ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

Syllabus and Curriculum Map

DAILY ROUTINE: Come to class prepared (writing utensil,

folder and notebook, homework) Take your notebooks from book case Write the Word of the Day/Misused

Words or Journal entry Pay attention, listen and participate in

class Reading and writing are required Nightly reading assignments

ATTENDANCE: In order to pass you must attend class,

no credit is given for ELA with 15 days absent from class

If you are absent you must come to me during homeroom to get your missing work, this is your responsibility

Assignments will be listed on the board that you are responsible for during the term

ASSIGNMENTS: Homework will be collected every Friday

and returned on Monday Quizzes are any chapter questions,

short story questions, questions on notes and informal essays/Open Response

Tests are anything labeled “test” , projects and essays

When given a long term project reading homework will not be required. These projects will be worth both a test grade and homework grades.

GRADING: Homework =

10% Daily Points =

20% Quizzes = 30% Tests = 40%

Daily Points become translated into grades3/3 = 80%5/5 =100%2/1 = 60%

Recovery Room, Blue Slips, Suspensions = 0%

OPEN RESPONSE RUBRICScore Description 4 Student’s work is a clear, complete, and accurate

explanation in response to the question. The response includes important, appropriate details from the text to support the answer.

3 Student’s work is a mostly clear, complete, and accurate explanation in response to the question. The response includes relevant but often general details from the text.

2 Student’s work is a partial explanation in response to the question. The response includes limited details from the text and may include inaccuracies or misinterpretations.

1 Student’s work gives a minimal response to the question and may include inaccuracies or misinterpretations.

0 The response is incorrect, irrelevant or contains insufficient/unrelated information to demonstrate comprehension.

WRITING PROMPT RUBRIC6 5 4 3 2 1

Rich topic/idea development

Careful and/or subtle organization

Effective/rich use of language

Full topic/idea development

Logical organization

Strong details Appropriate

use of language

Moderate topic/idea development and organization

Adequate, relevant details

Some variety in language

Rudimentary topic/idea development and/or organization

Basic supporting details

Simplistic language

Limited or weak topic/idea development, organization, and/or details

Limited awareness of audience and/or task

Little topic/idea development, organization, and/or details

Little or no awareness of audience and/or task

4 3 2 1

Control of sentence structure, grammar and usage, and mechanics (length and complexity of essay provide opportunity for student to show control of standard English conventions)

Errors do not interfere with communication and/or

Few errors relative to the length of essay or complexity of sentence structure, grammar and usage, and mechanics

Errors interfere somewhat with communication and/or

Too many errors relative to the length of the essay or complexity of sentence structure, grammar and usage, and mechanics

Errors seriously interfere with communication AND

Little control of sentence structure, grammar and usage, and mechanics

Topic Development

Standard Eng l i sh Convent ions

EXPECTATIONS:

This is a learning environment, in order to learn best all should have the opportunity to feel comfortable and confident. In order to feel this way it is expected that everyone in the classroom (and outside the classroom) be treated with respect.

EXPECTATIONS: Bullying behaviors, name calling,

gossiping about those not in the room (or in the room), and general disrespect will not be tolerated and will be addressed per CMA’s behavior system.

WE READ, WE WRITE, WE SPEAK …WE LEARN!!!

This is English class therefore you will be expected to read (sometimes aloud), write and present orally at times. All of these things will be achieved at each individual’s level of ability. But this is High School and you need to write essays and read books!

CURRICULUM MAPS:

SENIOR ENGLISHSenior English offers the opportunity for students to explore society and their connections to society through a variety of literary genre and rhetorical writing assignments. Students will analyze in more depth through a critical lens literature and non-fiction with themes of personal choice, the impact of modern society on the individual, self identity, and cultural, social and gender identity. This will be achieved through the reading of a selection of multi-cultural works by Alex Haley, Richard Wright, Zora Neale Hurston, Maxine Hong Kingston, Alan Paton, Chinua Achebe, Nadine Gordimer among others. Students will also read, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Erik Larson’s The Devil in The White City, and Alice Sebold’s A Lovely Bones . Students will build upon their analytic and critical writing skills they have been developing throughout 9, 10 and 11th grades. Writing assignments and projects will develop into portfolios, research projects with a self determined thesis and usable resumes. Throughout the year students will progress their knowledge and use of available technology.

JUNIOR ENGLISH Junior English offers an opportunity to study some of the key texts of

American literature from the colonial to the contemporary period, with a focus on the periods of the American Renaissance, the late nineteenth century, and Modernism. Working in close collaboration with the United States History course, the class centers around the always contested definition of America, and what it means to be an American, with special emphasis on the ways in which matters of gender, race, and social class have inflected these definitions. Readings include selections from Phyllis Wheatley, Benjamin Franklin, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Harriet Jacobs, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, Charles Chesnutt, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Henry James, Zora Neal Hurston, Langston Hughes, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Kate Chopin, Sylvia Plath, Lorraine Hansbury, Tennessee Williams, Harper Lee, Arthur Miller, John Krakaur and Maya Angelou. The course continues development of students’ analytical abilities by drawing on and extending the interpretive skills developed in English 9 and 10, and also seeks to increase students’ reading speed in anticipation of the demands of college humanities courses. Writing assignments continue the development of narrative and analytical skills, and include a personal narrative designed to serve as a first draft for the college application essay. Over the course of the year, students continue to develop their presentational abilities utilizing available technology.

SOPHOMORE ENGLISH Sophomore English continues to focus on writing as a process and

on reading from culturally defining texts from Europe, Asia and America. Students will expand their writing skills by developing more in depth essays with strong supporting details and in depth critical analysis. Students are utilizing elements of style while also developing stronger introductory paragraphs, topic sentences, textual evidence, and strong conclusions. They acquire the fundamental patterns of critical thinking and the vocabulary necessary for written and spoken analysis of literary and informational texts. Imaginative expression is encouraged and, in the course of the year, original poems and personal narratives emerge. Oral skills continue to develop through oral reading, group work and presentations. The literature of the course includes Beowulf, Canterbury Tales, To Kill a Mockingbird, Night, Animal Farm and Julius Caesar or Othello, as well as selected poems and short stories reflecting diverse voices and points of view. This literature is paired with informational texts as well as primary source materials.

FRESHMAN ENGLISH Freshman English focuses on writing as a process and on

reading from culturally defining texts of Western civilization. Students concentrate on the process of developing their essays through such stages as pre-writing, outlining, first and second drafts, and peer edits. Students are introduced to elements of style while also learning the importance of introductory paragraphs, topic sentences, textual evidence, and strong conclusions. They acquire the fundamental patterns of critical thinking and the vocabulary necessary for written and spoken analysis of literary texts and Nonfiction selections. Imaginative expression is encouraged and, in the course of the year, original poems and personal narratives emerge. Other skills important to a student’s Upper School career, such as class participation, note-taking, and proofreading, form an essential part of the course. Oral skills develop through oral reading, group work and presentations. The literature of the course includes The Odyssey, The Hunger Games, The House on Mango Street and Romeo and Juliet, as well as selected poems and short stories reflecting diverse voices and points of view.

HAVE A GREAT YEAR!!!!!!!!!