Overview of 11-12 Honors English Literature and
Composition
Mr. Evans
Course Prerequisites
All prospective Honors English students are screened and
must have received a recommendation from their current English Teacher. Further, students are required to read two
novels over the summer. One novel will
be assigned, and the second novel will be of the student's choice, from the
approved reading list. Any student receiving less than a "B" grade
will not receive honors credit, and any student receiving less than a
"C" grade in the first semester will be removed from the Honors
English course and returned to regular English.
Course Design
As an HONORS English student, you
will write two critical response essays and two additional expository
papers during each semester. Your first critical essay will be in response
to one of the major work we will be reading in class. The second critical essay will be in response
to a literary work from the approved reading list. You are expected to read
extensively the unit/era of literature we will be studying. You will learn to
use secondary sources responsibly and are also encouraged to become familiar
with the MLA guidelines and other library resources that may provide critical
material that will be useful to you. To quote the Common Core Standards: "Gather relevant information from
multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each
source, and integrate the information
while avoiding plagiarism." The papers generally range from 750
words to 1000 words in length. Your independent reading and research is
completed in addition to the regular daily assignments given to you in class. Your
first critical response essay and first research based paper will be due
approximately four to five weeks from the beginning day of school. Your second
two essays will be due shortly before the end of the semester. This pattern will be repeated in the second
semester.
Course Objectives
1. To address multiple opportunities designed to promote
reading comprehension, advanced academic writing, and improve critical thinking.
2. To develop independent thought through avid critical
inquiry and to enhance writing skills through
frequent, challenging assignments.
3. To create a highly committed, focused, and collaborative
community of learners.
4. To address and
meet the various anchor standards of the Common Core Curriculum for the state
of Nevada.
Course Philosophy
First, I have a higher
expectation of participation and work completion. This is an honors class, but as with
anything, you will get what you put into the class. You are expected to write
and read more than other English classes.
As HONORS students you should be intrinsically motivated to do more than
the minimum and to participate at all levels.
Your ideas will be put to the test more often, and you will be expected
to learn and think independently. If
this is too much work for you, then you need to ask to be reassigned to one of
the other English classes. If you plan not to participate in the exchange of
ideas or to only complete the minimum, then you may as well leave now. We will
function as a community of learners. If you are committed to the work as well
as to listening and learning from each other, this class will ultimately become
one in which we are all teachers and students. Each member of the class will
have a voice. We will learn from each other, read our writing aloud, work
collaboratively on revisions, and share our thoughts, ideas, and observations
with one another.
Course Description:
Let’s begin with this
declaration: Literature, for the most
part, is not practical. It doesn’t tell us how to repair our computers,
build a bookcase, or change a tire. What it does do, however, is more subtle
and, I believe, more powerful. It takes us out of ourselves, providing
transcendent experiences that often leave us shaking our heads in amazement.
More importantly, perhaps, it also takes us into ourselves, helping us to
process the events of our lives and to produce our own narratives. It provides
case studies of successful lives and failures: of what to do and what not to
do. In a survey, 75% of Fortune 500 CEO's attributed a strong background in
literature as a component to their success.
Through literature, we live vicariously: we travel, both in time and
place; we change genders; we experience melancholy and elation, fear and courage,
ignorance and wisdom. We grow, and we know.
This course is built on the
notion that literature is greater than the sum of its parts but that knowing
both the parts and the sum is crucial. As a student of literature need to be
conversant in the terms specific to its genres; you need to know something
about the various theoretical approaches to literature; and you need to be
familiar with some of the significant works of Western culture.
For our curriculum, we will be
studying British Literature
in mostly a chronological fashion. This
is the same as the other English classes, but you will be doing much
more reading and writing as part of this course. The study of writing will be reflected as we
address major works of literature. As
such, you will be expected to be continually writing and revising several
assignments at any given time. There
will be many times when I will assign a reading as homework. If you neglect to do the reading, you will be
at a distinct disadvantage when as a class we discuss that assigned reading or
when you are asked to write about it. We
have had this discussion before, but if you question your willingness to read,
then you should strongly consider your enrollment in this class. An example:
While studying Hamlet, by William
Shakespeare, you can expect to read three or four additional essays on
the play as well as other Shakespeare plays in their entirety. All this will be done simply to address the
Shakespearian element of the Drama unit.
Over the course of this school
year, you will be expected to write essays related to the reading content
assigned as part of the curriculum as well as opinion and expository essays
meant to convey information and argumentation.
Each of these essays is designed to teach you by way of practice,
various approaches to the writing process, which in turn will help you to
master the standards set forth by the state of Nevada. In addition, you will be expected to write an
informal essay based upon a specific question.
These write-ups will be a major part of your overall grade.
