences allow focused instruction based on individual student needs or concerns. Additionally, the students know where they need to improve based on information from the conference.
- Best Practices: Save the Last Word (Students find a predetermined number of quotes from a reading that they write on one side of a note card. On the other side they are to write the relevance the quote had to them. The student reads his quote, it is discussed by the rest of the group, and then the original reading has the last word on that quote.), Silent Conversation (In small groups a student is expected to answer a question about a piece of literature and then create his own question. This question then gets passed to the next person who answers it and comes up with his own question. This continues silently until the entire group has participated in the discussion), Affinity Charts (Students are given a concept or word. In very little time they have to write the first things that come to mind about the word or concept. As a class we then qualify the words into categories such as synonym, antonym, example, connotation, etc.)
- Graphic Organizers: DIDLS (Students analyze a piece for diction, images, details, language, and syntax, in order to determine tone), SOAPSTone (Students analyze a piece for subject, occasion, audience, purpose, and speaker in order to determine tone), TP-CASTT (Students analyze poetry for tile before reading the poem, paraphrase the poem, contemplate connotations, determine speaker and poet attitude, note any shifts, re-examine the title, and finally determine theme), TWIST (Students analyze a piece for tone, word choice, imagery and detail, style, and theme), SMELL (Students analyze a piece for sender-receiver relationship, message, emotional strategies, logical strategies, and language), PAMDISS (Students analyze their own writing for purpose, audience, mode, diction, images, syntax, and structure), SIFT (Students analyze a piece of literature for symbol, imagery, figurative language, and tone and theme)
- Final Growth Portfolio
Grading
Student progress is determined through both formative and summative assessments. Although all assessments will be evaluated, not all formative assessments will figure into the student’s overall course grades. Graded assignments will fall into two categories, major assignments and minor assignments. A particular assignment’s category will be determined based on complexity, amount of time required, and overall relevance to the course standards. Formative assignments may include but are not limited to quizzes (vocabulary, reading, skill-based), informal writing assignments, general class work and homework. Summative assignments may include but are not limited to tests, formal writing, research-based products, and culminating products. While students will have fewer major assignments than minor assignments per grading period, the major assignments will comprise a greater percentage of the average. In this class, grades will be determined by a weighted system. Major assignments will be weighted 60% of a student’s average; minor assignments will be weighted 40% of a student’s average.
Technology Expectations
Please be certain to have your mobile device with you and charged for every class. All course information, including your gmail calendar with assignment due dates, will be housed on my website. You will need to reference this site frequently. The web address is www.dawnweathersbeeclass.weebly.com. All papers will be submitted via Turn It In. It is your responsibility to sign up for your class account. The web address is www.turnitin.com.