In addition, The 11-12 Honors
class will be discussing contemporary issues meant to present more
opportunities to exercise critical and creative thinking. These opportunities will often come in the
form assigned writings being assigned to either anticipate to follow up in class discussions. Many of these assignments will fill up the
Extended Response element of the course which is discussed later in this
syllabus.
Syllabus Overview (A sampling)
Unit:
The
Epic
Contexts
The epic is long form storytelling,
often centering on the actions of a central heroic figure. Such stories are often written in narrative
verse, usually marked by the telling of a complex sequential story by way of
action, characters, themes, plot, and setting.
The epic has several essential elements and qualities which set it apart
from other kinds of storytelling. It is
during the study of the epic we will also begin to study the more basic
elements of poetry and story.
Essential Questions:
What are the essential elements
of the epic?
What cross cultural influences
create variations of the epic?
How do epics represent various
cultures?
What poetic elements are most
common among epics?
Major Texts:
1.
Timeless
Voices, Timeless Themes: The British Tradition (Prentice Hall, 2002)
2.
The
Odyssey. Homer
3.
Beowulf. Traditional
4.
Various Texts as assigned by Mr. Evans
____________________
Unit:
Medieval Poetry
Contexts
Medieval poetry in English
literature spans a great length of time.
We will begin with The Canterbury
Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer and continue through the Arthurian tradition. Many of the poems and stories we will be
reading have contributed to British identity, and as an extension, American
identity. By way of these poems and
stories, we will further investigate the aspects of poetry and make
introductory steps into studying fiction.
Essential Questions:
What major themes developed in
Medieval literature?
How has poetry itself progressed
because of the Medieval poem?
How is Medieval literature
connected to religion, and how does it begin to break from that influence?
Major Texts:
1.
Timeless
Voices, Timeless Themes: Platinum Level (Prentice Hall, 2002)
2.
The Canterbury
Tales. Geoffrey Chaucer (Various
sections)
3.
The Mabinogion.
Traditional (Various selections)
4.
Gawain and
the Green Knight. The Pearl Poet
5.
Various texts, poems, and essays regarding
poetry
Unit:
Shakespeare & His Contemporaries
Contexts
Drama is literature and
storytelling expressly meant to be performed by actors for an audience. The most popular, and perhaps profound
development in British Drama are the plays written by William Shakespeare. In this unit, we will place primary emphasis
upon the literary works of William Shakespeare (his plays and his sonnets),
studying the elements of drama and how performance and collaboration effect
literature. We will also be reading the
poetry and writing of those who were contemporaries to Shakespeare,
Essential Questions:
What are the essential elements
of drama?
What are the common themes of
William Shakespeare's work and why do they still connect with readers?
How have Shakespeare's
contemporaries contributed to the identity of British literature?
What are the essential elements
of literary criticism?
Major Texts:
1.
Timeless
Voices, Timeless Themes: Platinum Level (Prentice Hall, 2002)
2.
Hamlet. William
Shakespeare
3.
The Taming
of the Shrew. William Shakespeare
4.
One additional play by Shakespeare or a
contemporary
5.
Various essays and other readings as assigned by
Mr. Evans
______________________
Unit:
The Romantics
Contexts
The Romantics in England were a
group of poets and writers who rejected the changes brought to England as a
result of the Industrial Revolution.
Most were politically minded and outspoken on the aesthetic requirements
of poetry and writing, using their talents to voice their displeasures with the
modern world and demonstrate their aesthetic goals. As a class we will learn the various rules
the Romantics set forth for poetry and how those rules continue to
Essential Questions:
What are the various elements of
poetry?
How does one point a critical eye
at poetry without falling prey to subjectivity?
How does one develop a personal
aesthetic?
Major Texts:
1.
Timeless
Voices, Timeless Themes: Platinum Level (Prentice Hall, 2002)
2.
Preface to
The Lyrical Ballads. William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge
3.
Various essays and other readings as assigned by
Mr. Evans
Class Procedures:
1.
Journal
Writing: Every week, you will be
responsible for writing four journal entries, each one half page. These
journals may be on the assigned topic or one of your own choosing. Each week you will turn in these journals
depending on when you are in class.
2.
Extended
Responses: Every two weeks (due on
Fridays) you will be responsible for writing at least one informal critical
response of at least 1 ½ to 2 pages in length.
These are in addition to your regularly assigned essays. You will be given possible topics to write
upon, or you may choose to respond to an assigned reading in particular. You will have the opportunity to revise and
edit these responses throughout the semester, turning in at least five essays comprised
of what you feel to be your best at the end of the grading period. You may only turn in those responses which
were checked off as complete throughout the semester.
3.
Book
Reviews: You are responsible for
turning in two book reviews of novels or major literary works for each nine
week period you are in Honors English.
The rules and format of this assignment is explained in that particular
hand out.
4.
Exams: As an Honors Class, you may expect a
significant number of exams as a part of the course. These will take the form of essay and short
answer. Some will be in-class, while
others will be take-home. Regardless,
the exams in this honors course will be graded with a much higher expectation
than those in regular English classes.
5.
Participation: All students are expected to participate in
class discussions and activities.
Participation is your best opportunity to improve the chances of doing
well on summative assignments. All class
discussions are summative assignments.
6.
Essay
Formatting: All assigned essays will
be written in MLA format.
Grading System:
All assignments, regardless of whether they are formative or
summative, will be graded on a 4 point scale:
4
= Exceeds Standards 90-100% (A)
3
= Meets Standards 80-89% (B)
2
= Approaches Standards 70-79% (C)
1=
Below Standards 60-69% (D)
0
= Insufficient Evidence 0-59% (F)
Students will accumulate points throughout the nine
weeks. Points will come from the
following categories, and will be based on the following percentages:
·
Category 1: Formative 30%
·
Category 2: Summative 70%
A Word on Formative Assessments:
In order to assure
the impact of certain Formative assignments will have upon the final grade, not
all Formative assignments will be graded.
For example, I will collect journals every week, but a maximum of 6
journals throughout the semester will be counted towards your final
grades. Further, because the assigned
readings are of such importance to the successful completion of this course,
questions from the various reading quizzes will account for at least 50% of
your interim assessments and your semester exam grade, whether that is five
questions or thirty questions for each of these tests.
Late Work: Late work will
only be accepted at the discretion of the teacher, and only for valid
causes.
Formative: Formative work will not be accepted late for
credit except as previously noted.
Summative: In the case of Summative Assignments,
students may arrange with me to mitigate missed Summative Assignment by
completing alternative assignments
as arranged between the student any myself in a timely manner. These “alternative assignments” will
represent a fair, balanced approach to making up the original assignment but
will consist of more work than the original assignment. Certain summative assignments will not be
open for mitigation.
Make up work:
Policy: Students will
have two days for every day they are excused for being absent to make up
their work. Assignments will be
scored as incomplete “I” until the work has been turned in. If a student is
absent (excused) the day assigned work is due (e.g. an essay or portfolio) the
assigned work is due the day they return.
If not turned in, the grade entered will be a “0.”
Student Discipline Policies:
As
honors students you are in a unique position.
As such, I expect you to act maturely.
Simply put, I do not believe in disciplinary problems with you. Either you are a willing participant in this
class as far as behavior goes or you should leave. If my authority or guidelines are challenged
from a behavioral perspective, my first response is to remove you from class
and require a face to face meeting with your parents, where you will explain to
them why they were required to come to the school. All standards and school policies will be
enforced.
A Few Words on Cheating & Plagiarism
Make no mistake
about my views on cheating and plagiarism.
If I catch you cheating or plagiarizing on an assignment, you will be referred to the administration
for disciplinary measures at the administration’s discretion, and I will
schedule a conference with your parents and the counseling office. This will happen every time I catch you. Cheating (which plagiarism is) is defined by
all of the following activities:
1. Copying
in part or whole another person’s work, words, and/or ideas and attempting to
pass it off as your own.
2. Copying
in part or whole another person’s work, words, and/or ideas and neglecting to
give credit to that person.
3. Having
someone complete assigned work for you.
4. Completing
assigned work for someone else.
5. Looking
at another person’s answer sheet during a test or quiz.
6. Allowing
someone to look on you test or quiz for the answers.
7. Attempting
in any
way to subvert the directions given for any assignment or test.
Be warned: I only accuse someone of cheating or
plagiarism when I have irrefutable evidence, so if I make the charge, it will
stick.
Be further warned: The Common Core Standards addresses
Plagiarism.
"Gather relevant information from multiple print
and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and
integrate the information while avoiding
plagiarism."
As such, plagiarism fits squarely in the realm of something
which affects your grade. Because it is
a standard for you to avoid plagiarism, you need to be aware if it has been
determined you have plagiarized and assignment in my class, you will be given a
"0" for that assignment. You
also need to keep in mind I am the person who determines which assignments you
may re-attempt or mitigate. I will not
allow any student to mitigate a "0" grade on any assignment for which
he or she cheated.
Availability for Extra Help
1.
Please see me before school or after school.
2.
You may request to be placed with me for guided
instruction.
Students are encouraged to come see me before or after school for
additional help and explanations of concepts or help in approaching summative
work as the course requires. Students
should also make arrangements to come see me during guided instruction. It is not only my job to help when a student
asks for help, but it is one of the more enjoyable aspects of my work to
interact with students on a one-to-one basis.
In the long run, coming to me will be helpful to you, more so than
asking a classmate who might be guessing or to simply let the opportunity
slide.
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